M&M Meats in Wallaceburg is set to close its doors.
Wallaceburg resident and business owner Gerry Flynn said his franchisee agreement runs out on March 20 and it won’t be renewed.
“It’s not my choice and I have no choice but to fold it as a M&M Meats shop,” Flynn said. “After several requests as to what was going on, I finally got a response that basically said as of March 20, 2014 M&M Meats Shops will have fulfilled its obligations and responsibilities to the franchisee in Wallaceburg and is not interested in entering into a new agreement. So basically that tells me nothing.”
Flynn said he is not happy with the decision.
“I’m really disappointed as much for the town as for me, because of the choices left after,” Flynn said. “I’m disappointed that there is one less choice and one less business in town for Wallaceburg. I was making money finally and I’m a little upset from my own perspective too. I went through a number of years of lean times when all the factories closed, the oil economy dropped and I had to keep the place going with my own money. Now that I’m making money to pay those bills back, they’re pulling the rug out from under me.”
Flynn said while the outcome is disappointing, he wasn’t surprised.
“If it was the management when I joined 20 years ago it would surprise me, because they seemed to care about the franchisees but the management they have now doesn’t seem to understand what is going on,” he said. “They don’t seem to care and it has its own agenda that none of us can figure out. I could see this coming three years ago.”
The store opened up in 1992, before Flynn took it over in 1994.
Flynn said he is happy to have served the Wallaceburg community for 20 years.
“I thank all the people that have supported me over the years,” Flynn said. “I’ve appreciated their business. We’re going to miss them.”
Flynn added he is proud to have contributed to various charities upwards to $50,000 over the years, including the annual donations from their barbecues for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada
Very disappointed to see M & M’s in Wallaceburg closing. I used their products extensively but will not make a trip to Chatham or Sarnia in order to buy them once the Wallaceburg store closes. On another note, Sydenham Current, if you’re going to promote yourself as an online newspaper, you should make sure that the individuals writing your articles can at least write using the English language correctly. Two instances of “to of” in the above article show that this author can’t. It should be “to have”.
Thanks for the note, ram. The corrections have been made. We appreciate your comment and feedback. Have a great day!
Here’s the FB Link if interested in leaving a comment about store closure https://www.facebook.com/mmmeatshops