Regina Construction II

[thefourthtower]

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[osmo]

Whole Foods is terrible IMO. Its all overpriced greenwashed items, plus I don't think the Regina market is mature enough for it yet. Toronto only has one(?) in the City and its not even "Downtown", its right smack dab beside Yorkville to carter to the richies. Look where they plop down their stores, they would for sure put a location in near Wascana View/White City or Lakeridge before downtown . And IMO Regina with a 40%+ obesity rate isn't ideal for the Whole Foods Brand (its tough but true though). And lastly Whole foods would gut out all of our great independent organic stores, we should support those first!


Sobeys makes great compact urban locations, under the 'Sobeys Urban Fresh' moniker.

Here is the Edmonton Jasper Ave. location, very sleek IMO, Plus Sobeys+IGA has a long tradition here in Regina, I think it would work out well. Put some parking below grade and your good to go.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=edmonton+u...Kuw0icSTcXW49cww&cbp=12,330.11,,0,-10.76


Here is the Edmonton UofA. location, it nice too.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&biw=13...a=X&oi=local_group&ct=image&ved=0CAQQtgM

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by osmo

Whole Foods is terrible IMO. Its all overpriced greenwashed items, plus I don't think the Regina market is mature enough for it yet. Toronto only has one(?) in the City and its not even "Downtown", its right smack dab beside Yorkville to carter to the richies. Look where they plop down their stores, they would for sure put a location in near Wascana View/White City or Lakeridge before downtown . And IMO Regina with a 40%+ obesity rate isn't ideal for the Whole Foods Brand (its tough but true though). And lastly Whole foods would gut out all of our great independent organic stores, we should support those first!

That stat is not correct. Saskatchewan as a whole is about 1/2 that rate and Urban areas are lower than rural.

[osmo]

Originally Posted by Stormer

That stat is not correct. Saskatchewan as a whole is about 1/2 that rate and Urban areas are lower than rural.

It depends on what stats you look at. 18+/-, self reported, "obese"+"overweight" etc.. etc..

This was told to me by a family member whom is a researcher in Public health and is further their studies to become a dietitian.

There was a period when Saskatchewan ranked first in the nation in weight, now that is Newfoundland - still 2nd place is nothing to rave about - we're a porky bunch here.

Whole Foods would not view Sask as an ideal market yet, areas such as Calgary still need to be tapped.

There is really nothing revolutionary about Whole Foods, it is a brand like many others, their products are readily available through most other chained/ large independent organic grocers. Whole foods maintains a exclusive high-class post yuppie reach, Regina still doesn't even have its yuppies and young professional class solidified yet, this current boom we are will solidify that though for sure.

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by osmo

It depends on what stats you look at. 18+/-, self reported, "obese"+"overweight" etc.. etc..

This was told to me by a family member whom is a researcher in Public health and is further their studies to become a dietitian.

There was a period when Saskatchewan ranked first in the nation in weight, now that is Newfoundland - still 2nd place is nothing to rave about - we're a porky bunch here.

Whole Foods would not view Sask as an ideal market yet, areas such as Calgary still need to be tapped.

There is really nothing revolutionary about Whole Foods, it is a brand like many others, their products are readily available through most other chained/ large independent organic grocers. Whole foods maintains a exclusive high-class post yuppie reach, Regina still doesn't even have its yuppies and young professional class solidified yet, this current boom we are will solidify that though for sure.

I agree with you generally, it is just that obese and overweght are very different. There is no way 2 in 5 people in Regina are obese.

[Scruff Bucket]

Granted, yes, Whole Foods tends to locate in or near more affluent neighbourhoods, or where there will be demand for their brand. Regina, and even Saskatoon may be still be too small in numbers of people who could support their market! It seems a lot of well-to-do people/families around here are quite selective (thrifty) where/what they spend on certain things -- I guess when you've lived for some years in a place with an (comparably) affordable cost of living base, you will tend to favour that base! Even a large population base is no guarantee for such a market. My brother is currently vacationing in London, UK, and he reports that at least one Whole Foods near where he is staying is closing down next week!

[osmo]

Originally Posted by Scruff Bucket

Granted, yes, Whole Foods tends to locate in or near more affluent neighbourhoods, or where there will be demand for their brand. Regina, and even Saskatoon may be still be too small in numbers of people who could support their market! It seems a lot of well-to-do people/families around here are quite selective (thrifty) where/what they spend on certain things -- I guess when you've lived for some years in a place with an (comparably) affordable cost of living base, you will tend to favour that base! Even a large population base is no guarantee for such a market. My brother is currently vacationing in London, UK, and he reports that at least one Whole Foods near where he is staying is closing down next week!

Interesting, Yes Whole Foods is a odd brand for sure. They favor High-end suburban locations it seems. I wonder in your brothers situation if it was the neighbor demographics hood that shifted or simply WF just getting their outlooks wrong.

