Sur La Table to Close Almost Half of Its Stores After Filing for Bankruptcy

Ariel Knutson
Ariel Knutson
Arie was the Features Director at Kitchn. She lives in Los Angeles.
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published Jul 9, 2020
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Due to the financial impact of COVID-19, Sur La Table, one of the most beloved kitchenware stores, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In addition, they plan to close 51 of their 121 stores around the United States and sell the remaining stores to Fortress Investment.

But don’t worry: Sur La Table isn’t going anywhere. The 50-year-old company stressed that they are not going out of business, and that these measures are important for them to prosper. “This sale process will result in a revitalized Sur La Table, positioned to thrive in a post-COVID-19 retail environment,” Sur La Table CEO, Jason Goldberger, explained in a press release this past Wednesday.

The remaining stores will continue to operate as usual (and yes, select stores will still have those much-adored cooking classes!). You can find out which stores are closing by searching on Sur La Table’s Find a Store locator or by looking at the list published in this USA Today article. Twenty-three states will see store closures, including 13 stores in California.

The stores that are closing will all have liquidation sales to get rid of excess stock — and those are already underway. The company expects the sales to last about eight to 12 weeks. Gift cards will work at the closing locations until August 7 (and will still be fine to use online and at the remaining stores after that).

The saddest part about all these stores closing, however, is what will happen to all the Sur La Table employees that no longer have jobs. “This is the most difficult part of closing stores,” the company said in an FAQ. “Our hope is that many of them will continue to work for us in other stores if possible or return to Sur La Table in the future.”