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All Magic Marts closing: Ammar’s, Inc. announces it will close all department stores
Bluefield Daily Telegraph ^ | July 3, 2018 | Charles Owens

Posted on 07/04/2018 5:32:27 PM PDT by huldah1776

BLUEFIELD, Va. — Ammar’s, Inc., the parent company of the regional Magic Mart chain, is closing all of its department stores in southern West Virginia and Southwest Virginia, as well as the company’s headquarters and warehouse facility in Bluefield, Va.

Hundreds of employees in three states will be impacted by the looming closures, and the Magic Mart stores in Welch, Tazewell, Richlands, Grundy and Beckley will all be shuttered. WARN, or Worker Adjustment and Restraining Act, notices have been delivered to all of the impacted employees.

“After more than 97 years of serving southern West Virginia, Southwest Virginia and eastern Kentucky, Ammar’s Inc., parent company to the Magic Mart stores, is announcing that they are ceasing operations and will begin liquidation,” K.A. Ammar, III, president of Ammar’s Inc., said. “It is with much sadness that this occurring, but the difficult economic conditions that continue to persist in the markets we operate in have left the company with no other choices. Ammar’s has issued WARN notices to all employees and will begin liquidating the inventory around August 1. All locations are expected to be closed sometime around November 1.”

The loss of jobs, and those department stores that small communities depend upon, will negatively impact the region, area officials said Monday.

“Our community is absolutely going to be devastated,” Bluefield, Va. Mayor Don Harris said. “There is approximately 100 employees in the Bluefield, Va. office alone, and of course you’ve got 15 stores that will be impacted by it as well.”

Harris said Ammar’s, Inc., has been a pillar in the Bluefield, Va., community.

(Excerpt) Read more at bdtonline.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Chit/Chat; Health/Medicine; Local News
KEYWORDS: economy; mcdowellctywv; wv
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was looking for the DC Independence day streaming show and at PBS saw a show from 2016 about McDowell CTY, WV. They were hardest hit by the previous executive branch so I was curious about how the area was doing. Doesn't seem like things are picking up there yet. Don't know how large the Magic Mart stores are but if anyone from WV, VA, or NC that could post some info that would be great. The country is booming so why isn't it getting better there? Are the mines still closed? Is forestry opening up?
1 posted on 07/04/2018 5:32:27 PM PDT by huldah1776
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To: huldah1776

Many of these retail outlets are getting crushed by Amazon. I think a lot of this can be attributed to a once successful but now increasingly obsolete business model.


2 posted on 07/04/2018 5:38:22 PM PDT by johniegrad
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To: johniegrad

It’s not just due to Amazon. Labor costs are just too high for a lot of these bricks and mortar stores.


3 posted on 07/04/2018 5:42:19 PM PDT by mewzilla (Has the FBI been spying on members of Congress?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Ping and a prayer for those people.


4 posted on 07/04/2018 5:43:09 PM PDT by rdl6989
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To: huldah1776

Look for the communists to trumpet this from the rooftops as absolute proof that “Trump’s economy is falling apart.”


5 posted on 07/04/2018 5:49:09 PM PDT by wastedyears (The left would kill every single one of us and our families if they knew they could get away with it)
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To: johniegrad
Many of these retail outlets are getting crushed by Amazon.

Buy local folks.

The extra buck or two on most of the things you need are not going to kill you.

And when you need something today that local store will still be there providing a living for the owner and his employees that live in your area.

6 posted on 07/04/2018 5:49:16 PM PDT by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)
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To: huldah1776

Bluestone Coal hiring 250 employees at mines across southern W.Va.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3661547/posts

Hino hiring continues in Wood County (West Virginia)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3657335/posts

Company to build ethane storage facility (100,000 jobs in Ohio, West Virginia, not the Chinese deal)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3607504/posts

Denmark company bringing 150 jobs and new plant to Ranson, W.Va.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3606091/posts


7 posted on 07/04/2018 5:50:31 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (You cannot invade the mainland US. There'd be a rifle behind every blade of grass.)
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To: johniegrad

[Many of these retail outlets are getting crushed by Amazon. I think a lot of this can be attributed to a once successful but now increasingly obsolete business model.]


