[Moncton] Retail Thread

[MonctonRad]

Job fair this weekend for the new Fens/Starbucks/Denny's at the Mapleton/TCH interchange.

[MonctonRad]

Not sure when it happened, but the Game Stop signage at their location in Champlain Place has been swapped out for EB Games.

These companies became separate entities last year, so this was expected. I assumed the new signage would have been installed months ago.

EB Games is a Canadian company, and the new sign features a prominent maple leaf.

[Taeolas]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Not sure when it happened, but the Game Stop signage at their location in Champlain Place has been swapped out for EB Games.

These companies became separate entities last year, so this was expected. I assumed the new signage would have been installed months ago.

EB Games is a Canadian company, and the new sign features a prominent maple leaf.

If anyone's curious, the algorithm gave me a video about EBGames Canada. It's got some shades of how A&W split apart between the US and Canada. (TRU should have been a similar story but it doesn't seem like TRU.ca is going to make it).

Not sure if EB Games Canada will be able to go the distance or not, but it does seem to be trying to turn around. Focusing more on Geek culture in general might be the direction, as long as they don't dip too much into the trashy stuff. Having MacFarlane Toys as a direct supplier should be good.

[MonctonRad]

A very well placed source (somebody who should know), has indicated that Urban Barn is planning a Moncton location for next year.

I have some idea of where they will set up, but that part is still confidential. I will state however that we are almost certainly not looking at new construction, and that they will be taking up an existing retail vacancy.

[felip_ars]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

If anyone's curious, the algorithm gave me a video about EBGames Canada. It's got some shades of how A&W split apart between the US and Canada. (TRU should have been a similar story but it doesn't seem like TRU.ca is going to make it).

Not sure if EB Games Canada will be able to go the distance or not, but it does seem to be trying to turn around. Focusing more on Geek culture in general might be the direction, as long as they don't dip too much into the trashy stuff. Having MacFarlane Toys as a direct supplier should be good.

Right now the big thing for them is Pokemon cards. Every stores now has their own "card sections" where people can buy and even sell their cards. Every time I go (which is at least once or twice a week), theres always people buying or asking about cards.

Its at the point where the manager told me that whenever theres a "new release" of cards, there'll be a lineup of people 1h before the opening.

So if the cards trend can keep up, I think they'll be alright, as the Funko Pop stuff kinda toned down a lil, and videogames is almost an afterthought (Microsoft no longer pay for a spot now, so they just put the games in a corner).

[MonctonRad]

FWIW, when I noted the new EB Games signage, I also noted the store seemed incredibly busy (probably the most packed store in the mall).

Jeff Boucher over at Retail Talk NB told me he suspects the new Mind Games store might take over the former Eddie Bauer on the other side of the corridor. There could be tremendous synergy between Mind Games and EB Games bringing a lot of energy to this wing of the mall.

[Taeolas]

In Regent, EBGames (I haven't checked if they rebranded yet) are down at the old Sears end of the mall, near the Brick/Dollarama. Now that Bootlegger and Continental are closing, that leaves a big chunk of space almost "across the hall" from EB games. So I wonder if Mind Games will be going into some of those slots for the synergy. Maybe the VR Kiosks currently near Walmart might move down there too.

[DyAm00394]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

Now that Bootlegger and Continental are closing, that leaves a big chunk of space almost "across the hall" from EB games. So I wonder if Mind Games will be going into some of those slots for the synergy. Maybe the VR Kiosks currently near Walmart might move down there too.

Continental is closing at Regent? It only opened mid-2025. I was told that Fairweather and International Clothiers is also closing. So those two spots are also options. Looking at pictures of Mind Games stores, they don't renovate the spaces they lease. So it will be a quick opening.

[Taeolas]

Originally Posted by DyAm00394

Continental is closing at Regent? It only opened mid-2025. I was told that Fairweather and International Clothiers is also closing. So those two spots are also options. Looking at pictures of Mind Games stores, they don't renovate the spaces they lease. So it will be a quick opening.

I could have missread the signs, especially since that type of store seems to love using the Going out of Business yellow/black colour scheme for their signs. And also messed up store names. I said Bootlegger when I meant Warehouse One. shows how much I pay attention to that type of store.

But yeah I'm pretty sure Regent has 3 stores closing up soon, and 2 of them are down at the Brick end of the mall. Come to think of it, Fairweather is finally closing, so the old Radio Shack corner location will be available and might be something Mind Games will snag.

[MonctonRad]

Construction hoarding is now up at the former Bootlegger in Champlain Place. This will likely be the home of the new Miniso.

[DyAm00394]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Construction hoarding is now up at the former Bootlegger in Champlain Place. This will likely be the home of the new Miniso.

Most likely. Looks like Champlain Place will be their smallest NB location at 2,803sf. McAllister Place will be the largest at 3,540sf and Regent Mall the 2nd largest at 3,473sf.

Miniso will be a welcome addition to all three big NB malls. Will certainly give YOYOSO some competition at both McAllister and Regent.

[MonctonRad]

From Retail Insider
https://retail-insider.com/retail-inside...rts-growth-strategy-with-discount-focus/

Empire Co. Ltd. is making a significant bet on the future of discount grocery retailing in Canada.

The parent company of Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo, Farm Boy and IGA plans to open 70 new stores over the next three years, with more than three-quarters of those locations expected to operate under discount banners.

