Pandemic sinks iconic Army & Navy store
Part of Vancouver landscape for over a century, retailer to permanently shutter all of its outlets
After 101 years in Vancouver, the iconic Army & Navy store says it will close permanently because of the financial challenges presented by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement Saturday, owner Jacqui Cohen revealed she has made the difficult decision to permanently close after they were forced to shutter all five of their stores and temporarily layoff their staff due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The company has three stores in Metro Vancouver — on West Cordova in Vancouver, Columbia Street in New Westminster and 204th Street in Langley — as well as stores in Calgary and Edmonton.
“We had hoped to reopen but the economic challenges of COVID-19 have proven insurmountable,” she said.
“I am full of gratitude for our staff and their years of service, our suppliers with whom we forged decades-long relationships, and of course our loyal customers who were at the heart of our business.”
The union that represents 83 members employed by Army & Navy said the workers facing layoffs are devastated.
The announcement sent “a ripple of sadness through our community, which is losing an iconic retailer that has operated in B.C. for over 100 years,” said CLAC Local 501.
Many of the employees have worked at the stores for decades, added the union.
“Our first priority is to ensure our members are treated fairly through this process,” said Dennis Watt, president of CLAC Local 501. “This was already a stressful situation, as our members had been off work as a result of COVID-19. This news only increases the uncertainty for people.”
CLAC has represented workers at two Army & Navy locations — Vancouver and New Westminster — since 2001.
The union pledged to call each of the 83 workers to support them and help establish a plan for what comes next.
Cohen noted that at this time last year they were celebrating the centenary of Army & Navy — a company her grandfather launched in 1919 — and they were looking forward to the years ahead.
“Now we are closing a company that was at the heart of eight communities in Western Canada over its 101 years,” Cohen said.
Cohen said she will be spending the weeks ahead ensuring the women and men who have worked for Army & Navy have their support, and will focus on the philanthropic work of Face the World, an organization she created 30 years ago to support the city’s most vulnerable.
In her Saturday COVID-19 update, B.C.’s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry acknowledged that business owners have been hit hard by the financial crisis caused by the shutdown.
“I know that is such a hard thing, and there are so many. This is why we are cautiously trying to get things going again. We know how hard it is for small businesses,” she said.
“Our best defence against the economic impact is to control the virus and that’s why it is so important to keep doing what we are doing.”
Henry said she is very sad to hear about businesses that are not able to weather the storm and expected more challenges ahead.
This was already a stressful situation. ... This news only increases the uncertainty.” Dennis Watt