hhgregg To Close Arundel Mills Store

HANOVER, MD — The hhgregg store near Arundel Mills will soon close, company officials announced Thursday.

The store on Arundel Mills Boulevard will likely shutter by mid April, according to a statement from hhgregg.

The Hanover store was one of 88 locations nationwide and 11 in Maryland tabbed as underperforming by the company, which sells electronics, furniture and appliances.

"After scrutinizing our real estate portfolio, we have identified a number of underperforming stores, as well as store locations that are no longer strong shopping destinations due to changes in the local retail shopping landscape," hhgregg President/CEO Robert J. Riesbeck said in a statement.

Other Maryland hhgregg stores slated for closure are in Annapolis, Bel Air, Catonsville, Frederick, Glen Burnie, Hagerstown, Largo, Rockville, Towson and Waldorf.

"We are strategically exiting markets and stores that are not financially profitable for us," Riesbeck said.

On Thursday, hhgregg reported that it would be eliminating approximately 1,500 positions by shuttering 88 stores and three distribution centers — in Brandywine, Maryland, as well as Miami and Philadelphia.

"We feel strongly that the markets we will remain in are the right ones for our customers and our business model," Riesbeck said. "Our team is dedicated to moving forward and being a profitable 132-store, multi-regional chain where we will continue to be a dominant force in appliances, electronics and home furnishings."

Currently, there are 220 hhgregg stores in 19 states, and the decision to consolidate the corporate footprint came after hhgregg announced in February it would need to restructure to earn a profit.

In the weeks ahead, the stores slated for closure will sell off their inventory, with the locations to shutter by the middle of April.

hhgregg is located at 7667 Arundel Mills Boulevard in Hanover.

Patch file photo