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The owners and operators of three Vancouver businesses are already experiencing challenges with the influence that the World Cup has on the city.
The owner of Cascadia Natural Pet Supply in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood told Global News that she advertised some soccer-themed bears on the store’s website.
“I said I thought they were for FIFA because we got them in time for FIFA and they were soccer bears and they were wearing jerseys of the teams,” Dawn Moulton, owner of the pet food store, said.
“Although they don’t look like the jerseys, but I don’t watch soccer, so I don’t really pay that level of attention.”
The supplier warned Moulton she could get fined, so she no longer advertises them as FIFA Bears.
But she said the whole experience has left her with a negative impression.
“I just think it’s greed,” she said.
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“It’s billionaire greed, again, and I think the people who live in the cities that are being hosted by these events just don’t benefit from them. It puts a real damper on it. Like, so what? You know, it’s just such a silly thing.”
Other businesses right next to BC Place Stadium are also feeling some pressure.
Aquariums West made the difficult decision to close its doors on the seven match days with concerns over customer access.
“It’s a huge hit,” manager Kreig LeBlanc said. “Seven days of lost business for a small business is a lot for us. So we’re definitely very concerned. We’re nervous about how June is going to go. We have staff that are going to lose hours.”
The newly opened Zenden Wellness Centre is planning to stay open during the matches, but has already seen a bit of a drawback.
“People have noticed that there’s some road closures already happening and so it’s a little tougher to get to the studio and parking is a little bit more difficult,” Andrew Enns, the executive vice-president of Leger’s Central Canada operations, said.
“So we’re going to try and keep pretty much the same class schedule we have, but yeah, we’re kind of wondering how it’s going to be.”
LeBlanc said he wishes there were more consideration for businesses trying to survive.
“I feel like there could have been a bit more effort to sort of help small businesses that may be struggling during this event,” he said.
“It’s a fantastic event for people that are interested in it, but for those that are not, it’s going to be a struggle.”
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
