Loss of Foodland a hit to downtown says deputy mayor
The upcoming closure of the Foodland grocery store in Summerside, P.E.I., in July has city council and low income advocates worried — but others are hopeful that it will make way for new opportunities in the city's downtown.
"We really don't want to see any business not remain successful," said Frank Costa, the city's deputy mayor.
Costa said the closure, announced Thursday with a note on the store's door, also has repercussions for future development plans in the downtown.
"The location lends itself to what we are trying to develop downtown — we will be developing more housing downtown," he said.
'A new opportunity' for a different tenant
Costa said council will be looking into what can be done with the location, including looking for another tenant to provide grocery services.
Sean Aylward, president of the Greater Summerside Chamber of Commerce, also expressed concerns about the closure — but he's optimistic.
"It also opens up a new opportunity for someone to open up something like a boutique grocer or market," he said. "With developers looking to build residential areas in Summerside — and the culture of entrepreneurship we have here — I have no doubt that we will have another grocer here."
Worry for those with low incomes
For those in the city who work with people with low incomes the concern was twofold — they've lost the grocery store and a potential employer.
"It is a concern for the residents because it is within walking distance, and now we won't have one within walking distance," said Jeff Sullivan who runs the Summerside Housing Authority, adding some of his clients had found work at Foodland.
Cynthia Thompson, a spokesperson for Sobeys — which owns Foodland — said the decision to close the store was "the toughest thing that the company ever has to do."
"When we looked at the Summerside market we completed an extensive and careful review of the operations there and there are a number of factors that led to the decision to close the Foodland in Summerside, and part of that, certainly, is the traffic into the store."
The store will close July 21 at 6 p.m. Thompson said the company is working to place many of the 38 Foodland employees at the Summerside Sobeys store.
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