Bob’s Stores Closing Location In Hamden

HAMDEN, CT — The Bob’s Store in Hamden is among the latest locations that will be closed by the clothing retailer, according to the New Haven Register.

The Register reports Bob’s Stores and Eastern Mountain Stores announced Wednesday the decision to close five stores, including the Bob’s on Dixwell Avenue in Hamden, and EMS stores in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Maine.

The closing dates haven’t been announced yet, according to the Register.

The Bob’s Stores and Eastern Mountain Sports websites were both down on Wednesday. The Bob’s Stores website was “Under construction,” while the EMS site had “Gone hiking,” according to posts on the sites.

“Pardon our mess while we make some planned updates to our website,” reads the post on the Bob’s Stores site. “We'll be back soon with an enhanced online shopping experience! In the meantime, our stores are open and stocked. Come in for the best deals on the brands you love!”

The parent company of Bob’s Stores and Eastern Mountain Stores recently notified state and local officials that it planned to lay off nearly 150 employees at its headquarters in Meriden due to unforeseen “business circumstances.”

The company also recently announced that it was closing its location in Southington after only being open for around seven months.

"As a result of challenging economic conditions, Bob’s Stores and Eastern Mountain Sports have made the difficult decision to close five underperforming stores," officials said at the time the Southington closure was announced.

In a WARN notice sent to the Connecticut Department of Labor and Meriden Mayor Kevin Scarpati in May, Bob’s Stores President and CEO David Barton said the company will be “conducting a reduction in force” at its offices and warehouse at 160 Corporate Court in Meriden.

“We are taking this action because of business circumstances that were not reasonably foreseeable,” Barton wrote in the letter. “We would like to have given you more notice of this action but were unable to do so because the bank has informed us within the last week that it will refuse to fund the employee health insurance premiums, 401K administration, payroll, as well as other critical financial obligations which, if not paid, will likely prevent us from being able to operate the business going forward. As of this date, they remain firm on their position despite our continuing best efforts to convince them otherwise.

"Unfortunately, the circumstances leading to this layoff were not reasonably foreseeable at an earlier date. We are currently seeking alternative funding sources, but we cannot guarantee a favorable outcome.”

Read the full story at the New Haven Register here.