Sears Closing – In an announcement surprising many in Montreal’s West Island, Sears Canada said it is closing its Fairview Pointe-Claire mall location – the only store in Quebec to be closed so far. Other stores in Ontario, Manitoba, British Columbia and Newfoundland are planned for closure – all part of their restructuring plan after being granted protection from creditors by an Ontario court on June 22nd 2017.
Before filing with the courts, Sears began making changes to its stores across the country, trying to keep up with the trends their customers were being drawn to – and it required time for those changes to have an impact. Their plans are to restructure and emerge from bankruptcy later this year – but appears it will be quite a challenge for them.
Thousands of their employees across Canada have been laid off, since announcing they would be closing 59 stores and outlets as part of their restructuring plan – with at least 14 of them in Quebec.
The store in Fairview has been an icon for many years in the West Island and a familiar landmark to many heading east or west on Highway 40. It is closure is sure to have an impact on the community.
How do you feel about the closure? Do you think the days of big department stores are numbered?
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