Retail Insider has reported that Disney will be permanently closing all 18 of its retail stores in Canada, including the one at CF Polo Park in Winnipeg. The move is largely due to the pandemic increasingly shifting consumer shopping patterns to online channels.
All Canadian Disney stores are expected to close by the end of the summer. Disney is currently working on paying out money owed to landlords on the remaining duration for its Canadian leases. Store staff have not yet been notified of the store closures.
Cadillac Fairview malls currently houses 11 of the 18 Disney stores in Canada.
Winnipeg’s CF Polo Park location is one of the smallest in Canada at 3,000 square feet. Most of the other Disney stores in Canada are between 4,000-to-5,000-square-feet with the largest one at West Edmonton Mall spanning more than 5,600 square feet.
Though the official online Shop Disney store will ship to Canada, products will ship from a United States warehouse which results in high shipping fees as well as tax/duties. Disney has yet to establish an actual e-commerce presence in Canada.
Let’s hope Disney launches a Canada-friendly online shop opens before the physical stores close this summer.
