Edmonton-area grocery/restaurant chain L’Oca closing both stores next week

Local grocery chain L'Oca announced it will be closing both of its Edmonton locations next week.

A high-end Edmonton-area grocery store/restaurant chain is closing down both its locations next week.

L’Oca Quality Markets, which has stores in Sherwood Park and Edmonton, told CTV News Edmonton on Friday its last day of business will be Thursday, March 12.

“We were humbled by the difficulty of executing a locally focused, hand-crafted business model, and despite our best efforts, we didn’t see a sustainable path forward for the business, so we made the difficult decision to close,” L’Oca said in a statement.

The company said it will pay its employees and suppliers in full and on schedule.

L’Oca Quality Market opened two years ago on Baseline Road in Sherwood Park in a 45,000-square-foot space once occupied by a big-box Rona building supply store. It includes a grocery section, deli, butcher, bakery, cafe, floral shop, restaurant/bars and a liquor store.

Investors in the culinary marketplace venture included the Priestner family, founders of the Edmonton-based Go Auto vehicle dealership empire.

The company opened a second location just over a year ago on west Edmonton’s 142 Street in the former Andy’s Valleyview IGA. It had plans to open a store in St. Albert as well.