Vernon mall says goodbye to another retailer

VERNON – Shopping options continue to shrink at Vernon’s Village Green Mall.

Ricki’s, a fixture at the mall since the shopping centre opened 40 years ago, will close its doors by the end of the month as part of a company restructuring plan. The news comes not long after Target announced it was pulling out of Canada.

Ricki’s employee Barbara Robbins says the Vernon store will likely close around April 25.

“We’re sad for Vernon,” Robbins says. “It was an awesome store. We’re hoping some of the other stores (in the area) will make it.”

While the women’s fashion store was always busy, Robbins says the mall in general loses customers to bigger shopping centres.

“A lot of people in Vernon go to Kelowna to do their shopping,” she says. “The Vernon mall is quite small.”

She adds there are lots of deals to be had as the store liquidates its inventory. Right now, items are between 30 to 50 per cent off, and will continue to be marked down. The store employed four staff members.

The mall has several other vacant storefronts at the moment, and the city is working with owner Bentall Kennedy to find a new tenant for the 103,000-square-foot space Target just vacated.

Meanwhile, Future Shop will be closed for the next several days while it transitions into a Best Buy.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.