Five Below, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, and La-Z-Boy also looking to move into some empty Party City spaces. The most common bidder to show up in the filing is Dollar Tree, which won a bid to take over 150 former Party City locations. Another discount retailer, Five Below, also entered a winning bid. It plans to take over 40 leases from the former Party City, according to the legal filing. Discount stores aren't the only retailers looking to move into Party City's old spots. Barns & Noble and Books-a-Million are looking to take over some locations, while Burlington Coat Factory and Rack Room Shoes are planning to move into others.
Cavender's, a western wear company, will also move into some of the empty spots, as will La-Z-Boy furniture. The lease transfers will be approved or denied during a hearing in Houston at the end of the month. For those who enjoyed shopping at Party City, not all is lost; nine franchises that collectively own 29 locations are planning to remain open even after the bankruptcy and closure announcement. With the central Party City company no longer operating, the owners of the individual stores will have to band together to keep the remaining locations afloat.
