Edmonton Retail Thread

[Xelebes]

I'm in the southside. . . working.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

City Centre Mall just released a new website:

http://www.edmontoncitycentre.com/home.index.1.html

[Hallsy's Toupee]

So that's it? Just a fashion show, some contest involving the photo booth, and a half-assed website relaunch? Hardly worth the @ECCMall #seewhatdevelops twitter spamming, was it? Wake me up when they've got something really exciting to share, such as a revitalization plan to fill the empty spaces with decent tenants and reverse its downward spiral to becoming a 3rd-tier shopping centre like Capilano Mall.

[Coldrsx]

^from what I am hearing, this is just the beginning...

[Daveography]

Don't'cha think you might have had your expectations set just a little bit too high for a viral marketing campaign, which are practically an everyday occurrence now? Was it the ambiguous use of the word "develops" that got you? Remember that the general population doesn't get as excited about revitalization/redevelopment/etc. as we do on this forum.

Also, what downward spiral is that? In what world is ECC anything even remotely close to where Capilano is now?

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

So that's it? Just a fashion show, some contest involving the photo booth, and a half-assed website relaunch? Hardly worth the @ECCMall #seewhatdevelops twitter spamming, was it? Wake me up when they've got something really exciting to share, such as a revitalization plan to fill the empty spaces with decent tenants and reverse its downward spiral to becoming a 3rd-tier shopping centre like Capilano Mall.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

^ I said "on its way", not "is". But "on its way" because right now ECC is full of prominent empty spaces, is filling them with health clinics and bargain bins instead of top-notch retailers, and is jacking up rent to drive out more of them (e.g. Val Bergs). So you'll have to pardon me for questioning the (mis)management of a mall that, theoretically, should be one of our top shopping destinations. Cutesy twitter campaigns and fashion shows are not the solution.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

^from what I am hearing, this is just the beginning...

I pray you are correct, for the reasons I stated above.

[Coldrsx]

^me too boss, me too.

[Coldrsx]

Edmonton City Centre mall reaches out to younger shoppers
BY BILL MAH, EDMONTONJOURNAL.COM MAY 29, 2012 3:02 PM

EDMONTON - Krystal Peterson was one of dozens of people who got her Polaroid taken at Edmonton City Centre Tuesday in what was billed at the world’s largest photo booth.

The event raised money for local youth charity iHuman, but for the downtown mall, it was also an fun and unusual way to engage with lunch-hour visitors, many of whom — like Peterson — are at City Centre for reasons other than shopping.

“I actually don’t often shop here. I’m just coming to lunch with my aunt,” Peterson said. But she said she would “probably” return with shopping in mind.

After surveying 1,000 people last spring, Edmonton City Centre has rebranded itself as a hip, urban shopping destination, said Greg Burns, marketing director for the mall, which is owned by Oxford Properties.

Full Story: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/busin...082/story.html

[dansk]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Edmonton City Centre mall reaches out to younger shoppers
BY BILL MAH, EDMONTONJOURNAL.COM MAY 29, 2012 3:02 PM

EDMONTON - Krystal Peterson was one of dozens of people who got her Polaroid taken at Edmonton City Centre Tuesday in what was billed at the world’s largest photo booth.

The event raised money for local youth charity iHuman, but for the downtown mall, it was also an fun and unusual way to engage with lunch-hour visitors, many of whom — like Peterson — are at City Centre for reasons other than shopping.

“I actually don’t often shop here. I’m just coming to lunch with my aunt,” Peterson said. But she said she would “probably” return with shopping in mind.

After surveying 1,000 people last spring, Edmonton City Centre has rebranded itself as a hip, urban shopping destination, said Greg Burns, marketing director for the mall, which is owned by Oxford Properties.

Full Story: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/busin...082/story.html

Rebranding with out major other changes are not going to help this property. especially when it competies with malls like Southgate that are easy to access for all.

[Coldrsx]

Wait for it....

[CMD UW]

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

and reverse its downward spiral to becoming a 3rd-tier shopping centre like Capilano Mall.

A tad exaggeration wouldn't you say. To even try to compare ECC to Capilano is ridiculous. If you think the folks at Oxford are going to let the place fall to $hit then you're sadly mistaken.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

I am not going to apologize for my harsh criticism of City Centre Mall. It should be one of our premier shopping destinations because of its proximity to major hotels, the proposed arena district, and a pedway-connected building that houses retailers like Holt Renfrew. If we want a revitalized downtown core, it needs to be more than the average suburban mall it is now. It should not be managed and operated with a "good enough" way of thinking.

Always demand better!

[Coldrsx]

We need demand.... To demand better.

[MalcolmTucker]

^ That is a great succinct way of putting it.

[Coldrsx]

The Death and Life of Downtown Shopping Districts
RICHARD FLORIDAJUN 04, 20127 COMMENTS
Flickr/wallyg
SharePrintShare on emailEmail
After years of neglect, decline, and abandonment, downtowns across the United States are poised to come back—and not just as redoubts for hipsters, artisanal food, indie music, and trendy boutiques, but as major shopping destinations.

The past decade has seen a shift to downtown living. For the first time in 20 years, the annual rate of growth in American cities and their immediate surroundings has surpassed that of exurbs, according to projections from the U.S. Census released in July 2011. This is not just the case in cities of talent and advantages, like New York, San Francisco, and Boston, but in older industrial cities like Cleveland and Detroit.

Downtowns have become veritable "entertainment machines," in University of Chicago sociologist Terry Clark’s words, with an influx of restaurants, bars, cafes, clubs, and other venues catering to urban dwellers and suburbanites seeking something new and different.

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/art...istricts/1925/

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Good news: CEO of J. Crew lavishes praise on Edmontonians' bank accounts, opens 3rd Canadian location at WEM. Bad news for guys: store sells women's clothes only
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/busin...674/story.html

[rapid_business]

/\ Too bad. I really like J.Crew stuff. The wife will be happy though.

[SpongeG]

the mens other than their own in store stuff is easily found elsewhere, they have a lot of the same things you can find at club monaco who also has started bringing in outside brands such as the ridiculously expensive english jackets that the queen apparently wears, barbour (around $700) and lee jeans at like $198!

as for their own stuff it was alright but a lot more expensive than it used to be when i used to shop at it in seattle in the 90's early 00's

[SHOFEAR]

I've heard Armstrong 29 is moving into a much bigger space in the Mercer.