Temporary closure of Osborne Village Starbucks now permanent, company says

A decision last month by Starbucks to close the store in Winnipeg's Osborne Village on a temporary basishas now become permanent.

"I can confirm after careful evaluationthe Osborne Village store will remain closed," Leanna Rizzi, acompany spokesperson, told CBC News in an emailed statement.

The store on River Avenue, near Osborne Street, was locked up as of May 5. At the time, thecompany called it a temporary closing and said it hadn't set a date for reopening.

No reason for the closure was given by the company back then, but Starbucks customers and the Osborne Business Improvement Zone said they had been told it was due tosafety concerns.

There had been anumber of violent incidents in the area over the previousseveral months, including anassault at a neighbouring Liquor Mart and a stabbing at theShoppersDrug Mart.

A few days ago, a56-year-old man was rushed to hospital in serious condition after beingfound unconscious from an assaultnear the same Shoppers, which is steps from the Starbucks entrance.

Rizzisaidon Monday thatStarbucks routinelyconducts evaluationsto determine how to best serve customers, communities and its own employeesto create "the best Starbucksexperience."

"This includes opening new locations, identifying stores in need of investment or renovation, exploring locations where an alternative format is needed, and in some instances, we re-evaluate where our stores are located,"she said in the email.

In the case of the Osborne store, safety concerns werepart of the conversation.

"There are several factors we consider when evaluating our store portfolio, and the personal safety and security of our partners is of utmost importance to us and is always something we consider when reviewing the experience in our stores," the email said. Starbucks calls its employees partners.

"It's very disappointing, because obviously they were a huge part of the community here. It's also a venue that had always tons of foot traffic. It was always bustling," Zohreh Gervais, executive director of the Osborne Village BIZ, said on Monday.

"It's leaving a hole in the community, [but] hopefully a hole for a newbusiness to take over and really enjoy that foot traffic.I really do think that this will be a spot that will be filled quickly, because it is such a high-visibility spot."

Gervaisalso said it wasn't a complete surprise the location's days were numbered, as Starbucks has closed some otherstores that don't have drive-thrus.

"It was one of the last standing foot-only-traffic locations in the city," she said.

However, the spotlight on safety has been great, because it has resulted in more resources to address those concerns, Gervais said.

"Nowin Osborne Village, we havetwo full-time beat cops. That's already really augmented the safety presence in the village."

The beat cops started May 21, and the BIZhas also received added funding to expand the Sabe Peace Walkers program, she said.

"So overall, having a little bit of press about that safety stuff, I think it's been a good thing for the neighbourhood."

There had also been rumours some employees at the Osborne store were organizing a union.Asked if that was true, and if it played into the company's decision, Rizzi said, "This is not true to our knowledge."

Store reviewsare made regularly and without regard to union status, she said.

Employees at the Osborne storehave been offered an opportunity to transfer to otherlocations.

There are other storefront vacancies in the village, whichGervaissuggests are due to accessibility, with many of those locations requiringcustomers to use stairs.

"I think we're also in a period of huge changeand renewal in Osborne all over, really," she said.

"We're really doing a lot of work on our end to make sure that we can find some really cool, viable options to keep this area thriving."