Shopko announced today that it will be filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and closing some of its 360 stores.

"On January 16, 2019, Shopko, a leading operator of general merchandise stores throughout the Central, Western and Pacific Northwest regions of the U.S., announced that it, along with its subsidiaries, has filed voluntary petitions for a court-supervised financial restructuring under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.

 

As part of its restructuring efforts, Shopko is planning to close 38 stores during March and April, including two in Wyoming. The Shopko in Greybull, Wyoming is scheduled to close on March 3, 2019. The store in Thermopolis is scheduled for an April 8 closing.

“This decision is a difficult, but necessary one,” Shopko CEO Russ Steinhorst said in a statement. “In a challenging retail environment, we have had to make some very tough choices, but we are confident that by operating a smaller and more focused store footprint, we will be able to build a stronger Shopko that will better serve our customers, vendors, employees and other stakeholders through this process.”

The Wisconsin-based company is also working to spin-off its optical centers into free-standing stores, and end its pharmacy operations.

In surrounding states, seven stores are closing in South Dakota, three in Colorado, eight in Nebraska including the store in Kimball, and two in Montana. You can see the full list here. Shopko has 11 other stores in Wyoming. There is no word at this time about their status.

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