VERGENNES — The DR Factory Store at 5 North Main St. in Vergennes will close on Friday, Aug. 16, and as of earlier this week had marked down its inventory of DR, Generac and Husqvarna outdoor power equipment.
In mid-2018 Generac, which bought DR Power Equipment from Country Home Products in 2015, moved out of its Vergennes plant on Meigs Road. Work that was done there is now being performed in its new headquarters in South Burlington and at its corporate headquarters in Waukesha, Wis.
But last year Generac did not shutter the city’s DR store, which is across North Main Street from the Vergennes Police Station, tucked behind Champlain Discount Foods. The store originally had operated out of the former Country Home Products Meigs Road plant, but moved six years ago to the more prominent retail location.
In response to a question as to why DR and Generac decided to shutter the store, company spokesperson Ryan Fitzgerald offered this statement in an email Tuesday:
“As we continue to position DR Power Equipment for future growth and business strategies, our DR Factory Store in Vergennes will close toward the end of August of this year. We have a long history of putting our customer at the center of everything we do and DR Power Equipment can be found at our growing network of over 1,000 independent retailers nationwide, along with our digital storefront that will continue to meet our customers’ needs.”
He did not responded before deadline to an email asking further clarification on the reason for closing the store.
The statement also described DR/Generac’s plans for store workers:
“Employees who are affected will be eligible to apply for positions at the company’s headquarters in South Burlington and severance compensation is being offered to the four year-round employees to ease their transition. We’re thankful to each of them for their hard work at the Factory Store.”