The loss of a Burnaby grocery store is sparking a little bit of panic with local shoppers who don’t drive or have mobility issues.
The SuperValu store in Greystone Village on Burnwood Drive near the Burnaby Mountain Golf Course has a noticed posted on its door that it will be closing forever on Jan. 31.
The store will be replaced by a new store, Sungiven Foods, but the company says it won’t be opening until at least the fall because the space needs extensive renovations.
“What do I do in the meantime?” asked one SuperValu shopper who spoke with the NOW on Friday outside of the store. “I don’t drive anymore at my age and I can’t walk a long ways. I don’t have family nearby. This store is just so close and worked perfectly. How will I get my groceries?”
The area surrounding Greystone Village has a large seniors population.
Shoppers interviewed on Friday said they were glad something else will be moving into the space, but some are scrambling to figure out options.
“I’ve been looking into grocery delivery services, but they are more expensive,” said Gladys G. “I’ll have to try taking the bus but carrying grocery bags that far at my age isn’t exciting for me.”
SuperValu has operated in the Greystone space for 10 years before its lease wasn’t renewed.
“I would like to let you know that we will expand our business in Burnaby again by taking the site at Greystone Village,” said Sungiven senior vice-president, Terence Fong. “But SuperValu will keep their business (for now). So we will start our work after that and hopefully we will serve this community in the coming fall.”
The renovations will be needed to give it that distinctive Sungiven look and have plenty of space for all of the hot items the company sells to customers.
Sungiven recently opened its second location in South Burnaby, in the Big Bend area at 5771 Marine Way.
The new South Burnaby location will be even bigger than the 6,300 square feet of space it occupies at Hastings and Gilmore in Burnaby. Sungiven has also based its headquarters in Burnaby and operates two stores in Vancouver.
Sungiven recently expanded into North Vancouver and has plans for a south Surrey location.
