Heck’s Inc. filed for protection under Chapter 11.

The Charleston, W. Va.-based discount store chain asked that it be protected from creditors while it reorganizes its debts. The company listed 6,000 creditors in its filing, said U.S. Bankruptcy Court clerk Sam Kay. The retailer, which operates 158 stores in West Virginia and eight other states, had announced plans last year for a friendly takeover by the Toussie-Viner Group of New York. But the investors’ group pulled out last month, saying Heck’s had failed to perform up to projections by its owners.