Two stores, Peoples Jewellers and Stokes, are closing at the St. Albert Centre mall.
Last week, a salesperson at Peoples Jewellers said they found out the store would be closing to customers on March 24. Signs hanging in the window advertised a 20- to 50-per-cent off sale.
The jewelry store was one of the first businesses to open at the mall 40 years ago.
“We don’t know why yet, (head office) technically doesn’t tell us any details,” said Suzanne Martel, who had worked at the store for the past four years. “We have no clue what is going on.”
Peoples Jewellers is the largest retailer of fine jewellery in Canada, with nearly 150 locations from the Maritimes to British Columbia.
Martel estimated around eight other people are working at the St. Albert location.
“Well for myself and one of my other coworkers, who has been here for 22 years, we are older women. It’s going to be hard to find another job,” she said.
Another coworker, who asked to remain anonymous, said their store sees a lot of senior customers who will now have to travel to the Kingsway Mall in Edmonton for the next closest Peoples location.
Employees at the St. Albert Stokes location said a closing date hadn't been confirmed yet, and declined to comment on the store's closure. 'Store closing' signs hang in the windows, along with signs advertising a 10- to 50-per-cent off sale.
Last month, the kitchenware and home decor retailer announced it will be “reducing its retail footprint in Canada” and streamlining its head office operations in Montreal. The Stokes Retail Group has over 150 locations across the country.
“After many years of solid financial performance, Stokes, like most other retailers, is adapting to fundamental changes in the industry, including how customers shop,” the company stated in a press release.
“The company will continue investing in its online business which has experienced material growth over the last few years.”
Stokes noted it will be closing its less profitable stores, but will maintain a majority of retail locations across Canada. The Stokes store had opened with the redevelopment of the new wing of St. Albert Centre in 2017, after Target vacated the 117,000-square-foot space in 2015.
Jillian Creech, St. Albert Centre mall manager, said she could not speak to the closure of the two stores or future plans. However, the mall had seen a two-per-cent growth in sales over the last year since new retailers have moved into the renovated space.
The closure of Peoples Jewellers and Stokes follows the shutdown of three other businesses in the mall in recent months.
Carlton Cards announced its closure in late January after parent company, Schurman Retail Group, announced the closure of all its retail stores in North America.
The local Things Engraved store shut its doors in early January immediately after the company announced the closure of all its storefronts in Canada, citing an inability to compete with online retailers.
Montreal-based Bentley Leathers also closed its St. Albert location in December after the retailer announced it would be shedding its underperforming stores.
