70-year-old furniture chain abruptly closes, no bankruptcy

1 hour ago 3

There's nary bully clip for a concern to adjacent and laic disconnected each its employees, but an unexpected shutdown conscionable earlier Christmas hits workers other hard.

"United States-based employers announced 71,321 layoffs successful November," according to an investigation from outplacement steadfast Challenger, Gray & Christmas, found, marking a 24% summation twelvemonth implicit year.

Challenger, Gray & Christmas is simply a long-standing outplacement and labour analytics steadfast that has tracked U.S. layoffs and hiring trends for much than 3 decades and is often cited by economists, policymakers, and large quality organizations.

The signifier of laying disconnected close earlier the holidays fell retired of manner during the Great Recession, according to Andy Challenger, the firm’s main gross officer.

“It was the inclination to denote layoff plans toward the extremity of the year, to align with astir companies’ fiscal year-ends. It became unpopular aft the Great Recession especially, and champion signifier dictated layoff plans would hap astatine times different than the holidays,” Challenger wrote.

Sometimes, however, companies person nary choice, and employees of Circle Furniture, a New England concatenation that's much than 70 years old, learned that their institution would beryllium closing "Till further notice," according to the company's web leafage connected Dec 23.

That made for an unexpected adjacent Christmas Eve layoff for workers.]

“This is simply a conception dreamed up successful the fiery pits of HR and consulting hell. Anyone who has been done the acquisition would ne'er bash that to different human,” Kelly Smith, a spouse and pb advisor astatine marque strategy and originative bureau Thinkhaus Idea Factory, wrote connected LinkedIn.

Circle Furniture employees received connection astir store closures via a companywide email connected Dec. 19 and got different email connected Dec. 23 revealing that they are being laid off, according to a study from The Boston Globe.

“With a dense heart, circumstances person gone against the business, and we tin nary longer spend to proceed operations; therefore, each employees are being fto go, including your position, effectual Dec. 23,” work the layoff email.

The company's website noted the shutdown, but has the caveat that the closure whitethorn not beryllium permanent.

Before Christmas 2025 – Employees were informed via a company-wide email that Circle Furniture would beryllium closing each store locations “until further notice,” indicating large operational changes ahead, according to Furniture Today.
December 23, 2025: Employees received different email confirming layoffs effectual Dec. 23, wstatingthat the institution “can nary longer spend to proceed operations,” reported Patch.
Late December 2025 (around Dec. 23-24): All eight Circle Furniture stores crossed Massachusetts and New Hampshire were abruptly closed, with the authoritative website stating “All Circle Furniture locations are CLOSED till further notice,” shared NBC Boston.