Bargain Hunt, a discount retailer with stores in Hickory, Lenoir and about 90 other locations, will soon close all of its stores.

Bargain Hunt’s parent company, Essex Technology Group, filed for bankruptcy Feb. 3.

A Feb. 5 press release said the company expected to close all stores by the end of February.

The company previously announced it was closing a distribution center in Tennessee, laying off nearly 300 people.

The Bargain Hunt in Hickory is located at the Northgate Plaza shopping center in the Viewmont area. The shopping center has undergone a number of changes in the last six months.

In June, Hannah’s BBQ South closed and Dawg Pound Hot Dog announced they were moving out of the shopping center to another location.

Badcock Furniture, in the same center, declared bankruptcy and closed all stores in October.

A Wingstop is currently planned for the space formerly occupied by a Firehouse Subs in the shopping center.

Hannah’s was torn down in January. It will be replaced by a fast food restaurant, according to county permits.

Despite the changes, The UPS Store, Treasure’s Visions, Outdoor Supply Company and Pet Supplies Plus remain open in the shopping center.

Jason Richardson, president of shopping center owner Lenoir Entertainment, LLC, said construction in the parking lot of the shopping center is for a new sewer and water line as well as a stormwater drain.