Party City Stores to Close by February, Company Says

Party City, the party supply store that has provided the glittering backdrops for generations of birthday celebrations, New Year’s Eve bashes and Super Bowl gatherings, announced just days before Christmas that it was closing its doors for good.Party City store managers were told that stores would begin a “wind-down process” that started on Friday and would last until about Feb.28, 2025.

Store managers could keep their pay and benefits until then if they wanted to keep working, according to an internal letter reviewed by The New York Times.Store employees said they were told that all stores in the United States would close by the end of February.CNN reported news of the company’s closing on Friday.Corporate employees and workers at a distribution center were told on Friday that they would be laid off that day, according to an employee who shared a video of her being laid off.The company said in a quarterly report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, that it had 748 retail stores in North America.

Founded in 1986 and employing more than 16,000 people, the chain party-supply store sold balloons, costumes, accessories and other party goods.It was not immediately clear how many stores would close in February.The total number of employees who were laid off on Friday and how many would remain until the end of February was also not clear.

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