Me too. Really disapointed. Thought we were going to get a true Supercentre.

Pretty sure it was stated earlier that yes, it is just a placeholder.

Interesting read about why retail is expanding in the metro area even in an economic downtwurn:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfo...sell-1.4806978

The Paradise Plaza is really coming along with the pads/footings completed for most of the stores. I haven't seen and hint of work commence on the roundabout in front at McNamara. My guess would be that the town of Paradise will wait for the businesses to be opened up with so that they can turn the area into complete chaos instead of doing it now. I will also guess that it will take a year to build this roundabout, causing people to avoid the area and the new businesses.

Considering some of stores are supposed to open next spring I really wouldn't be surprised if the roundabout is being worked on when the stores are opening/already opened.

Construction is set to begin Monday Sept 10th

Construction on the roundabout is set to begin on Monday Sept 10

The Walmart Superstore in Mount Pearl is opening next week.

http://www.thetelegram.com/news/loca...entres-239667/

Avalon mall update:

I was in the mall last night for the first time in a while, and was quite surprised by the amount of work that is ongoing. All the floor tiles and ceiling from the escalators (outside Coles) up towards the elevator and escalators to the food court has been removed.

Upstairs is quite different. The hallway that runs from the food court down towards the theaters has been renovated with new tiles and lighting. It is VERY BRIGHT! It was kind of hard on the eyes to be honest. However, looks pretty good!

There are lots pictures posted of the work happening and progress on RCS website.
http://rcsinc.ca/progress/avalon-mal...n-st-johns-nl/

As per the rumour months ago about U-Haul purchasing Costco's current Stavanger Drive building....a U-Haul employee told me that was indeed true. The building was purchased months ago with the intent to turn it into a U-Haul mega facility. They will use some of the parking lot for storage units as well as divide much of the interior up for the same purpose as well as truck storage inside and out. They will sell propane. I'm not sure about the gas pumps. The Kenmount Road facility will also remain.

Yeah, that’s totally gonna keep shoppers coming to Stavanger Drive for sure. Good gawd.

I would of liked a store of some sort but I'm glad the building won't be sitting empty. Remains to be seen how much Costco leaving will affect the other retailers as I wonder how many people coming into the area for Costco made trips to the other stores (Dominion, Walmart, etc). I can see the restaurants and the hotel feeling it.

Yes, it's great to have the Costco building in use and not having another Target scenario. With that said, it's not the kind of draw to the area that a retailer would be. The area will become a local shopping area instead of a destination. Best Buy, Old Navy and Michael's will be the only retailers in the area that are not duplicated somewhere else in the city.

If Best Buy ever moves I think Stavanger will be "dead" from how it was. Though not necessarily a bad thing for people in the East End who just want a normal non-crazy shopping area.

Though I wonder if they would open a second store instead of moving. Not sure if we have the population for two.

I'm an East Ender and I'm ok with it being a normal shopping area tbh. As long as the buildings are full and they have the stores I usually shop at. I don't think Best Buy is going anywhere. There was a Futureshop and Best Buy at one point so maybe they would open a second location. I would imagine it would depend on how well the current store is doing. I'd like another Michaels so the current one isn't as busy lol.

I think Best Buys days are numbered as a chain to be honest. I wouldn’t be surprised to see go the way of Futureshop. Everything that they had has now lost its market and has gone. CD’s, DVD’s, laptops, desktop computers, digital Cameras. Most people who go there for tv’s just browse and then usually go to Costco to purchase. They have become just and oversized cell phone store.

I got my last 3 televisions at Best Buy haha

I also wonder how the chain is doing tbh. Last time we were in there their music section had almost nothing left. They said they were waiting for a shipment but we weren't convinced.

I wonder how they do with TV and appliance sales. The loss of Sears should have helped them in that department, also with Costco moving it may help them as well. Also, people are still buying computers and I'm sure they do well with cell phone and tablet sales. They sell musical instruments too, not many left in the city doing that.

Most modern (renovated) Best Buys consist of displays provided by manufacturers. The stores are paid for the space for these displays and they're sometimes staffed with 'specialty employees' (Google, Microsoft, Apple sections at Best Buy). The East End Best Buy is in a terrible location with difficult access. I wouldn't be surprised to see it move.

https://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/...d-in-best-buy/

Ron.