Liquidation of outdoor specialty retail merchandise in its 12 locations begins Friday, September 15, 2017
CALGARY, Sept. 14, 2017 /CNW/ - Wholesale Sports Canada Ltd. ("Wholesale Sports"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of United Farmers of Alberta Co-operative Ltd. ("UFA"), announced today the orderly wind down and eventual closure of its 12 retail locations in the four western Canadian provinces.
The inventory liquidation sales will begin on Friday, September 15, 2017 and will be managed through Gordon Brothers, an industry-leading inventory asset management specialist.
"This was an all-inclusive business decision that, while difficult, was made in the best interest of UFA on behalf of our members," said Carol Kitchen, UFA President and Chief Executive Officer.
"There were numerous external factors that led to this decision including an increasingly competitive environment, the continued shift to on-line purchases and an overall slowing of consumer discretionary spending as a whole, including the outdoor industry. The orderly wind down of Wholesale Sports will allow UFA to focus on its core business of agriculture and petroleum," said Kitchen.
Official sales will begin at each of the 12 retail locations, starting at their regular store hours, on Friday, September 15, and will continue until December 28, 2017. No new online purchases will be processed after 3:00 PM (MST) today, as the Wholesale Sports website becomes a static webpage that only offers customers information on the sales event. All current open on-line orders will be fulfilled.
"We thoroughly appreciate the loyalty from both our customers and Wholesale Sports employees and wish to sincerely thank each of them for their support and service over the years," said Kitchen.
A full listing of closing locations and addresses can be found in the attached media backgrounder, or online at www.wholesalesports.com. This news release will be also posted at www.UFA.com.
Finally, during the orderly wind down process, Wholesale Sports has partnered with Northwest Atlantic (Canada) Inc. for certain retail lease locations in British Columbia.
About UFA Co-operative Limited:
Founded in 1909, UFA Co-operative Limited is an Alberta-based agricultural co-operative with more than 120,000 member-owners. UFA's network comprises more than 110 bulk fuel and Cardlock Petroleum locations, 35 Farm & Ranch Supply stores and a support office located in Calgary, AB. Independent Petroleum Agents and more than 1,200 UFA employees provide products, services and agricultural solutions to farmers, ranchers, members and commercial customers in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. For more information, visit www.UFA.com.
For media inquiries:
Tracey Feist, Manager, Corporate Affairs
UFA Co-operative Limited
(d) 403-570-4125 (c) 403-826-9149
[email protected]
MEDIA BACKGROUNDER
WHOLESALE SPORTS CANADA LTD. FAQ DOCUMENT
(Calgary, Alberta — September 14, 2017) Together with our Board of Directors, United Farmers of Alberta Co-operative Ltd. ("UFA"), has made a very difficult business decision to conduct an orderly wind down of its Wholesale Sports Canada Ltd. ("Wholesale Sports") operations.
In making this business decision UFA conducted a thorough assessment with regard to the Wholesale Sports business, where all opportunities were explored. However, external factors including an increasingly competitive environment, the continued shift to on-line purchases and overall slowing of consumer discretionary spending as a whole, including in the outdoor industry, were too strong to overcome to drive a successful business model for Wholesale Sports.
The following document is intended to answer any further questions you may have on the orderly wind down of Wholesale Sports.
Is Wholesale Sports Going Out of Business?
Yes. The UFA Board of Directors, in conjunction with senior management determined that closing down the Wholesale Sports chain, while a difficult decision, was one that was made in the best interest of UFA.
Is UFA going Out of Business?
No. While UFA is showing strong financial results, we must assure you that the orderly wind down of our Wholesale Sports operation was a strategic business decision. An extensive review process was conducted, which included evaluating numerous options for the Wholesale Sports business. However, the increasingly competitive retail environment, the continued shift to on-line purchases and overall slowing of consumer discretionary spending as a whole, including in the outdoor industry, were too strong to overcome to drive a successful business model for the Wholesale Sports operation.
When will the liquidation commence and be complete?
All Wholesale Sports stores are closed today, Thursday, September 14th. They will re-open for business, operating at regular store hours starting on Friday, September 15th. All stores will be closed officially by December 28, 2017. *Please see the end of the document for a complete listing of all affected stores.
What is happening to the physical stores?
Gordon Brothers, an industry leading asset management specialist, is assisting with the orderly closure of the operations. They will be assisting in the liquidation and of all of the physical retail assets for all 12 store locations in Western Canada.
What does the Gordon Brothers Supervisor do?
