Crabtree & Evelyn Ltd filed for bankruptcy in the US on Wednesday as the personal care products retailer became the latest victim of the recession crippling consumer markets.

The company filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 after sales slumped and revenue fell in the aftermath of the recession. Crabtree & Evelyn Acting president, Stephen Bestwick said in a court filing that last year’s housing crisis and the tightening of credit channels had forced consumers to restrict discretionary spending which in turn proved crippling for the company.

Crabtree & Evelyn is owned by Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhard and is a division of the British parent holding company. Based in Woodstock, Connecticut, the American unit currently operates 126 stores across the US and has employee strength of 950. After its bankruptcy filing, Crabtree & Evelyn announced that it would continued to keep its stores open, honor gift cards and coupons even as it proceeds to reorganize its business under bankruptcy laws.

The worst post-war recession in the US economy saw several major names in the retail industry succumb to the economic slowdown. Since the end of 2007, retailers like Fortunoff, Steve & Barry’s, Gottschalks as well as Boscov’s were forced to seek bankruptcy protection under US laws.