Shopko employees across the country were informed on March 17 and 18 that they will be losing their jobs.
Shopko.com was unavailable all afternoon and evening on Monday, March 18, however numerous media sources reported that Shopko announced that morning its plan to close all Shopko stores by summer. The website, when back up, confirmed that Shopko is going out of business. This change of plans is reportedly the result of the company’s inability to find an investor or buyer which was part of their restructuring plan.
In January, Shopko declared bankruptcy and soon announced the closing of about 70% of their stores. At that time, according to a list published on Shopko.com, they planned to keep the Libby location open.
According to a Libby Shopko employee, they were told on the morning of March 18 that the store will be closing. It will likely remain open for about eleven more weeks, until the inventory can be liquidated. Another employee estimated that between 20-30 people are employed at the Libby store and they will all lose their jobs before summertime.
By Tracy McNew, The Montanian