For whatever store Regina lands for the eventual downtown grocer I just hope it is a favorable compact design. No need for a box with a parking lot around it. This store would serve a small but growing Downtown living base with a surge of timed shoppers whom work in the area.

What location do you guys think would be ideal for a downtown grocery? store?

[CCF]

Originally Posted by osmo

Interesting, Yes Whole Foods is a odd brand for sure. They favor High-end suburban locations it seems. I wonder in your brothers situation if it was the neighbor demographics hood that shifted or simply WF just getting their outlooks wrong.

For whatever store Regina lands for the eventual downtown grocer I just hope it is a favorable compact design. No need for a box with a parking lot around it. This store would serve a small but growing Downtown living base with a surge of timed shoppers whom work in the area.

What location do you guys think would be ideal for a downtown grocery? store?

Victoria Ave between Hamilton and Rose. Currently an Impark lot. High vehicular traffic and close enough to the heart of downtown, Core neighbourhood that it would generate could foot traffic. That being said, I can't see that lot being developed for a long time.

[Scruff Bucket]

Originally Posted by osmo

Interesting, Yes Whole Foods is a odd brand for sure. They favor High-end suburban locations it seems. I wonder in your brothers situation if it was the neighbor demographics hood that shifted or simply WF just getting their outlooks wrong.

I would chalk it up to the less than optimum state-of-economy that is widespread throughout Europe, even in London (hence, the riots of the past weeks).

I concede that IGA/Sobey's might be a better fit for downtown. Would they be in a position to operate an additional location within the city? I'm thinking that no company would want to saturate an area with too many stores, if it would become significantly less profitable. Mind you, Vancouver's downtown has a grocery supermarket for every 10-15k residents, and Regina's core and surrounding area has probably about 40k, with 2 nearby supermarkets flanking the area, so there might be some room. Of course, Vancouver's downtown also has a bustling tourist and business population that might affect the dynamics! Are there any other medium/large scale grocers that could/would locate downtown?

[jw6969]

little off topic here but

Did anyone see the landfill fire in person. Was like an episode out the Simpsons.

[youngregina]

Originally Posted by jw6969

little off topic here but

Did anyone see the landfill fire in person. Was like an episode out the Simpsons.

YES I did. I actually went there around 6 pm and took some photos of the fire. I went about halfway up the hill before someone told me that I had to leave the premises. Oh well, I did get some pretty close up shots though.

[jigglysquishy]

I used to work at Sobeys and I sent probably a dozen letters to corporate asking to open a store downtown.

Needless to say I never got a response.

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by youngregina

YES I did. I actually went there around 6 pm and took some photos of the fire. I went about halfway up the hill before someone told me that I had to leave the premises. Oh well, I did get some pretty close up shots though.

So are you going to post or at least give us access to you photobucket album.

I saw it from downtown and it looked like a volcano.



This is an actual shield volcano. Pretty much what it looked like.

[youngregina]

Originally Posted by Stormer

So are you going to post or at least give us access to you photobucket album.

I saw it from downtown and it looked like a volcano.

This is an actual shield volcano. Pretty much what it looked like.

you dont have access to my photobucket album? All this time I thought anyone could look at it. If that is the case, I will try and see what I can do to enable everyone to view at their leisure.

[HomeInMyShoes]

[youngregina]

Those are some pretty kickass shots there Homeinmyshoes. When I was driving north on braod street a couple days ago, I noticed that the balconies on the Regina Inn have changed shape; the pointed edge has been cut flat. Has anyone else noticed this? Or is this just an optical illusion because I wasn't wearing my glasses..?

[Draftsman]

You are correct, they have been cutting the concrete and reshaping the balconies so there will be no 'point'. They will be more trapezoid-like in shape. I also noticed a few days ago that they have removed the old neon signage from the upper west facade (I assume the east one has been removed as well). I am disappointed that they did so - even if they hadn't used the neon signs in several years.

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by youngregina

Those are some pretty kickass shots there Homeinmyshoes. When I was driving north on braod street a couple days ago, I noticed that the balconies on the Regina Inn have changed shape; the pointed edge has been cut flat. Has anyone else noticed this? Or is this just an optical illusion because I wasn't wearing my glasses..?

Yes they will no longer form the iconic zigzag. With glass railings and new white doors it will be have a radically different look. They are also painting the building. I assume it will be something that goes with the white door and railings.

[Stormer]

Nice to see the homage to our pioneer past with the out house. Seriously, I hope this temp building is not there too long. It really does not fit with the sleekness of the rest of the plaza. Now if they put a crescent moon on the door...

[jigglysquishy]

Are they just changing the balconies? As much as I love the Regina Inn I feel like the pink facade is in need of an update.

With Tower III being on the third floor I wouldn't be surprised if the thing is viewable from Victoria/Ring Road by the end of September.