Future Shop is no more in Thunder Bay.
Employees heading into work on Saturday morning were greeted with the bad news that the company was closing its doors, one of 131 Future Shop locations in Canada to shut down.
However, the site may won't be closed for long.
“It’s temporary,” a security guard outside the store was telling customers.
The company has said it plans to reopen 65 of its Canadian locations under the Best Buy Banner.
A window sign hung at the front of the now papered-over entrance to the Memorial Avenue location indicates Thunder Bay will be getting a Best Buy as a replacement and will reopen on April 4.
There's no word yet on whether or not Future Shop employees will be rehired to work at Best Buy.
About 500 full-time and 500 part-time jobs will be lost in the restructuring across Canada. A nearby competitor estimated the local store employed between 70 and 80 people.
The news caught Thunder Bay shoppers off guard.
Dozens of bewildered consumers expressed shock as they arrived at the now shuttered store, questions arising about warranties and online orders.
Cal Banning said he’s hopeful the disruption won’t have a long-lasting impact.
“I’m hoping we get the same continued service from Future Shop as we’ve had before, and the same products,” Banning said.
“I am a little concerned whenever we have these kind of takeovers coming in. I think about our recent events with Target, for instance. So I’m a little leery when we have Best Buy coming in and taking over like this. I wonder what the future holds?"
In its release, the Burnaby, B.C.-based company said the consolidation was done for economic reasons.
In many cases it operated Future Shops and Best Buy locations across the parking lot from one another. Company president and chief operating officer Ron Wilson said most consumers won’t notice a huge difference when stores reopen next week.
“Currently, 80 per cent of our customers are within a 15 minutes drive to a store and this won’t change,” Wilson said in the release. “We will continue to have a strong presence in all major markets in Canada.”
Customers with questions can either visit BestBuy.ca/questions or phone 1-866-237-8289 for more information.
The company says it will accept all Future Shop gift cards at Best Buy as well as all returns and exchanges.
Locally, the sign on the Thunder Bay store tells customers they will be contacted for pick-up or delivery of any items in for servicing.
