The Indiana-based electronics and appliances retailer hhgregg announced yesterday plans to shut down 88 stores across the country as part of an effort to combat slumping sales.
All three stores stores in Delaware will close, including locations in Dover, Wilmington and Christiana. The Dover and Newark employ about 20 people each, according to store managers. A representative from the Wilmington store declined to comment.
The closures are expected to occur in mid-April. The company anticipates 1,500 layoffs.
Angela White, operations manager at the Christiana location, said she was not aware of any plans to relocate employees.
“It would be nice if we could relocate, but with me having a 7-year-old and all, it couldn’t happen anyway,” she said.
Many of the stores set to close are located along the East Coat and within the mid-Atlantic region.
“The management team has worked tirelessly over the past year to return hhgregg to profitability,” said President and CEO Robert J. Riesbeck, in a news release. “We have determined that the economics of the affected locations will not allow us to achieve our overall goal of becoming a profitable company again. After scrutinizing our real estate portfolio, we have identified a number of under-performing stores, as well as store locations that are no longer strong shopping destinations due to changes in the local retail shopping landscape.”
Photos via Flickr user Daniel Oines
