Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.-based Inland Seafood President Chris Rosenberger said the company won’t be significantly affected after the bankruptcy filing of Earth Fare, an Asheville, North Carolina-based retailer.
Earth Fare, which carried a variety of premium fresh and frozen seafood, announced on 3 February it will close all of its 50 stores. The chain was Inland Seafood’s client and a Seafax report on the bankruptcy filing showed Inland as being owed more than USD 6.2 million (EUR 5.8 million).
"Business is managing issues as they arise. Between insurance, and replacing the lost business with other opportunities, we are fine. Inland is a strong, resilient, and innovative company, poised to weather any challenging times," Rosenberger said in a press release. “Our business has not been about waiting for storms to end, it's about learning how to navigate through them."
Inland Founder and CEO Joel Knox said he was saddened by Earth Fare’s situation.
“Bankruptcy is a very unfortunate situation, for everyone involved," he said. “As an employee-owned company, the welfare of our employees and families come first, so our hearts go out to everyone at Earth Fare.”
Knox said bankruptcy is generally hardest on a company’s employees, and that he wished the best for Earth Fare’s staff.
“Inland has been a leader in the seafood industry since I founded the company 43 years and it is because of our people,” Knox said. “We have always enjoyed doing business with the people at Earth Fare, and look forward to seeing all the opportunities that are sure to come their way.”
