After four-and-a-half years in business, Miniso, a China-based general goods store, will be closing permanently as of Oct. 31.

The owner of the 49 Street store redirected YellowkniferSA国际影视传媒檚 interview request to the chainSA国际影视传媒檚 headquarters, but a response wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 forthcoming prior to press deadline.

SA国际影视传媒淭he store will close on Oct. 31, 2023. Thank you to all our customers,SA国际影视传媒� reads a Miniso Yellowknife social media post from Oct. 7.

SA国际影视传媒淚 havenSA国际影视传媒檛 heard about that,SA国际影视传媒� Adrian Bell, president of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce, said on Monday.

Bell emphasized that, in general, these have been a challenging few years for businesses in Yellowknife, especially those engaged in retail or tourism.

He mentioned that the disruptions caused by the wildfire evacuation and Covid-19 pandemic have hit the business community hard.

SA国际影视传媒淛ust when it seemed like things were getting back to normal, or like there was some hope for the recovery of tourism, we get hit with the evacuation,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

For some businesses, he said it proved to be SA国际影视传媒渢he straw that broke the camelSA国际影视传媒檚 back.SA国际影视传媒�

Despite efforts to increase aid for these businesses, Bell fears it might be SA国际影视传媒渢oo little, too lateSA国际影视传媒� for some. He also highlighted the plight of ventures that donSA国际影视传媒檛 own their space and had to continue paying rent during the evacuation.

SA国际影视传媒淭hose costs were borne by the tenants and that is potentially crippling for a lot of businesses,SA国际影视传媒� Bell explained.

He also pointed to challenges faced by businesses in the downtown core compared to those outside. While the local economy is not necessarily growing, rents continue to go up along with other challenges, such as inflation.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 very hard as a small business to keep up with inflation without being worried about losing your customers,SA国际影视传媒� said Bell.

Social issues and worries over staff safety are other realities for downtown businesses, he added. Public intoxication leading to violent encounters or intimidation has resulted in discomfort among shoppers, and some tourism operators stay away from the area, he noted.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 challenging because youSA国际影视传媒檙e counting on these tourists and their spending, and theySA国际影视传媒檙e actively avoiding the downtown,SA国际影视传媒� Bell said.

There are efforts being made to improve the situation, he remarked. However, he believes more needs to be done before it becomes enticing to conduct business downtown.