Pier 1 Imports to close stores

Company plans liquidation sales once coronavirus restrictions are lifted

Pier 1 Imports plans to close its stores and start liquidation sales once they can open back up from coronavirus restrictions.

The home decor and accessories retailer has stores in Orlando’s Millenia Plaza, the Waterford Lakes Town Center, Winter Park, Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Kissimmee, Lady Lake and Daytona Beach.

The business announced in February it was seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it pursued a sale of the company. On Tuesday, it said it had filed a motion seeking approval of an “orderly wind-down” of its retail operations.

“This decision follows months of working to identify a buyer who would continue to operate our business going forward,” CEO Robert Riesbeck said in a news release. “Unfortunately, the challenging retail environment has been significantly compounded by the profound impact of COVID-19, hindering our ability to secure such a buyer and requiring us to wind down.”

In February, the Colonial Landing store in Orlando was set to close as

Pier 1 shuttered more than 400 of its locations.

The company plans to sell its remaining assets, inventory, intellectual property, and online business, according to the news release.

The closures follow news that iconic retailer JCPenney had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It plans to close 192 of its 846 stores in the 2020 fiscal year and close and sell another 50 stores by the end of the second quarter of the 2021 fiscal year, Securities and Exchange Commission documents show.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar has pulled out of Florida, closing its Pointe Orlando restaurant because of coronavirus.

“This was one of the most difficult decisions we’ve ever had to make, but we do it with hope to strengthen our ability to navigate forward after COVID-19,” the restaurant posted on its Facebook page.

The chain’s first Florida restaurant was announced in 2018 at the former

Funky Monkey space in the International Drive center.

Now, Florida has been removed from the company’s website. Most of its restaurants are in Texas, including its flagship store on South Congress Avenue in Austin.

Pointe Orlando spokeswoman Joanne Helbourg said the center will actively seek to fill the space.

“We are saddened to see Hopdoddy Burger Bar close multiple locations, including Orlando,” she wrote in an email. “As the closest entertainment venue to the Orange County Convention Center, Pointe Orlando receives interest from different concepts.”

A restaurant with a menu of 50 burgers is planning its first Florida spot near Disney World.

Sickies Garage Burgers & Brews is aiming to open early next year at 7640 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway in Kissimmee, CEO Ken Harris said in a telephone interview.

“The concept is 50 burgers and 50 brews. We literally have 50 different burgers on the menu,” Harris said. “Orlando’s probably the best restau