HHGregg Closing All Stores, Liquidating Inventory

HHGregg has begun liquidating its assets after failing to find a buyer by its deadline last Friday. The company expects to close all of its 220 stores by the end of May, resulting in about 5,000 layoffs across the U.S. HHGregg CEO Bob Riesbeck in a statement said the company has "continued to fight for the future" since March 6 when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Total Retail's Take: HHGregg's demise is not a surprise. The electronics retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, laid off 100 employees, and announced that it would close 88 stores (before the decision was made to close all stores), all within the first three months of 2017. Like so many other traditional brick-and-mortar retailers, HHGregg struggled to adapt its business for the e-commerce age in the midst of a steep decline in store traffic. Company executives were hoping a bankruptcy auction would yield a buyer that would keep the 62-year-old retailer in business, but that hope faded as Friday's deadline came to pass.