Mountain Equipment Co-Op and Cineplex Inc. have laid off thousands of employees as the companies closed stores and theatres as instructed by various governments in an effort to stem the transmission of COVID-19.
MEC, which announced March 18 it was closing its 22 Canadian stores until March 30, sent a notice to its full- and part-time store staff informing them of temporary layoffs. “I think, like all retailers, right now we’re operating in a bit of a period of uncertainty,” said chief executive Phil Arrata.
He doesn’t know when the company will be allowed to open its stores or with what — if any — restrictions, such as limiting the number of customers inside at a time or reducing store hours. “And, so that’s really the question mark we