Corporate bankruptcy prompts closing of local West Building Materials Center
By Staff
CHAINS West Building Materials Center will reopen Friday to sell off its remaining inventory. Photo by Paula Merritt/The Meridian Star
By Ben Alexander/The Meridian Star
Dec. 14, 2000
After a failed attempt to reorganize as a flooring store, West Building Materials Center has announced it will soon close its doors for good, according to store officials.
Atkins said the company, which operates 31 stores, declared bankruptcy in late November. The Meridian location has actually been closed since early November. At its peak in early May, the store had as many as 75 employees.
The company had announced a reorganization plan in August because its building supply inventory hadn't been as profitable as owners had wished. The 31 stores began selling flooring materials instead of building supplies in hope of reviving a dwindling profit margin.
Although Atkins said the company is closing its locations, he said the Meridian store had made money under the transition to selling flooring materials.
According to Atkins, the store will open its doors again on Friday to begin selling its remaining merchandise for its creditors through a liquidation sale.
Atkins said the plan is to sell off all the store's inventory or as much as possible before the company closes.
Ben Alexander is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at balexander@themeridianstar.com.