A non-unionized Sobeys grocery store in Prince Albert is among 50 underperforming locations slated for closure.
Sobeys’ parent company, Empire Co., has issued notice of the impending closure, a representative with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union said Thursday.
Trevor Miller said none of the unionized stores in Saskatchewan are on the list of closures.
About 60 per cent of the affected Sobeys locations are in Western Canada, said the Nova Scotia-based company as it released sharply lower quarterly results on Thursday.
Sobeys did not outline how many employees would be laid off as part of the announcement.
The decision comes as Sobeys faces intense price competition from others in the grocery industry, including U.S. retailers like Walmart and Target, which promote rock-bottom pricing on select food items each week at their one-stop shopping spots.
Empire Co. president and CEO Marc Poulin said the Sobeys closures will "strengthen the quality of our store network and is expected, along with other initiatives, to enhance overall performance and net earnings."
With files from The Canadian Press
