Imlay City store to be shuttered as part of corporation’s bankruptcy restructuring plan
Imlay City’s Shopko Hometown store is due to close in mid-May as part of a corporate restructuring plan. photo by Maria Brown.
IMLAY CITY — According to a closure list posted on the company’s website, Imlay City’s Shopko Hometown store will be shuttered this spring.
Last month, the Green Bay, Wisconsin-based retailer filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy and said they’d close 38 retail locations. Last week the company added to that list, saying an additional 139 closures were needed as part of a restructuring plan. The 1995 S. Cedar St. location’s estimated last day of operation is May 12. The majority of the store closures across the country will start in March and extend through May. Company officials say there may be a liquidation sale on select items.
According to media reports, Shopko officials said the closing of Shopko Hometown stores impacts 10 to 15 full and part-time employees on average.
Previously the building at the corner of Cedar St. and Newark Rd. was a Pamida store. Shopko purchased Pamida in 1999 and the two operated independently for some time until, in 2012, the two companies merged and existing Pamida stores were converted into Shopko Hometown locations.
It appears only a handful of Shopko stores will remain in Michigan with the majority being in the Upper Peninsula— Kingsford, Ishpeming, Manistique and Iron River.
In a letter to customers regarding the restructuring, CEO Russ Steinhorst said filing for bankruptcy was an “important step towards protecting our future and ensuring our ability to continue delivering the high-quality products and services that our customers are accustomed to receiving.” Officials believe that a smaller operating footprint is the right strategy for the company “given the current retail environment and ongoing competitive pressures.”
The company was founded in 1962 and at the time they filed bankruptcy operated more than 360 stores in 26 states. Imlay City’s location was one of 234 Shopko Hometown stores, which the company describes as a “smaller concept store developed to meet the needs of smaller communities.”
In addition to traditional retail stores, Shopko also had pharmacy and optical stores.
