Brooks Brothers closes Darien and Westport stores

Brooks Brothers has closed two of its Fairfield County stores ahead of reports that the retailer is planning a bankruptcy filing.

According to a CNBC report sourced from unnamed “people familiar with the matter,” Brooks Brothers is in discussions with banks about raising financing for a potential bankruptcy that might occur as soon as July.

Brooks Brothers CEO Claudio Del Vecchio told The New York Times that he was not “eager” to consider a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, although he would not rule out pursuing that solution to the company”™s financial woes.

The two regional stores that have been shuttered are at 987 Boston Post Road in Darien  and the women”™s store at 125 Main St. in Westport; the adjacent men”™s store at 136 Main St. in Westport will remain open, along with locations in Greenwich, Danbury and Stamford. The retailer, which was founded in 1818, also operates Westchester stores in Scarsdale and White Plains.