Goodwill closes two Solano County stores
Two locations in Solano County — one in Vallejo, the other in Dixon — have closed and staff laid off due to changing economic conditions, an executive said.
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Two Goodwill stores in Solano County have closed due to a downturn in sales caused by the ongoing coronavirus health pandemic, retail officials said in a note on Friday.
The stores, located in Dixon and Vallejo, are among eight retail outlets operated by Goodwill Industries of the Greater East Bay that abruptly ceased operations last week.
More than 60 employees were laid off across the eight stores as a result of the closures, company officials said. They received a severance package that includes one week of pay, healthcare coverage for one month and individual career service counseling. Affected employees will also receive assistance filing for state unemployment benefits.
“We have had to make a difficult decision for economic reasons,” Michael Keenan, the chief executive of Goodwill Industries of the Greater East Bay, said in a statement. “Our employees are our first priority, and we will continue to do everything we can to support them at this difficult time and fulfill the Goodwill mission in our remaining stores and facilities.”
Goodwill provides job training, employment and support services to individuals who would otherwise have difficulty finding work. The company often hires people turned away by traditional employers, including those with criminal histories, veterans, military families, younger adults, older adults and those with disabilities.
“Goodwill’s mission is to turn the revenue from the sale of donations from the community into jobs for some of the region's most vulnerable populations so that they may reach their full potential,” a company spokesperson said. “But because our stores have been shut down for most of the last year due to the pandemic, it has created a tremendous fiscal challenge, and we must make a challenging business decision in order to sustain mission services.”
The other Goodwill stores that have closed as a result of the decision are located in Albany, Berkeley, Dublin, Livermore, Oakley and the Durant Square store in Oakland.
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