Winnipeg | Retail

[CoryB]

Breaking News - Best Buy Canada has entered into an agreement to rebrand 165 of the over 300 Bell owned The Source stores to Best Buy Express. The new banner will continue to be run by Bell and only offer Bell wireless products. The roughly 150 other stores will be closed.

No specific locations were named at this time.

The Source currently has the following Manitoba locations:

St Vital Centre (likely to remain for now)
Grant Park (could go either way)
Polo Park (likely to remain)
Portage Place (seems likely to close)
Kildonan Place (likely to close due in part to planned mall restructuring)
Garden City (Best Buy operated Future Shop near here closed, likely to close)
Brandon Shoppers Mall (could go either way)

[cslusarc]

I am questioning whether a "Best Buy Express" @ Polo Park will continue to operate if there is a full-sized Best Buy across the street.

[Jeff]

a new smaller, cozier format to extort canadians. wonder what rogers/shaw/macleans/citytv is gonna do to counter.

[bomberjet]

oh yay. I assume the source is losing money. And instead of closing outright, they made this deal.

[cslusarc]

1. I just looked at a Polo Park leasing map from September '23 and just realized that Shoppers' Drug Mart is sandwiched in between The Source (2,557 sq. ft.) and Bell MTS (2,299 sq. ft.). This Shoppers' is a bit disappointing it is missing many categories sold at other newer Shoppers' stores. I hope that this Shoppers can expand into these Bell controlled spots.

2. I just read an article saying the McKesson may need to sell Rexall (& it's sister banners Guardian, RemedyRx and IDA) at loss.

[Jeff]

Atmosphere behind the mall just closed as well.. looks like work is already underway to repurpose it. On that note for that section of that site, it's bewildering how nothing has happened with the old Bed Bath and Beyond. The signs and window decals are all still up, some are still lit at night and there has never been a FOR LEASE sign unlike the Buy Buy Baby site across St James that seems to be in active play for repurposing.

Another thing I noticed is the FOR LEASE signs are absent from the windows at the former birks/sals location at Portage and Carlton.

[Laramie45]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Breaking News - Best Buy Canada has entered into an agreement to rebrand 165 of the over 300 Bell owned The Source stores to Best Buy Express. The new banner will continue to be run by Bell and only offer Bell wireless products. The roughly 150 other stores will be closed.

No specific locations were named at this time.

Just in time for Bell Let's Talk Day on the 24th.

[trebor204]

Originally Posted by horrorbro123

Lot Changes Going On at St Vital Centre La Vie En Rose Move To New Location Next To Tommy 🞵🞵🞵 Barbershop Bikini Village Move To New Locations Next To Journeys and Warehouse One Will Move From Original Location To New Location Next To Garage and Dynamite Next Year

Originally Posted by AccordTR

Clearly it looks like they moved everyone on that side of the wing. My guess is they got a major retailer taking the whole thing.

Originally Posted by Glenn99

I would imagine this to prepare for Mark's moving into the mall?

Mark's Work Wearhouse is moving into St Vital

https://mallmaverick.imgix.net/web/prope...0110155452/St._Vital_Centre_Brochure.pdf

Leasing brochure says Fall 2024.


I was in the mall today, and a large section of the area NE of the food court had hoarding up. That area had seen a lot of stores (Len's Crafters, HMV, Toys are US, Victoria Secret, Spirit of Halloween) go by this past decade.

In addition Sunrise Records is moving to a location beside Dollarama. The only location that fits, is the Bomber Store (St Vital Community Room - which is only 1,797 sq feet, compared to the old store of 3,412 sq. feet. There can take over Stuffy Riders (those large motorize stuff animals) next door as well.

[cslusarc]

When did St Vital Centre have a Toys 'R' Us?

[trebor204]

Originally Posted by cslusarc

When did St Vital Centre have a Toys 'R' Us?

I believe it was around 10-15 years ago.
It was actually a Toys R Us Express. Once the Toys R Us opened at Pembina Crossing, the St Vital Location closed.

[horrorbro123]

Something Going On Former Shoe Store Next To L’Occitane In Polo Park

[horrorbro123]

Something Going On Former Bench Store In Polo Park Next To Sunglass Hut And Michael Kors Is Done In Polo Park For Good After Nearly 12 Years I’m Not Surprised

[cslusarc]

Originally Posted by horrorbro123

. . .And Michael Kors Is Done In Polo Park For Good After Nearly 12 Years I’m Not Surprised

Is the Michael Kors brand too posh for Winnipeg or is it transitioning to become a concession inside Hudson's Bay Polo Park?

[Justanothermember]

Originally Posted by cslusarc

Is the Michael Kors brand too posh for Winnipeg or is it transitioning to become a concession inside Hudson's Bay Polo Park?

When I'm googling this, I'm seeing the shop as being 'temporarily closed', so maybe this isn't a permanent closure.

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by cslusarc

Is the Michael Kors brand too posh for Winnipeg or is it transitioning to become a concession inside Hudson's Bay Polo Park?

https://envzone.com/michael-kors-the-rise-the-fall-and-the-alarming-changing-retail-ecosystem/

I think Kors is struggling everywhere, not just Winnipeg. Everyone in the "upper mid-market" seems to be getting killed, and the ones that are surviving are either inexpensive, targeted at value shoppers worried about inflation, or at the ultra-high-end. It's either Dollarama or Dior. Stuff in between is having trouble. The shrinking middle class.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

I think Kors is struggling everywhere, not just Winnipeg. Everyone in the "upper mid-market" seems to be getting killed, and the ones that are surviving are either inexpensive, targeted at value shoppers worried about inflation, or at the ultra-high-end. It's either Dollarama or Dior. Stuff in between is having trouble. The shrinking middle class.

That is not exactly true. Before the pandemic Micheal Kors got into a very heated bidding war with Coach for which company would take over Jimmy Cho. MK ended up "winning" but it seems it came with a high price. Their overall company is reported struggling. Coach and its sibling brands have long focused on customer data and used it to target markets. They are actually weathering the downtown well enough to have a $8.5 billion proposal underway to fully acquire MK, JC and their other brands. The pull back of MK could be to get through this transition. But after the merger there will need to be some adjustment to market placement as it would likely no longer make sense to have MK and Coach being direct competitors.

[wani]

Originally Posted by Jeff

On that note for that section of that site, it's bewildering how nothing has happened with the old Bed Bath and Beyond.

the mark’s next door is moving into that space, as per one of the employees when i stopped in a few months ago.

[Jeff]

ahhhh marks on the move at couple spots in the city.. shuffling the deck chairs.

[CoryB]

With these other Marks locations on the move I almost under if once SportsChek is out of Unicity if the Marks maybe moves into the space. They are both CT brands after all.

[Biff]

Every time I go into a Mark's it looks like the end of the day on Boxing Day.