Women’s clothing retailer Fresh Produce has found a buyer who promised to keep more than half of its 27 stores alive, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Fresh Produce officials said in court papers that an entity called Blue Stripe LLC is preparing to buy all but 12 stores out of bankruptcy protection. Blue Stripe beat other offers at an auction on Friday for the Fresh Produce stores and online clothing line, which targets both tourists and “non-tourist customers for whom a ‘vacation state of mind’ resonates,” said Chief Financial Officer Jo Stone in earlier documents filed in in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Denver. The Boulder, Colo., chain filed for chapter 11 protection on April 4, blaming an “aggressive overexpansion” and high turnover in key positions.
