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From the Tuesday, April 17, 2007 Cape Breton Post

Spring is here, cruise ships not far behind

Should be another good year for visits

Section: Business

By Matthew Daye,
The ice is almost gone and the weather is starting to improve, which means cruise ships will soon be arriving in Sydney harbour.

Marketing manager Bernadette MacNeil, of Sydney Ports Corp., said Cape Breton is in for another good year for cruise ship visits.

"It's very comparable to 2006 and we're happy with that."

Last year, more than 46,000 cruise ship passengers stopped in Sydney harbour. This year, almost 49,000 passengers will be making the trip.

"A second vessel from Holland America (is coming) which indicates that they're filling their ships to allow for that second vessel to come in," noted MacNeil.

Norwegian Cruise Lines is also returning with Norwegian Dawn.

"We have the Grand Princess, which carries 2,600 passengers, coming in several times to Sydney and we're very pleased about that."

MacNeil said Cape Breton offers something special to cruise ship passengers.

"We have such tremendous choices in the way of excursions with the Fortress of Louisbourg and the Bell museum and the miners' museum."

MacNeil asked that people who want to see the cruise ships when they arrive in port follow safety rules.

"Park your car somewhere else and walk down. The code that's imposed upon us is that we can't allow unauthorized vehicles on our dockside," she said. "But we do try to encourage our public to come down here. We want them to interact with our passengers."

Sobeys closing its Mayflower Mall store

Two retailers expected to occupy building

Section: Cape Breton

By Tanya Collier MacDonald,
Sobeys is closing the doors on its Mayflower Mall location May 5, a decision its landlord knew was imminent.

The Canadian grocery chain began to meet with each of its 63 affected employees Monday to offer them a job at one of its remaining five locations in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality - Sydney, Sydney River, New Waterford, Glace Bay and North Sydney.

"We're working with them to ensure a smooth transition," said Jill Thomas Myrick, director of communications and corporate affairs at Sobeys. "We will be offering an extensive severance package to those employees who would not be accepting positions within the company."

The closure is a "business decision" that follows an extensive and careful review of the company's operations in the local area.

Thomas Myrick declined to give a specific reason for the closure and wouldn't comment on the profitability of the location, which opened in January 1991.

"We don't discuss or disclose details of the profits of any one particular store," she said.

The grocery chain doesn't plan to reopen, she added.

Luc Corneli, vice-president of leasing at the Burnac Corp., said the commercial real estate company was aware Sobeys wasn't going to renew its lease.

"We've been working on a redevelopment strategy," said Corneli.

It's anticipated two major retailers will occupy nearly all of the building's 51,000 square feet of space.

Corneli said the final details are still being worked out but an announcement can be expected as early as the end of May.

#2 is the Sobey's building