TORONTO —
Pier 1 is closing all stores in Canada, according to a statement published Monday on the home décor retailer’s website.
According to the brief statement, Pier 1 is pursuing a sale of the company as the home decor retailer begins Chapter 11 proceedings in the United States.
“In connection with this, the Company has made the decision to move forward in the U.S. and close all stores in Canada. We thank our customers in Canada for your continued loyalty and for shopping with us over the years,” the statement read.
And in a seperate press release, Robert Riesbeck, Pier 1’s CEO and Chief Financial Officer, said “today’s actions are intended to provide Pier 1 with additional time and financial flexibility as we now work to unlock additional value for our stakeholders through a sale of the company.”
“In recent months, we have taken significant steps forward in our business transformation and cost-reduction initiatives,” Riesbeck explained. “We have worked to establish an appropriately sized and profitable store footprint, operating structure and merchandise assortment that will enable Pier 1 to better serve our customers across store and online channels.”
According to the press release, Pier 1 stores and its website will remain open and operating. It also explained that filing for Chapter 11 allows Pier 1 to have authority to “pay wages and benefits and honor customer commitments in the ordinary course of business.”
The statement also noted the bankruptcy filing will help complete Pier 1’s previously announced store closures across North America.
In January, the company announced it was closing up to 450 of its 942 stores in Canada and the U.S. At the time, they said this was “in order to better align its business with the current operating environment.”
The home goods retailer has been struggling for years with its stock tumbling from US$300 a share in 2015 to about US$3.56 last Friday.
Pier 1 said it expected the deadline for bidding on the company to be on or around March 23, 2020.
This is a breaking news story. More to come…
