Norman Sahely says he went to TRA Cash and Carry almost every day. (CBC)A major change is coming to the retail scene on P.E.I. with this weekend's closure of one of the few grocery store wholesalers on the island.
TRA Cash & Carry in Stratford will close its doors Saturday, just a month after a similar operation shut down in Charlottetown.
That means there's no major wholesaler left in the region, which could affect everything from grocery stores and restaurants to service clubs and food banks.
Sobeys Inc. of Stellarton, N.S., TRA's parent company, isn't saying much about the closure, except that the decision came after a review of operations. Officials would not say if business was poor at the location, just that the closing was a business decision.
"I went to TRA wholesalers Cash & Carry across the bridge here almost every day, to get certain products that I needed," such as produce, said Norman Sahely, owner of a small neighbourhood grocery for 34 years.
He worries the selection on his shelves will suffer.
William Rourke of Montague Lions Club wonders what the closure will mean for his group.
"We run the canteen at the curling club and cater to weddings and Christmas parties and all those things. Keeps us going all winter," he said.
Similarly, officials at the Upper Room Food Bank aren't sure where they'll do their shopping once TRA closes.
"Certainly there are some options out of province, but I mean with our donations we receive, we certainly like to support the community that supports us so well," said spokesman Mike MacDonald.
Jobs elsewhere in company
TRA will still have a sales rep on the island and will ship from the mainland to customers on P.E.I., officials said.
The 10 full-time and part-time workers affected will be offered jobs elsewhere with the company, they added.
"I will do my best, but it's gonna be difficult for me and everyone else on the island," said Sahely.
"I hope that Sobeys will reconsider."
TRA, named after its original owners Tingley, Reagh, and Adams, began operating in 1950 as a dry grocery products wholesaler in Middleton, NS. It was purchased by Sobeys in 1957 and expanded into Atlantic Canada.
Other TRA locations include Sydney, Stellarton and Truro in Nova Scotia and Saint John in New Brunswick.