Empire plans to open more than 20 stores during fiscal 2027 alone. The company also expects to complete approximately 90 real estate projects annually through a combination of new stores, renovations and conversions

Much of Empire’s planned expansion is expected to come through FreshCo, the company’s discount grocery banner.

FreshCo now operates more than 160 stores across Ontario and Western Canada and recently entered Atlantic Canada, where Empire opened three locations during fiscal 2026. Management believes there is still considerable room for expansion across multiple regions, particularly in markets where discount grocery remains underrepresented within its network.

With 70 new stores planned over the next three years, and with FreshCo entering the Atlantic Canadian market, I think it is a slam dunk that we will see at least one of these stores in greater Moncton over the next few years.

The question is where?

- Sobeys owns land in Magnetic Hill (enough for a full retail plaza). Could a FreshCo come here? The article also stated that Empire wanted to invest more on their pharmacy side (Lawtons), and, if a decision were made to build at Magnetic Hill, a Lawtons could be built out there at the same time
- Uptown Dieppe/Harrisville is also missing a Sobeys presence. A Sobeys or FreshCo out there would also make a lot of sense.
- Josh mentioned that the current Sobeys in Shediac is under-built. Could this be converted to a FreshCo, with the main Sobeys being relocated elsewhere, like to Ohio Road?

With Superstore building at least one new No Frills at Emmerson Park, and rumours for as many as three stores planned for the metro area, it would make sense for Empire to meet this threat with similar expansion plans. I think at least one and possibly two Fresh Cos are on the way.......

[jonny golden]

What about the old vacant Sobeys/Kent store in Riverview? Maybe this could be one of their renovation/conversion projects.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by jonny golden

What about the old vacant Sobeys/Kent store in Riverview? Maybe this could be one of their renovation/conversion projects.

There could be two suitors for this property - No Frills and FreshCo.

An interesting possibility would be for the former Kent to become a FreshCo, while No Frills sets up a beachhead in Findlay Park to go head-to-head with the Sobeys store there.

There is a discount grocery war brewing in greater Moncton. The next few years will be quite interesting.

[Taeolas]

Considering that Loblaws has been aggressively pushing out NoFrills (and Maxi) lately, especially into the Maritimes, I'm not surprised to see Sobeys trying to play catch up.

The Freddy market is getting pretty saturated, but maybe they could flip one of the smaller Sobeys to FreshCo (like the one at the bottom of Regent).

In Moncton, maybe one of the Sobeys near Champlain place could be flipped? That would give an illusion of choice in the area, instead of people constantly wondering "Why are there 2 Sobeys across the street from eachother?".

A Magnetic Hill area grocery store is certainly overdue.

[bingun]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

Considering that Loblaws has been aggressively pushing out NoFrills (and Maxi) lately, especially into the Maritimes, I'm not surprised to see Sobeys trying to play catch up.

The Freddy market is getting pretty saturated, but maybe they could flip one of the smaller Sobeys to FreshCo (like the one at the bottom of Regent).

In Moncton, maybe one of the Sobeys near Champlain place could be flipped? That would give an illusion of choice in the area, instead of people constantly wondering "Why are there 2 Sobeys across the street from eachother?".

A Magnetic Hill area grocery store is certainly overdue.

The North End of Saint John would be a good candidate, replacing the existing, very dated Sobeys at Lansdowne and well-suited to the demographics of the local area. I won't hold my breath, though.

[josh_cat_eyes]

I could also envision that the Sobeys in Champlain Mall could be turned into a FreshCo. That store need a renovation but I can’t see it staying as a Sobeys post renovation. I don’t believe it makes a lot of financial sense to do that.

[adamuptownsj]

Originally Posted by bingun

The North End of Saint John would be a good candidate, replacing the existing, very dated Sobeys at Lansdowne and well-suited to the demographics of the local area. I won't hold my breath, though.

That's the first one I thought of, too. Ideally it would be built out to the corner of Visart/Landsdowne with Churchill extended south to Sears. Intersections of Churchill/Visart, Wellesley/Landsdowne, and Teck/Landsdowne should be the points of entry into the plaza, the former two signalized, instead of six awkward curb cuts.

Gemini tells me standard Sobeys run ~40K sf, Sobeys Extra ~55K sf. The existing North End Sobeys is about 45K, but it feels a lot smaller than the slightly-smaller West Side location. East is about 55K and KV, about 48K.

FreshCos apparently run about 35K.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

A very well placed source (somebody who should know), has indicated that Urban Barn is planning a Moncton location for next year.

I have some idea of where they will set up, but that part is still confidential. I will state however that we are almost certainly not looking at new construction, and that they will be taking up an existing retail vacancy.

AllNB apparently has posted an article confirming Urban Barn is planning a location in Moncton.

Given that the cat is out of the bag (so to speak), or, that we are beyond the rumour stage, I will reveal the probable location of the store.

The new Urban Barn will be heading for the Mapleton Centre, in a subdivided portion of the former Ashley Home Store. I have it on reasonable authority that there is a secured tenant for the second subdivided portion of the former Ashley store, but, since this a little less well verified, I will refrain from revealing who it is.

Does anyone have an AllNB subscription? I would really like to know exactly what it is that they said............

[MonctonRad]

Miniso is definitely coming to the former Bootlegger next to Jump+ at Champlain Place.