Joann is closing 500 stores, including two in Pierce County
Joann is closing about 500 stores nationwide — including locations in Tacoma and Puyallup.
The fabric and crafts retailer announced the closures on Wednesday, with 21 stores in Washington slated to close. The company’s list of store closures lists two stores in Pierce County as being on the chopping block, one at 4104 Tacoma Mall Blvd. in Tacoma and another at 13410 Meridian East in Puyallup.
“Subject to court approval, we expect going-out-of-business sales will begin at these stores on Saturday, February 15, and could continue for several months,” the company said in a Customer FAQ document on its website.
The News Tribune reached out to the Puyallup location and a manager confirmed the store will be closing, but declined to share further details. A manager at the Tacoma location declined to comment when The News Tribune reached out.
“This was a very difficult decision to make, given the major impact we know it will have on our team members, our customers and all of the communities we serve,” Joann said in a statement on their website. “A careful analysis of store performance and future strategic fit for the company determined which stores should remain operating as usual at this time. Right-sizing our store footprint is a critical part of our efforts to ensure the best path forward for JOANN.”
The closures come almost a month after the company announced it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Jan. 15.
“The last several years have presented significant and lasting challenges in the retail environment, which, coupled with our current financial position and constrained inventory levels, forced us to take this step,” Michael Prendergast, the interim chief executive officer of Joann, said in a news release at the time.
Other stores slated to close in the Puget Sound are in Silverdale, Kent, Everett, Renton, Seattle, Federal Way, Shoreline, Tukwila and Lynnwood.
