STOUGHTON, Mass. — Convenience-store distributor Garber Bros. closed its doors on April 10 and seems to have stopped operations cold. The company distributes cigarettes, tobacco, health and beauty and grocery products to c-stores primarily in the northeastern United States.

Calls made to Garber by CSP Daily News have been answered by a busy signal or a notification that service is unavailable.

Its headquarters building in Stoughton, Mass., is being patrolled by a security force and sources have said the company is liquidating its assets and that another New England-based distributor may take over customer accounts, according to The Shelby Report, a retail food trade publication. The Garber Bros. website was still online as of April 27.

The closing has reportedly taken jobs from employees and left manufacturers and c-store operators with unanswered questions and a lack of inventory. Employers are required to provide notice at least 60 days in advance of plant closings and mass layoffs, but no notice seems to have been given. As a result, the Teamsters Local 653 filed a legal complaint against Garber Bros. for a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retaining Notification) Act violation.

News of the stop in operations comes after Citizens Bank announced a $20 million credit facility to Garber Bros. on Jan. 3. The company faced setbacks after its largest customer, Tedeschi Food Shops, was sold to 7-Eleven, The Shelby Report said.

The company was started in 1947 by Harold and Paul Garber and has continued as a family business, now operated by Harold, Amy and Jody Garber. Garber Bros. used to be worth more than $600 million, and its warehouse includes a state-of-the-art conveyor system, in addition to a 200,000-square-foot headquarters with more than 280 employees.

The region does not lack for competition in the industry. Major distributors in New England include J. Polep Distribution, Core-Mark New England, Associate Grocers of New England, Harold Levinson Associates and McLane Northeast.