“We are extraordinarily proud of the Store 78 team and grateful for their dedication,” said Mahlman in a statement. “Over several years, we faced persistent safety incidents and significant operating losses at this site.
“We are grateful to the Vancouver Police Department for sustained support, including targeted patrols, a neighbourhood liaison officer and joint safety walk-throughs, which helped reduce violent incidents against our staff. Even with these improvements, customer traffic did not return, and operating losses and the costs required to operate safely remained high.”
Mahlman added that serving its customers and keeping its team members safe are London Drug’s highest priorities.
Submitted
Tony Hunt, the general manager of loss prevention for London Drugs, told Daily Hive Urbanized in an interview last March that losses at Store 78 at Woodward’s spiked during the peak of the pandemic, then slightly declined but have since remained at relatively high levels.
The location has lost over $10 million since opening in 2009 as an anchor tenant for the development.
“We’ve never made a profit in that location that, for us, is very much, was, or has been an opportunity to serve the community and be a present in a historic part of Vancouver,” said Hunt at the time.
“The disturbing piece is the abuse of the staff that we’ve seen and a lot of situations involving that. It has been pretty consistent down there, and if you can imagine in your workplace being in a situation where you don’t know whether or not somebody’s going to come in and throw something at you or swear at you during your shift. That can be really destabilizing.”
TD Bank, a longtime tenant at Woodward’s, shut down its location in 2024 after repeated vandalism, including a series of window-smashing incidents. It was replaced by a VPD community policing centre last summer in response to the crime and safety concerns in the area.
London Drugs Hastings and Abbott closure also leaves Nester’s Market as the remaining anchor business at Woodward’s.
Former commercial unit of TD Bank at Woodward’s. (Kenneth Chan)
Mahlman added that the company is supporting all affected employees in the transition during the London Drugs closing, including offering transfers to nearby stores as well as possible opportunities for new roles.
London Drugs is also assisting patients with prescription transfers to its other pharmacies or to the pharmacy of their choice.
There has been a series of grocery store closures in Metro Vancouver recently that have impacted shoppers.
The Burnaby Heights Business Improvement Association recently shared the unfortunate news that Red Apple Market, a local staple, would be closing its doors.
T&T Supermarket also closed a decade-old Metro Vancouver location at the end of November.
However, some new options are on their way for local shoppers, including Vancouver’s first FreshCo discount grocery store to replace the former Toys ‘R’ Us on West Broadway, and a 44,000 sq. ft., two-storey grocery store to replace the West Georgia Street parking lot in downtown Vancouver.
Will you miss the London Drugs in the Woodward’s building? What would you like to see replace the retailer in the location? Let us know in the comments.
With files from Kenneth Chan
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