EAST BRUNSWICK – The Route 18 location of Sports Authority is among 140 stores that will be closed or sold due to the company’s filing of Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
“During the past several months, we have been working very hard to adapt our business to better meet the needs of our customers. We are committed to evolving as a company so we are able to continue to offer the best brands at great values both in our stores and on our website, SportsAuthority.com,” Chief Executive Officer Michael Foss wrote in a letter posted on the company’s website on March 2.
“With these goals in mind, we have decided to utilize the Chapter 11 process to implement a financial and operational restructuring that we believe is necessary to help us become an even better place for our customers to shop for sporting goods.
“Due to the changing retail environment, we have a long-term plan to streamline and strengthen our business so we can continue to make necessary investments in our operations, including upgrading our in store experience and enhancing our website,” he said.
No stores are going to be closed immediately, Foss said, and products will continue to be available online.
“Most importantly, I want to emphasize that our customers should not be affected by this restructuring process. We do not expect there to be any impact on gift card balances or your ability to use gift cards at our stores or online at this time. In addition, there should be no changes to our return/exchange policies at our go-forward stores or our customer loyalty program, The League. If you have a warranty on a product you bought at Sports Authority, it is still in effect for the same period of time. Finally, this should have no impact on the way you use your Sports Authority credit card or pay your bill,” Foss wrote.
For more information about the Chapter 11 case, including access to court documents, visit www.kccllc.net/sportsauthority or call 866-967-0490.
