Loehmann’s has a thing for older women — firing them, a lawsuit claims.
Three former employees of the classic New York clothing chain claim they were axed because they don’t fit the youthful image the struggling discount store is aiming for.
Best known for its “Back Room” deals on designer duds, the 92-year-old Brooklyn-born company has been on a youth movement since CEO Steven Newman was hired in 2011, the axed trio allege.
Angela Fletcher, 54, Bernice Lowe, 57, and Rosemary Mangum, 76, charge in Manhattan Supreme Court papers filed last week that supervisors trumped up reasons to give them the high-heeled boot.
The company has boosted its social-media presence, uses more youthful models and promotes younger employees in the press, the fired women say.
Fletcher was allegedly fired for working overtime, while Lowe says she was let go after a false accusation from a fellow worker. Mangum, a 20-year customer-service veteran, was canned without warning for giving too many discounts, according to court papers.
The ladies were really “targeted for termination based on age,” they say in the legal claim.
Loehmann’s did not return a call for comment.