Sports Authority Closings Include Yorktown Center Store

Lombard, IL - Sports Authority filed for bankruptcy Wednesday and announced it will close 140 stores, including the Yorktown Center location at 173 Yorktown Center in Lombard.

The stores will close over the next three months.

The company, owned by a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, announced in January it had missed a $20 million debt payment. CEO Michael Foss sent an email to customers Wednesday to explain the decision to close stores.

“Due to the changing retail environment, we have a long-term plan to streamline and strengthen our business so we can continue to make necessary investments in our operations, including upgrading our in store experience and enhancing our website,” he wrote.

Other than the closing stores, customers shouldn’t be affected by the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process. Foss outlined the following in the email:

• There is no expected effect on gift card balances or customers’ ability to use gift cards at stores or online at this time.
• There should be no changes to the return/exchange policies at the go-forward stores or the customer loyalty program, The League.
• If you have a warranty on a product you bought at Sports Authority, it is still in effect for the same period of time.
• Finally, this should have no impact on the way customers use Sports Authority credit cards or pay bills.

The store closings list comes from bankruptcy filing documents.

Other than the Yorktown Center store, Sports Authority locations in Illinois set to close include:

• Calumet City: 1510 Torrence Ave.
• Chicago: 845 North Michigan Ave. (Water Tower Place)
• Geneva: 1777 S. Randall Road
• Joliet: 2700 Plainfield Road
• Lake Zurich: 727 W. Main St.
• Matteson: 4832 211th St.
• Northbrook: 2030 Northbrook Court
• Orland Hills: 9231 W. 159th St.
• Schaumburg: 1015 E .Golf Road
• Springfield: 3211 S. Veterans Pkwy.

If the company is granted approval from a bankruptcy judge, liquidation sales could begin as soon as Friday, USA Today reports.

Sports Authority has 14,500 full- and part-time employees with more than $1 billion in liabilities and assets between $500,000 and $1 billion.