By Brent Bosker

300 Sask. jobs affected by Target’s departure

Jan 16, 2015 | 11:52 AM

It was business as usual on Friday at Saskatchewan’s three Target locations, as the U.S. based retailer prepares to wind down its Canadian stores.

Target announced on Thursday it will be pulling out of Canada after only two years and billions of dollars in losses.

The closure of each store “will vary” on a store-by-store basis according to Target spokesperson, Molly Snyder, who added the discount retailer aims to have all 133 locations shut down by early June.

“Right now, there are competitive bids going out to hire a liquidator. Once that company is retained and comes in, the liquidation process will start.”

“We expect on average that can take 16 to 20 weeks but certainly could move more quickly.”

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Stores located in The Centre, the Mall at Lawson Heights in Saskatoon as well as the Northgate mall in Regina employs 100 to 150 employees each.

Snyder said all employees who stay on during the shutdown period will be paid for 16 weeks and receive their full benefits.

The severance package will kick in within days and employees who are only needed for a few weeks would still be covered for the full 16 weeks, Snyder said.

“It was really important we treat the employees fairly as we exit the country.”

Target has said it would have taken six years to bring their Canadian stores back into the black. Snyder said in the short time the stores were open in Saskatchewan, neither location was profitable.

Target’s exit from Canada will create 20-million square feet of vacant commercial space across the country.

Analysts suggest some potential bidders for the vacant space could be Walmart, Canadian Tire, and grocers like Loblaw.

The Northgate Mall in Regina has already started looking for a new tenant and would consider splitting the space.

Lawson Heights Mall issued a short statement Friday. “For the time being, it is business as usual at our centre. We look forward to providing additional information in the weeks and months ahead,” the statement read.

The Centre Mall did not respond to News Talk‘s interview request.

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