Squamish's downtown Fields Dollar Depot is slated to close by July 14, but there's a chance that once it does, it may rise again under new ownership.
A new Vancouver-based company, FHC Holdings Ltd., on Tuesday (May 1) announced the purchase of 57 Fields stores in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories from their former parent company, HBC. The purchase represents a reprieve for the stores, which were among 141 that HBC had slated for in an announcement made in February.
The Squamish store was not among the 57 purchased by FHC Holdings, but a spokesperson on Tuesday said the company is evaluating whether to purchase additional stores in the Fields chain in the near future.
They're going to continue to look at the other stores, said Betsy Cooper, spokesperson for FHC. These [57] stores have been purchased directly from HBC and the company is going to look at the other stores and evaluate whether it might wish to purchase those as well.
In a statement, the company said, Once the remaining Fields stores operating under HBC close, FHC will look at opportunities to work directly with landlords to potentially continue the Fields operations in those communities.
Tiffany Bourré, HBC external communications manager, said the remainder of the Fields stores are scheduled to close in phases. The Squamish store is on a list of stores slated to shut down by July 14.
If it wasn't purchased it is scheduled to close, Bourré said.
A Store closing sign recently went up in the window of the Fields Dollar Depot on Cleveland Avenue.
The Fields chain, founded by James Segal in Vancouver in 1950, has been a staple in many small Canadian communities for the past six decades. It has been fully owned by the Hudson's Bay Co. (HBC) since 1981.
Of the 57 stores purchased by FHC, 25 are in B.C. The nearest one is in Lillooet.
Fields has been an integral part of many communities across Western Canada for many years, FHC President Jason McDougall said in a statement. Our team is very excited at the prospect of serving the 57 communities in which it has acquired stores, and will work to ensure people continue to be able to get what they need in their local communities.
