Barneys New York, which filed for bankruptcy Tuesday, secured new financing from Brigade Capital Management, LP and B. Riley Financial Inc. and has been given a deadline of October 24 to find a buyer to avoid liquidating.
The retailer had filed with $75 million in debtor-in-possession financing provided by Gordon Brothers and Hilco Global. But a new $218 million offer from Brigade Capital snd B. Riley will pay out that $75 million, while also injecting a further $143 million for Barneys to run its business while it looks for a buyer.
Barneys also received approvals from the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York for all “First Day” motions filed on August 6, 2019. The Court granted Barneys New York interim approval to immediately access $75 million of the $218 million in new financing from Brigade Capital and B. Riley Financial, which, combined with operating cash flow, will help Barneys New York to meet its go-forward financial commitments and continue operations.
“We are pleased to partner with Brigade Capital and B. Riley Financial, whose substantial financial commitment will better support Barneys New York as we continue to offer a unique customer experience, strengthen our relationships with our vendors and conduct a sale process to position Barneys New York for the long-term,” said Daniella Vitale, Chief Executive Officer & President. “This significantly enhanced financing commitment demonstrates the belief of Brigade Capital and B. Riley Financial in the value of the Barneys New York brand and business. We appreciate the prompt action by the Court in approving our First Day motions and would like to thank our employees, vendors and customers for their continued support.”
Brigade Capital, a global investment management firm, and B. Riley Financial, a diversified financial services company, bring deep retail sector expertise in the leveraged finance market. Together, the firms manage tens of billions of dollars in assets for their clients. With extensive experience in capital restructurings, these two financial institutions will provide Barneys New York critical support throughout the Company’s going concern sale process.
Vitale continued, “I would also like to thank Hilco Global and the Gordon Brothers Group for their interest and professionalism. The competition to provide Barneys New York with fresh capital – a substantial amount of which is being provided on a junior basis – reinforces our confidence in achieving a value enhancing transaction.”
Barneys New York will continue to provide excellent services, products and experiences for customers in five flagship locations: Madison Avenue, Downtown NYC, Beverly Hills, San Francisco and Copley Place in Boston, as well as two Barneys Warehouse locations, including Woodbury Common and Livermore. In addition, Barneys.com and BarneysWarehouse.com will continue serving our customers without disruption.
As reported, the retailer plans to close 15 of its 22 stores as part of the chapter 11 process, The stores to close include three downtown stores in Chicago, Las Vegas and Seattle; five smaller concept stores; and seven Barneys Warehouse locations.
In addition to the interim approval to access its new financing, the Court granted Barneys New York the authority to continue payment of employee wages and benefits and honor customer payments and orders. The Company will pay trade vendors, manufacturing partners and suppliers for goods and services provided on or after the filing date, August 6, 2019.
Court filings and information about the claims process are available at case.stretto.com/barneys.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as the Company’s legal advisor, Houlihan Lokey is serving as financial advisor and M-III Partners, L.P. is serving as its restructuring advisor.
