Winnipeg Retail

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by thurmas

It seems this page has just become the whatever is moving around polo park page? Is there ever any non polo park news?

Fat Guys Auto Parts heard your request for retail news outside of Polo Park. They are well underway on the location most recently used as a COVID test site on Nairn.

Also not retail directly but Osmows has their signage up on Regent at the former Arby's site. It does not appear to be open yet.

[cslusarc]

Retail Insider reports that RONA will begin to rebrand 10 Lowe's stores in Ontario to the new RONA+ banner in July.

What will happen to the stores in Winnipeg? My local store, on PTH 59 @ Almey Ave, was orginally a Revy, then a RONA Home & Garden before rebranding to Lowe's. I expect it to rebrand to RONA+ too by November 2024.

[horrorbro123]

Something Going On Former Northern Reflections Next To Shaw in Polo Park

[WinCitySparky]

…no

[Wpg_Guy]

There is a cafe opening in the CRU of Smith Street Lofts downtown.

[yellowbean]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

There is a cafe opening in the CRU of Smith Street Lofts downtown.

That's awesome! I'm in that area quite often for the bubble tea at Xing Fu Tang and always felt that it could be something more with just more presence; I see the cafe making that area even more livelier.

Any other further intel on what kind of cafe it is?

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by yellowbean

That's awesome! I'm in that area quite often for the bubble tea at Xing Fu Tang and always felt that it could be something more with just more presence; I see the cafe making that area even more livelier.

Any other further intel on what kind of cafe it is?

It’s called Lavanda, for morning rituals and afternoon indulging.

[kjmz]

This building is filling up quick. 11 CRUs in this building and only 2 CRUs are available. Here are the confirmed tenants:

• Steel N Ink
• NAILS 4 YOU
• Starbucks with drive thru and patio.

[Biff]

I am currently in Chicago. Lots or for lease signs on Michigan Ave (Magnificent Mile). A lot of the stores I remember being here 5 years ago are gone.

It is not a Winnipeg specific thing.

One thing Winnipeg could do better is police presence. Police cruisers on most street corners. Some here will say that sounds terrible, like a police state, but You feel very safe wandering around. Very little visible panhandling. Zero encampments, very clean. Constant cleaning happening.

Every time I have been it has felt very safe and clean.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by Biff

I am currently in Chicago. Lots or for lease signs on Michigan Ave (Magnificent Mile). A lot of the stores I remember being here 5 years ago are gone.

It is not a Winnipeg specific thing.

Been saying exactly this for a long time. Personally there is a company that makes leather laptop bags, wallets, etc that I like and own a couple of now. They would never have a retail store anywhere and are such a niche company they wouldn't even end up in stores carrying multiple brands. And then even for stores that have wide retail networks they often have lots of only online products and even in clothing.

The reality is leasing a CRU to sell merchandise is fairly expensive and when customers would rather either purchase a niche brand or have a cost savings on a product they are willing to go online to get that.

What that leaves is the very bottom of the low end where the product is essentially "free" to the company selling it. Which explains why dollar stores are popping up faster than weeds.

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by Biff

It is not a Winnipeg specific thing.

Can we get this scrolling across the top of every Winnipeg forum, preferably in huge flashing letters?

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by Biff

I am currently in Chicago. Lots or for lease signs on Michigan Ave (Magnificent Mile). A lot of the stores I remember being here 5 years ago are gone.

It is not a Winnipeg specific thing.

One thing Winnipeg could do better is police presence. Police cruisers on most street corners. Some here will say that sounds terrible, like a police state, but You feel very safe wandering around. Very little visible panhandling. Zero encampments, very clean. Constant cleaning happening.

Every time I have been it has felt very safe and clean.

I was also there the past week and a half and second those observations. Another thing that Chicago has done very well which I noted when I was on the architecture boat tour (highly recommend btw) is that they have done a fabulous job with their river walk. Apparently a condition that is placed on riverfront developments is that they will construct a section of riverwalk along their frontage. Seems reasonable to me. But I digress, despite the fact that there may be vacancies on the mag mile, there are many factors that play into that. I would also note that it is still a major retail street. Winnipeg simply has nothing like it. One block of retail high street is not that hard to do in a city of almost a million. Many small towns out-shine Winnipeg in that regard. I know Chi-Wpg is comparing apples to oranges, but the entire city down there is filled with retail high streets. Despite the deterministic prognostications of some forumers here, bricks and mortar retail will never truly die, and there will always be a healthy market for it. I know that a huge number of younger people in my age bracket are still avid shoppers, and not the online variety...

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by optimusREIM

Despite the deterministic prognostications of some forumers here, bricks and mortar retail will never truly die, and there will always be a healthy market for it. I know that a huge number of younger people in my age bracket are still avid shoppers, and not the online variety...

Looking forward to your plans to open a bricks and mortar store in downtown Winnipeg to prove there is a still a market for that and then your six month report after it opens.

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Looking forward to your plans to open a bricks and mortar store in downtown Winnipeg to prove there is a still a market for that and then your six month report after it opens.

I don't want to sound harsh, but you seem as though you have a vested interest in the failure of physical retail stores. How big is your stake in Amazon?

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by optimusREIM

I don't want to sound harsh, but you seem as though you have a vested interest in the failure of physical retail stores. How big is your stake in Amazon?

No vested interest in retail in any way. The global trend is for things to move online as it lowers the cost of goods to the consumer. Whatever future there is for bricks and mortar is going to heavily lean into local and independent operators often buying items for close to what anyone can get them for online and selling at a markup over the online costs. It is going to be an extremely tough dream to chase. Some might succeed but lots will fail trying.

The challenge if you say "but that's not for me" is how many people need to be aware of the idea and said that same thing before someone takes a chance. If you want bricks and mortar retail you need to start now and heavily focus your spending exclusively at those small, local, independent places.

[wags_in_the_peg]

definitly more convenient Starbucks location for many on Lag

[horrorbro123]

I Was at Polo Park On Sunday Now I Learn Zara Is Coming To Polo Park and Now Northern Reflections Is Taking Over Levi’s Location Next To Lush In Upper Level

[Biff]

In my conversations with the major real estate and leasing companies in Winnipeg, retail is doing very well in Winnipeg. It just is in poor shape downtown. Retail vacancy in the suburbs is very low. The malls are doing much better now too. I think the issues that malls are facing is not so much attracting retailers or retaining retailers but more in the relatively high failure of some major retailers post Covid.

I agree that although Chicago is on a different scale...9+ million vs just under 1 million here, there are lessons to be learned regarding downtown retail, the river walk, safety and cleanliness from them. They also have crappy winters (I know, not quite as bad) but similar scenarios.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by Biff

I agree that although Chicago is on a different scale...9+ million vs just under 1 million here, there are lessons to be learned regarding downtown retail, the river walk, safety and cleanliness from them. They also have crappy winters (I know, not quite as bad) but similar scenarios.

i felt the same in saskatoon for what its worth.

[WinCitySparky]

Nah he’s just got a vested interest in always being right