It appears the Walmart in North Bay that has been shut down since mid-November due to a fire, is set to re-open at 7 a.m. this Saturday morning, according to its online schedule.
Management at the local store confirmed the news to BayToday.ca via a text at 3:30 p.m. today.
"A lot of effort is going into reopening our North Bay Walmart store and we are delighted to announce the store will open this Saturday, Dec. 12 at 7 a.m.," said Felicia Fefer, Manager of Corporate Affairs for Walmart.
Fefer adds that the fire caused significant damage but she notes through the tragedy, they were able to donate 7,000 pounds of unaffected, safe, surplus food items to the North Bay Food Bank.
"From clean-up and restocking the shelves with new inventory and working closely with the local health department, our team has been working countless hours to prepare the store for reopening," she told BayToday.
"It’s been a big undertaking. We would like to express our gratitude to our hardworking associates and for the tremendous support we have received from the local community."
See related: Some Walmart services continue to operate despite fire-related damage
See related: Updated with video, Police seeking public help in Walmart arson
A fire was started inside the Walmart store in North Bay around 9:30 p.m. on Friday, November 20, causing police and fire departments to respond.
The fire was contained and extinguished by the internal sprinkler system say police.
Customers and employees were evacuated and there were no reports of any injuries.
The damage has left the Big Box store closed ever since, while allowing some limited services to open in vacant areas within Northgate Shopping Centre.
"Our North Bay store remains closed due to arson. We know many in the community depend on the services provided by our Walmart Pharmacy and our Walmart Vision Centre so we have made special arrangements, " Felicia Fefer, Manager of Corporate Affairs for Walmart Canada told BayToday on Nov. 26.
