2 new power centres for Hamilton!!!!

[Millstone]

Originally Posted by LikeHamilton

They don’t think of city limits when they plan power centers. There is 400,000+ people living south of Hamilton from Welland to Simcoe and to Lake Eire that Limeridge, Fortinos and the power centers are the closest that they have to major shopping. I have friends in Dunnville, Caledonia, Port Dover and Hagersville that do not think twice about driving into Hamilton for shopping. There is nothing out there.

Pen Centre? Niagara Square? Galleria Mall?

Are you saying Fortinos is the only supermarket from Hamilton to Buffalo?

[Mordack]

Originally Posted by flar

It's like a replica of the Meadowlands. But it's only like 15 km away from the Meadowlands. How many of these things can the city even support? I mean they're building a new Future Shop at the Smart Centre in Ancaster and it's literally 9km and 8 minutes from the existing future Shop at the Meadowlands (which will become a Best Buy). Each of these will be about 20-25km and 15 to 20 minutes away from the Best Buy in Burlington.

With that high a surrounding population, it'll work. In Kingston, Best Buy and Future Shop are literally in the same power centre, and somehow it works.

[raisethehammer]

I can't wait until these things are all demolished and rebuilt or simply mothballed in 40 years. Of course, as a taxpayer I'll be the one paying for the massive cleanup and toxic land - similar to today's brownfields but on a much larger scale due to the huge amounts of wasted land being used in these 'power' centres. History will show that they had the shortest lifespan of any shopping format to ever be developed. The sooner the better.

[FairHamilton]

The twinning of Best Buy and Future Shop serves a couple of purposes.

1. More than 1 electronic store creates an electronics destination location, i.e. there's more reason to go to the area because there are lots of electronics. Look at Moutain Equipment Co-Op in Toronto. Smaller players like Europe Bound and another outdoor store are located right across the street, and Taylor outdoor is around the corner on Spadina. That makes the area an outdoor destination area. In fact Europe Bound followed MEC to their present location when they re-located from Front Street E to King Street W a few years ago. Europe Bound also left the Front street store open, but I know they saw a significant drop in business when MEC left for King Street W.

2. Locating both discourages any competition from locating in the area. i.e. if there's a superstore a competitor may locate close by to benefit from the traffic it generates, and they can niche compete on certain product lines. If there are 2 superstores there is less niche left to compete for.

The FS sales guys are still slimy. I bought my HP laptop there and I didn't want to get too close to any of them......... just plain creepy.

[highwater]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

I can't wait until these things are all demolished and rebuilt or simply mothballed in 40 years.

Try 20.

[raisethehammer]

Originally Posted by BCTed

This sounds like quite a good lineup. I prefer the Chapters format over Indigo, but I like it all the same.

yes, it sounds like they put in a lot of time and effort coming up with such a unique list of stores and companies to locate here. Definitely not like most big box complexes.

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

yes, it sounds like they put in a lot of time and effort coming up with such a unique list of stores and companies to locate here. Definitely not like most big box complexes.

Whatever. Hamilton does not currently have a single Best Buy, Indigo, or Milestones, and there is only one stadium-style movie theatre currently within the city limits ---- I like all of those places.

Pro Hockey Life is also a first. The only other one I know if just opened in Vaughan Mills and it is a seriously impressive hockey equipment/accessories/paraphernelia store.

[matt602]

I'm going to agree. Those all sound like some pretty awesome stores to have. I hate having to go all the way out to Ancaster to watch a movie in a proper stadium seating environment (although it's still going to be a pain in the ass to get to this place as well).

I wish the Indigo were downtown, but I think we've still got a long way to go until we see anything like that.

[HAMRetrofit]

from Matt602 "I wish the Indigo were downtown, but I think we've still got a long way to go until we see anything like that."

I don't know why people think that there is somehow a long way to go to attract big retail to the downtown. Developments like this work in tandem with other large scale development. The idea that the downtown is not attracting these clients because there is some kind of demographic problem etc. is wrong. The demographics don't really matter so much as the development of a large scale economic scheme. Something needs to be done to work with the developers to locate downtown and create a major destination. These things will all come at once. If a major retail destination is created by locating these same businesses in the core, it will become a regional destination.

Think about it...there is nothing around these suburban big box complexes. The developers formulate a massive development to attract regional consumers. The downtown needs to get aggressive and compete with this market. To do so, it may need to offer some kind of economic leverage to make it happen.

[realcity]

at this point of big box saturation the only thing left is for them to canabalize themselves. I don't think these shoppers are patronizing downtown, just Meadowlands and Lime Ridge. So let them consume themselves to death; it's going to hurt Meadownlands more and perhaps we'll see empty stores like the abandoned stretch of Limeridge Road (the old McDonalds) that occurred when the Linc was built.

