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Gilroy
March 29, 2024

Pier 1 Imports closing all stores

Gilroy location part of company's 1,000 stores

Pier 1 Imports announced on May 19 that it will permanently shutter all 1,000 of its stores, which includes one in Gilroy, by fall.

In a press release, the company stated it filed a motion in bankruptcy court to begin an “orderly wind-down of the company’s retail operations as soon as reasonably possible after store locations are able to reopen following the government-mandated closures during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Store closing dates will vary by location, the company stated. Locally, Pier 1 is located in the Gilroy Crossing shopping center.

“We are grateful to our dedicated and hardworking associates, millions of customers and committed vendors who have collectively supported Pier 1 for decades,” Pier 1 Chief Executive Officer Robert Riesbeck stated in a press release. “We deeply value our associates, customers, business partners and the communities in which we operate, and this is not the outcome we expected or hoped to achieve.”

In February, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

“This decision follows months of working to identify a buyer who would continue to operate our business going forward,” Riesbeck stated. “Unfortunately, the challenging retail environment has been significantly compounded by the profound impact of Covid-19, hindering our ability to secure such a buyer and requiring us to wind down.”

On March 23, the company furloughed 65 percent of its workforce in response to Covid-19. It is unknown how many employees in Gilroy were affected.

Pier 1 began in 1962 with a store in San Mateo. The company sells merchandise such as home accessories and furniture.

Erik Chalhoub
Erik Chalhoub
Erik Chalhoub joined Weeklys as an editor in 2019. Prior to his current position, Chalhoub worked at The Pajaronian in Watsonville for seven years, serving as managing editor from 2014-2019.

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