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New York (CNN Business)Guitar Center is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the latest company to go bankrupt during the pandemic that has decimated America's retail sector.
The 61-year-old company -- the biggest musical instrument retailer in the United States -- had tried to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic by offering virtual music lessons. But Guitar Center was forced to close many of its stores in March during nationwide lockdowns, and it struggled to get customers to buy instruments as the economy headed south.
Guitar Center has 269 locations, many of which are in malls that had been struggling long before Covid-19. Foot traffic in malls has plummeted, and stores like Guitar Center that are dependent on people making discretionary purchases have been among the worst-hit this year.
The company said in its bankruptcy filing that it received up to $165 million in new equity investments and lenders agreed to reduce the company's debt by nearly $800 million.
The company's primary owner, Ares Management Corporation, as well as new equity investor Brigade Capital Management and a fund managed by The Carlyle Group will help finance Guitar Center through bankruptcy.
Read more here (CNN)
The 61-year-old company -- the biggest musical instrument retailer in the United States -- had tried to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic by offering virtual music lessons. But Guitar Center was forced to close many of its stores in March during nationwide lockdowns, and it struggled to get customers to buy instruments as the economy headed south.
Guitar Center has 269 locations, many of which are in malls that had been struggling long before Covid-19. Foot traffic in malls has plummeted, and stores like Guitar Center that are dependent on people making discretionary purchases have been among the worst-hit this year.
The company said in its bankruptcy filing that it received up to $165 million in new equity investments and lenders agreed to reduce the company's debt by nearly $800 million.
The company's primary owner, Ares Management Corporation, as well as new equity investor Brigade Capital Management and a fund managed by The Carlyle Group will help finance Guitar Center through bankruptcy.
Read more here (CNN)
