Queensborough residents will have to find a new place to shop for groceries next month following an announcement that nearby PriceSmart Foods will be closing.
The company announced Monday it would be closing the doors at its Richmond location just outside Queensborough, permanently on Aug. 20.
"PriceSmart Foods has been proud to be part of the Queensborough community since we opened this store in 2001, and we're sad to be leaving. Unfortunately, we've determined that this location is not viable for us, and we're not able to continue to operate the store," a press release from PriceSmart states.
PriceSmart's parent company Overwaitea Food Group had considered closing the store in 2008 but a groundswell of support from local residents persuaded the company to keep the PriceSmart at 23200 Gilley Rd. open on a trial basis.
The nearest other options for residents of Queensborough are Save-On Foods at 555 Sixth St. in New Westminster, the Save-On at No. 3 Road at Ackroyd Road in Richmond, or PriceSmart at Marine Way Crossing in Burnaby. Wal-Mart is in the process of expanding its Queensborough location to include perishable food but it is not currently known when the expansion will be complete.
PriceSmart employs approximately 50 people at its 'Boro location.
"It's difficult to share this sort of news with our team members. However, our team takes great pride in their work, and we know they will continue to work hard to look after our customers and support our community over the next several weeks," the company said in its release. "We'd like to thank the community of Queensborough, our customers and our team members for their support over the years."
Overwaitea's spokesperson declined to be interviewed on the closing.
Gavin Palmer, president of the Queensborough Residents' Association, said the closure is a loss, both in terms of shopping options and a good corporate citizen in Queensborough.
"Should it close... it will be a loss for some of the residents because a lot of them like the store and are quite happy to shop there. Unfortunately, there's not enough of them doing that," he said. "I'm sad to see it go because it has been a great contributor to the local community. They've been very community minded and they've supported a lot of different groups within the community.
"Hopefully they will stay open but I understand business and if it's not viable, it's a business decision. It's not a slight against the community."
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