The Gordon Brothers Supervisors are on site to provide overall direction during the course of the winding down sale. They will provide guidance in areas such as merchandising, signage, pricing of merchandise, operations, housekeeping and customer service. The Gordon Brothers supervisors work seven days a week and, if not in the store, are available by cell phone at all times.
What is happening to current Wholesale Sports Staff?
Today a member of UFA's senior management team, along with a human resource professional, is meeting with each store manager and their team members to discuss their future with the organization. Unfortunately, the majority of the Wholesale Sports team members will no longer be employed within the organization as a whole.
How long will the sale last?
The sale is expected to last until December 28, 2017. However, when the merchandise is gone at a particular location, that store will be closed.
Will all the merchandise in the store be sold?
It is the intention of Wholesale Sports to sell all merchandise.
Will we be selling the store fixtures?
Yes, the majority of the store fixtures will be sold.
When will the discounts change?
Wholesale Sports will monitor sales at each location and adjust discounts as deemed necessary.
Will the store hours change?
Normal store hours remain in effect, while each location remains open.
What policies will change?
All sales are final. There will be no refunds or exchanges allowed. Signs will be posted within the store and prominently displayed at the registers to inform the customers of these new policies. Sales staff will also inform customers of the final sale terms and conditions.
Will gift cards be honoured?
Wholesale Sports will honour all gift cards currently in market and no further gift card sales will occur. However, they will no longer be valid for use online or after the stores are closed. Wholesale Sports encourages the use of all gift cards prior to December 28, 2017, as such will have no cash value after this date.
What about the Wholesale Sports Wild Card?
The Wholesale Sports Wild Card is no longer valid for use in any store. There will be no employee discounts during the sale.
Will Wholesale Sports accept damaged and defective merchandise?
All manufacturer warrantees remain in effect. Wholesale Sports will direct customers to contact the manufacturer of the damaged and defective merchandise.
What about the Wholesale Sports website?
As of Thursday September 14, 2017, 3:00 pm (MST) the Wholesale Sports website transitions over to a static page. This page offers details on the closure process and will be adjusted as needed. It will list who to contact for further information.
What about Wholesale Sports online sales?
Online sales will no longer be available after 3:00 pm (MST) Thursday, September 14, 2017, but all order made online prior to this date will be honoured and processed.
Will the sale be advertised?
Wholesale Sports is responsible for all final approvals of sale signage, advertising and marketing of the closure, working with Gordon Brothers who is running the liquidation sale process.
Can customers or employees hold merchandise until payday?
There are no merchandise holds for any reason for customers or employees.
Affected Store locations:
There are 12 locations are located in four western provinces. They are specifically in these following areas:
Manitoba: 1 location
Wholesale Sports–Winnipeg
1225 St. James Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3H 0K9
(204) 663-1094
Saskatchewan: 1 location
Wholesale Sports –Saskatoon
2828 Idylwyld Dr. N
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7L 5Y6
(306) 931-4475
Alberta: 5 locations
Wholesale Sports –Lethbridge
3160 Fairway Street South
Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 6T9
(403) 327-5760
Wholesale Sports –Calgary
25 Heritage Meadows Way SE
Calgary, Alberta T2H 0A7
(403) 253-5566
Wholesale Sports –South Edmonton
2033-98 Street NW
Edmonton, Alberta T6N 1K2
(780) 461-2001
Wholesale Sports –North Edmonton
12610 St Albert Tr NW
Edmonton, Alberta T5L 4S5
(780) 477-3737
Wholesale Sports –Grande Prairie
11120-100 Avenue
Grande Prairie, Alberta T8V 7L2
(780) 532-3300
British Columbia locations: 5 locations
Wholesale Sports –Prince George
1617 Victoria Street
Prince George, British Columbia V2L 2L4
(250) 563 1689
Wholesale Sports –Kamloops
925 Notre Dame Drive
Kamloops, British Columbia V2C 5N9
(250) 377-3966
Wholesale Sports –Westbank
3600 Carrington Rd
Westbank, British Columbia V4T 3K7
(250) 768-1269
Wholesale Sports –Langley
20175 Langley Bypass
Langley, British Columbia V3A 6K9
(604) 530 3413
Wholesale Sports –Nanaimo
4900 Wellington Road
Nanaimo, British Columbia V9T 4B8
(250) 729-2668
SOURCE United Farmers of Alberta
For media inquiries: Tracey Feist, Manager, Corporate Affairs, UFA Co-operative Limited, (d) 403-570-4125, (c) 403-826-9149, [email protected]
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