Home Decor Retailer To Close 26 Stores, File For Bankruptcy,

UNITED STATES — A popular chain retailer that specializes in furniture home decor has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and is preparing to close more than two dozen stores across the U.S.

The decor retailer aims to reorganize its company to conserve cash.

At Home Group Inc. has been navigating financial turmoil that has been complicated by the nation's tariffs and ongoing trade war, according to court documents filed on Monday, June 16. The company also attributed the upcoming closures to "broader economic and retail-specific market pressures."

From the West to East coasts, the retailer plans to close 26 of its 266 stores, which operate in 40 states, according to news reports and data company, Scrape Hero.

"Given the expenses associated with brick-and-mortar operation and the issues affecting the retail industry, a number of the remaining stores are operating at sub-optimal performance levels," according to court documents.

The decor chain, owned by Hellman & Friedman, did not make its interest payment on May 15 and has entered a forbearance pact with lenders that began on May 23, another anonymous source told Bloomberg. That reprieve will only last through June 30, the source noted.

As part of the bankruptcy proceedings, At Home will be transferred to new ownership under a group of hedge funds and investment firms based in New York City and San Francisco, the company said in a news release.

"...we are operating against the backdrop of an increasingly dynamic and rapidly evolving trade environment as we navigate the impact of tariffs," said Brad Weston, CEO of At Home.

"The steps we are taking today to fully de-lever our balance sheet will improve our ability to compete in the marketplace in the face of continued volatility and increase the resilience of our business for the long term," he continued.

Here are stores that are slated to close by Sept. 30, court documents show:

• 6135 Junction Boulevard in Rego Park, NY
• 300 Baychester Ave. in Bronx, NY
• 750 Newhall Drive in San Jose, CA
• 2505 El Camino Real in Tustin, CA
• 14585 Biscayne Boulevard in North Miami, FL
• 2200 Harbor Blvd. in Costa Mesa, CA
• 3795 E. Foothills Blvd. in Pasadena, CA
• 1982 E. 20th St. in Chico, CA
• 2820 Highway 63 South in Rochester, MN
• 26532 Towne Center Drive Suites A-B in Foothill Ranch, CA
• 1001 E. Sunset Drive in Bellingham, WA
• 8320 Delta Shores Circle South in Sacramento, CA
• 1361 NJ-35 in Middletown Township, NJ
• 2900 N. Bellflower Blvd. in Long Beach, CA
• 720 Clairton Blvd. in Pittsburgh, PE
• 2530 Rudkin Road in Yakima, WA
• 571 Boston Turnpike in Shrewsbury, MA
• 5203 W. War Memorial Drive in Peoria, IL
• 8300 Sudley Road in Manassas, VA
• 461 Route 10 East in Ledgewood, NJ
• 301 Nassau Park Blvd. in Princeton, NJ
• 300 Providence Highway in Dedham, MA
• 905 S 24th St. West in Billings, MO
• 19460 Compass Creek Parkway in Leesburg, VA
• 3201 N. Mayfair Road in Wauwatosa, WI
• 13180 S. Cicero Ave. in Crestwood, IL

The news comes as other retailers move forward in their bankruptcy proceedings, such as JCPenny, a legacy retail company with U.S. roots far deeper than At Home.

Since JCPenney filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2020, more than 200 store locations have closed.

The American company, which began as the Golden Rule, was founded by James Cash Penney in Kemmerer, Wyoming, in 1902. Penney later incorporated his stores as the J.C. Penney Stores Company in 1907, which had already opened 34 stores at that point, according to Britannica Money.

Meanwhile, another legacy U.S. company, Rite Aid, is navigating its Chapter 11 proceedings.

Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy on May 4 for the second time in less than two years after the previous restructuring lessened the pharmacy chain's debt but still left it on unsound financial footing.

And then, CVS will shutter 271 of its pharmacy locations this year as part of a sweeping restructuring plan, the company confirmed to Patch.

The closures mark the latest in a wave of pharmacy shutdowns sweeping the nation amid shifting consumer habits and mounting industry pressures.

Read more about it here.