[Moncton] Retail Thread

[Philbilly]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Just went online and bought my first IMAX tickets (in Moncton) for this weekend.

No more driving to Halifax.

How much is more ?

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Philbilly

How much is more ?

About $25.50 per ticket including taxes and online booking fee.

$21.00 general admission before tax

[MonctonRad]

They hoisted an IMAX banner on the side of the Dieppe Cineplex today. Actual signage has not yet been installed, but, you can see where it will go.

[MonctonRad]

Went to the IMAX last night.

Generally very good experience. They've created a blue lighted tunnel for you to access the auditorium from the main hallway of the Cineplex. The first thing that hits you as you walk down the tunnel is the smell of new leather. The seating is all new, high quality and there is an auto-recline feature, which I am not sure about. The screen is indeed floor to ceiling, the projected image was crisp, bright and highly detailed. The sound system was IMAX standard - spectacular.

Unfortunately the feature (Gladiator 2) was not shot in full IMAX aspect ratio, which detracted a little from the experience, but during the previews before the feature, they showed a clip from the upcoming Mission Impossible film with Tom Cruise and, that was in full IMAX glory - very impressive.

This is a top notch auditorium!

Any movie that I want to go to, if it is available in IMAX, I will make a point of watching it in IMAX.

[jonny golden]

Any movie that I want to go to, if it is available in IMAX, I will make a point of watching it in IMAX. [/QUOTE]

Was it a full house? Or close to it?

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by jonny golden

Was it a full house? Or close to it?

About 80% full. The best attendance I have seen at a movie since before the pandemic.

[DyAm00394]

Heard some chatter that Ardene at Champlain Place may possibly be relocating to the former Shoppers and Lululemon spaces. This will create one of their larger format stores. This chatter is of course not confirmed, but it would make sense for them to want to have a bigger store.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by DyAm00394

Heard some chatter that Ardene at Champlain Place may possibly be relocating to the former Shoppers and Lululemon spaces. This will create one of their larger format stores. This chatter is of course not confirmed, but it would make sense for them to want to have a bigger store.

We’ll call this the Westcliff effect. Back in the before times (CF), Uniqlo was rumoured to be interested in that space. Now, with Westcliff, they seem happy with a relocated Ardene.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen........

[MonctonRad]

There are rumours that the Stokes at Champlain Place may stay open. A couple of different people have made this claim over at Retail Talk & Share, and, the staff at the Moncton location have heard nothing about the store closing. It's business as usual for them. They were adamant that the Moncton store was a high performing location.

This is confusing as the press release pretty clearly stated that the chain was retreating to Ontario and Quebec and closing all other stores in Canada

I suppose it could be possible. Both Scholar's Choice and David's Tea suffered huge reductions in their store locations in the pandemic period, but, the Moncton locations remained open.

We'll see..............

[drewber]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

There are rumours that the Stokes at Champlain Place may stay open. A couple of different people have made this claim over at Retail Talk & Share, and, the staff at the Moncton location have heard nothing about the store closing. It's business as usual for them. They were adamant that the Moncton store was a high performing location.

This is confusing as the press release pretty clearly stated that the chain was retreating to Ontario and Quebec and closing all other stores in Canada

I suppose it could be possible. Both Scholar's Choice and David's Tea suffered huge reductions in their store locations in the pandemic period, but, the Moncton locations remained open.

We'll see..............

They owe almost 20 million Canadian. The plan is still to liquidate 45 stores and close them and keep the 50 in Ontario and Quebec that are profitable open. It's not like the employees are going to know more about it until the CCAA is actually filed

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

They hoisted an IMAX banner on the side of the Dieppe Cineplex today. Actual signage has not yet been installed, but, you can see where it will go.

Final signage is now installed, showing the Cineplex Dieppe has both an Ultra AVX auditorium and an IMAX.



Now, what will Cineplex do with their Wheeler Park location? Rumour is that it will be at least spruced up somewhat in the upcoming year.

[DyAm00394]

Some interesting news. Champlain Place's new owners, (Westcliff), has acquired another Cadillac Fairview mall. They are now the new owner of Fairview Park mall in Kitchener, Ontario. That mall is the leading shopping center in that area. https://westcliff.ca/en/press-release/we...quisition-of-fairview-park-in-kitchener/

[MonctonRad]

Very interesting indeed.

It appears that CF intends to move upmarket by divesting themselves of some of their more plebian assets.

At the same time, Westcliff also intends to move upmarket by acquiring CF's cast offs.

I actually find this move encouraging. If Westcliff develops a stable of mid level properties (both pre-existing and acquired), this will improve their position negotiating with potential higher end tenants.

