Even though the doors to his Sears franchise outlet will officially close on Monday, Karim Kassam says the store will go on, under a new name, of course.
The longtime owner of the Sears Hometown store in Airdrie, Alta., north of Calgary, told CTV Calgary that he has been a registered dealer for the retailer for the past 11 years. Before that, Kassam worked as a Searsā salesperson for 13 years.
āAltogether 24 years in business with Sears. Itās very sad,ā Kassam said on Friday.
Sears Canada has been under court protection from creditors since June when the embattled retailer announced its plans to cut thousands of jobs and close its remaining stores.
āYou never expect a big company like Sears to go under,ā Kassam said. āIt was a shock.ā
Kassam, who also owned the Okotoks Sears location that closed earlier this fall, said heās still waiting for Sears to pay him commission for sales he made from October to the present. He would typically receive those payments within 30 days, he said.
āSears is in court protection so we havenāt been paid since October,ā he explained. āIt was a little scary.ā
Joel Shaffer, a spokesperson for Sears Canada, told CTV Calgary that Kassam and other franchise owners will receive their outstanding payments in the near future.
āThe balance of payments owing will be paid on or before December 31,ā the statement read. āSears Canada is on target to make these payments.ā
Kassam said he still has about $100,000 in remaining Searsā merchandise to sell before he closes the store on Monday. Despite this, the franchise owner has already started moving in new stock to sell at his new independently-owned business called Airdrie Appliance and Furniture.
āWe are not letting go any of our staff,ā Kassam said. āWe still have the full eight people staying here with us, so [itās] business as usual, but just no Sears or no Kenmore name.ā
Irene Herron, a Searsā employee for approximately 15 years, said sheās glad Kassam plans to keep the doors of the store open.
āHe knows the Sears customer, he knows the Sears way, he knows the Sears pricing,ā she said. āIn a different way, Sears will continue.ā
The new Airdrie Appliance and Furniture store will continue to carry parts for Kenmore appliances that will be sourced through third-party manufacturers, Kassam said.
With a report from CTV Calgaryās Shaun Frenette
