Anchor Blue, a small fashion clothing outlet at the Hanford Mall, will close.

The proposed action was announced last week as part of Anchor Blue Retail Group Inc.'s filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The Hanford location is slated to shut down along with one at Manchester Mall in Fresno and another at Bakersfield's East Hills Mall.

The San Joaquin Valley stores are among approximately 50 stores Anchor Blue wants to shut down in California, Arizona, Florida and several other states.

"The company evaluated all its stores and then made the decision to close its under-performing stores," said Susan Kenney, an Anchor Blue spokeswoman.

Hanford Mall management couldn't be reached this morning for comment.

Anchor Blue operates 177 stores and 74 retail outlets in 12 states, according to a company press release.

It's unclear when the Hanford location will shut its doors. The winding-down process is likely to take several weeks, Kenney said.

The announcement comes on the heels of word that Forever 21, a teen fashion retailer, is planning to take over the Hanford Gottschalks space.

A liquidation sales is winding down at Gottschalks after the company filed for bankruptcy in January amid plummeting sales.

The Hanford Mervyns closed in December.

Anchor Blue is the latest local retail victim of the recession.

"The downturn in consumer spending and the decline in consumer traffic in malls has affected the companies' bottom line," Kenney said.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2432.

(June 1, 2009)