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Company That Operates Eastern Mountain Sports, Bob's to Close Several Stores

Connecticut Public Radio | By The Associated Press
Published April 19, 2016 at 10:59 AM EDT
Mike Mozart
/
Creative Commons
The Bob's location scheduled to close is in South Portland, Maine.

The parent company of Eastern Mountain Sports and Bob's Stores has filed for bankruptcy protection and plans to shutter several New England bricks-and-mortar locations.

Meriden, Connecticut-based Vestis Retail Group LLC said Monday that the move was made because of increased competition from big-box stores and online retailers, as well as an unseasonably warm winter that made for poor sales of cold weather clothing.

Eastern Mountain Sports sells outdoors gear, while Bob's is a discount footwear and clothing store.

The New England EMS stores slated to close are in Foxborough, Massachusetts; Warwick, Rhode Island; and West Hartford, Connecticut. The Bob's location scheduled to close is in South Portland, Maine.

If the courts approve, the company would emerge from bankruptcy with 35 Bob's Stores and 53 Eastern Mountain locations.
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Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

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