Duane Hicks
The Shaw retail office in Fort Frances will be closed as of Nov. 13.
The local office is among the most recent wave of imminent closures.
The same wave includes retail offices in Dryden and Kenora, as well as Swift Current, Sask., Chethan Lakshman, vice-president of External Affairs for Shaw Communications Inc., said yesterday.
With the increased popularity of online transactions and inquires, traffic at these retail offices has declined.
“The review of our whole operation looked at what our customers wanted to do, and there are some low-traffic areas; there are some low-traffic locations,” Lakshman noted.
One employee will be affected by the retail closure here, he said, adding that individual has been given options.
“Shaw is a company that values its people and is a family-oriented company,” Lakshman said.
“We want to make sure that we’ve taken care of our folks, so they’re given the chance to either apply for a new role in the company, to relocate and we’ll reimburse them for relocation expenses, or they’ll get a severance that’s beyond the statutory requirements,” he explained.
Lakshman clarified two system technicians will continue to work out of the local building, but that the front-end office (or retail office), where customers might pay bills, for example, will be closed.
Looking forward, Lakshman said Shaw wants its customers in the Fort Frances area to feel comfortable using other means of contacting the company, whether it’s on the phone or online.
Community programming, such as coverage of Fort Frances town council meetings and the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship, will not be affected, Lakshman noted.
