WEST SPRINGFIELD — Retailer Work’n Gear, which sold scrubs for health care workers, boots and heavy work clothes, closed this week while in bankruptcy.
The store at 218 Memorial Ave. was dark Friday and filled with empty and partially disassembled racks and shelves. Online directories also listed other Work’n Gear locations in Massachusetts and Connecticut as permanently closed and none of the phones worked.
No one returned emails sent to the corporate offices in New Jersey.
The chain’s website was up but no longer taking new online orders.
Work’n Gear filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition with the federal courts in July. Chapter 11 normally calls for a reorganization of the business with continued operations. At the time, the company said it owned $5.5 million.
Feb. 9, Work’n Gear filed new bankruptcy papers telling the courts it planned to liquidate. The company told the court it planned to terminate all its employees Feb. 11.
There are no layoff notices posted with state labor officials, though.
Work’n Gear, based in New Jersey, said it had 26 brick-and- mortar retail stores located in and operates a 14,000- square-foot distribution facility in Avon, Massachusetts, serving in-store and online customers.
In July, Work’n Gear said its business troubles were caused by management turnover, supply chain and product availability challenges, increased competition in the health care apparel market, inflation and an economic downturn.
The building at 218 Memorial Ave. in West Springfield was sold in October for $800,000 to Zahoor Ul Haq of Agawam, according to papers on file at the Hampden County Registry of Deeds.
Haq is also manager of a number of convenience stores and gas stations around the area, according to paperwork on file at the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.
