Party City, the largest party retailer in North America, announced Friday it will close all its stores nationwide, leaving many workers jobless just days before Christmas.
There are five stores in Southeast Wisconsin and 11 statewide that will be shutting their doors after 40 years in business.
The announcement came as a shock to many, including workers at the store in Brown Deer. One worker tells us they were informed yesterday that their store will close by February.
Dozens of workers will be left without jobs, severance pay, or benefits once each store closes. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2023, and its CEO announced Friday that they were never able to recover financially, partly due to inflation.
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That means many people’s favorite party and costume store will be gone for good.
Janice Jones, a Party City customer, shared her thoughts.
“I was just trying to see if another store could blow up my balloons, and she was telling me they were going out of business," Jones said, just steps outside the party supply store. "I’m just baffled because I love Party City. I don’t know what we’re going to do without it.”
Janice said she’s unsure where she’ll shop for these items, as she doesn’t prefer buying party supplies online.
However, online shopping remains a major competitor to in-person retail stores as online shopping continues to be the growing preference for consumers worldwide, with Amazon having a reported revenue of $158.88 billion in the quarter ending Sept. 29, 2024, reflecting an 11.04% growth.
However, the online shopping giant is also facing challenges, as workers affiliated with the Teamsters union continued a strike Fridayat seven of the company's delivery hubs, just days before Christmas.
Here's a list of the Party City locations in Wisconsin, according to the company's online store locator:
- Appleton: 613 N. Westhill Blvd.
- Brookfield: 285 Discovery Drive
- Brown Deer: 9150 N. Green Bay Road, Space 15
- Green Bay: 831 S. Military Ave.
- Greenfield: 5058 S. 74th St.
- Kenosha: 7150 Green Bay Road
- Madison (east): 2139 Zeier Road
- Madison (west): 223 Junction Road
- Onalaska: 1228 Crossing Meadows Drive
- Racine: 2619 South Green Bay Road
- West Allis: 6718 W. Greenfield Ave.
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