Offenbachers going out of business after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Offenbachers, an outdoor furniture and recreation products retailer, is going out of business after filing for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy-law protection.

After more than 40 years in business, the Lanham-based retailer will liquidate more than $9 million-worth of inventory, fixtures and equipment in a sale that begins today.

Offenbachers has eight stores in Virginia and Maryland, include Baltimore-area stores in Columbia and Hunt Valley. Antson Capital Partners LLC, a Baltimorebased private equity firm, acquired the retailer in 2014 from Karl and Alpana Offenbacher.

Offenbachers was founded in 1960 as a pool maintenance and lifeguard services company and opened its first store in in 1972 in Rockville. The company evolved to sell indoor and outdoor furniture, and outdoor entertaining equipment, such as bars, grills and fireplaces.

In 2015, Offenbachers had nearly $14 million in retail sales, and 65 full- and part-time employees. But it has struggled to compete with national chains, such as Home Depot and Lowe’s.

The company filed for bankruptcy after failing to save the business through cost-cutting or by finding a buyer.

Offenbachers has retained SB Capital Group LLC to conduct the going out of business sale and oversee the company’s wind-down.