KANSAS CITY, Mo. — First Brands Group, a global automotive parts company specializing in the premium original equipment aftermarket segment, notified Kansas officials Monday it was closing its facilities in Edgerton and Emporia, effective immediately.
The closures combined will lead to the layoff of more than 210 jobs.
The company’s Hopkins group operated a facility on West 185th Street in Edgerton, Kansas, where 72 employees were laid off Monday. An additional nine employees will lose their jobs as of April 30.
The company also operated a facility at 428 Peyton St. in Emporia, Kansas, where 118 employees were laid off Monday. An additional 12 employees will lose their jobs as of April 30.
Reuters reported in September 2025 that First Brands Group filed for bankruptcy protection, revealing it had more than $10 billion in liabilities.
In its letters Monday to state and local officials, the company describes several last-minute efforts to find a buyer for the firm.
The company said a buyer came forward in recent weeks and that it was hopeful it could reach a deal, but said the bidder “suddenly and unexpectedly” withdrew its bid last week.
“The sudden cessation of the sale process was unfortunately an unforeseeable event that has led to today’s closure decision and the abbreviated timeline for closure,” the company said in its letter Monday. “Given the urgency and seriousness with which the company and the potential purchaser approached the sale process and the fact that the parties had been actively negotiating a purchase agreement, the sudden withdrawal of the bid was unexpected and not reasonably foreseeable.”
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