London Drugs president and chief operating officer Clint Mahlman has seen a lot in his nearly 40 years with the company, but he says the company has no plans to close stores due to escalating violence and theft, though the issue has reached a 鈥渃risis point鈥� for Canadian retailers.
Mahlman told The Canadian Press in an interview Wednesday that the company was disappointed to learn that a Vancouver city councillor said on social media that London Drugs was considering closing one of its main stores in the city, at the intersection of Granville and Georgia streets, due to crime.
鈥淲e鈥檝e invested significant resources to ensure it remains a safe place to shop and work for our staff,鈥� he said.
Mahlman said there鈥檚 no truth to the statement and it needlessly worried staff and customers.
鈥淭he key issue in all of this is the escalating violence, vandalism and economic loss,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are at a crisis point in retail, but nothing is close to being decided on any store closures.鈥�
Mahlman said closing any locations would be a last resort, and a matter between London Drugs and its landlords and employees, not the media and local politicians.
Retail theft and escalating violence has been an issue for many years, and working with police and government to combat the rise in organized theft remains a large concern, Mahlman said.
鈥淔rankly, we need all levels of government, including the City of Vancouver, to act now,鈥� he said. 鈥淐itizens, customers talk all the time about being afraid to walk the streets, particularly in the downtowns. It鈥檚 not just a Vancouver issue. We hear this throughout the province.鈥�
Mahlman said there鈥檚 been no decisions made about closing stores due to crime, but it鈥檚 not out of the question if nothing changes, and policymakers need to take heed of the toll on businesses caused by theft and violence.
Mahlman said it鈥檚 sad that repeat offenders have targeted retailers 鈥渟eemingly without consequence.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 giving them licence to come back more often and create more crime,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 petty theft. This is organized retail crime.鈥�
He said London Drugs staff have had to deal with 鈥渉orrible鈥� acts of violence, and the company has had to train people to de-escalate dangerous situations to avoid violence.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had staff hit with hatchets, stabbed, threats of knives, threats of needles, bear-sprayed, physical assault,鈥� he said.
He said London Drugs is a private company and couldn鈥檛 release exact numbers about the toll of theft on the company鈥檚 operations, but said it鈥檚 in the ballpark of 鈥渢ens of millions鈥� each year.
鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 include the replacement of broken windows and vandalism or the human toll of leaves of absence,鈥� he said.
Mahlman said there鈥檚 no truth to reports of the company potentially closing its downtown Vancouver stores, but he said 鈥渁ll options have to be on the table if we can鈥檛 get government help to deal with this.鈥�
鈥淭hat includes the potential of closing stores in the future if nothing changes due to this escalating violence and vandalism and the economic loss,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut at the end of the day, it鈥檚 about protecting our people from the repeat violent offenders.鈥�
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