Telus today announced the closure of all Blacks stores, effective August 8, 2015.
In total, 59 Blacks stores, nearly all of which are in Ontario, will be closed, according to an official Telus statement obtained by Mobilesyrup.
“Technological innovations have changed the way Canadians take and share photographs, with fewer of us using retail photo outlets,” Telus said in the statement. “Despite the positive momentum and financial improvements our BLACKS team has delivered over the last year, we have been unable to realize profitable growth and it would take considerable investment to adapt BLACKS to ongoing change. After careful consideration, we have made the decision the best approach is to turn down the BLACKS business by August 8, 2015.”
The company added that its approximately 485 Blacks staff will be offered positions in the Telus or Koodo head offices, retail outlets, call centres or transition packages.
The Scarborough, ON-based retailer, which sells photography-related devices, phones, photofinishing services and home decor items was founded in 1930. Following expansion it was bought several times by companies including Fuji Film in 1993, and Telus in 2009.
At the time of Telus’ purchase, Blacks had 113 retail locations across Canada.