The Metro Vancouver Retail Thread

[SpikePhanta]

So basically the only ones staying open are: KERRISDALE, KINGSWAY, FRASER...

[wrenegade]

16th & Oak is great re-development location, albeit with a funny shape and funny zoning.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by awvan

16th & Oak is great re-development location, albeit with a funny shape and funny zoning.

I'm surprised its closing, its always businer than the Rogers a block away.

BTW, what's up with the vacant lot there across 16th? They tore a three stroy walkup down years ago and now its a community garden. Who's holding onto that, and why?

[Denscity]

Just heard tristan in pacific centre will be leaving. guess in pc will be moving into their (larger) space.

[SpikePhanta]

I think Esprit should have kept the Robson space instead of joining their oldspace with Tristan's space.

[Van23H]

Does anyone know whats happening at Oakridge Centre? Have they got any new stores coming? and when is the expansion of the centre going to begin? they said that if expanded they were to add william and sonoma and pottery barn.

[jlousa]

Probably the worst kept secret is now official, Crate and Barrell moving to Oakridge.

Notification Letter
http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/developmentservices/devapps/pc650w41st/documents/notificationltr.pdf

Letter of Operation
http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/developmentservices/devapps/pc650w41st/documents/ltrofoperation.pdf

Design Rationale
http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/developmentservices/devapps/pc650w41st/documents/designrationale.pdf

[SpongeG]

too bad about it being one level - but cool - and the cinema will be gone eh? i guess the marine drive cinema will pick up the loss if it ever gets built

[AdrianT]

Cool, so it's taking over the cinema and the dim sum place?

[Van23H]

thanks for the news!!! thats will be a great draw for Oakridge centre since it has this last year missed out on other store opportunities ie. Stuart Weitzman and Anthropologie and zara(richmond).

[hollywoodnorth]

AWESOME stuff!

[whatnext]

Broadway was closed this morning due to a fire at the Toys R Us. I wonder if it is arson, there have been a lot of sketchy characters around Broadway lately, even wandering into restaurants and begging from patrons. Makes you wonder where the cops are.

[SpongeG]

3 Vancouver fires not linked say investigators


(about toys r us fire)
The fire was started inside the building and caused a substantial amount of damage, but firefighters appeared to have the blaze under control by 8:30 a.m. PT, according to Captain Gabe Roder.

The fire was caused by an electrical malfunction in a light fixture, said Roder, who was anxious to calm fears that an arsonist might be at work.


...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/06/03/bc-vancouver-fire.html

[G.O.B.]

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet but there's a new No Frills coming to Surrey. Fraser Hwy just east of 152nd.

[hollywoodnorth]

pic and story from >> http://vancouver.openfile.ca/vancouver/file/2011/04/new-army-navy-hits-hastings

Residents in Gastown have been doing double-takes recently as they walk by the brand new Army & Navy storefront at 207 West Hastings St. The unannounced location opened in early April with one thing in mind – convenience.

“We’ve dubbed it ‘the little brother’,” says Debbie Elliott, director of operations for Army & Navy department stores.

[logan5]

Originally Posted by hollywoodnorth

Residents in Gastown have been doing double-takes recently as they walk by the brand new Army & Navy storefront at 207 West Hastings St. The unannounced location opened in early April with one thing in mind – convenience.

“We’ve dubbed it ‘the little brother’,” says Debbie Elliott, director of operations for Army & Navy department stores.

I wonder if the owners are positioning themselves to close the main store in order to redevelop, which she has expressed interest in doing.

[jayyb]

Walking on Granville Street, noticed a lot of vacancies. A lot of recent vacancies are failed restaurant/lounges (Circa, Deuce Beungalo, Space Lounge etc.). Also, lots of new retail being built in the area including the 11,700 square foot building on Granville and Nelson and the new building beside the Roxy.

[jayyb]

Also, the retail unit on the corner of Bute and Melville has now been leased. Strange to see that one get leased so quick when all the new retail units across the street (Under the Ritz building) has sat vacant for over 2 years now.

[hollywoodnorth]

http://www.bivinteractive.com/index.php?...ss-outlet-&catid=14:daily-news&Itemid=46

http://www.vancouversun.com/Army+Navy+owner+recruits+Hastings+storefront+Express/4613721/story.html



The "yet" is a key word for A&N Express. Although main A&N store sales are reportedly running four per cent ahead of last year despite closure and redevelopment of its rented parking lot, Cohen said future growth will come from smaller stores. Two strokes of near blind luck will facilitate that.

The first resulted from Sam Cohen buying 10 acres of Port Coquitlam swampland in 1940 in order to erect an A&N billboard there. It's still undeveloped, but there's a Costco store now on one side and, on the other, a Walmart due to open in June will debut the Fremont Village shopping centre.

"People call me every day, and I tell them: 'Not for sale'" Cohen said.

As for her second stroke of luck, a decade ago she considered building a conventional A&N department store on the site, but instead rebuilt Sam's original billboard to read: "Army Navy Opening Soon." It never did, but the jackpot bell rang last week when the land was rezoned for mixed-use development. "I could have built a 120,000-square-foot store there," Cohen said. "But the world has changed, and the best use now may include residential and commercial [development] and a smaller, leaner 20,000-square-foot A&N Express."

[Built Form]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

this space on cambie was redone and looks really great but has sat empty for months - finally got a snap of it

pic by me

The space has now been leased but to what I don't know.