Cache Gift Cards Expire Early Next Month

Women’s dress and formalwear chain Cache officially kicked off going-out-of-business sales Friday, and customers should act fast if they’re holding on to a gift card for the retailer.

In filings made Friday in bankruptcy court, Cache said it plans to honor gift cards for 30 days, meaning they’ll be valid until April 5. The same goes for merchandise returns (only on clothing bought before the liquidation sales) and other promotions.

Since filing for bankruptcy protection Feb. 4, Cache has already shut down a few dozen stores. The sales are currently underway at its remaining 153 locations in the U.S., the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Cache fans have taken to social media to express sadness at the loss of the brand. “This can’t be happening,” Vivian Gonzalez, a meteorologist on a Miami morning show, posted on Cache’s Facebook page. “Cache has always been my go to store.”

Founded in Miami in 1976, Cache traditionally focused on selling formal dresses to women in their 20s. An ill-timed expansion between 1999 and 2006 that nearly doubled the chain’s store count, to 306, and put more emphasis on sportswear harmed the brand, the company said in court filings. Cache hasn’t turned a profit since 2011.

While good for shoppers looking to snag a deal, the sales are bad news for the chain’s hundreds of employees, who will soon be without a job. According to court filings, the sales aren’t expected to last past May 31.

Write to Sara Randazzo at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @sara_randazzo