regional stores: January 2009 Archives

Regional value-and-convenience retailer Pamida is closing 11 of its 215 stores. Pamida cited "a negative drain on earnings" coming from the locations being shuttered. Pamida, which operates mostly in smaller towns, gets hurt whenever a Wal-Mart opens, and the economy's shift toward greater consumer value is forcing the closings.

As a small-town retailer, Pamida's news is indicative of the hyperlocal focus discussed here recently. View the store closing information as reported in Sioux City, IA; Norwalk, OH; southeast Iowa; and Park Rapids, ND.

The Milwaukee area is losing its 82-year-old Harry W. Schwartz bookstores due to unavoidable market changes. The stores acknowledge changes in consumer habits, such as e-books and the Internet, as well as the current economic conditions plaguing other businesses. Interestingly, its management believes single-location specialty bookstores may thrive in the future, whereas the small-chain model of Harry W. Schwartz is not relevant in the current environment.

ARG Enterprises, owner of Black Angus Steakhouse restaurants, cited its locations as a primse factor in a bankruptcy filing announced this week. Black Angus has 69 outlets in seven states that are "some of the areas hardest hit by the mortgage crisis," according to an ARG executive. Buyouts and store closings are not yet formalized.

Gottschalk's, a department store chain that dates to 1904, filed for bankruptcy and is considering options that include selling the business. The San Francisco-based retailer has 58 stores in the western United States. Gottschalk's expects to continue normal business operations during its restructuring.

New York magazine has an article in this week's issue on the increase in bankruptcy filings for businesses in the nation's largest city. The angle: many of the chapter 11 filings, rather than reposition the filer for a restructuring, are instead precursors to going out of business. "There is not financing available for the reorganization process," says a lawyer in the article. A music studio and car dealership owner are quoted as wondering how they can possibly stay open.

Family-owned jewelry chain Shane Co. filed for bankruptcy protection. Shane has 23 outlets across 14 states and has been in business since the early 1970s. Little specific information is available yet.

Women's apparel manufacturer and retailer Searle Blatt filed for bankruptcy protection last week, alongside an affiliate company called Tom Jones Inc. The company, which has been open since the 1960s, operates seven well-known stores in New York, Tom Jones Inc. Searle Blatt cited the economy's impact on debt as the reason for the filing. Searle has not yet determined whether store closings will be an outcome of the filing.

No official announcement has been made by the company, but Rex is closing a good number of its store this winter, which is garnering attention in local markets. Stores in Pensacola and Tallahassee, Florida; Indiana, Pennsylvania; and Enid, Oklahoma are all entering liquidation sales. Rex was considering a retail restructuring last month but has not issued word on whether these store closings are part of a larger plan. The company sells synthetic fuels and ethanol in addition to operating its 100-plus-door retail electronics chain.

Update, January 13: The Rex in Albany is closing as well.