A not-so-subtle sign was an unexpected surprise for people visiting Salmon Arm's Peavey Mart on Monday.
Greeting visitors at the Centenoka Mall store on Jan. 27 was a large yellow banner hanging over the entrance with one word written on it: CLOSING.
Additional signs were being added to the entrance that said "Nothing Held Back." The store's manager, Jamie Rolfe, said she couldn't comment on the signs, but offered an email address to Peavey Mart's marketing department.
Salmon Arm's isn't the only Peavey Mart that is closing. The chain of hardware and agricultural supply stores, owned by Red Deer-based Peavey Industries LP, announced last week that it was closing 22 Peavey Mart locations in Ontario and Nova Scotia.
"This decision marks an initial step in the company’s broader efforts to address current challenges, strengthen its operations, and position itself for future sustainability," the company stated in a media release issued on Jan. 21, no longer available on the company's website.
Not long after the announcement, closing signs went up at the Red Deer Peavey Mart, and word is now circulating that Peavey Mart is closing all of its 90 stores across Canada.
Peavey Mart staff in Kamloops confirmed by telephone on Monday that their store is also closing.
The Red Deer Advocate (a sister paper of the Observer) reached out to Peavey Industries for comment, but as of 2 p.m. on Jan. 27 they'd not received a reply.
In its statement released last week, the company cited organizational restructuring and the need to address underperforming locations.
“The Canadian retail environment has faced significant disruption over recent years, and Peavey has not been immune to these challenges,” said Doug Anderson, president and CEO of Peavey Industries LP, in the release.
The Salmon Arm Peavey Mart opened in October 2022.
With files by Sean McIntosh and the Red Deer Advocate.
