Jobs lost as Rona stores in Newfoundland set to close

Ronastores in Newfoundland will close in January, according to several employees of the home-improvement chain.

Some employees found out at a meetingon Sunday evening at the Rona store on O'Leary Avenue in St. John's.

"We went in there, it was a last minute meeting... and theypretty much told everybody that they're all losing their jobs," said DevinHawco, aRonaemployee who attended the meeting at the O'Leary Avenue location.

"A lot of people have been here for years."

Some left thatmeetingin tears.

"It was pretty sad in there," said Steven Quinlan, another Ronaemployee."B'ys been working here for almost 30years and then one day they just come in and it's all gone."

Hawco said employees were told stores would close Jan.27, 2019. The company that owns Ronadeclinedto answer questions from CBC News about how many people will lose their jobs orwhether some Newfoundland and Labrador locations couldcontinue to operate.

"It's really messed up for people who literally survive off this job," Hawco said.

Employees not given warning

Employees were given no indication of what Sunday's meetingwould be about, Hawcosaid.

"It was kind of a low blow."

"All I knew is we were having a meeting today.I just expected it was about a safety thing or something, I didn't think I was going to have to find a new job," said Brandon Upshall, another Rona employee.

Rona'swebsite identifies stores in St. John's, Paradise, Bay Roberts and Conception Bay South.

Eric Fitzpatrick, owner of the Rona store in Wabush,Labrador, said his business is unaffected by the decision because it is independent.

In 2016, U.S. home improvement chain Lowe's boughtRona, then headquartered in Quebec,in a dealvalued at $3.2 billion.

CBCNews was at the meeting at theRonalocation on O'Leary Avenue in St. John's butwas notallowed in the building.

A representative from Lowe's told CBC News via email that the company would not provide any information until Monday.

With files from Gavin Simms and Danny Arsenault

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