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Dealing with Abandoned Store Fixtures? Here's How Mid-America Store Fixtures Can Help

Scott Hoek
April 16, 2025

Are you one of the many property owners left with furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) after a tenant file for bankruptcy? If so, you’re not alone. With the recent wave of store closures and retail bankruptcies, many landlords are faced with the costly and often frustrating task of cleaning out properties when tenants leave behind excess fixtures and equipment.  Whether you have a JOANN, Big Lots, Rite Aid, Party City, Bargain Hunt, Forever 21 or a 99 Cent Only with Fixtures Remaining you may to paying someone to remove the fixtures and cover the costs for the dumpsters.    

At MId-America Store Fixtures, we’ve been working closely with retailers and commercial property managers to find the most efficient and cost-effective solutions for these situations. Many property managers have told us that their typical plan involves hiring a general contractor to haul the fixtures to a dumpster. But is this really the best option?

Why is this an Issue?

The standard approach—hiring a general contractor—can be expensive. In addition to high wages, contractors often add built-in margin percentages and profit margins to their proposals, making the cost of removal even higher. Unfortunately, in many cases, property managers are left with no way to recoup these expenses, especially in the aftermath of a bankruptcy.

But it’s not just about the cost. As more companies focus on sustainability, sending perfectly usable store fixtures to the landfill doesn’t align with the green initiatives some businesses claim to prioritize. Unfortunately, many companies fail to take a forward-thinking approach when it comes to sustainability, often because of the upfront costs involved in finding better solutions.

Lowering Costs While Supporting Sustainability

At Mid-America Store Fixtures, we’ve developed a unique process that helps property managers and retailers clean out their properties efficiently—and often at a lower cost. In some cases, we even provide money back. Our goal is to help our clients reduce waste and support their sustainability goals by keeping reusable fixtures out of landfills and offering them for resale.

How Mid-America Store Fixtures Achieves Results

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Mid-America Store Fixtures has been specializing in cleanouts, liquidations, and auctions. Thanks to our extensive network and a nationwide database of buyers, we can quickly and effectively sell and repurpose your store fixtures.

Most every item we sell is reused or repurposed—meaning it never ends up in a landfill. Not only does this reduce waste, but it also means lower labor and dumpster fees for property managers.

The Benefits of Working with Mid-America Store Fixtures

There are many fixture liquidation companies out there, but none with the track record and expertise of Mid-America. Here’s why we stand out:

  • Nationwide Reach: With over 20 years of experience, we are recognized as a nationwide leader in fixture sales, removal, and marketing. We handle all aspects of the process, ensuring a seamless and efficient experience from start to finish.
  • Comprehensive Insurance Coverage: We carry $5 million in liability insurance, protecting both retailers and property managers from potential liability issues during the removal process. Unlike many companies that hire temporary or uninsured labor, we ensure everyone on-site is covered.

Sustainability Focus: We intentionally help our clients achieve their sustainability goals. We actively work to ensure that (FF&E) from closed stores—whether from Big Lots, Rite Aid, JoAnn, Bargain Hunt, or the other retailers including supermarkets,  are kept out of landfills.

  • Cost-Effective Removal: Our removal costs are lower than typical general contractors (GCs), and we offer additional financial benefits. We credit clients for rigging fees and labor costs related to items sold and scrapped. In contrast, most GCs keep the revenue from selling or scrapping equipment, adding no financial benefit to the property manager.
  • Active Marketing Approach: Unlike other liquidation and auction companies that take a "set it and forget it" marketing approach, we work hard to actively sell the fixtures that need removal. Our targeted marketing strategy spans to national, regional, and local levels, ensuring we achieve the best possible return for our clients.
  • Professional Removal Teams: Our experienced teams are trained to pack, load, and remove fixtures professionally. This makes the fixtures more attractive to buyers, as they don’t need to hire a separate crew for removal.

In Conclusion

At Mid-America Store Fixtures, we believe in building long-term, win-win relationships with retailers, property managers, and commercial real estate owners across the country. We’re confident that once you see the benefits of working with us, you’ll want to partner with us for all your future cleanouts and fixture sales.

If you’re currently dealing with excess fixtures from a store closure or bankruptcy, we’d love to show you how we can improve your closing process. Let’s schedule an introductions call so you can see the Mid-America difference firsthand.

We’ve spent over 20 years cultivating strong relationships with some of the nation’s largest retailers, and we’d love to do the same with you.

Ready to get started? Reach out to shoek@midasf.com to schedule a follow-up call and discuss how we can help your bottom line.