H. H. Gregg

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H. H. Gregg Inc.
IndustryRetail
Founded
  • April 15, 1955; 69 years ago (1955-04-15) (as Gregg Appliances, Inc.)
  • Princeton, Indiana, U.S.
  • August 17, 2017; 6 years ago (2017-08-17) (online comeback)
Founders
  • Henry Harold Gregg
  • Fansy Gregg
DefunctMay 25, 2017; 6 years ago (2017-05-25) (original)
FateChapter 7 bankruptcy
Liquidation sale (original)
HeadquartersSomerset, New Jersey, U.S.
Key people
  • Eli Sapharti
  • (Director of Retail Operations)
Products
US$ 1.96 B (FY 2016)[1]
IncreaseUS$ -51.73 M (FY 2016)[1]
Increase US$ -54.88 M (FY 2016)[1]
Total assetsDecrease US$ 385.35 M (FY 2016)[1]
OwnerValor Group LLC
(2017–present)
Number of employees
130 (2019)
Websitehhgregg.com

H. H. Gregg, Inc. (stylized as hhgregg or HHgregg on its website), is an American online retailer and former retail chain of

home appliances in the Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast United States, that operated stores in 20 states including Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Wisconsin,[2] Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.[3] Valor Group LLC
purchased the brand from the company's bankruptcy trustee for $400,000 (~$489,080 in 2023) in 2017. H.H. Gregg closed all stores in liquidation and had been operating as an online-only retailer since August that year. Founded in
freezers, washers, and dryers; and other products and services, including mattresses.[4] The company announced on November 24, 2008, that it would begin selling popular gaming systems such as Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.[5]

H. H. Gregg reported an annual revenue of

US$
1.96 billion in fiscal year 2016.

On March 6, 2017, H. H. Gregg filed for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The filing followed the decision to close 88 unprofitable locations outside of its core markets.[6] Troubles for H. H. Gregg continued and the Chapter 11 case was ultimately converted to Chapter 7 liquidation. The company announced on April 7, 2017, that it would also close all of its other stores (132 more than the 88 previously announced closures) in the coming months and would lay off about 5,000 people.[7]

History

An H. H. Gregg retail store in Florida (2008)

In 1955, a small storefront was erected by Henry Harold and Fansy Gregg on the north side of Indianapolis. The new store featured

refrigerators
, and grills. Shortly thereafter, they began selling televisions and other electronics.

Map of hhgregg stores in the U.S. in August 2011

In 1975, Jerry W. Throgmartin began working in his grandfather's store while attending

CEO, and Director of H. H. Gregg Appliances and Electronics.[8]

Dennis L. May succeeded Throgmartin as H. H. Gregg's president and Chief Executive Officer on February 17, 2009, and Throgmartin was named Executive Chairman of the Board.[9] Throgmartin died in January 2012.[10]

Despite market trends that have diminished profit margins on

high-tech devices, Throgmartin and May expanded the business to 125 stores in 9 states as of October 2009. Throgmartin said, "We've been fortunate in that the areas of the [consumer electronics] business that have been strong are the areas in which we excel: high-end large-screen flat-panel TVs and home theater, and higher-end appliances".[8]

On July 8, 2009, the company announced that it planned to open 22 stores in the following year, primarily in

Boardman.[12] Ten stores opened in July 2011 in South Florida along the east coast from Miami to West Palm Beach
.

An H. H. Gregg store in Hanover, Maryland; opened in 2010 in a former Circuit City location

In the fall of 2010, H. H. Gregg opened several stores in former Circuit City locations in Maryland and Virginia.

Verizon Wireless products.[citation needed
]

In March 2011, H. H. Gregg announced it would open a new location in

St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area.[17]

In August 2012, H. H. Gregg made its debut in

New Orleans metropolitan area and in Baton Rouge.[19][20]

The company's motto was "Gregg's Got It!", and their official mascot was an animated talking catalogue called HH, voiced by Wally Wingert and bearing likeness to that of the video-game character Rayman.[21]

In February 2016, May resigned as CEO, and Robert Riesbeck was named interim CEO.[11] In August 2016, Riesbeck was named the permanent CEO.[22] After a buyout offer fell through, Riesbeck was terminated along with CIO Tom Schuetz and Chief Merchandising Officer Aaron Trahan. Kevin Kovacs (CFO at the time) was named CEO and president effective June 7, 2017.[23]

Bankruptcy

On March 6, 2017, H. H. Gregg filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The filing followed the closure of 88 unprofitable locations outside of its core markets.

Chapter 7 liquidation, and H.H. Gregg said it would close all 220 of its locations (the 88 stores previously announced to be closing, plus the other 132 locations) and lay off about 5,000 employees.[7]
All stores were closed permanently on May 25, 2017.

Sale of intellectual property

In June 2017, the H. H. Gregg brand and intellectual property was purchased by Valor Group LLC for $400,000.[29] In August 2017, Valor Group LLC announced it would open an online business under the H. H. Gregg name.[29] The online business operates out of Somerset, New Jersey.[29]

The new online store named H.H. Gregg is not affiliated with the company that went out of business.

Warrantech.[29]

On September 5, 2019, Valor Group LLC opened its first H. H. Gregg storefront in Franklin Township, NJ.[30] In 2022, however, it was reported that the store had shuttered.[31]

Fine Lines

Fine Lines[32] was a division of H. H. Gregg that was introduced November 1, 2004.[33] Each of its ten stores offered over 18,000 square feet (1,700 m2) of premium lines of appliances.[34] Products and brands varied by location. There were ten Fine Lines locations.[35]

Stock

H. H. Gregg had its initial public offering on July 20, 2007, at US$13.72 (~$19.00 in 2023) and was traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol HGG.[36]

On February 27, 2017, it was announced that the NYSE suspended trading of HGG in preparation for delisting.[37] HGG shares were formally delisted on March 27, 2017, and became listed in OTC Pink.[38][39]

Sponsorship

On December 17, 2007, H. H. Gregg signed as one of 14 founding corporate partners for the

flat panel televisions. The south gate was also home to a new 26,000-square-foot (2,400 m2) H. H. Gregg showroom.[40]

From late 2016 until the company's closing, H. H. Gregg sponsored several drivers on the

Andretti Autosport team. They sponsored Carlos Muñoz and Marco Andretti. They were slated to become the full-time sponsor of Andretti in 2017, and sponsored them at St. Petersburg. When the company closed, the team removed their logos on their cars, although the logo remained on the firesuits. When Takuma Sato won the 2017 Indianapolis 500, the company logos were still seen on the left breast of his firesuit though H. H. Gregg had closed three days prior to the race.[41]

References

  1. ^
    Wikinvest
    .
  2. ^ "Electronics store hhgregg to open today in Hagerstown, Md". PublicOpinionOnline. Retrieved 2010-04-26.[dead link]
  3. ^ "hhgregg Announces Grand Opening of Snellville, GA Store". hhgregg. Archived from the original on 2009-05-25. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  4. ^ "hhgregg, Inc. (HGG:NYSE) Snapshot". BusinessWeek. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
  5. ^ "hhgregg Launches Gaming Business Across Chain". hhgregg. November 24, 2008. Archived from the original on May 29, 2009. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
  6. ^ a b "Electronics retailer hhgregg files for bankruptcy". Reuters. March 6, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Briggs, James (April 7, 2017). "HHGregg to close all stores after failing to find a buyer". IndyStar. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  8. ^ a b Brian Ploskina (January 2008). "A Commitment to Vision". Dealerscope. 50 (1). Archived from the original on March 22, 2008.
  9. ^ "hhgregg Announces Executive Changes". hhgregg. Archived from the original on 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  10. ^ "hhgregg Announces Death of Jerry W. Throgmartin, Executive Chairman of the Board and Former Chief Executive Officer". hhgregg. January 23, 2012. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015.
  11. ^ a b Hhgregg CEO Dennis May Resigns (Wall Street Journal)
  12. ^ Luthern, Ashley. New Appliance Store Coming to Valley Archived 2012-04-03 at the Wayback Machine, Vindicator, 6 January 2011.
  13. ^ "12 New Stores Opening Soon in Washington D.C. Area". H.H.Gregg. Archived from the original on 2011-02-26.
  14. ^ "Electronics store to hire 50 on Myrtle Beach Area". The Sun News -Myrtle Beach. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011.
  15. ^ "Hhgregg Announces the Grand Opening of Pittsburgh, PA Stores" (Press release). 7 June 2011.
  16. ^ "14 hhgregg stores to open in Chicago region on Sept. 15". Chicago Sun-Times. August 19, 2011. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013.
  17. ^ "h.h.gregg Announces the Grand Opening of St. Louis, MO Area Stores". hhgregg. September 11, 2012. Archived from the original on February 14, 2015.
  18. ^ "h.h.gregg Announces the Grand Opening of Green Bay, WI Area Stores". hhgregg. September 18, 2012. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016.
  19. ^ "h.h.gregg Announces the Grand Opening of Two New Stores in New Orleans, Louisiana". hhgregg. November 13, 2012. Archived from the original on August 25, 2013.
  20. ^ "h.h.gregg Announces Grand Opening of Baton Rouge, Louisiana Store". hhgregg. November 13, 2012. Archived from the original on January 14, 2013.
  21. ^ GandWuser (2017-07-19), Ultimate HH compilation, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2018-09-27
  22. ^ Minaya, Ezequiel (August 1, 2016). "Hhgregg Names Robert Riesbeck Permanent CEO". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 9, 2017.[dead link]
  23. ^ McGowan, Dan (June 7, 2017). "hhgregg Cuts Loose CEO, Other Execs". Inside Indiana Business. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  24. ^ "SCHEDULE 13G - BML Investment Partners, L.P." EDGAR Online. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  25. ^ "hhgregg to Explore Strategic Alternatives". EDGAR Online. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  26. ^ "hhgregg Files for Chapter 11 Reorganization". EDGAR Online. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  27. ^ "Form 8-K". EDGAR Online. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  28. ^ "hhgregg Terminates Letter of Intent". EDGAR Online. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  29. ^
    Indy Star
    . Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  30. ^ Bowman, Bill (September 5, 2019). "H.H. Gregg Opens New Retail Electronics Store In Township". Franklin Reporter. Retrieved 2019-09-09.
  31. ^ "The State of HHGregg in Somerset, NJ, Late 2022". December 18, 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  32. ^ "Fine Lines – Luxury Kitchen Applances". hhgregg Fine Lines. Archived from the original on 2004-10-15.
  33. ^ Lieber, Tammy. "Kitchens for the elite: H.H. Gregg goes upscale with Fine Lines appliance store". Indianapolis Business Journal. Retrieved 2008-01-04.[dead link]
  34. ^ "Product Selection". hhgregg Fine Lines. Retrieved January 4, 2008.[dead link]
  35. ^ "hhgregg Fine Lines Store Locator". hhgregg Fine Lines. Archived from the original on April 2, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
  36. ^ "hhgregg Inc. Announces Pricing of IPO". Archived from the original on 2008-01-29. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
  37. ^ "Brief – NYSE to suspend trading immediately in Hhgregg Inc (HGG) and commence delisting proceedings". Reuters. 27 February 2017.
  38. ^ "NOTIFICATION OF THE REMOVAL FROM LISTING AND REGISTRATION OF THE STATED SECURITIES". EDGAR Online. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  39. ^ "NOTIFICATION OF REMOVAL FROM LISTING AND/OR REGISTRATION UNDER SECTION 12(b) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934". EDGAR Online. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  40. ^ "Hi-def highlights 'showroom' part of Lucas Oil sponsorship". The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2008-02-25. Alt URL
  41. ^ "Honda power helps give Takuma Sato first Indy 500 win, but strands Fernando Alonso, two others". USA TODAY Sports. 2017-05-29. Retrieved 2018-01-02.

External links

Media related to Hhgregg at Wikimedia Commons

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