CORNWALL, Ontario – After only a week into 2020, another store at the Cornwall Square has announced it is closing.
Claire de lune, an ‘ambiance’ store known for selling trendy home accessories, has announced it is leaving our local shopping mall and is currently holding a blowout sale. The store is located on the second floor at the North side of the food court. Signs within the store read ‘we are closing’, decorated with a frowning face, a misfortune and regret felt by many throughout the mall.
The closure announcement comes on the heels of Garage Clothing Co. and Bentley leaving the mall just last month, in December 2019. Earlier in 2019, Suzy Shier and Payless Shoes also left the mall, alongside TD Canada Bank. Active Green + Ross, which occupied the autoshop, was also set to close last January.
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“Bentley has filed for bankruptcy across North America and as for Garage their lease ends at the end of the year and it’s their choice if they want to renew or not,” said Melissa Boyer, Executive Director of Groupe Quint, when asked about Garage Clothing Co. and Bentley closing their Cornwall storefronts.
Despite the statement, public reports indicate that Bentley announced it is restructuring its business strategy to better secure long-term viability in November.
Almost one year ago, the then-new owners of the mall Groupe Quint announced a redesign plan, sharing concept renderings of the mall with local media. No redevelopments mentioned in the renderings have come to fruition.
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Boyer did tell Seaway News that Rossy, a Canadian regional chain of variety stores with locations in Quebec and the Maritime provinces, is preparing to take up a huge space at the mall.
When asked about rent prices for stores at the mall, Boyer assured this was confidential information but the company is charging tenants according to ‘typical market rates’.
