Gardener’s Supply Company — a beloved gardening and home retailer known for its eco-friendly mission and colorful catalogs — has filed for bankruptcy.
It is blaming a steep drop in sales since the pandemic and it becomes one of the latest victims of the retail bloodbath.
The Vermont-based chain, founded in 1983 in Burlington, has six stores across three states: Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
It’s main revenue has been from what was once a booming online and shipping business that reaches millions of customers nationwide.
But the 42-year-old company says rising costs — from shipping to marketing to tariffs — have been too much to bear.
Despite cutting expenses, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week in Delaware in hopes of restructuring and finalizing a sale to fellow gardening company Gardens Alive!, based in Indiana.
Still, the company says it’s not closing stores or laying off workers, and its popular website and catalog business will continue as usual.
Gardener’s Supply said that sales have slumped since the pandemic gardening boom cooled off. At the same time, competition has grown fiercer, and the cost of doing business — especially for a company that ships large, heavy garden goods — has soared.
Gardener’s Supply Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware last week
‘Despite cost-cutting measures, the challenges posed by increased competition, rising shipping expenses, tariffs, and escalating marketing costs have proven insurmountable,’ the company told DailyMail.com.
The bankruptcy comes amid a wider retail shakeup, sometimes dubbed the ‘retail bloodbath,’ that’s hit brands across furniture, fashion, and home goods.
Some home improvement companies are thriving — like Tractor Supply, which is opening 90 stores this year — while others are barely hanging on.
Gardener’s Supply fans, however, remain optimistic. Some Reddit users called the filing a smart move, saying it may help the company stay afloat and avoid shutdowns.
‘Bankruptcy doesn’t mean closing,’ one wrote. ‘They’re probably just reorganizing.’
Gardener’s Supply isn’t the only struggling home retailer.
Home improvement retailers saw a pandemic-era boom between 2020 and 2021, when lockdowns inspired a wave of home redecoration.
But shoppers, worn down by years of inflation, have pulled back from discretionary spending.
Gardener’s Supply operates six stores in Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire
Social media users believe Gardener’s Supply will survive its bankruptcy filing
‘Although inflation has been easing, overall prices are still significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels,’ Tim Hynes, Debtwire’s global head of credit research, told DailyMail.com.
That shift has contributed to a wave of bankruptcies across the industry.
Since 2022, Bed Bath and Beyond, Christmas Tree Shops, Bargain Hunt, Conn’s, LL Flooring, and The Container Store have all filed for Chapter 11 protection.
LL Flooring (formerly known as Lumber Liquidators) and The Container Store have since exited bankruptcy proceedings. The rest shuttered their physical locations entirely.
Other retailers have also struggled since the pandemic.
At Home decorating chain filed for bankruptcy this month after weeks of speculation
Macy’s is not at risk of bankruptcy, but it is in the process of closing 66 stores this year and facing backlash for raising prices as a result of tariffs.
JCPenney has also been a sinking ship for quite some time and has shuttered hundreds of stores since filing for bankruptcy in 2020.
Other retailers that have left shoppers worried about its futures include Torrid, Kohl’s, and pharmaceutical chains like CVS and Rite Aid.