After 16 years of business, Apple authorized retail and service provider Simply Mac has announced that it is shutting down as a result of pandemic-related financial difficulties.
In a letter to staff members, Simply Mac CEO Rein Voigt said that it is shutting down its operations and terminating all employees effective immediately.
Per the letter:
Since our acquisition of Simply Mac from GameStop on September 25, 2019, we have worked hard as a team to grow our company to be North America’s pre-eminent Apple Partner and provide our customers with transformational experiences that drive long-term loyalty. However, we could not have possibly foreseen that on December 12, 2019 in Wuhan, China a worldwide pandemic would start and ultimately cause us to layoff half our workforce and close many of our stores.
Citing funding issues, Voigt stated that the organization is unable to adequately stock its shelves with inventory or “stay current with our financial obligations.” The company has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and will be completely liquidated.
The Simply Mac chain consisted of 53 brick-and-mortar retail outlets locations in the U.S. Many of the locations had been underserved by Apple, and the closures will leave a vacuum for local sales and support.
Voigt has stated that the company will be unable to pay employees, who were expecting pay as of July 10 to bring them up to date with the previous pay period, which ended a week ago. Voigt states that all staff members will receive a notice from the bankruptcy court and will be able to submit a claim.
It’s unclear as to when the bankruptcy court might rule, or when and how the liquidation will begin. It’s also unknown as to what the retrieval process will be for machines under services or that have been ordered and not yet delivered to waiting customers.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider