Sport Chalet closing all of its stores – OCRegister

Sport Chalet announced on Saturday that it is closing all of its stores and has stopped selling goods online.

“While our online store is no longer available, all Sport Chalet stores will remain open for several weeks, offering customers the opportunity to use their remaining rewards and gift cards, and to take advantage of great sales,” the chain says on its website.

Michelle De Leon, a department head at the Sport Chalet in Lake Forest, said employees found out about the store closure through their general managers on Thursday.

Employees were told stores will be closing “within the next few months” but were not given a firm timeline, she added.

Everything at the store, as of Friday morning, is 10 percent off, and sales are final, De Leon said.

She said the closure will especially impact those wanting to get Scuba certified because it’s affordable there and folks needing rentals of sports gear.

“I know it’s really going to bum everyone out,” De Leon told The Register.

At the Brea store on Imperial Highway, signs in the window announced, “Going out of Business” in big bold black letters, with an exclamation point.

Mark Weiss, a father of three, was shopping with his 16-year-old son in the store.

“It blows my mind to think that an organization with stores around the country is going out of business,” said Weiss, 53, of Placentia. It’s one thing for one store, but for all of the stores, this is very sad.”

Other Sports Chalet stores in Orange County are in Huntington Beach, Laguna Niguel, Brea, Mission Viejo, Irvine and Costa Mesa. The store is also in Long Beach.

Bloomberg reports that Vestis Retail Group, which operates the Eastern Mountain Sports, Bob's Stores and Sport Chalet chains, is preparing a bankruptcy filing.

The company, owned by private equity firm Versa Capital Management LLC, could file next week, according to the source, who asked not to be identified because the process isn't public.

More details to come.

Related:

Chain that owns Sports Chalet said to be heading to bankruptcy court

See more here.