Only grocery store in Saskatoon's Broadway area is closing its doors

The only grocery storein Saskatoon's Broadway area is closing, and residents wonder what they'll do without it.

The Extra Foods on Broadway Avenue will shut down in the last week of April.

Coun. Cynthia Block, whoseWard 6 is where the Extra Foods in located, said losing the grocery is devastating for the area.

"And more than that I think it is devastating for our whole community," Block said. "It really is an icon for our city, an icon for Broadway and this is going to be very sorely missed."

"A lot of the people in the Broadway district walk," said Terry Schwalm, who lives just off Broadway with her husband. Theyuse Extra Foods as their main source of groceries.

"Many of them don't have cars, so what are those people going to do now?"

Extra Foods parent company LoblawCompanies said in a statement the location has not been turning a profit.

"The decision to close this store was not an easy one, as we have a long history in the community and we value our customers and colleagues there," Extra Foods said in the statement. "Unfortunately, the store has been unprofitable and we don't expect that to turn around."

Schwalm said it is surprising to hear the store is unprofitable when it appears to be busy all of the time.

"This store serves not only the Broadway district, but downtown parts of Riversdale and City Park," she said.

"They're not thinking about the community's needs, or they would understand there aren't any grocery stores in a large radius of this neighbourhood."

Schwalm said they will now have to go by car to Eighth Street to get groceries.

Block said the city has tried a number of ideas to entice a grocery store to downtown and core neighbourhoods, but have been unsuccessful so far.

"It is a critical component to attracting people to downtown and to the core neighbourhoods," Block said.

"Behind the scenes we are still working very hard toward it and I continue to be optimistic that there is a way to [get a grocery store].

"I don't think anything can ever replace a neighbourhood grocery store, and I just personally feel that we are moving in the wrong direction as a society.

"Local grocery stores are part of the heart of communities and I'm hoping this will be seen as an opportunity for someone who obviously wishes to make a profit, but perhaps can also see there are actual people involved in that decision making."