The SQDC pulls back on operating hours of twelve branches

| David Brown

The Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) says it will be adjusting the closing time of a dozen locations across the province.

Beginning February 25, 2024, the twelve stores listed below will close at 6:00 pm from Monday to Wednesday rather than 9:00 pm. The change is being implemented due to lower than average traffic at these locations.

The SQDC says the new, revised schedule will be similar to that in effect in several neighbouring businesses.

The targeted branches’ operating hours will now be:

  • Monday to Wednesday from 10 am to 6 pm;
  • Thursday and Friday from 10 am to 9 pm; and
  • Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm.

The 12 stores:

Earlier this month, SQDC also announced they plan to close one location in Montreal.  A termination notice was sent to members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the majority of union members in SQDC branches, and says the end of employment will be March 23, providing time to fully close the store down. 

The SQDC currently has 98 locations across Quebec. This will be the first store to close in the province. In an interview with StratCann in 2023, the then-president and CEO of the SQDC said the province was shifting away from approving new stores with a new focus on approving new products to attract consumers.

CUPE president David Clément told the Canadian Press at the time that he believed the store closure was retaliation against the union for a job action against several SQDC stores that recently ended.

The SQDC brought in $33 million for its third quarter of the 2023-2024 financial year, which ended December 30.

Featured image via Google Maps

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