Bon-Ton store descriptions were discontinued after the company filed for bankruptcy in 2018, leading to the liquidation of all its physical stores, including its namesake locations and acquired brands like Boston Store and Younkers, due to overwhelming debt, changing retail habits, and failed expansion, with the brand name eventually sold for e-commerce use by BrandX.com after a period of ownership by CSC Generation.

Key Points of the Discontinuation:

Bankruptcy & Liquidation: Bon-Ton filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2018 and ultimately liquidated all stores by summer 2018 after failing to find a buyer to save them.

Causes: The demise stemmed from over $1 billion in debt from acquisitions, declining sales, inability to compete with online retail and larger stores like Macy's, and poor expansion into unsuitable markets.

Brand Fate: Liquidators acquired the assets, closing the brick-and-mortar stores. The Bon-Ton brand name was later sold to CSC Generation and then to BrandX.com, which operates an online store.

Impact: The closures left significant gaps in malls across the Midwest and Northeast, impacting jobs and local economies.

In essence, the physical Bon-Ton stores and their distinctive local brand descriptions vanished as a result of financial struggles in the evolving retail landscape, with only the name surviving online.