Dear Friends,
It is with sadness that we share the closure of the corporate operations of Ten Thousand Villages Canada, including the head office and distribution centre in New Hamburg, Ten Thousand Villages Canada’s online store, wholesale operations and the 10 company stores, was announced.
As you may be aware, Ten Thousand Villages Canada is a program of MCC Canada and in recent years has encountered considerable financial difficulty. The MCC Canada board has been closely monitoring a turnaround plan implemented a year or so ago which was unsuccessful.
We realize this decision will impact the lives of thousands of artisans, employers, volunteers, supporters and consumers in Canada and around the world and we are saddened by this outcome but understand the necessity of moving forward in this way.
Manitobans can continue to shop fair trade at two independently owned Ten Thousand Villages stores (known as “board stores”) that have chosen to remain open and will continue to operate under a licensing agreement with MCC Canada. These “board stores” are located in Brandon and Steinbach. Six other board stores across Canada have also chosen to remain open. Ten Thousand Villages U.S. is a separate entity and is unaffected by these changes in Canada. For a full list of stores remaining open, please click here.
We are so grateful for your support as a church, as shoppers and fair trade champions over the years. We also recognize the thousands of passionate and creative volunteers who have given countless hours to this ministry over the years. Thank you!
If you have any further questions, please contact [email protected], which is a temporary email address that has been set up to respond to this announcement.
We hope you will join us in praying for all those affected in this time of transition and change.
In Christ’s peace,
Darryl Loewen
Executive Director, MCC Manitoba