Bradenton, Sarasota stores not on list of hhgregg closures

Appliance store hhgregg on Thursday announced that it will be closing 88 stores across the country, laying off 1,500 employees, though the Bradenton and Sarasota locations are not on the list of closures.

The company has struggled recently with low sales. Bloomberg news reported last week that the company is preparing to file for bankruptcy.

“We are strategically exiting markets and stores that are not financially profitable for us,” hhgregg CEO Robert Riesbeck said in a statement. “This is a proactive decision to streamline our store footprint in the markets where we have been, and will continue to be, important to our customers, vendor partners and communities.”

The Bradenton hhgregg is located at 4495 14th St. W., in the Cortez Plaza.

The Sarasota location is at 5511 Fruitville Road.

The stores are expected to be shuttered by mid-April.

Among the 88 stores that are closing are 15 in Florida: Aventura, Boca Raton, Florida Mall in Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Gainesville, Hialeah, Homestead, Kendall, Pembroke Pines, Pensacola, Pinecrest, Sawgrass in Plantation, Treasure Coast Mall in Jensen Beach, Wellington and West Palm Beach.

This story was originally published March 2, 2017 at 4:43 PM with the headline "Bradenton, Sarasota stores not on list of hhgregg closures."