Sportsman’s Warehouse to close Woodbury store

• Clearing all merchandise

Employees at Sportsman's Warehouse in Woodbury said the store will attempt to liquidate its current merchandise before its closes its doors for good in May.

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The Sportsman’s Warehouse located near Hudson Road and Woodbury Drive opened in 2006. Its run lasted less than three years as the outdoor sports chain announced Tuesday, March 10 that it will close 23 of its 67 stores nationwide.

All three Minnesota locations (Woodbury, Coon Rapids and St. Cloud) were on the chopping block as the company announced its plans to employees via conference call from its national headquarters in Utah.

Sportsman's Warehouse officials said the sales and closures are needed to reduce the company's bank debt and avoid bankruptcy.

Employees at the Woodbury Sportsman’s Warehouse location said the store will hold a merchandise liquidation sale and will then shut its doors for good in May.

The closing of Sportsman’s Warehouse comes just a few weeks after neighboring Staples held its grand opening. Staples, an office supply chain, had been under construction for the last several months and new employees held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the store last month.

Sportsman’s Warehouse takes up 49,000 square feet on the south side of the Woodbury Marketplace property that adjoins Staples. A vacant retail space is located between the recently opened office supply store and the soon-to-be closed outdoor sports store.

Other national retailers to close their Woodbury locations in 2009 include Circuit City, World Market and Office Depot.

Circuit City closed all of its U.S. locations, but like Sportsman’s Warehouse, Office Depot and World Market, chose to close a portion of their existing stores to fight off bank debt or declining sales.

Tags: sportsmans, warehouse, woodbury, staples, marketplace, closing