Century 21’s intellectual property assets on the selling block

There may be a second life yet for Century 21 Department Stores. 

Hilco Streambank is seeking a buyer for the intellectual property of the legendary off-price retailer, including its trademarks, the C21Stores.com domain name, customer data, social media assets and more. Citing the impact of COVID-19, the New York-based Century 21 filed for bankruptcy in September, with plans to close its 13 stores across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida as well as its e-commerce site.

The offers are due by Nov. 16, with an auction be held on Nov. 19 sale is subject to approval of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

Century 21 is regarded as a pioneer in the development of the off-price department store, with a particular focus on luxury fashion items. Its total gross revenue in fiscal year 2019 was more than $747 million, of which approximately $53 million attributed to e-commerce.