Several 7-Eleven stores in city signal imminent closures after company’s summer crime-fuelled threat By: Joyanne Pursaga Posted: 5:58 PM CDT Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024 Last Modified: 8:40 PM CDT Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024 Updates

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This article was published 08/10/2024 (379 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In the wake of fears that rampant theft could lead to the closure of up to 10 Winnipeg 7-Eleven stores, some locations may now be preparing to shut down.

The 7-Eleven stores at 815 Ellice Ave., 665 McPhillips St., 1007 McPhillips St., and 1103 Pembina Hwy. appear to be taking steps toward locking their doors for good, though reasons for the apparent Pembina closure aren’t clear.

Three of the stores displayed large “permanently closed” signs Tuesday, while all had at least some empty shelves. Staff at three of the locations said their stores will be closing but declined to share the exact dates or reasons why.

Officials from 7-Eleven could not be reached for comment.

Coun. Ross Eadie said he believes the two McPhillips stores and the one on Ellice are being shut down due to theft.

“They’re losing lots of money…. They just couldn’t absorb the continual losses,” said Eadie (Mynarski).

Johnathan Delorme, a regular customer of the 815 Ellice store, said he was disappointed, but not surprised, to find the doors locked Tuesday.

“Pretty much every time I pop by here, I see one or two people trying to steal stuff,” said Delorme.

He said that included one instance when he watched someone loading about 20 energy drinks into a backpack before walking out without paying.

Delorme said he worries many other stores in the area are suffering from frequent theft. And he’ll miss 7-Eleven’s Slurpees.

“There’s something special about a 7-Eleven,” he said.

In August, Eadie and Coun. Vivian Santos (Point Douglas) said they learned 7-Eleven is considering shutting the doors at as many as 10 of its Winnipeg convenience stores. The two councillors say they met with company representatives to help combat a surge in theft, with a goal to help avoid the closures.

The councillors said the locations at risk of closure included:

• 119 Salter St.,
• 665 McPhillips St.,
• 120 Keewatin St.,
• 891 Arlington St.,
• 1485 Inkster Blvd.,
• 815 Ellice Ave.,
• 456 Talbot Ave.,
• 1184 Portage Ave.,
• 1895 Wellington Ave. and
• 909 Lorette Ave.

While the 815 Ellice and 665 McPhillips locations now appear set to close, the other eight appeared open Tuesday afternoon, with no visible signs indicating any changes.

The 1007 McPhillips and 1103 Pembina Highway stores weren’t on the list of stores noted in August.

Eadie linked poverty and homelessness to the surge in retail theft. He believes many large-scale thefts target goods that are later resold.

“When they’re going in there and stealing a whole shelf of bread…. The real problem is people are buying stolen goods,” he said.

The councillor urged Winnipeggers not to buy anything they suspect was stolen. He fears the loss of convenience stores will hurt inner-city and North End residents most, since most stores near their homes set relatively early closing times.

“When you need that quart of milk or you need a loaf of broad and its 11 p.m., 12:30 a.m., where are you going to get it? In the North End… (almost) everybody, except for 7-Eleven, (closes earlier). On Selkirk Avenue, most places shut down by 6 p.m.,” said Eadie.

The councillor noted other retailers have noted they will close, while citing concerns about crime.

Last week, D’Arcy’s ARC Thrift Store at 1076 Main St. announced it will close on Dec. 21, blaming rising costs, a spike in shoplifting and safety concerns.

Mayor Scott Gillingham declined to weigh in on the specific reasons 7-Elevens may close but said he is concerned about the impact of theft.

“We don’t want to see any businesses close because of issues of public safety or the amount of times that they’re subjected to thefts or their staff members are subjected to threats,” he told reporters Tuesday.

“(But) we have made and are making strides. For some businesses, it may not be fast enough, and I absolutely appreciate that.”

In a separate interview, the mayor said his office has been in touch with 7-Eleven, a sponsor of a retail summit held in the city last week, where crime was a key topic.

Gillingham stressed theft is not a victimless crime.

“It has an impact on store owners, companies, employees and the broader public. And any time any retail store is closed within a community, it diminishes the community,” he said.

The mayor said he’s hopeful a short-term police initiative targeting retail theft and violent crime in the West End, Osborne Village and Exchange District will be made permanent. The provincial government has provided funds for the program for Winnipeg Police Service officers’ overtime hours to ensure a more visible presence.

Gillingham said a new funding model may be needed to ensure Winnipeg can afford the effort in the longer term.

At a Tuesday press conference, Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said his government sees value in expanding the initiative.

“There’s an opportunity for us to take those lessons learned from the overtime project and build them into a more sustainable and long-term solution. It’s been a huge success, anecdotally, from businesses,” said Wiebe.

— With files from Tyler Searle

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

X: @joyanne_pursaga

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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.