Photo: Ragnar Haagen

Security guards and members of Future Shop's upper management meet former employees at the doors of the companies West Kelowna location. The store permanently shut its doors this morning with little warning. Jan 31, 2013

News that the Future Shop location in West Kelowna permanently closed its doors Thursday morning, travelled fast amongst employees and businesses in the Snyatan Shopping Centre.

Sherri Adams is manager of the Bulk Barn and says she found out this morning, when she noticed a number of people congregating outside the store.

“They all seemed to be gathering and no one was going in. We took a walk up there and found out they were closed, with no notice to any of the employees,” says Adams.

While she expressed surprise upon first hearing of the layoffs, that quickly turned to concern for what this will do for traffic to her store, which has plans to expand into some retail space next door.

The Dollar Store also operates a location next to the West Kelowna Future Shop location and Connie Ashby learned of the closure this morning,

“When I was driving to work this morning there was a bunch of security guys out there and I wondered if (Future Shop) had gotten broken into.”

Later Ashby says someone believed to be from Future Shop’s head office came into her store to buy coffee cups and mentioned he was here to “close the doors this morning”.

“So we were shocked here, there goes some business,” says Ashby, who explained that many Future Shop employees would purchase items from her store.

“There were nice people there, and they would come in here from time to time and buy drinks and stuff.”

With the closure of Future Shop, it leaves Winners as the cornerstone property in the complex that already boasts multiple unused spaces for rent.

Read more about the store closure here.