Shopko Hometown will remain open

By Erik Buchinger

Although Clintonville’s Shopko Hometown location will remain open, the retail store’s pharmacy will shut down.

Shopko announced it has filed voluntary petitions for a court-supervised financial restructuring under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.

“As part of the Chapter 11 process, we have made the difficult decision to exit our pharmacy business,” Public Relations Manager Michelle Hansen said. “Shopko sold many of our pharmacies through a court-supervised auction process.”

Hansen said she could not provide a time when the pharmacy will close.

“The timing of the pharmacy closing depends on when the buyer will take over the prescription files,” Hansen said. “Shopko has not confirmed a buyer for this pharmacy location at this time.”

Shopko’s website said it will communicate with everyone throughout its reorganization and give regular updates as important decisions and major developments take place.

Despite a high number of Shopko stores shutting down, Clintonville’s Shopko Hometown store will continue to operate.

A total of 251 Shopko stores will be shut down across the country, including 42 in Wisconsin.

Shopko announced closures in Waupaca, Stevens Point, Plover, Shawano, Seymour and Appleton.

According to its website, Shopko is restructuring its business “as a result of excess debt and ongoing competitive pressures.”

“This decision is a difficult, but necessary one,” CEO Russ Steinhorst said in a company statement. “In a challenging retail environment, we have had to make some very tough choices, but we are confident that by operating a smaller and more focused store footprint, we will be able to build a stronger Shopko that will better serve our customers, vendors, employees and other stakeholders through this process.”