Fresno's Eddie Bauer location could close by April 30 without a buyer. Google Street View photo

The Eddie Bauer store at Fig Garden Village in Fresno is one of 175 stores in the U.S. and Canada that could close by April 30 following the retailer’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year.

Eddie Bauer LLC, the entity that operates the company’s brick-and-mortar stores in North America, announced Feb. 9 that it had entered into a restructuring support agreement with secured lenders, filing for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey.

In its filing, the retailer said it would conduct liquidation sales at its stores while continuing to pursue a buyer for part or all of its retail business in a court-supervised process.

If a buyer cannot be found by the April 30 deadline the company will carry out an orderly wind-down of its storefront operations.

Eddie Bauer’s retail and outlet stores in the U.S. and Canada will remain open and serve customers as the process begins. The Fresno location confirmed that it will close by the April 30 deadline unless its inventory sells out before the date arrives.

The wind-down of the timeline could still shift if a sale is approved by the bankruptcy court.

The filing reflects years of challenges for the retailer, including declining sales, supply-chain issues, rising costs and shifting consumer preferences, according to company leadership.

Founded in 1920 in Seattle, Eddie Bauer has weathered multiple restructuring periods over its century-long history. This Chapter 11 reorganization, however, marks a significant turning point for its physical stores in North America.

Unless a buyer for the store network comes forward, customers in Fresno and other markets can expect liquidation signage, clearance pricing and the eventual permanent closure of its retail locations in the coming weeks.