Thunder Bay Target closure to affect up to 200 workers

The President of Thunder Bay's Chamber of Commerce says she feels for the workers being laid off at the local Target store atIntercity Mall.

CharlaRobinson says it will be tough on the workers, many of whom transferred to the store from their former employer,Zellers.

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Target said it was hiringabout 150 to 200 workerswhen the store opened in 2013.

Robinson said Intercity mall management, who will have to replace the store, hasa tough job ahead.

"I would think it's a pretty challenging time right now, she said.

The retail sector is having some challenges right now and so I suspect that will be quite a challenging endeavour."

She noted she doesn't think the closure will have a major impact on the city's retail scene.

But it is a concern for the Intercity Shopping Centre.

They're going to be looking for a new anchor tenant, Robinson continued.

That may be an opportunity for another new provider to come into the community that perhaps we haven't had before. So, there may be a silver lining. We'll see how this plays out. But [its] definitely disappointing for the local community to lose those jobs and we do hope that there will be new opportunities that come forward in the not too distant future for those employees."

Shoppers sad, not surprised

Tania Situm headed into Target on Thursday afternoon, after hearing about the closure. She previously worked at K-Mart and Zellers, and was sad to hear of the demise of Target.

"I think they came in too fast. They should have had a slower rollout, open maybe two stores at a time. They could have got the stock in there, and I think that's where they just stumbled, unfortunately. So, it's a sad day. I liked shopping here."

Joanna Dowhos, who was shopping with her son, said she understood why the chain was closing.

"I loved Target. It was a better shopping experience than other places, so I'm kinda sad."

"I guess I'm going to have to go to other big box stores that are a bit more busy. I like how it's a bit more quiet here, I have a son, it's hard to shop sometimes, so going to Walmart or Superstore to get stuff, it's going to be a bit more of a challenge."

"It's quiet in there, but that's why I like it."

In a brief statement, Shannon Young, the director of marketing for Intercity Shopping Centre, said, "For the time being, it is business as usual at our centre. We look forward to providing additional information in the weeks and months ahead."