LL Flooring files for bankruptcy, to pursue sale of business
LL Flooring Bankruptcy Proceedings: LL Flooring has initiated Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and is seeking a going-concern sale of its business, with active negotiations underway with multiple bidders and plans to close 94 stores.
Financial Status and Future Plans: The company has secured $130 million in debtor-in-possession financing and reported estimated assets between $500 million to $1 billion, while liabilities range from $100 million to $500 million.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Analyst Views on LIVE
About LIVE
About the author

- Earnings Release Schedule: Live Ventures will issue its financial results for the first quarter ended December 31, 2025, before the market opens on February 12, 2026, providing investors with insights into its financial health and operational performance.
- Conference Call Timing: The company will hold a conference call on the same day at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time) to discuss the financial results in detail, enhancing transparency and fostering investor communication.
- Dial-in Information: Investors can participate via U.S. dial-in at 800.231.0316 or international dial-in at +1.314.696.0504, with a recommendation to connect at least 15 minutes early to ensure a smooth connection, reflecting the company's commitment to investor relations.
- Company Background: Founded in 1968, Live Ventures focuses on value-oriented acquisition strategies and aims to partner with management teams to enhance shareholder value through a disciplined buy-build-hold approach, with a diversified portfolio across various industries demonstrating strategic strength.
- Increased Automation Capacity: Central Steel Fabricators has significantly enhanced its daily production capacity through expanded robotic welding technology, enabling rapid responses to large-scale AI infrastructure projects and solidifying its position in the fast-growing data center market.
- Growing Market Demand: With the surge in AI-driven data center construction, Central Steel Fabricators' precision-fabricated steel systems have become critical infrastructure, meeting the needs of major communications providers' Engineer, Furnish, and Install contractors, driving long-term revenue growth for the company.
- Strategic Investment Outlook: Live Ventures management notes that investments in automation and capacity expansion position Central Steel Fabricators to benefit from long-term secular growth trends, particularly against the backdrop of rapid advancements in AI and automation.
- Industry Leadership: CEO Thomas R. Sedlak emphasizes that companies focusing on the unmet needs of data center contractors will face limitless business opportunities, further solidifying Central Steel Fabricators' leadership position in the industry.

- Automated Logistics Strategy: Live Ventures has launched an AI-driven logistics and autonomous material-handling strategy at its Flooring Liquidators subsidiary, aimed at dramatically increasing warehouse throughput, reducing damage, and modernizing physical distribution.
- Autonomous Operations Hub: The Fairfield, California distribution center will operate autonomously, with self-guided vehicles managing pallet movement at throughput rates ten times that of traditional handling, significantly reducing human intervention and sources of error.
- Efficient Inventory Flow: The facility integrates LiDAR navigation and intelligent sequencing to optimize handling efficiency for high-volume flooring products, allowing professional staff to focus more on customer relationships and enhance customer value.
- Market Competitive Advantage: CEO Chris Nichols noted that AI-driven capabilities enable Flooring Liquidators to scale rapidly without proportional increases in labor costs or square footage, strengthening its competitive position in regional markets.

- AI-Driven Demand Forecasting: Flooring Liquidators embeds AI into daily operations to analyze real-time sales and inventory data, enabling the positioning of the right products closer to customers before demand peaks, significantly enhancing customer satisfaction and sales efficiency.
- Transportation and Handling Optimization: By forecasting demand locally, Flooring Liquidators consolidates shipments and optimizes truckloads, dramatically reducing unnecessary transportation and handling, with damage rates dropping by over 80%, which not only saves costs but also improves overall operational efficiency.
- Intelligent Performance Management System: The company’s “No Excuses AI” system automatically monitors weekly performance across 30+ branches, identifying anomalies and interacting with local managers to provide specific actionable solutions, enhancing management efficiency and responsiveness.
- Overall Business Transformation: The CEO of Live Ventures states that Flooring Liquidators' success demonstrates how intelligent systems can be applied in traditional retail and distribution to enhance competitiveness while maintaining a human core, with plans to promote similar AI applications across the entire company.
Company Performance: Live Ventures Incorporated announced that its subsidiary, Flooring Liquidators, achieved positive EBITDA for four consecutive months, marking a turnaround after 24 months of losses, with projections for record growth in Fiscal Year 2026.
Key Initiatives for Turnaround: Flooring Liquidators' CEO Chris Nichols highlighted four main strategies for the turnaround: cost containment through automation, individual store accountability, improved product mix with increased private label offerings, and leveraging the talent of the workforce.
Earnings Conference Call Overview: Live Ventures Incorporated held its Q3 2025 earnings conference call on August 7, 2025, featuring key executives including CEO Jon Isaac and CFO David Verret, who discussed the company's financial performance and outlook.
Positive Financial Performance: All four operating segments of Live Ventures reported improved performance in the third quarter, indicating a positive trend for the company.





