HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Two more names are being added to the list of American retailers going out of business in an incredibly budget-conscious marketplace. Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings were filed last week by Texas-based furniture and electronics chain Conn's HomePlus.
Chapter 11 bankruptcy means a business can look for buyers and keep operating while reorganizing its business. Often, this means a number of locations may be closed as the business tries to stay afloat.
However, in the days since the announcement, the number of locations due to close has fluctuated based on what media report you read, with some outlets saying 70-85 locations would shutter and that the Huntsville location was spared, and others saying the entire chain is to close its doors.
THE QUESTION
Is Conn's HomePlus closing all of its locations?
OUR SOURCES
Home furnishings industry magazine Furniture Today
B. Riley Retail Solutions, the firm handling Conn's liquidation sales
THE ANSWER
Yes, Conn's HomePlus will close all physical retail outlets as well as its website. The closure also affects the Badcock Home Furniture & more chain, which Conn's purchased in December 2023.
WHAT WE FOUND
USA Today reported on July 25, two days after Conn's bankruptcy notice, that "at least 70 locations" across the firm's 13 states of operation were marked for closure. A CNN article about the closures posted a day earlier noted 73 locations.
Similar articles on other outlets noted 85 stores and in another case "half" its stores. Many also included a list of affected stores, none of which listed the Huntsville store location.
However, trade publication Furniture Today cited liquidator B. Riley Retail Solutions as reporting all Conn's locations would close, as well as all locations of Badcock Home Furniture & more, which Conn's purchased in December.
FOX54 reached out to B. Riley for confirmation. A representative for the firm provided us with an amended bankruptcy filing from Conn's which confirms that every retail location is marked for closure.
We drove out to Huntsville's Conn's and Badcock locations and could see "Going out of business" signage in front of both stores.
Conn's website also has going out of business graphics and confirms clearance sales of 30-50% off have begun in stores as well as online. The retailer has stopped offering its in-house credit options. Announcements on what will happen to current credit account holders is expected in due course, but customers are advised to keep making regularly scheduled payments in the meantime.
Conn's and Badcock's last day in operation, according to court documents, is expected by Oct. 31.
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