OSH to close

Chico’s Orchard Supply Hardware, at 231 W. East Ave., will soon be closing its doors.

On Wednesday (Aug. 22), parent company Lowe’s reported that all 99 Orchard Supply Hardware stores—located in California, Oregon and Florida—will close by the end of the 2018 fiscal year. News reports vary on the end date, however—some outlets say they’ll close by the end of next month, others by the end of the year and yet others by Feb. 1.

“We will be providing outplacement services for impacted associates, and they will be given priority status if they choose to apply for other Lowe’s positions,” Lowe’s CEO Marvin R. Ellison said in the release.

OSH was founded in San Jose as a farmers’ co-op in 1931, eventually becoming for-profit in the 1950s. Lowe’s acquired the company in 2013, after it filed for bankruptcy.