Houston’s Super Valu has now been closed for over five months and residents are demanding answers.
After several residents noticed that something was going on inside the building where Super Valu was located, Houston Today asked Mayor Shane Brienen for an explanation.
“All I know at this time is that Loblaws is removing whatever they have left in the store,” said Brienen. “We have no knowledge of renovations other than removal of some remaining items.”
When asked if Houston will have a new grocery store in town soon, Brienen said that remains unclear.
“We have not heard anything new from the mall management, just that they are still negotiating,” he said.
Super Valu, which served Houston residents for over 40 years and was employing 27 people, closed its doors last June.Houston residents now have to drive approximately 45 minutes - to Smithers or Burns Lake - to find a comparable grocery store.
Super Valu’s parent company, Loblaw Companies Limited, said in a statement that the Houston store closed because it had been “underperforming.”
Since the closure of Super Valu, two small grocery stores - Houston Food Market and North Country Market - have stepped upto fill the void by carrying more stock.
“We really cannot say enough about how much we do appreciate that the two existing stores and roadside vendors have stepped up and are trying to fill the gaps the best they can,” said Brienen in July.
However, some residents consider some of their prices too high and say there’s not enough stock of some essential items.
A few months ago, Brienen also said that Houston council was aware that residents were frustrated.
“Council has been, and continues to work towards getting someone in the space that was previously occupied by Super Valu,”he said. “We know this is not going as fast as residents would like but we are making progress and we will get a store.”