Family Christian Stores to wind down operations by late April

GRAND RAPIDS — Operations at Family Christian Stores will wind down over the next month, according to a state filing from the company.

In a document filed with the state Workforce Development Agency, the company said it plans to begin shutting down its distribution facility in Kentwood beginning on April 11 and close its headquarters on Patterson Avenue by April 26.

The closure of operations at the headquarters and distribution facilities is expected to result in the loss of 170 total jobs. That doesn’t take into account the expected job loss at Family Christian’s 240 retail stores in 36 states.

[RELATED: Demise of Family Christian latest in a string of retail closures in West Michigan]

The Grand Rapids-based retailer of Christian books and gifts announced last week that it planned to cease all operations and liquidate its stores, as MiBiz previously reported. At the time, the company did not indicate a timeline for the store closures and winding down its operations.

The decision to close the company came nearly two years after Family Christian emerged from a contentious Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding.

Steven Biondo, senior vice president of human resources and organizational development for Family Christian Stores, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment for this report.