SUMMERSIDE – Summerside’s largest downtown grocer is closing.
It was announced Thursday that Foodland Summerside, a grocery store under the Sobeys company, would close its doors for the final time in late July.
Located in the Summerside Waterfront Campus of Holland College, the grocery store had been operating for several years.
In May management was looking to hire for a handful of positions. Now news of the closure comes as a bit of a shock.
“I think the staff is in shock it’s been quite the past two days, said the store manager Todd Thorne.
He has worked at the location off and on for a number of years.
The night before the closure announcement, the store closed early for a store meeting and staff event.
In a public statement on the store’s doors and their Facebook page, managers and staff thanked customers for their support over the years.
Cynthia Thompson, a public relations representative from Sobeys said it wasn't an eaasy discission to close the location.
"These decisions are not taken lightly. In this case after an extensive review we've decided to close the location."
Some things looked at during the review included the traffic to the location, the market and how best to serve customers and well as other factors.
Before being taken under the Foodland banner, the location was a Price Chopper, another grocery banner owned by Sobeys – with a handful left in Ontario.
There were 38 people employed at the Foodland, and Thompson says many have been transitioned to the Sobeys Summerside location.
"It's been tough [on the staff] and we want to provide a great work environment and place to shop."
In the immediate future, Thompson says there are no plans for the property.
