(Bloomberg) -- Reitmans (Canada) Ltd. has filed for bankruptcy protection after the pandemic forced it to close all its stores and aggravated the apparel retailer’s already-weakening business.

“Reitmans has implemented a successful digital-first strategy, amongst other omnichannel initiatives, to drive sustainable growth in this evolving retail environment,” the Montreal-based clothier said in a statement Tuesday. “However, the Covid-19 pandemic forced the closure of all retail stores, and pushed the retail industry into a new and unknown era.”

The company, with roots going back nearly a century, operates about 576 stores and employs 6,800 people worldwide under brands that include Addition Elle, RW & Co. and Thyme Maternity. It requested court protection through the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act in Canada.

Application under the CCAA will be heard by the Quebec Superior Court Tuesday. The company expects to remain fully operational through e-commerce. Physical stores will reopen when provincial and regional government guidelines allow it, the company said. Ontario is allowing retailers with street access to open their doors Tuesday, but indoor shopping malls remain closed.

Reitmans is the latest retailer to file for bankruptcy protection since measures to fight the pandemic put countries into lockdown mode. Footwear retailer Aldo Group Inc. also began a court restructuring process earlier this month, while luxury retailer Neiman Marcus Group Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection in Texas and J.C. Penney Co. Inc. filed last week.

The retailer is trying to secure interim financing, it said in the statement, without providing details. It’s also in discussions with lenders for a permanent financing upon exit from the restructuring process.

Reitmans was already in a difficult state before the virus. The company’s net loss for the quarter ending February 1 was C$51.7 million ($37.2 million), compared with a net loss of C$8.9 million in the same quarter a year earlier. Sales rose 1% and gross profit declined.

The retailer, a go-to for women’s office wear at a reasonable price, was founded in 1926 in Montreal, and bears the name of the family that started the business.The shares have lost 98% over the past 12 months. They were halted before the open on Tuesday morning.

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