I think it’s discounters like Walmart, Target, Ross and TJX. I’m surprised they held out for so long. They came close to outlasting Sears.


8 posted on 07/04/2018 5:56:49 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (Journalism is about covering important stories. With a pillow, until they stop moving.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Some businesses have a life cycle, and that’s it. Computers used to be run by cards with data entered by keypunch operators. Those jobs are gone and were replaced by direct data entry.
Brick and mortar has the same kind of writing on the wall.


9 posted on 07/04/2018 5:57:16 PM PDT by Sasparilla ( I'm Not Tired of Winning)
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To: mewzilla

Never heard of it.


10 posted on 07/04/2018 5:59:13 PM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: johniegrad

Gerald Celente advised long ago to buy local; bank local, and this is one of the main reasons why. The other is avoid feeding the (globalist)beast, so to speak.

As each year goes by, I can see how right he was.


11 posted on 07/04/2018 6:00:10 PM PDT by MichaelCorleone (Jesus Christ is not a religion. He's the Truth.)
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To: Pontiac

“The extra buck or two on most of the things you need are not going to kill you.”

Maybe we’re all just tired of not finding thing in these stores. Retail executives SUCK at retail.

Stores carry limited inventory to the point they run out. Retail executives are incentivized to carry zero inventory.

Wholesalers also now take all the profit so that retailers have no profit in carrying inventory. Retail profit on many items is near 0% anymore. 5% markup is now considered good. It used to be a 100% markup so that retailers could afford to buy and carry inventory. Not any more. Too risk adverse and not worth the risk of loss.


12 posted on 07/04/2018 6:01:09 PM PDT by CodeToad
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To: MichaelCorleone

Big fan of going “local”, but there are scammers here too. Browse local farmers markets for locally sourced products and one will find many “local” products imported or resale, often with big markup.


13 posted on 07/04/2018 6:06:12 PM PDT by HonkyTonkMan
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To: Bonemaker

same here. never heard of these stores until now..


14 posted on 07/04/2018 6:08:19 PM PDT by max americana (Fired libtard employees 9 consecutive times at every election since 08'. I hope all liberals die.)
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To: CodeToad
Maybe we’re all just tired of not finding thing in these stores. Retail executives SUCK at retail.

Stores carry limited inventory to the point they run out. Retail executives are incentivized to carry zero inventory.

It is hard to carry inventory if you don’t have the sales volume to support your inventory.

Maybe it is a chicken and egg thing. But if you don’t patronize the store it won’t be there very long.

15 posted on 07/04/2018 6:10:46 PM PDT by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)
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To: HonkyTonkMan

That’s discouraging.

I will take a closer look at what and whom I buy from then.

The globalists are conniving little rats, aren’t they?


16 posted on 07/04/2018 6:15:44 PM PDT by MichaelCorleone (Jesus Christ is not a religion. He's the Truth.)
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To: johniegrad

Did Dollar General open up nearby? Check that.


17 posted on 07/04/2018 6:28:04 PM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: mewzilla
"Labor costs are just too high for a lot of these bricks and mortar stores."


18 posted on 07/04/2018 6:29:22 PM PDT by Garth Tater (What's mine is mine.)
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To: johniegrad

The reason for my earlier comment:

Dollar General Commences Hiring Spree of 7,000 People to Support Growth (Management in 44 states)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3665372/posts

I bet you anything DG was as much of the reason for these guys failing as Amazon.


19 posted on 07/04/2018 6:33:20 PM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: FreedomPoster

We have had two Dollar Trees open near us in the last several years.

When they opened I stayed away——”Not my kind of store.”,said I,——and then one day I moseyed in and fell in love with the place.

Astonishing bargains.


20 posted on 07/04/2018 6:37:06 PM PDT by Mears
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