Emeryville GNC Store Closing For Good Due To Pandemic

EMERYVILLE, CA — GNC filed for bankruptcy and announced plans to close 27 California stores, including the store in the East Bay Bridge Center in Emeryville. Stores on Shattuck in Berkeley and in El Cerrito Plaza in El Cerrito will remain open.

The closures come after the health supplement giant struggled financially for years, working to pay off debt, GNC said in a statement on its website. Executives were working to refinance the company when the pandemic began.

The pandemic "created a situation where we were unable to accomplish our refinancing," GMC said. "The abrupt change in the operating environment had a dramatic negative impact on our business."

GMC felt Chapter 11 bankruptcy was its best option to stay in business long-term. It plans to close 800 to 1,200 stores nationwide and focus on stores that see more customers, though shuttering stores may remain open in the meantime.

Gift cards will retain value and GNC's 30-day return policy is still in effect. No special promotions are forthcoming, the company said.

Other Bay Area locations scheduled to close:

• Union City
• Gilroy
• Palo Alto
• Santa Rosa

See the full list of closures here and read more information from GNC about how bankruptcy will affect its operations here.

— Patch editors Courtney Teague and Bea Karnes contributed to this story

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