GNC Goes Bankrupt, Closing At Least 13 Illinois Locations

ILLINOIS — GNC has filed for bankruptcy this week and will close perhaps more than 1,000 locations, including at least 13 in Illinois. In a letter to customers, the company in part blamed the pandemic, saying coronavirus "created a situation where we were unable to accomplish our refinancing and the abrupt change in the operating environment had a dramatic negative impact on our business."

GNC said it will close between 800 and 1,200 of the nearly 7,300 stores it had as of the end of March. "GNC remains open for business and we fully expect to continue bringing our consumers the highest-quality, most-trusted health, wellness and performance products to help them live well, longer," the company said.

Also Read: 2 More Illinois Retailers Closing Stores

A list of 248 locations in 42 states and Canada already slated for closing was released.

The vitamin and supplement chain is closing these locations at malls and shopping centers in Illinois, including several in the Chicago area, according to Business Insider:

• Bannockburn Green, 2569 Waukegan Rd, Bannockburn
• University Mall, 1225 University Mall, Carbondale
• 244 State Street, Chicago
• Stony Island Plaza, 1623 E 95th St, Chicago
• Country Club Plaza, 4285 W 167th St, Country Club Hills
• South Shoppes, 2725 IL Route 26 S, Freeport
• Lincolnwood Town Ctr, 3333 West Touhy Ave, Lincolnwood
• Cross County Mall, 700 Broadway East, Mattoon
• McHenry Plaza, 1774 N. Richmond Road, McHenry
• Orland Square Mall, 852 Orland Square, Orland Park
• Peru Mall, 3940 Rt 251, Space #E-9, Peru
• Northland Mall, 2900 E Lincolnway, Sterling
• Eden's Plaza, 3232 Lake Avenue, Wilmette

In a press release, the company said the move "accelerates store optimization and growth strategies."

Mike Caraggi, Patch Staff, contributed to this article