Cornwall Metro to close; 68 positions eliminated

The Cornwall Metro grocery store, seen here in a March 29, 2016 Google Maps image, will be closing in the coming weeks, affecting 68 full- and part-time employees. The company has cited missing sales targets and a lease expiry for the closure. (Google Maps via Newswatch Group)

CORNWALL – A Cornwall grocery store will be shutting its doors in May.

Metro on Vincent Massey Drive will close because it’s not meeting sales targets in the market, company spokesman Mark Bernhardt told Cornwall Newswatch.

Bernhardt added that the face the lease was expiring on the building also weighed in the decision.

The closure will affect 17 full-time and 51 part-time employees.

The closing date is scheduled for May 21, 2016.

Metro, which operates in Ontario and Quebec, is the third largest retailer in Canada after Loblaw and Sobeys. There are approximately 135 Metro locations in Ontario.

The company had reported strong earnings and sales in the first quarter of 2016 and is set to report its latest quarterly earnings on April 20, 2016.