the UK and EU markets, opening online stores for British customers. In October it signed a licensing deal with AR Holdings to launch the brand in nine Latin American countries. Among other countries, in early 2020, it pulled out of Guam, South Africa and Lebanon. In May 2021, Brookfield Property Partners sold its stake in Forever 21 for $63 million. After YM Inc. became the Canadian licensee for Forever 21 in June 2021, Hudson's Bay announced a partnership with Forever 21 in Canada. In August 2021, Forever 21 authorized Lasonic Limited Xusheng Co. Ltd. to manage its operations in China. Women's Wear Daily reported that Forever 21 had also "reentered major e-commerce platforms like Vip.com and Pinduoduo." It had 540 locations by December 2021 and, that month, partnered on product lines with JCPenney, which is also owned by Authentic Brands Group. In December 2021, Forever 21 announced that it had hired Virtual Brand Group to create a metaverse game for the company that allowed players to operate custom fashion stores. Winnie Park was appointed Forever 21's chief executive officer in January 2022. ABG sued Bolt Financial in New York for failure to "deliver promised technology", stating that Forever 21 had lost $150 million in online sales due to a botched rollout of a new e-commerce platform in 2021. ABG described Bolt's software integration with Forever 21's mobile app as "disastrous," with multiple technical issues interfering in purchases. Bolt argued the claims were meritless. In early 2022, Forever 21 collaborated with Hervé Léger, Sports Illustrated, and Barbie. That summer, the company opened a new flagship store in India licensed by Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail. In June 2022, Poetic Brands was granted licensee rights to manufacture, market, and distribute the brand in the United Kingdom and Europe. Employee relations and safety In September 2001, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center and the Garment Worker Center, workers’ advocacy groups, filed a lawsuit against Forever 21, charging them of violating labor practice laws. They claimed that 19 contracted employees received less than the minimum wage, that the hours on time cards were reduced, that workers who complained to the state were fired, and that the employees faced sweatshop-like working conditions. Forever 21 denied the accusations, asserting its commitment to fair labor practices and that "none of the workers named in the suit were directly employed by the company". A three-year boycott of Forever