[realcity]

Originally Posted by BCTed

Whatever. Hamilton does not currently have a single Best Buy, Indigo, or Milestones, and there is only one stadium-style movie theatre currently within the city limits ---- I like all of those places.

The point is, we get the EXACT same schlock at Future Shop, Chapters and Kelseys.... all located in the Meadowlands.... regardless of the logo hanging in front of the cinder blocks.

[Goldfinger]

Originally Posted by HAMRetrofit

from Matt602 "I wish the Indigo were downtown, but I think we've still got a long way to go until we see anything like that."

I don't know why people think that there is somehow a long way to go to attract big retail to the downtown. Developments like this work in tandem with other large scale development. The idea that the downtown is not attracting these clients because there is some kind of demographic problem etc. is wrong. The demographics don't really matter so much as the development of a large scale economic scheme. Something needs to be done to work with the developers to locate downtown and create a major destination. These things will all come at once. If a major retail destination is created by locating these same businesses in the core, it will become a regional destination.

Think about it...there is nothing around these suburban big box complexes. The developers formulate a massive development to attract regional consumers. The downtown needs to get aggressive and compete with this market. To do so, it may need to offer some kind of economic leverage to make it happen.

It's worth a shot but I think the problem is that there are no large national developers willing to give it a try.

[highwater]

Quote:
Originally Posted by raisethehammer
I can't wait until these things are all demolished and rebuilt or simply mothballed in 40 years.

Try 20.


Actually I 'm starting to think it might be more like 5. Looking at the financial meltdown south of the border and the impending recession, I can't imagine why anyone is investing in new retail right now. I guess their bean counters have counted the beans, and they build these things so cheaply that they make their investment back within a few years, hell a few quarters for all I know, and they don't give a crap what happens after that.

Now excuse me while I go call my broker and tell him to get me out of Partsource and into Smith and Wesson.

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by realcity

The point is, we get the EXACT same schlock at Future Shop, Chapters and Kelseys.... all located in the Meadowlands.... regardless of the logo hanging in front of the cinder blocks.

I prefer Best Buy over Future Shop and Chapters over Indigo, while Kelsey's and Milestones are a wash. They are not all exactly the same to me. These stores also probably most things you can find at Bob's Electronics, Jim's Bookstore, and Frank's Eatery, so by your logic, there would be no need to go to those places either.

[waterloowarrior]

Another one that's in a lot of power centres where the same company runs/franchises every store and creates "competition" is the Forzani Group, which includes Sport Chek, Coast Mountain Sports, Sport Mart, National Sports, Hockey Experts', Athlete's World, and Sports Experts..

[the dude]

Originally Posted by highwater

Now excuse me while I go call my broker and tell him to get me out of Partsource and into Smith and Wesson.

haha...it's hard to imagine it's even possible but i think we're going to see a spike in firearms purchases in the coming months south of the border. a good choice in investments, highwater.

[hammergirl]

Originally Posted by BCTed

Whatever. Hamilton does not currently have a single Best Buy, Indigo, or Milestones, and there is only one stadium-style movie theatre currently within the city limits ---- I like all of those places.

Pro Hockey Life is also a first. The only other one I know if just opened in Vaughan Mills and it is a seriously impressive hockey equipment/accessories/paraphernelia store.

Speaking for the token females on the board, Hamilton don't have a Linens N Things either

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by hammergirl

Speaking for the token females on the board, Hamilton don't have a Linens N Things either

There we go. I was unsure about that one.

[realcity]

Power Centers and malls like Lime Ridge would never allow Bob's Electronics, Jim's Bookstore, and Frank's Eatery even if they had the inventory and money. I know independent businesses that have tried to get into Lime Ridge and mall management says "we'll put you on the waiting list", while (inter)national chains are courted and fast-tracked a lease.

So what we have -- regardless if you think Best Buy and Future Shop, Home Depot and Lowe's, Chapters and Indigo are really that different other then their branding -- is a homogenous looking nation/continent of suburbs that function and cater to the same homogenous lifestyle/persons.

[raisethehammer]

Having just spent this glorious morning at a jam-packed Jackson/Farmers Market and jam-packed Locke walking in the sunshine to Goodness Me and local cafe, I just chuckle at all the poor souls trudging through Limeridge right now....no sunshine, no natural flow of humanity, no trees, birds or crowded sidewalks. I can say all this and feel sorry for them because I was raised up there and know first-hand how lame and boring it is. No wonder folks up there 'hate' Hamilton.