Payless - Our motto: When in doubt, buy 'em all.

HOUSTON – Payless is back. The shoe retailer, which has formally dropped the name “Shoesource” from its brand name, announced in a press release Tuesday that it is opening new online retail options and new brick-and-mortar locations.

Payless had uninspiring stores, me-too merchandise, look-alike marketing and did not execute well. Retailers that fail to become more remarkable are destined to experience a similar fate.

2019: Payless filed for a second bankruptcy and closed all their remaining stores in the United States and Canada, which was also coincidental with Shopko's own bankruptcy and liquidation. 2020: Payless emerges from bankruptcy and plans to re-launch a U.S. e-commerce site.

June 2019 Payless filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and again in February 2019 after a failed restructuring plan. The company exited the American market when it closed the last of its 2,000-plus stores in June 2019.

But it also faced profound challenges. Many malls and shopping centers were entering a death spiral, with falling foot traffic, store closings and underinvestment. People were increasingly buying shoes online, along with most everything else. Payless had underinvested in its information technology infrastructure.

Payless filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 2019 and shuttered its remaining 2,000-plus stores in North America by the end of June. The brand founded in 1956 also filed for Chapter 11 in 2017.

HOUSTON – Payless is back. The shoe retailer, which has formally dropped the name “Shoesource” from its brand name, announced in a press release Tuesday that it is opening new online retail options and new brick-and-mortar locations.

In 1994, adidas filed an action alleging Payless willfully infringed adidas' trademark rights by selling athletic shoes bearing confusingly similar imitations of adidas' Three-Stripe mark.

Amid the fitness and sneaker crazes of the 1980s, Payless found success with its Pro Wings sneakers. Selling for just $15 to $20, the sneakers featured Velcro straps instead of laces - and with their price and practicality became a popular choice among schoolchildren. Payless ShoeSource Inc.

Golden Gate CapitalPayless Finance, Inc. Payless/Parent organizations

2019: Payless filed for a second bankruptcy and closed all their remaining stores in the United States and Canada, which was also coincidental with Shopko's own bankruptcy and liquidation. 2020: Payless emerges from bankruptcy and plans to re-launch a U.S. e-commerce site.