STELLARTON, NS - Safeway’s parent company in Canada has announced its plans to restructure operations, mainly through several store closures. Empire Co., which also owns Sobeys, will be either closing or choosing to rebrand 10 of its locations in British Columbia, according to a report from CBC News.

"It's no secret that many of our stores in British Columbia have been struggling for the last few years," Jacqueline Corrado, Director of External Communications at Sobeys, told CBC. In a statement, the company shared that the reasoning behind the decision to streamline its British Columbian stores is both falling sales and a change in customer demand.

While five of the closures will be permanent, Sobeys confirmed, the retailer also noted that it may rebrand the other five under its discount FreshCo brand. The majority of the stores will close on May 5, with the exception of the City Square location, which will close on July 28, CBC reported. Possible dates for a reopening will not be confirmed until a later date.

And as for the company’s staff, which have been the subject of ongoing wage and benefit negotiations between Sobeys and its local United Food and Commercial Workers union, the company stated to News 1130 that it is working to arrange transfers to other stores, but a yet unspecified number of employees will lose their jobs.

For more on Empire Co., Sobeys, and Safeway Canada as they continue to streamline operations and fortify its business, AndNowUKnow will continue to report.

Empire Company Limited