Shopko supplier says store will soon file for bankruptcy

Published 7:41 pm Friday, January 11, 2019

ASHWAUBENON, Wis. — A pharmaceutical drug supplier to Shopko said the Wisconsin-based retail chain is expected to file for bankruptcy next week.

McKesson Corp. said it supplied Shopko with $67 million in drugs since Nov. 11 but has not been paid since early December.

McKesson this week asked a judge for a restraining order to keep Shopko from selling the medications it has supplied. McKesson attorney Jeff Garfinkle said during a court hearing that Shopko is expected to file for bankruptcy protection Tuesday.

Email newsletter signup

Shopko attorney Stephen Hackney said a restraining order would require the retailer to close its pharmacies and would harm patients who need the medications.

Brown County Circuit Judge William Atkinson rejected McKesson’s request in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Neither Shopko nor its parent company Sun Capital Partners returned calls for comment.

Shopko said it has more than 300 retail locations, including nearly 40 in Minnesota, with 18,000 employees.