Tiber River shutters Kenaston Boulevard store

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This article was published 16/04/2024 (512 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg wellness product company plagued by allegations of workplace discord and lawsuits has abruptly closed its last brick-and-mortar store.

Tiber River announced the shuttering of its Kenaston Boulevard site in Winnipeg’s south end. In an email to customers, the business cited “circumstances outside of our control.”

Tiber River didn’t specify whether it had permanently closed the location. Instead, it highlighted the company’s online shop to customers.

Its leadership didn’t accommodate interview requests by print deadline. Its Coterie location at 1650 Kenaston Blvd. was locked and empty Monday afternoon.

“The (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the landscape for many businesses including Tiber River,” Michelle Lalonde, company president, wrote in an email Monday.

The company has been working diligently to secure investment capital for its future, she wrote.

A former Tiber River ambassador, who asked to remain anonymous, called the Kenaston shop’s closure “not surprising.”

In early 2023, Tiber River cut its ambassador program, claiming the business model was no longer viable.

The ambassadors — who were contractors, not employees — sold Tiber River’s skincare products, taking 30 per cent of the profit. For some, it became a full-time job.

Company leadership pointed to the pandemic, and an accompanying 30 per cent sales drop, as reasoning for cutting the ambassador program.

However, “Their ambassadors (are) what branded and built their company,” the former contractor said. “You cut off the bloodline of the ambassadors who built your program.”

Losing work selling Tiber River products was “worse than a breakup,” the source added.

Currently, the company faces two active small-claims lawsuits.

Four former ambassadors had launched separate small-claims lawsuits against Tiber River last year; two were discontinued before a judgement was released.

In 2023, the ambassadors learned through a Facebook video by Tiber River executives they might not get paid their latest commissions. Instead, Tiber River offered loyalty points: ambassadors could buy Tiber River products.

The company later said it would pay commissions if ambassadors were willing to wait. Several told the Free Press they still haven’t been compensated.

Three of the four lawsuits, including the two pending cases, focus on unpaid rewards. Tiber River incentivized ambassadors by promising vacations to successful sellers.

Ambassadors received points for selling products. Thousands of points resulted in a paid trip the following year, one former contractor explained.

Cynthia Koltalo is among the women who filed claims. Koltalo had expected to travel to Italy in 2020 (she had earned the points pre-pandemic) and Mexico in 2023 on Tiber River’s dime.

Neither trip happened, Koltalo’s lawsuit alleges. In lieu of going to Mexico, Tiber River offered Koltalo a prepaid Visa card for $250, or a $400 Tiber River gift card.

Tanya Allbutt’s lawsuit echoes Koltalo’s. Allbutt was offered a $500 prepaid Visa card or a $750 Tiber River gift card.

“While we wanted to award you with a trip, the circumstances are such that it just isn’t possible,” Blayne Todd, Tiber River chief financial officer, wrote in an email to Allbutt, the claim says.

Todd noted Tiber River’s incentive awards are subject to change without notice.

Even so, Koltalo and Allbutt are requesting $9,500 and $10,150, respectively. Their hearings are scheduled for May.

The 2023 discontinued claims against Tiber River sought a collective $12,161.

Tiber River faced a scandal in 2021 after a social media account named Not My Tiber surfaced. The online space shared allegations of a hostile working environment; at the time, Tiber River said it would consult a human resources firm.

Also in 2021, Tiber River was dealt a wrongful dismissal lawsuit. A former marketing manager alleged she was terminated because she was pregnant.

Tiber River closed its Academy Road location in 2022.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com