Two Winnipeg Future Shops to close permanently, third to reopen as Best Buy

The Future Shop on St. James Street is permanently closed on Saturday, March 28, 2015.

All three Future Shops in Winnipeg were closed Saturday morning with signs directing customers to the nearest Best Buy.

The St. James and Garden City locations will not re-open, but the Pembina Highway location will only be closed for a week while it is converted to a Best Buy.

A total of 66 Future Shops in Canada were shuttered while the remaining 65 will become Best Buys.

Best Buy Canada, an arm of the American consumer electronics retail giant, bought Future Shop in 2001 for $580 million.

In a statement, the company said it no longer made sense to operate so many Future Shops in such close proximity to Best Buys.

In many Canadian cities the two stores had locations that shared the same parking lot.

The store closures impact 500 full-time and 1,000 part-time employees.

Best Buy Canada says they will all receive severance packages and outplacement support.

With the two store closures and one re-branding, Best Buy will be left with three stores in Winnipeg plus a kiosk at the airport.