Last month, Bell announced it would be re-branding its 165 The Source locations to ‘Best Buy Express’.
“By combining Canada’s award-winning mobility and Internet from Bell, and converting The Source’s extensive retail footprint to Best Buy’s leading consumer electronics experience, we’re giving customers the best of all worlds for tech and telecommunications retail in Canada,” said Bell at the time in a statement.
But things aren’t all rosy as part of the transition. iPhone in Canada has learned the headquarters of The Source, located in Barrie, Ontario, is set to shut down, and jobs eliminated.
A Bell spokesperson confirmed to iPhone in Canada the headquarters of The Source is indeed closing.
“We’re transitioning 165 The Source stores to Best Buy Express with the remainder closing in 2024,” said the Bell spokesperson. “As part of this transition, Bell is winding down operations at The Source headquarters in Barrie, which is happening in phases over the next several months.” Bell did not confirm exact numbers of jobs being cut.
The Source has 300 locations right now and 165 of these will turn into Best Buy Express. The rest will close, alongside The Source headquarters located at 279 Bayview Drive in Barrie.
Since its beginnings in 1986 under the Radioshack brand, the latter was one of the places to go for consumer electronics. The transition to The Source by Circuit City took place in 2005, with ‘by Circuit City’ dropped after the latter’s parent company, InterTAN, filed for bankruptcy.
Bell acquired The Source in 2009, which at the time had 750 stores across Canada. With the end of The Source, it reminds Canadians of other electronics chains that bit the dust, such as Future Shop and A&B Sound.
Despite the upcoming store closures, The Source still has 38 job postings seeking retail staff at various locations nationwide.
