Sears Canada is closing its stores in Kelowna.
According to vice-president of Sears,Vincent Power, “an offer was accepted by the financial advisors, monitor and special committee from the Orchard Park shopping centre to end our lease early on both the full-line store and the Sears Home store.”
The Canadian retailer has entered into a number of lease surrender agreements and a lease amending agreement that will result in the closure of the store in Orchard Park Mall, as well as leased locations in Nanaimo and Burnaby, according to a statement released Friday.
There are 24 associates who work in the Sears Home store and 69 who work in the full-line store, most of which are part-time, said Power.
“We are continuing to operate these two stores until they enter liquidation mode, the timing of which has not yet been decided,” he said.
Sears Canada is closing more than half of its stores across the country, which includes stores in Grand Forks, Kamloops, Sechelt, Creston and Abbotsford in B.C.
One Calgary customer said she was sad to see Sears go in Calgary, as she searched the sales rack in the Kelowna store.
“The interest… it’s not really there. You can’t find as many people in the store,” said Helen Woessney, adding in Calgary the pay-for-parking lot may have had an affect on the store.
She used to buy all her clothes in Sears.
“It’s been a really good store for me,” she said.