The discount family footwear chain Canadian Shoe Outlet (CSO) is now running store closing sales at all 15 locations across Ontario. The closures were blamed on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on brick and mortar stores.

CSO launched in 2019, taking over former Payless locations that had closed earlier that year. “We had a great Fall/Winter season in 2019, but were forced to close all stores in early Spring of 2020 due to COVID protocols,” said Ishan Singh of CSO.

“Most of our stores reopened in late summer last year, but progressive shutdowns, regional lockdowns, reduced capacity, and other restrictions continued to take a toll on the business,” he continued. “Missing the holiday season in 2020 and the summer seasons in both 2020 and 2021 made it too difficult for us to carry on, forcing us to make the very difficult decision to close the chain.”

The sale is being managed by Tiger Group.

Photo courtesy CSO