J. Crew to Discontinue Bridal-Wear Business in Latest Shift

(Bloomberg) -- J. Crew Group Inc. will end its foray into bridal wear as the preppy apparel chain struggles to find the right formula to win back shoppers.

The company is better off concentrating its efforts elsewhere, said J. Crew spokeswoman Margot Fooshee, who confirmed the decision after it was reported by Business Insider.

The retailer plans to “focus on what women like to wear to someone else’s wedding, versus what they would wear to their own,” she said in an e-mail.

J. Crew has been trying to recapture the allure of its brand after a long slump. Same-store sales -- a closely watched measure -- plunged 8 percent in the second quarter. That was the eighth straight quarter of declines and slightly worse than the 7 percent drop it reported in the previous three months.

In August, Chief Executive Officer Mickey Drexler blamed a “challenging traffic environment” for hurting business. Drexler has been trying to bring customers back to J. Crew after fashion missteps and price increases alienated shoppers. The company also said it would sell a limited collection of women’s clothing through Nordstrom Inc.’s stores and website.

In its report on the company killing its bridal line, Business Insider said J. Crew was discounting wedding gowns by as much as 70 percent.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lindsey Rupp in New York at lrupp2@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Kevin Orland, Mark Schoifet