Gymboree celebrates revamped brand

“It’s really an all-new Gymboree, different in almost every single way,” said Daniel Griesemer, Gymboree's group chief executive, speaking to CNBC. “The product is completely re-engineered, redesigned. [There’s] elevated quality, elevated aesthetic, the new mix-and-match capability that hasn’t been part of the offering to date.”

Though Gymboree Group — which owns clothing brands Gymboree; Crazy 8; and Janie and Jack — has relaunched its website and is introducing a new app, physical stores remain a central part of the company's strategy. The three brands have about 940 stores between them. In focus groups, shoppers have indicated that “they prefer to shop in stores, because they want to touch and feel and look at quality and sizing,” Griesemer told CNBC.

Though some stores may later be shut in the interest of achieving “parity” between the company’s online and offline operations, Griesemer says, “we have so much work to be done in the fleet of existing stores.” 

Gymboree filed for bankruptcy in June of last year, saddled with debt following its acquisition by Bain Capital. Roughly a dozen shareholders now own the company, notes CNBC, with former lenders Brigade Capital, Oppenheimer & Co. and Searchlight Capital now the lead investors.