WASHINGTON — Lanham-based patio furniture retailer Offenbachers has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and says it will close all eight of its stores.
The closure ends more than 44 years in business for the chain, which sells everything from outdoor furniture to grills, fireplaces and recreation equipment.
Offenbachers says it will begin “going out of business” sales to clear $9 million in inventory, store fixtures and equipment on Oct. 27.
Offenbachers stores are in Falls Church, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Springfield and Sterling in Virginia and Columbia, Hunt Valley and Rockville in Maryland. The company has 65 full- and part-time employees.
Offenbachers, which had faced stiff competition from big-retail chains such as Lowe’s and Home Depot, had been exploring alternatives, including finding a buyer to continue operating the chain. It says sales continued to fall below expectations and winding down the business is the best return for its creditors.
Just a year ago, Offenbachers acquired Woodburners Plus, a 36-year-old Falls Church retailer, with plans to expand.
Offenbachers was acquired by Baltimore-based Antson Capital Partners LLC for an undisclosed sum in 2014.
Offenbachers started as a pool maintenance and lifeguard services company in Rockville in 1972.
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