The Limited, a women's clothing chain that propelled central Ohio into a major retail player nationally, will close all of its remaining stores on Sunday.
Leslie H. Wexner opened the first store in 1963 at Kingsdale Shopping Center in Upper Arlington, eventually growing the brand to 750 stores and sales of more than $ 1 billion.
The chain's success allowed Wexner to expand into numerous other retail ventures that would be based in the Columbus area, linking the city to well-known names such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Victoria's Secret, Express and others.
Wexner sold The Limited a decade ago to Sun Capital Partners to focus on the higher growth potential of the company's other divisions, such as Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body Works.
"Les knew how to take a sweater that a small merchant would sell 50, and he would sell 5,000 or 500,000," said Lee Peterson, executive vice president of retail consulting firm WD Partners, of The Limited's early success in a Dispatch story last year.
The Limited, like a number of other retailers, has been struggling. A month ago, the chain announced that it was laying off 248 of its headquarters staff in New Albany as it continued to pursue a sale. CEO Diane Ellis and Chief Financial Officer John Buell both left late last year.
The Limited confirmed on Friday what has been suspected for weeks: Their stores are all closing. Few other details, such as how many jobs will be lost, were provided. Until recently, the chain had about 235 stores nationally.
In a statement Friday, the company said that its website, TheLimited.com, "will continue operations after the store closings." However, the website reads "all sales final" and a number of items were not available in all sizes and colors.
The closings hit especially hard in central Ohio. The Limited has stores at the three biggest local malls: Easton Town Center, Polaris Fashion Place and the Mall at Tuttle Crossing.
The Limited store at Tuttle was among those still in operation Friday afternoon, but it was down to mostly selling fixtures and mannequins. The clothing stock was virtually sold out at discounts of up to 90 percent.
"I think it is very sad," said Amanda Conley, 49, of Powell, who bought two of the last pairs of pants at the Tuttle store. "It's been a staple here. Of course, it affects employees and their livelihoods."
Gerri Nygaard, 55, of Dublin, has been a Limited customer for about 10 years.
"It's a shame, but there are so many places you can shop for clothes," she said. "I like the brand. The clothes last. I've had (their) jeans for 15 years."
Peterson, who worked at The Limited from 1980 to 1991, said the closing is a sign of the fast-moving apparel business and seismic changes in the way goods are sold.
Earlier this week, Macy's said it will close 68 stores, including two in the Columbus area, and cut more than 10,000 jobs. Sears said it will shut down another 150 Sears and Kmart stores, including several in central Ohio, after a disappointing holiday shopping season.
"It's definitely part of a much broader malaise, a combination of competition from the internet, discounters and 'fast fashion' retailers," said Peterson, with the latter referring to companies such as H&M, which quickly produce trendy items.
The Limited also attempted to appeal to a tough-to-sway demographic, he said.
"They've … gone after an older customer, which is a very difficult market. They were kind of nowhere, competing with everybody from Macy's and Nordstrom to Chico's and Banana Republic."
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