TORRINGTON – The eleven-store strong Mercantile Stores, including one in Torrington, has been sold to Bomgaars Supply, a farm and ranch chain based in Sioux City. The sale is effective March 1.
 In addition to Torrington, the farm and ranch oriented Mercantile Stores include Nebraska locations in Scottsbluff, Alliance, Bridgeport, Sidney, Chadron, Gordon and Ogallala, along with stores in Brighton and Loveland, Colorado, and a store in Spearfish, South Dakota.
 Chuck Weinreis, a controlling partner with The Mercantile company, confirmed the sale and said that all store employees would have the opportunity to continue working at the existing stores. He added that the only cuts would be made at the Mercantile corporate offices in Bridgeport. The Torrington Mercantile has nine employees -- all of whom are expected to retain their jobs.

Weinreis said the choice to sell the company was a "business decision" and that over the years there have been a number of offers to purchase the company, and Bomgaars looked like ìa good fit. "This transaction will be good for the stores and good for the community, these are good people," Weinreis said regarding the new owners. "It will be good for everybody involved, including the customer, with a larger inventory."

Bomgaars is well-established, fourth generation family-owned and operated supplier that currently has 48 stores in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and South Dakota, with 1,200 employees. The corporate office and distribution center are located in Sioux City, Iowa, where the company began in 1952.

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