Princeton’s Fields store will be closed by fall 2012, the Hudson’s Bay Company announced this week.
All Fields stores – a total of 167 – will be closing throughout Canada.
Fields in Ontario will be shut down by the end of this month, while others will be closing by fall 2012 at the latest.
The exact date of the Princeton closure hasn’t been released yet.
“This is going to be a big loss for Princeton. It’s very unfortunate,” said Princeton Chamber of Commerce president Brenda Crawford.
“The last thing we need is Fields closing, especially with all the new mine families in town.”
The store filled the market for customers who only wanted to stop at one place to buy what they needed.
More people will be leaving town for Merritt or Penticton to shop, instead of buying local, Crawford said.
“Fields price-base was affordable for most people in town and a one-stop-shop, so we will feel the loss.”
The Hudson’s Bay Company said it’s closing down all Fields in Canada to focus on growing their other stores, including The Bay, Lord & Taylor and Home Outfitters.
Princeton hasn’t had any major store closures recently, although a few smaller shops have shut their doors, Crawford said.
She said shopping in town helps to support the community, but the closure of Fields will lead people to other one-stop-shops like Walmart.
The next store to move into the Fields location isn’t known yet, but Crawford said that Princeton needs a similar store to take its place.
And it doesn’t have to be a franchise.
“We need another store like Fields that offers a bit of everything at affordable prices,” she said.
