Mar. 11--Tween Brands stock could be suspended from trading on the New York Stock Exchange because the value of its shares hasn't been at least $75 million over a 30-day period.

The New Albany-based girls' fashion retailer said yesterday that it received the notification from the NYSE on Friday.

"While we are disappointed with the receipt of the notification, we intend to submit a plan to the NYSE, the cornerstone of which will be the successful transition to the Justice store brand," Mike Rayden, chairman and chief executive of Tween Brands, said in a statement.

The company said it has 45 days to submit the plan showing how it will return to compliance within 18 months. If the plan is accepted, Tween would be subject to quarterly monitoring; if it's not, the stock would be delisted and no longer traded on the NYSE.

After trading just above $1 for much of the past week, Tween shares soared with the market yesterday, rising 25 cents, or 23.2 percent, to close at $1.33. That's still 95 percent off the company's 52-week high of $27.46.

Shares have fallen during the past year on news of high-level executive departures and disappointing sales. Also a factor was Tween's surprise plan, announced last summer, to close all of its Limited Too stores in favor of the newer, lower-priced Justice chain.

mrose@dispatch.com

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