Orchard Supply Hardware Store Closing Sales: Huntington Beach

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA — Yet another chain is closing its doors in Huntington Beach. This time it's the Orchard Supply Hardware, which is closing every story in California by early next year, its parent company Lowe's announced. Store "Going Out Of Business" sales were starting to appear across California, slashing prices on merchandise.

The closure of the Huntington Beach store is a sign of the times for brick and mortar stores struggling to compete against giants such as Amazon.

On Thursday morning, Sears announced the closure of 46 more stores including a K-Mart in Los Angeles. In announcing the OSH closures, Lowe's said Wednesday it wants to "focus on its core home improvement business."

The Southland will lose at least two dozen OSH stores. In Orange County, shoppers can say "so long" to the shops in:

• Irvine
• Tustin
• Buena Park
• Yorba Linda
• Huntington Beach
• Mission Viejo

"While it was a necessary business decision to exit Orchard Supply Hardware, decisions that impact our people are never easy," Lowe's President/CEO Marvin Ellison said. "We will be providing outplacement services for impacted associates, and they will be given priority status if they choose to apply for other Lowe's positions."

It was unclear exactly how many workers will be affected by the closures.

Ellison said closing the OSH stores is part of an overall streamlining plan. He said the company is "developing plans to aggressively rationalize store inventory, reducing lower-performing inventory while investing in increased depth of high-velocity items. Exiting Orchard Supply Hardware and rationalizing inventory are the driving force behind the changes to Lowe's Business Outlook."

Click here to find your nearest OSH location. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news from your California neighborhood. Also, download the free Patch iPhone app or free Patch Android app. Also, be sure to follow your local Patch on Facebook!)

OSH was founded in San Jose in 1931 as a co-op among ranchers to purchase farm supplies. But the company eventually morphed into a general hardware store. OSH was purchased in 1996 by Sears, but in 2012 Sears moved it into a separate business that went into bankruptcy.

Lowe's purchased the chain out of bankruptcy.

Clearance sales are expected to begin at most OSH locations as early as Thursday.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report. Photo: Autumn Johnson, Patch Staff