The Tristan and America stores, “out of breath”
Posted on May 19, 2020
The founder and former president of the Tristan and America stores, Gilles Fortin, is very critical of the owners of shopping centers, banks and the City of Montreal, who do nothing to help the retail business, in its own right. notice.
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Shops with an entrance door to the outside will be able to resume their activities on May 25, in Greater Montreal, but the game is far from over for the owners of these businesses. Gilles Fortin says that wherever retail has resumed its activities, whether in Alberta, Europe, the Middle East or Asia, only a third of customers are there.
However, the rent of these traders continues to have to be paid; a rent that can range from $ 25,000 to $ 100,000 per month, according to Gilles Fortin. He estimates that between 10 and 15 of the 42 Tristan and America stores in Canada are at risk of closing for good.
It will depend on the goodwill of the owners of the shopping centers, says the businessman. So far, we haven’t had a shoulder to cry on with them.
He criticizes shopping center owners for their absence and silence in these times of crisis: They are silent, we have not heard from them. They don’t call us to make arrangements.
« We’re out of breath. »
Gilles Fortin believes that between 40% and 70% of all retail businesses in Quebec will eventually disappear, under these conditions.
But it’s not just shopping malls that he’s pointing at. Banks are afraid of their shadows these days and let you down in 24 hours
, he laments.
He is also very critical of the commercial taxes imposed by the City of Montreal: At some point, we will have to settle this story of taxing street commerce in Montreal to kill everyone. We killed Saint-Laurent, we killed Saint-Denis; Mont-Royal is tearing it off and Sainte-Catherine is the next one.
« There’s the bank that doesn’t want to support you, there’s the owner that doesn’t want to give you a break rent and there are taxes that suffocate you. »
Gilles Fortin is convinced that many traders will take legal action in the coming months.
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