Claire's plans tech upgrades despite financial setbacks
Published Wednesday, January 14, 2026 11:00 am
by Makenzie Holland

This is a summary

"Claire's technology transformation comes at a time when the company is pushing to reduce costs and regain its footing in the consumer market.

In August, Claire's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in seven years. After its initial filing in 2018, the company struggled to implement its restructuring plan and pivot its business as buying habits changed. A month after its second filing last summer, it was acquired by private investment company Ames Watson for $140 million. The firm said it planned to modernize and revitalize the chain.

"Every turnaround we have done begins with people," said Tom Ripley, partner and co-founder at Ames Watson in a press release at the time. "Claire's has an incredibly passionate field team—many with 20 years or more in these stores—and their loyalty will be the foundation of this next chapter."

Technology will likely be part of that foundation as the company focuses on its data and tech stacks. In 2025, Claire's zeroed in on 'transformation, modernizing our foundation, optimizing our operations and driving measurable impact,' Lamboy wrote in his LinkedIn post."

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Claire’s plans tech upgrades despite financial setbacks | Retail Dive

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Claire’s plans tech upgrades despite financial setbacks | Retail Dive

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