Apple reseller and service provider Simply Mac is shutting down effective immediately after nearly sixteen years of business, the company announced internally.
In a letter to employees today, obtained by MacRumors from multiple sources, Simply Mac CEO Rein Voigt said the company is shutting down its operations and terminating all employees effective immediately in anticipation of filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the United States, which will result in complete liquidation of the company.
"Since our acquisition of Simply Mac from GameStop on September 25, 2019, we have worked hard as a team to grow our company to be North America's preeminent Apple Partner and provide our customers with transformational experiences that drive long-term loyalty," said Voigt, in the letter to employees. "However, we could not have possibly foreseen that on December 12, 2019 in Wuhan, China a world-wide pandemic would start and ultimately cause us to layoff half our workforce and close many of our stores."
Voigt said that Simply Mac's financial performance "never met our expectations" since the former GameStop subsidiary was acquired by Cool Holdings, Inc. in 2019. Due to "funding constraints," Voigt added that Simply Mac was "unable to adequately stock our stores with inventory or stay current with our financial obligations."
Voigt added that Simply Mac will be unable to pay employees tomorrow or in the future, and noted that all employees will receive a notice from the bankruptcy court in due course and have an opportunity to submit a claim, according to the letter.
As of January 2022, Simply Mac operated 53 retail stores across the United States. Many of Simply Mac's stores were located in cities that lacked an Apple Store, providing residents with a local alternative for Apple products and repairs.
