Local Community Advertising
Update: As of Saturday afternoon, Kelowna's Future Shop has announced that it is permanently closed.
At Orchard Plaza, the Future Shop's storefront is covered and signs tell all passersby that the store is closed due to the consolidation with Best Buy. Since the nearest Best Buy is close by at the mall, it's not surprising that the Kelowna location is closing rather than being renovated into another Best Buy. A sign also warns they are no longer accepting supplies and asks that items be returned to the sender.
There's no word yet on how many of the 1500 eliminated positions across Canada are affecting Kelowna employees.
Original Story:
Future Shop and Best Buy announced Saturday that they’d be consolidating their stores and websites, resulting in 66 closed Future Shop locations.
Best Buy Co. owns and operates both the Best Buy and Future Shop stores, and they announced Saturday that all these locations would be consolidated. The company says that it has reviewed its real estate and wants to address the fact that many of its Future Shop and Best Buy stores are located near one another, often in the same parking lot. As a result, the company is closing 66 Future Shop locations, effective the same day as their announcement.
Kelowna location of Future Shop. (Photo Credit: Google Maps)
In addition, 65 Future Shop stores will be temporarily closed for a week to begin transition to the Best Buy brand. In all, the company will have 192 locations across Canada, which will include 136 large-format stores and 56 Best Buy Mobile stores.
“Currently, 80 per cent of our customers are within a 15 minute drive to a store and this won’t change,” said Ron Wilson, President and COO of Best Buy Canada. “We will continue to have a strong store presence in all major markets in Canada.”
The company estimates that about 500 full-time and 1000 part-time positions will be eliminated by the consolidation. Best Buy says that these employees will get severance, employee assistance, and outplacement support. “Any decisions that impact our people are never taken lightly; our first priority is to support them through this change,” Wilson said. “I want to express my appreciation to the employees who are leaving, for their contributions to Best Buy Canada.”
Future Shop's website as of Saturday morning. (Photo Credit: Screen Grab)
Future Shop customers can still use their gift cards at Best Buy Canada locations and the Best Buy website. Any existing product orders, service appointments, and warranties will apparently still be honoured, and the company says that Future Shop purchases can still be returned or exchanged at Best Buy. Best Buy is also hoping to launch major home appliances and invest in their online shopping experience.
Those stores that are going to be renovated will be temporarily closed until April 4th, and some that are in close proximity to an existing Best Buy will be permanently closed as of March 28th.
In Kelowna, the Future Shop and Best Buy locations are located extremely close together near/at Orchard Park Shopping Centre.
Local Community Advertising