A good news story actually.

[Taeolas]

I haven't been to KW in years, let alone to their malls; so my memory is about 20 years out of date now.

But from what I remember, KW's two Major malls are Conestoga Mall up in Waterloo, and Fairview mall down in Kitchener. And my memories seem to recall Fairview 'feels' very similar to Champlain Place in many ways, so having an owner to promote similar stores makes sense. (Conestoga on the other hand is a lot like Regent Mall in Freddy IMO, a slightly lower tier but having a lot of good stuff, with a bit of a focus more towards the Younger / University consumer base)

[jonny golden]

There seems to be a lot of movement in the retail mall sector recently. We have Primaris, Leyad and Westcliff making some significant acquisitions - a lot of which have been in the Maritime provinces; and I don't think we've seen the end of things on this front yet.

And then there's Tier Too (Doucet Properties) & Gray Group acquiring the Riverview mall. The residential component of this project just adds to the scope, and will be a great infilling project on Riverview's main drag. It will be a real shot in the arm for this area of the town.

Now if Leyad would only get involved in residential development in Moncton! They didn't rule it out when they acquired Wheeler Park but I'm not holding my breath on this happening any time soon.

[MonctonRad]

Walmart Canada back in growth mode
By Mario Toneguzzi
Date: November 29, 2024
https://retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2024/11/walmart-canada-back-in-growth-mode/

“We like to say that we are back in growth mode. We are going to be opening stores again. We’re going to continue to invest in our supply chain network . . . That’s very important for us. We want to continue to grow our e-commerce business. We’re going to continue to renovate our stores to bring the best standards for customers to have the best shopping experience.

We already know they're going to do a top/down renovation of the Walmart Supercentre at Champlain Place in 2025.

What are the chances we might see another Walmart in southeastern NB in the next few years?

The population in southeastern NB (Westmorland, Albert, Kent) is in the vicinity of 250,000 people. Is this enough population for a third Walmart store in the region? If so, where???

Some people think Riverview is due a store given their location on the other side of the river, but, this geographical fact also means that Riverview is somewhat isolated from the larger regional population on the north side of the Petitcodiac, and, more worrying is the fact that there is no major arterial or throughway on the south side of the river. Highway access is a big factor in the decision to locate any Walmart store. i sympathize with Riverview residents, but,I don't think it's gonna happen.

I can think of three potential locations on the north side of the river:

1) - Ohio Road in Shediac. Shediac is smaller than Riverview (for now) but lies centrally in the densely populated Northumberland shore region, and,Ohio Road is right off Highway 15, a limited access dual carriageway.
2) - Harrisville Blvd in Moncton. There is a lot of land available for commercial development on Harrisville Blvd near the Kent store. A store here would also serve the booming uptown Dieppe neighbourhood, and is strategically located immediately adjacent to Highway 15 (again a limited access dual carriageway). I have a gut feeling that development on Harrisville Blvd will take off if another anchor or two joins the pre-existing Kent store. A Walmart and a Sobeys would do very nicely in this regard.
3) - Granite Drive next to the Costco in Moncton. Would it be wise to place a Walmart right next to a Costco? I'm not sure, and, in many ways, this location would have weaker support from surrounding neighbourhoods, but, a store here would be immediately adjacent to the TCH, and would have excellent visibility for drive by traffic. People shopping at Costco might also go to Walmart at the same time. I'm more iffy on this location, but, it would be a strong option.

This is all just a thought experiment. I have no idea what will happen. I just think a regional population of 250,000 could support a third store, and, with the announcement that Walmart Canada is back in growth mode, it does make you wonder.......

Thoughts anyone????

[Sunnybrae]

I think the Giant Tiger in Riverview is enough for now. Just wish it was a stand alone store and bigger like the one in Truro. That one is very nice.

[sailor734]

Saint John is smaller than the Moncton CMA an has 2 Walmarts with the company having tried for a 3rd in the KV (and getting turned down) at least once. I could easily see a 3rd store soon in Moncton

[Taeolas]

Having the Walmart DC in the city will likely make the company more eager to expand their presence in the city.

Shediac feels like a very likely location for a 3rd Walmart in the greater Moncton Area.

Riverview is also a likely possibility and it would be within the city limits. If the town can get some of its bigger projects off the ground, that might be an impetus to bring it in.

A long shot would be to see them putting a smaller store in Sackville; mainly targeted for University students.

[MonctonRad]

I can't imagine Sackville is on the table. It is too small, and geographically remote from the greater metropolitan population, and, there is a Walmart in Amherst, only 10 km away.