According to a list released by Target Canada on Monday, their Prince George location now has a firm date for closure.
April 1 will be the day they lock the doors at Pine Centre Mall, almost exactly two years from its grand opening date. It was only May 14, 2013 when the international retail chain made its debut in Prince George.
The arrival and departure of Target was not a set of local circumstances, however. The U.S. chain made their play into Canada by buying out the lease agreements held by the Zellers chain. The overall business health of Target gasped and sputtered throughout its entry into Canada, which led eventually to the bankruptcy of the national label.
Prince George is one of 23 locations to close on April Fool's Day. Seven others will close a day or two before that. Sixteen locations have already been shuttered since March 18. In all, each of its 133 Canadian stores will lock up by mid-May.
Figures were never disclosed officially by the parent company, but estimates in 2013 put the price of Prince George investment by Target Canada at about $10 million in renovations and other set-up. Staffing numbers were likewise cloudy but Target sources said each of their stores in Canada operated on somewhere between 150 to 200 employees.
The loss of jobs - again, after the Zellers shutdown - and the firm closure date for Target will focus speculation for Pine Centre Mall customers as to what will next go into the large vacant anchor position at the shopping spot.
