Queensborough residents will have to find a new place to shop for groceries next month following an announcement that PriceSmart Foods will be closing.
The company announced it would be closing the Queensborough store's doors permanently on August 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, Richmond 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."
More to come.
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