A long-time Future Shop in Ottawa is closing for good.
The Gloucester location on City Park Dr. will close on Thursday. Employees were told on the weekend of the move and preparations were made to start selling off open box or demo items.
"It's really disappointing," says one shopper. "This is a local store for us. We really enjoy coming here and we'll miss it for sure."
"I've gotten all my electronics from this store," says another man. "I'm devestated."
In a statement, a Future Shop spokesperson says "the lease at the Ottawa East store is expiring and the company has made a decision not to renew it."
"All employees will have the opportunity to apply for positions at nearby Future Shop or Best Buy stores with hiring priority. Our goal is to keep as many employees as we can."
Employees at the Gloucester store wouldn't speak on the record, only saying they were "good" when asked about finding another job. Future Shop also says they'll be paying out severance to those employees who don't get a position in the company.
At the Gloucester store, all TVs, computers, laptops and tablets are gone off the shelves. Appliances are already sold with people's names on them. One man has two stoves and a fridge in the back of a pick up truck.
"For the consumer, it's a lot better," a shopper says. "There's more sales, more clearances."
There are still nine Future Shop locations in Ottawa. But another one in eastern Ontario is set to close. The Future Shop in Kingston will also close its doors after the company chose not to renew its lease as well.
