How many employees did Forever 21 have at its peak?

Forever 21 had about 43,000 employees at its peak.

That peak came during the retailer’s rapid expansion before its 2019 bankruptcy. The company grew from a small Los Angeles shop into a global fast-fashion chain with hundreds of stores, large distribution operations, and an international workforce. Contemporary bankruptcy coverage contrasted the peak workforce of roughly 43,000 with about 32,800 employees later in the company’s decline.

The figure is generally presented as an approximate company-wide headcount rather than a precise annual payroll total. It includes employees supporting the retailer’s stores and operations, not just workers in the United States. That distinction explains why the number is much larger than the company’s U.S. store count alone would suggest.

Forever 21’s employment base shrank as sales fell, stores were closed, and the business retrenched. Its revenue declined sharply from roughly $4.4 billion in 2016 to about $3.3 billion in 2018. The company filed for bankruptcy in September 2019, was sold to a group including Authentic Brands Group and Simon Property Group in 2020, and later entered a second U.S. bankruptcy in 2025.