Farewell Francesca’s in Third Ward, As National Retailer Dies
No closing date set, but bright-yellow sign indicates it is imminent.
Francesca’s. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
It’s farewell to Francesca’s.
As a result of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, the women’s clothing retailer is being liquidated.
The boutique chain has about 450 locations, mostly in shopping malls, across 45 states. Its Milwaukee location, 327 N. Broadway, is on the first floor of a mixed-use building on one of the city’s most chic shopping streets.
The company stopped accepting online orders on Feb. 12 and is only accepting gift cards until Feb. 26. No specific closing date has been announced.
The bankruptcy is the company’s second in six years. It first filed in 2020 and announced it would close 140 stores. It was sold to a holding company as part of the 2020 bankruptcy, then sold again in 2024.
In the bankruptcy filing, the company said a 2025 financing plan fell through.
“Macroeconomic factors that have disrupted the retail industry generally have also impacted the company, including shifts in the competitive landscape, a move toward online channels, supply chain issues, and increased costs of goods and services due to inflation, among other factors,” says the filing.
Francesca’s also has locations in Wauwatosa, Pleasant Prairie, Madison, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Green Bay and Appleton.
The Milwaukee location opened in 2017, at the same time the building was redeveloped into the Broadway Market Lofts. Other commercial tenants in the building include Fusion Poke and IVme Wellness + Aesthetics.
The company’s website says it has more than 3,000 employees.
The chain was founded in Houston in 1999.
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