AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT 99 CENTS ONLY STORES

City of Commerce, California-based 99 Cents Only Stores, a retailer of distressed, aged, surplus, and other bargain merchandise, has announced the wind-down of its business operations as

According to Mike Simoncic, Interim Chief Executive Officer of 99 Cents Only Stores and Managing Director at New York, NewYork-based Alvarez & Marsal, "This was an extremely difficult decision and is not the outcome we expected or hoped to achieve. Unfortunately, the last several years have presented significant and lasting challenges in the retail environment, including the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting consumer demand, rising levels of shrink, persistent inflationary pressures, and other macroeconomic headwinds, all of which have greatly hindered the Company's ability to operate. We deeply appreciate the dedicated employees, customers, partners, and communities who have collectively supported 99 Cents Only Stores for decades."

The closure will affect over a thousand employees at 371 stores, distribution centers, and the company's headquarters.

"99 Cents Only Stores, together with its financial and legal advisors, engaged in an extensive analysis of all available and credible alternatives to identify a solution that would allow the business to continue. Following months of actively pursuing these alternatives, the company ultimately determined that an orderly wind-down was necessary and the best way to maximize the value of 99 Cents Only Stores' assets."

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?