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<p>Indianapolis-based appliance and electronics retail chain hhgregg announced in a press release Thursday it will close 88 stores, including two local ones.</p><p>The closings include stores outside the Wyoming Valley Mall and in the Dickson City Crossings.</p><p>The chain also has 13 other stores in Pennsylvania.</p><p>According to Robert J. Riesbeck, the store&#8217;s president and CEO, the closures are part of a way to reallocate resources to improve profits.</p><p>&#8220;We are strategically exiting markets and stores that are not financially profitable for us,&#8221; said Riesbeck.</p><p>As a result, the chain will eliminate 1,500 positions across the company. Final closings for the stores are expected to be complete by mid-April, the release said.</p><p>Current inventory in the affected stores will be sold over the coming weeks.</p><p>The company also is closing three distribution centers, including one in Philadelphia. The centers will continue to operate until all products have been delivered.</p><p>&#8220;This is a proactive decision to streamline our store footprint in the markets where we have been, and will continue to be, important to our customers, vendor partners and communities,&#8221; Riesbeck said.</p><p>The closing announcement comes on the heels of a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-23/hhgregg-said-to-prepare-bankruptcy-filing-as-soon-as-next-month" target="_blank">Bloomberg report that the company is expected to file bankruptcy</a> by the end of the month. If the company proceeds with the filing, HHGregg would join retailers such as Wet Seal and The Limited, who have stores locally, in seeking bankruptcy protection.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_hhgregg_BatonRouge-1.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0>Photo courtesy of hhgregg </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Melanie Mizenko</p><p>mmizenko@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>PA STORES </strong><strong>TO BE CLOSED</strong></p><p>Electronics retain chain hhgregg plans to close stores in the following Pennsylvania locations:</p><p>Wilkes-Barre Township</p><p>Dickson City</p><p>Harrisburg</p><p>York</p><p>Mechanicsburg</p><p>Lancaster</p><p>Downingtown</p><p>Wyomissing</p><p>King of Prussia</p><p>North Wales</p><p>Philadelphia</p><p>Langhorn</p><p>Whitehall</p><p>Pittsburgh</p><p>Erie</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

hhgregg to close stores, including ones at Wyoming Valley Mall, Dickson City