Grocery shopping in Okanagan Falls will get a whole lot harder come September.
IGA Okanagan Falls employees confirmed Monday that the only grocer in town is closing its doors on Sept. 10.
Ron Obirek, Area D director for the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, said the closure will have the largest impact on seniors and those who can’t travel to Penticton, adding that since he was elected last fall, it has been the single largest issue he has received calls on. But he said he is cautiously optimistic another business will pop up and fill the void.
“This is going to leave open an opportunity for others to come forward and provide those services. I get the sense that, as awful as it feels, when you hear about a neighbour closing its doors, there is also room for some hope.
“I have confidence that there are people right now who are thinking about opportunities that maybe a week ago they might not have considered because IGA is a big competitor, you might not want to venture into a marketplace where the number of customers might be less and now with it closing, the number of customers is going to be different.”
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