A California appliance chain abruptly shut down its stores over the weekend, reportedly giving little notice to employees and leaving customers with pending orders in the dark. <\/p>\n
Howard\u2019s Appliances, a 79-year-old retail chain based in the City of Industry, had several locations in eastern Los Angeles and Riverside, as well as in Long Beach, Laguna Hills and Torrance. <\/p>\n
Stores were shuttered on Saturday, and the chain\u2019s website was down on Monday, even though some customers complained on social media that they had paid for orders and were still waiting for deliveries. <\/p>\n
The company gave employees two days\u2019 notice<\/a> that they would be laid off, the Orange County Register reported. In the notice, a Howard\u2019s manager Isaiah Padilla wrote that the company was closing its business operations due to \u201ccircumstances beyond our control,\u201d the Register wrote.<\/p>\n Howard\u2019s was acquired in April by the Newport Beach-based private equity firm S5 Equity, which was tasked with turning around the struggling company. At the time, Howard\u2019s Chief Executive Peter Boutrous said he was optimistic about prospects for a turnaround. <\/p>\n \u201cWith this acquisition, Howard\u2019s is now poised for the future,\u201d Boutros said in a press release<\/a> in April. <\/p>\n The company began as a radio repair shop in San Gabriel and had since expanded to offer a range of home appliances, mattresses and TVs. It was a leading independent appliance retailer in Southern California for decades. <\/p>\n According to social media reports and the Orange County Register, several customers have been left in limbo after paying for appliances.<\/p>\n \u201cMy parent just ordered a new range from Howard\u2019s and then saw this morning they are all closing?\u201d wrote one Orange County resident on Reddit<\/a>. \u201cThey haven\u2019t received the range yet and apparently all the stores are closing as of tomorrow,\u201d the resident wrote Friday. <\/p>\n The post has received more than 200 comments.<\/p>\n Store representatives could not be reached at several Howard\u2019s locations contacted by The Times. The website leads to an error message<\/a> that reads \u201cwww.howards.com unexpectedly closed the connection.\u201d<\/p>\n Other companies have shut down in California or relocated out of the state, citing a challenging business and regulatory environment. <\/p>\n Bed Bath & Beyond, which once sold appliances and home goods at more than 80 California stores, filed for bankruptcy in 2023. In August, the company\u2019s executive chairman said he would not reopen locations in the Golden State as the company moves to recover. <\/p>\n