Tampa Bay Sports Authority Stores Closing, Sales Begin Next Week

By TIM DARNELL (Patch Staff)

Sports Authority is closing all 450 of its stores, including all locations in the Tampa Bay area. Liquidation sales are expected to begin as soon as next week.

The company filed for bankruptcy in March and announced it will close 140 stores. The company reportedly had hoped to simply close some of its under-performing stores and reorganize its business.

But earlier this week, the company announced it had failed to find a buyer for those stores, according to CNN Money. In a bankruptcy auction on Monday, a consortium of liquidators including Tiger Capital Group, Hilco Global and Gordon Brothers purchased the retailer's merchandise and other inventory and plans to sell everything off, according to The Coloradoan.

Sports Authority was at one time the nation's largest sporting good retailer. Now, going-out-of-business sales could begin as soon as May 25, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Sports Authority has a number of Tampa Bay area locations. Stores in the region include locations in Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Port Richey, Brandon, Sarasota and Bradenton.