WESTLAKE, Ohio -- True Value Hardware is closing its Westlake facility and preparing to layoff dozens of employees, months after it was bought by hardware wholesale competitor Do It Best Corporation.A notice sent to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services showed that 82 employees are facing layoffs at the 400,000-square-foot distribution facility on First Street, just north of Interstate 90.A majority of the layoffs will affect merchandise handlers, as well as warehouse supervisors, leaders, clerks, and general maintenan...
WESTLAKE, Ohio -- True Value Hardware is closing its Westlake facility and preparing to layoff dozens of employees, months after it was bought by hardware wholesale competitor Do It Best Corporation.
A notice sent to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services showed that 82 employees are facing layoffs at the 400,000-square-foot distribution facility on First Street, just north of Interstate 90.
A majority of the layoffs will affect merchandise handlers, as well as warehouse supervisors, leaders, clerks, and general maintenance repair workers, among others.
The layoffs are set to begin on April 8, when the facility will close. Layoffs could continue through April 22.
This comes after the Chicago-based hardware company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the District of Delaware.
In November, it completed its sale to a subsidiary of Do It Best, a hardware company based in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Do It Best now has ownership of True Value’s inventory, brand rights and paint manufacturing facilities, according to a news release.
Going forward, True Value will remain a separate subsidiary, Do It Best said. A new leadership team is expected to be dedicated to “stabilizing and growing the True Value business,” the release said.
The Westlake facility was built in 1972 and sits on 21 acres, county records said. The property was valued at $11.9 million in 2024.
True Value stores are independently owned franchises and there is no word on how this acquisition will impact retailers.
Cleveland.com reached out to True Value and Do It Best for comment.
A representative from Do It Best, Randy Rusk, later contacted cleveland.com on Feb. 19 to say the Westlake warehouse is likely to close, it just won’t be on April 8, as stated in state records. The representative was unable to say when, specifically, the warehouse could close.
“The staff at this warehouse know that we’ll be keeping them on for some time yet as we evaluate our network of distribution hubs acquired in their bankruptcy,” Rusk said in an email.
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