SANTA MONICA—The Santa Monica based MUJI store is permanently closing its location at 2936 Main St. to the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2018, the Japanese retailer opened in Santa Monica at the Third Street Promenade location, becoming the largest West Coast store. The Hollywood MUJI store at 7021 Hollywood Blvd has also closed their doors after its six-year run. The store initially opened in 2013 and the 8,600 square foot venue was the largest until the newer Santa Monica store surpassed it in 2018.

The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and failed to pay rent in the United States. According to Financial Times, the company is currently $64 million in debt. The closure will affect all seven locations in California as part of the restructuring plan. The impacted stores include: Third Street Promenade, Hollywood, Santa Anita, Stanford, San Jose, Santa Monica, and SOMA. According to Bloomberg News, the pandemic was not entirely to blame, as the business in the U.S. had been operating at a loss for the past three fiscal years with a loss of approximately $10 million last year.

MUJI USA News Release

“Thank you for eight wonderful years in California,” MUJI said. “We hope you will continue to shop with us online. Our website remains fully operational and our customer service experts are always available to answer any questions you may have.”

MUJI initiated in Japan in 1980 and acquires more than 400 stores spread out in Japan. One year after, the minimalist home goods store opened its first store outside of Japan in London. Currently, MUJI stores are located in greater New York area, New Jersey, Boston and Portland.