Bath & Body Works to close all stores in U.S., Canada because of coronavirus

As federal officials stress the importance of social distancing due to the coronavirus outbreak, companies are making hard decisions about temporarily closing down.

Bath & Body Works is just one of the latest companies to announce its locations are closing temporarily to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Customers will still be able to shop online and employees will continue to receive pay during the time, the CEO Andrew Meslow said in a letter posted to the company’s Facebook page.

“While our associates are home with their loved ones at this critical time, we’ll support them with pay, as well as look for other ways we might ease their concerns and share our appreciation for all they’ve done,” Meslow said. “As a company, we’re also working on additional ways to support those in need in our home office communities.”

It was not announced when the stores would reopen.

The company’s full statement from CEO Andrew Meslow is below.

With breaking news about COVID-19 constantly developing, our goal has been to make products available to help you care for your families and friends to prevent the spread of COVID-19/Coronavirus as much as we can. But based on the information we have today, we have made the extremely difficult decision to temporarily close all of our stores in the U.S. and Canada.

While our associates are home with their loved ones at this critical time, we'll support them with pay, as well as look for other ways we might ease their concerns and share our appreciation for all they've done. As a company, we're also working on additional ways to support those in need in our home office communities.

This closure will also allow us to prioritize inventory to our online channel, so you can safely shop from home. We're working around-the-clock to deliver products to our distribution center to ensure we can fulfill your needs. We never want to disappoint our customers, and we always try to ensure you get the products you need when you need them.

I’ve never been prouder of how our team has stepped up to take care of each other and our customers. Thank you for putting your trust in Bath & Body Works...we’re committed to earning it every day.