WINDSOR, ONT. -- It appears Devonshire Mall is losing another tenant.
Le Chateau Inc. says it is seeking court protection from creditors to allow it to shut down and liquidate its assets.
There is one Windsor Le Chateau store remaining, at Devonshire Mall. The previous Windsor locations at Tecumseh Mall and Windsor Crossing closed over the past few years.
Le Chateau's application under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act will be heard Friday by a Quebec court.
The clothing retailer says it can no longer continue its operations as a going concern.
It says circumstances leave the company with no option other than to start the liquidation process.
Le Chateau has 123 locations across Canada and an e-commerce platform servicing Canada and the U.S.
It has 500 head office employees and 900 retail store employees.
The Windsor location has four full-time employees and seven part-time employees.Many Windsor-Essex residents were disappointed to hear of the looming store closure.
"At this point we are not going to have a mall if they keep on shutting things down," says resident Kayla Bedard. "Some people might not even want to keep their jobs and worry that they may close down so they might leave their job and find a new one."
Margarita Maravilla says she thinks it’s a combination of the pandemic and an increase in online shopping.
"No one buys anything anymore…mostly they just purchase online," says Maravilla. "The economy is so bad. We don't know what's going on with this pandemic that is causing so much chaos.”
Justice and David’s Tea at Devonshire Mall also closed this year. Spirit Halloween has moved in temporarily to the former Sears location. CTV Windsor is reaching out to mall management for comment.
With files from The Canadian Press and CTV Windsor's Stefanie Masotti.
