PANGNIRTUNG - People will now be able to buy groceries at Northern stores in two locations in Pangnirtung.

The North West Company, which owns the Northern Stores chain, recently purchased High Arctic Enterprises, a convenience and grocery store in the hamlet.

Northern Store manager Bob Young, left, and John Benns, of Arctic Ventures, work on the new Northern store in Pangnirtung, formerly High Arctic Enterprises. Arctic Ventures is owned by Kenn Harper, who recently sold High Arctic Enterprises, its sister store, to North West Company. - photo courtesy of Andrew Dialla

And High Arctic Enterprises' shoppers needn't worry about losing their ability to buy eggs and milk close to home, said Pat Jacob, regional operations manager for North West Company.

"We're going to continue to operate it," said Jacob, who was in Pangnirtung recently to help get things set up in the new acquisition.

The North West Company already owned a tiny convenience store across the street from High Arctic Enterprises, said Jacob. They moved those operations into their new acquisition a couple of weeks ago, he said.

"It was very small," said Jacob, of Northern Convenience, "maybe 300 to 400 square feet."

The new place will give them the chance to spread out, he said, with about 3,000 square feet of space.

"It's too large to be called a convenience store," he said, "it has a much wider selection."

One Pang resident said he has mixed feelings about the store.

High Arctic Enterprises carried different items than the Northern stores, said Peter T. Aningmiuq.

"It was nice to have the variety," he said.

He was in the store the other day, he said, and "it looks pretty much the same as before."

Though there has been a High Arctic Enterprises store in the community for 20 years, the store building itself is only four-years-old, according to its former owner, Kenn Harper.

Harper decided to sell his last winter. "It no longer fit into my plans for what I want to do with my life," he said. The transfer of ownership was in the works for the past few months, he said.

It wasn't an easy thing to do, he said.

"You try to approach these things dispassionately, but it's still hard, after 20 years, to say goodbye."

The store and its customers always supported each other, he said.

Harper said that will continue, and shoppers need not worry about prices increasing due to a decrease in competition, he said.

"We don't change prices based on competition," he said, adding that the Co-op store is also there so it is not as if the Northern stores will have a monopoly.

The store will undergo renovations after the sealift comes in, said Jacob.

The general outlay will remain the same but extras will be added, such as machines to make coffee, cappuccinos, and slushes.

None of the Northern store staff lost their jobs in the move, said Jacob.

Neither man knew the status of the four High Arctic Enterprises employees.