Tasteless Food! 500 Craft Store Locations to Close, 209 Warehouse Employees in California Laid Off

CALIFORNIA –

Joann announced, February 12, that it was closing 500 stores nationwide, including 61 in California.

According to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) sent to the Employment Development Department, 209 Joann employees are also being laid off at a Visalia distribution center effective March 31.

The store closure announcement comes a month after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time.

“This was a very difficult decision to make, given the major impact we know it will have on our team members, our customers and all of the communities we serve,” Joann’s said in a statement.

Roughly 350 Joann stores will remain open nationwide.

The statement goes on to say that a careful analysis of store performance and future strategic fit for the company determined which stores should remain operating as usual at this time.

Tough times in retail

Joann’s interim CEO Michael Prendergast previously said the tough times in retail, along with financial struggles, and low inventory forced the company to file for bankruptcy.

“After carefully reviewing all available strategic paths, we have determined that initiating a court-supervised sale process is the best course of action to maximize the value of the business,” said Prendergast.

Court documents show that Joann’s liabilities range from $1 billion to $10 billion.

The company said Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, LLC, the “stalking horse” bidder in the Chapter 11 filing intended to shut down the stores and sell everything in going-out-of-business sales.

PLAY Airlines Launches 20% Off Sale on Flights to Europe for Summer Travelers

Layoffs Hit Galveston County Health District, Dozens of Workers Affected

At the time, Joann was looking for other offers and said it heard from parties who might want to keep the stores and online business running.

Store closure locations

According to court documents, Joann is planning to close these 61 stores in California:

Alhambra

Bakersfield

Buena Park

Chico

Chino

Citrus Heights

Concord

Corona

Corte Madera

Cupertino

Daly City

Dublin

El Cerrito

Elk Grove

Eureka

Folsom

Foothill Ranch

Fresno

Fullerton

Glendale

Hemet

Hesperia

Huntington Beach

Irvine

Jackson

La Canada

La Verne

Lakewood

Long Beach

Manteca

Morgan Hill

Northridge

Oceanside

Orange

Oxnard

Poway

Rancho Mirage

Redding

Redlands

Redwood City

Riverside

Rohnert Park

Sacramento

Salinas

San Diego

San Leandro

San Marcos

San Mateo

Santa Clarita

Santa Rosa

Sherman Oaks

Simi Valley

Sonora

Stockton

Temecula

Torrance

Turlock

Vacaville

Woodland

Woodland Hills

Yuba City

About The Author