General Retail News

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I think you are right. At least part of this expansion is about expanding from the francophone Quebec client base into English-speaking Canada. This is why when they first started looking at Ottawa-Gatineau it was all about Rideau and St Laurent. Gatineau was not a serious contender. Had they had a deal with either of the Ottawa malls that is where the store would have gone.

But no deals were possible and in the meantime Les Promenades was improving steadily and then got a new owner (Oxford) that is going to embark on a huge renovation to make it a more prestigious mall.

Gatineau is being seriously considered (some say it is close to a done deal) at the moment because Simons have probably now realized it would likely be a sure thing business-wise.

That would at least give Ottawa shoppers a reason to cross the river, something that doesn't happen much at present. I must say I've driven past the Promenades mall a thousand times over the years (if I'm correct that it's the one beside the highway), but it has never occurred to me to shop there.