Justice

Bluestar Alliance acquired the Justice brand from bankrupt parent Ascena Retail Group at a Section 363 bankruptcy auction on November 11, 2020 for a $71 million cash bid valuing the brand at approximately $90 million including assumed liabilities, taking ownership of intellectual property and certain related assets. All 820 remaining Justice stores wound down by early 2021, ending more than two decades of tween-girl mall retail under the Justice and predecessor Limited Too banners. Since 2021, Justice has been sold exclusively at Walmart in the United States and Canada, operating as an asset-light brand under Bluestar’s brand management and licensing model rather than as a directly operated retail chain.

Bluestar Alliance, founded in 2006 by Joseph Gabbay (CEO) and Ralph Gindi, operates a portfolio of brand-management assets that includes Justice alongside Hurley (acquired from Nike in October 2019), bebe, Tahari, Brookstone, Limited Too, Nanette Lepore, Catherine Malandrino, and Kensie. The company describes itself as a “premiere brand management and marketing company” focused on monetizing acquired brand intellectual property through licensee partnerships, exclusive retailer agreements, and global brand extensions rather than directly operating retail infrastructure. Justice was originally founded as Limited Too in the late 1980s and rebranded as Justice between 2008 and 2010 during the Ascena era, peaking at 826 stores by fall 2019 before the COVID-driven retail collapse that triggered Ascena’s July 2020 Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Justice operates today as a Walmart-exclusive private label arrangement covering apparel (sizes 6 to 20 plus plus-sizes 10 to 24), underwear, sleepwear, swimwear, accessories, and personal care products for girls aged approximately 6 to 12. International distribution outside North America runs through Bluestar’s licensee partnerships, which span 250+ stores, shops-in-shop, and distributors across Europe, South America, Japan, China, Korea, Australia, and the Middle East. For mall operators, Justice is no longer a viable standalone tenant counterparty: the brand exists exclusively through wholesale and licensee arrangements rather than directly operated retail, with engagement requiring conversation with Bluestar’s New York licensing team rather than dedicated Justice commercial real estate.