NEW TODAY: Elder-Beerman parent company confirms liquidation

It’s official: Elder-Beerman’s parent company is headed for liquidation.

Bon-Ton Stores Inc. officials announced a joint bidder, including a group of the bankrupt retail chain's bondholders, won an auction for the company's asset.

» Elder-Beerman history: A journey from simple downtown dry goods store

Great American Group and Tiger Capital Group —and the holders of Bon-Ton’s second-lien secured notes will acquire the retailer’s inventory and certain other assets, Bon-Ton said in a statement. A bankruptcy court hearing to approve the venture and wind down Bon-Ton operations is set for today.

The bondholder group has wanted all Bon-Ton stores to close since the beginning of the bankruptcy process. Bon-Ton employs about 24,000 people. The company operates roughly 250 stores in 23 states under the Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson’s, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers brands.

» CONTINUED COVERAGE: 5 retailers closing stores in Ohio this year

“While we are disappointed by this outcome and tried very hard to identify bidders interested in operating the business as a going concern, we are committed to working constructively with the winning bidder to ensure an orderly wind-down of operations that minimizes the impact of this development on our associates, customers, vendors and the communities we serve,” said Bill Tracy, Bon-Ton’s CEO.

» TIMELINE: The rise and fall of Elder-Beerman

Bon-Ton had been working with U.S. mall owners Washington Prime Group Inc. and Namdar Realty Group to secure a bid that would have kept open a large portion of Bon-Ton locations. It would’ve benefited the mall groups as Bon-Ton Stores are major tenants for both companies. Washington Prime owns both the Dayton Mall and the Mall at Fairfield Commons.

Chris Kershner, executive vice president of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, said Bon-Ton’s liquidation is reflective of retail changes happening across the country. Despite economic planning and a diverse retail landscape, a national retailer’s demise is beyond anything local malls can salvage, he said.

“That’s pretty difficult,” he said. “It’s much greater than Dayton. Certainly losing Elder-Beerman and their presence, those jobs, will have an impact. I would say we have, as a community, already made an effort to revitalize some of our mall areas.”

Most Elder-Beerman stores are located within local malls, so closures would have a detrimental effect on multiple shopping centers. Elder-Beerman has stores in Piqua, Huber Heights, the Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek, the Kettering Towne Center, among others in Ohio. The stores employ hundreds of workers in the region.

The liquidation would also impact the distribution center in Fairborn. About 96 employees work at the facility, and Bon-Ton leases the facility. The closure “could definitely have a ripple effect and an impact all the way down to small businesses” and families, Matt Owen, executive director of the Fairborn Area Chamber of Commerce, told this news organization in January.

FIVE FAST BUSINESS READS

• No retail apocalypse for these companies: 5 retailers opening stores in 2018

• Franco's Ristorante Italiano owner dies

• Former DP&L power plants to lay off 370 workers in Ohio

• Amazon looking to buy abandoned Toys 'R' Us storefronts

• Check out this $1 million home for sale in Clearcreek Twp.

About the Author