A total of 10 Safeway stores in Metro Vancouver will be permanently closed, the company has announced.
The chain’s grocery store locations slated for closure are:
- Lougheed Mall (Burnaby)
- City Square (Vancouver)
- Sunwood Square (Coquitlam)
- West Point Grey (Vancouver)
- Royal Oak (Burnaby)
- Blundel (Richmond)
- Broadmoor (Richmond)
- Newton Town Centre (Surrey)
- Strawberry Hills (Surrey)
- Mission
According to Ivan Limpright, the president of UFCW 1518, which represents about 4,500 Safeway employees, the Sobeys-owned grocery store chain may re-open some of the locations under the chain’s FreshCo brand.
Still, Limpright called the planned closures “an insult and an outrage.”
The union boss also expressed concern over job losses and employees being displaced.
“We told the company that we need all of the information on decisions they’ve made that will impact our members,” he said. “It’s time to stop the games and start respectful negotiations.”
At the time of this writing, Sobeys had not responded to a request for comment.
Sobeys acquired the Canadian division of Safeway Inc. in 2013 in an effort to expand its presence in the Western Canada market. The $5.8-billion deal added over 200 stores to its portfolio, which includes retail brands such as FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, and IGA.
More to come…
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