Non-essential retail stores in Toronto have been forced to close under the provincial lockdown, but a number of Joe Fresh stores are still open to customers.
Five standalone locations of the Loblaw-owned fashion brand closed Monday for the first day of the Ontario-wide lockdown.
But, as of Tuesday, more than a handful of different Joe Fresh stores located inside of Loblaws or Real Canadian Superstore locations remain open for in-store shopping.
That includes Loblaws stores on Bathurst, Musgrave, and Leslie Streets, Redway Road, and the East Mall. The Real Canadian Superstores at Weston Road and Don Mills are also still operating their Joe Fresh locations.
Both big box retailers, which sell groceries and alcohol, are exempt from new lockdown closures. And by association, so are their Joe Fresh counterparts.
Shopping for clothes, shoes? The Bay on Queen Street is open. Joe Fresh in Loblaws and Superstore is open. Small independent clothing stores in Toronto/Peel - closed! Not only is this deeply unfair but is bad COVID health policy too.
— Dan Kelly (@CFIB) November 23, 2020
Despite the clothing retailer's clear categorization as a non-essential store, its open status in tandem with an essential grocer is a little less clear under the province's lockdown regulations.
Amended Stage 1 rules make no exiplicit mention of businesses located within other businesses. Neither Ontario Public Health or the City of Toronto had provided comment at the time of publishing. Loblaw Companies Ltd. also did not provide comment.
In a similar situation, the Hudson's Bay Company came under fire Monday for keeping its flagship location open, citing the presence of a Pusateri's in the basement of its Queen Street store as grounds for classifying as essential retail.
It closed temporarily Tuesday after government and health officials publicly stated that only big box retailers with full grocery stores are allowed to remain open.
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