The Soriana La Sierra store, located at the roundabout on the road to Cuauhtémoc in Chihuahua City, will close its doors as part of a corporate restructuring, according to unofficial information obtained from store personnel.
The decision was reportedly communicated by national executives during a recent visit to the branch. The 65 direct employees will be relocated to one of the other 13 stores the chain operates in the state capital.
Employees consulted indicated that the store will continue operating normally for the next few days and that the company will make an official announcement next Monday. In the meantime, the staff continues performing their usual duties, awaiting public confirmation from the company.
Although various versions of the reasons for the closure have circulated among the staff, the explanation they were given points to a corporate restructuring. For the time being, job losses for employees are not expected, as they will retain their positions through reassignment to other branches in the city.
The news marks the end of an era for one of the stores that played a key role in the commercial growth of southern Chihuahua. The La Sierra branch became a landmark for thousands of families in nearby neighborhoods, as well as for those who travel daily on the highway to Cuauhtémoc.
If the closure is finalized in the coming weeks, the store will not reach its twentieth anniversary. This coming October, it would have celebrated 20 years in operation, becoming the 14th Soriana store opened in the city during a period of commercial expansion.
The arrival of Soriana La Sierra was a watershed moment for that part of the city. Its establishment spurred the development of a significant commercial area, which over the years attracted businesses of various kinds, including department stores like Coppel, fast-food restaurants like KFC, and numerous other commercial establishments that sprang up around the shopping center.
For residents and business owners in the area, the store’s opening represented a significant driver of economic activity for years, attracting hundreds of consumers daily who also shopped or used services at nearby businesses.
Internal sources insisted that the company remains committed to preserving jobs. The 65 employees will be distributed among the other branches operating in Chihuahua City, in order to avoid layoffs resulting from the corporate decision.
As of Thursday afternoon, July 16, Soriana had not issued an official statement regarding the branch closure. It is expected that, once the announcement is made, details of the closure process, as well as the timeline for ceasing operations and the relocation of staff, will be released.
With the imminent closure of Soriana La Sierra, an important chapter in Chihuahua’s commercial history will come to a close. For almost two decades, the establishment witnessed the urban growth of the southwest of the city and served as one of the main centers of economic development in that area, whose transformation began precisely with the arrival of this self-service store.
Source: oem
