Over the years, Canadian shoppers have lost a lot of their once-favourite retailers.
Unfortunately, with upped competition in the mid-priced fashion market, many longstanding brands have struggled to stay afloat and are forced to close stores or shut down business for good. In the past few years, we’ve said goodbye to retailers like Town Shoes, Jean Machine, and Aéropostale to name a few.
But despite retailers closing doors and filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy, some of the retailers we thought we had seen the last of are seeing a rebirth. We’ve seen comebacks by American Apparel and Mexx, and now we’re seeing a comeback from a nostalgic womenswear brand.
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Bebe has slowly been making its way back into the market.
In 2017, Bebe closed around 168 stores across North America. With some cash in the bank, the retailer was able to exit the market gracefully, buying its way out of leases and saying goodbye to malls, while maintaining its presence online.
In the past two years, Bebe has been easing its way back into the market and recently unveiled a new and improved loyalty program and e-commerce site.
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Bebe’s new online destination offers a more personalized shopping experience.
The revamped website is an elevated version of Bebe’s previous e-commerce store, with beautiful imagery and content meant to inspire, entertain, and educate the shopper. The design is mobile-friendly, making it super easy for shoppers to browse new products, access deals, and get recommendations based on their personal interests.
In addition, Bebe has updated its loyalty program ClubBebe. The program offers loyal shoppers more incentive to shop through a points system. The more points a shopper earns, the higher the discount the shopper is able to receive on their next purchase.
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At this point, it doesn’t look like Bebe will be reopening stores any time soon.
However, we’ll continue to see the brand evolve over time. And who’s to say they can’t champion once again? Living in a time where nostalgia and logomania rules fashion, it certainly makes sense that Bebe, the logo that was emblazoned in jewels on every girl’s chest in the ’90s, could be popular once again.
With plans to launch additional product offerings and website accessibility in a variety of different languages, the brand is slowly making their way back into our closets.
Featured image: Cristina Avila