West Marine, the largest boating and marine supply chain in the U.S., is shuttering 59 stores across 23 states, including Florida, following a filing for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May.
“Like many in the boating community, West Marine has faced headwinds in recent years, including supply chain disruptions, extreme weather events, and shifts in consumer behavior,” the company said in a May 17 release. “Today’s action addresses these challenges by strengthening the balance sheet, reducing debt levels, and improving financial flexibility.”
According to court documents, West Marine, which sells a wide variety of boating, fishing, and marine supplies and apparel, has confirmed 59 locations will be closed. Florida will be the hardest hit with eight stores closing, including the Bonita Springs location at 28520 Bonita Crossings Blvd. Suite 1.
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Are all West Marine stores closing?
“West Marine is open for business,” the company said in the release. “Throughout this process, West Marine remains focused on delivering the top-quality marine products, service, and expertise that customers have come to expect.”
Is West Marine closing in Southwest Florida?
The West Marine located in Bonita Springs at 28520 Bonita Crossings Blvd. Suite 1 is one of the locations slated to close, according to court records. A closing date has not been released.
There are several other West Marine locations in Southwest Florida that will remain open:
What West Marine stores are closing in Florida?
More locations are closing in Alabama, California, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin, court records show.
You can see the nationwide list of West Marine locations at westmarine.com/view-all-stores.html.
What is West Marine?
West Marine started off with a guy selling rope from his garage in Sunnyvale, California, according to the company’s history. Founder Randy Repass was frustrated with the boating supply experience and started serving customers by mail order himself in 1968. The first store, West Coast Ropes, opened in Palo Alto in 1975.
It grew from there. In 1977, the company bought part of the mail-order company West Products, rebranded as West Marine Products, and spent the next few years opening stores. The first Florida locations came in 1991.
In 1996, West Marine merged with E&B Marine, and in 2003, it bought the retail and catalog divisions of BoatU.S. The stores gradually added wider varieties of boating and marine products, including apparel, until it went big in Florida.
“West Marine opened the biggest boating store in the U.S. in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 2011,” the company said.
The Fort Lauderdale store, the company’s flagship, is more than 50,000 square feet of marine supplies. West Marine relocated its headquarters there in 2022.
C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
Reach reporter Vanessa Norris by emailing vnorris@news-press.com
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: One West Marine location to close in SW Florida following bankruptcy
Reporting by Vanessa Norris, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Vanessa Norris, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
