Shoppers Drug Mart to cease operating 24-hour stores in Winnipeg

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This article was published 19/02/2019 (1892 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Shoppers Drug Mart will no longer operate any 24-hour per day stores in Winnipeg, the Free Press has learned.

The drug store chain currently has three stores in Winnipeg that never close but a company spokeswoman said a decision has been made to discontinue all-night operation and start shutting the doors at midnight. It was not clear when the change would take effect.

In an email exchange, Julie Dunham, Shoppers’ senior manager, external communications, health and wellness, said, “Making the decision to reduce hours is never done lightly. We consider accessibility and convenience for our patients and balance that with ensuring the store is running efficiently and profitably.”

But clearly, the stores were not getting enough business to warrant the expense of keeping them open all night.

“In Winnipeg, after-hour demand has been so low it is not practical to continue to operate these stores 24 hours,” she said.

The three 24-hour stores affected are at River Avenue and Osborne Street, 2533 Portage Ave. and 2211 Pembina Highway.

Canada’s dominant drug store chain has a total of 33 locations in Winnipeg. In addition to the three all-night operations, it currently has 11 stores that stay open until midnight.

The balance of the stores stay open until 10:00 p.m. except for some mall locations that are open according to the mall operating hours.

In 2013, Loblaw Cos. Ltd. (owners of the Real Canadian Superstore) acquired Shoppers Drug Mart in a $12.4 billion deal. Since then the company has opened a number of new stores in Winnipeg and across Manitoba. In addition to the 33 Winnipeg stores, the chain also has stores in Selkirk, Steinbach, Morden, Winkler, Portage la Prairie, Teulon, Thompson, The Pas and two in Brandon.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca