Open letter from Ocean State Job Lot president to "Bristol Customers" --
September 14, 2007
Dear Downtown Bristol Customers,
In the spring of 2005, we made a decision to challenge the City in Court to defend our lease and remain in our downtown location. Earlier this week, the CT Supreme Court ruled in favor of the City. Based on that decision, it is with regret that I inform you of our plans to close our downtown store on Sunday, October 7, 2007.
In 2005, we made a commitment to our associates. Should we be forced to close our store, we would offer our people a position in another Job Lot store. We are honoring that commitment.
In our opinion, we defended our constitutional rights against an improper eviction. The city did not have an approved plan in place, did not have funding to execute a plan, and never used eminent domain to condemn our lease. In effect, the courts have found that the city is allowed to terminate our lease simply by purchasing the property and stating that ideas exist for public use. Job Lot accepts the decision of the court.
It’s interesting to note that although various city officials have discussed ideas for years, no approved plan exists to this day. Why is it that during all these years, the city has never passed any plan relating to the redevelopment of the mall? Maybe it’s not about Job Lot.
Thousands of you signed petitions two years ago supporting our efforts and questioning the city’s failure to plan adequately for this property. On behalf of our store employees, I want to thank you for the loyalty you have shown Job Lot over the past 13 years. We will try our best to continue serving you with brand name merchandise at great closeout prices and hope you continue to shop at Ocean State Job Lot.
Sincerely,
Marc Perlman
Chief Executive Officer
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Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
4 comments:
"Why is it that during all these years, the city has never passed any plan relating to the redevelopment of the mall? Maybe it’s not about Job Lot."
They are right: it's about Stortz. With his contempt for the BDA and his inability to pull the trigger, we are right where we were when Couture left office two years ago. Thanks a lot, Bill.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
He sounds bitter and he's leaving a lot of information out about the terms of his lease and the reasons the City had the right to evict them upon the purchase of the property.
I hate them, they messed with my Ocean State Job Lot!
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