The Retail Thread

[Plus15]

I'm referring to the parking lots on the current site...the site plan I saw only briefly showed a series of about six buildings stretching from the parking lot right in front of the TD Bank all the way to the theaters.

I agree about timelines. I think it's pretty far out...

[RyLucky]

Originally Posted by Plus15

RE: Chinook Centre expansion:

As far as I know, the DC zoning of Chinook's site does not allow for any further GLA expansion. When they went for approval on the last addition, they had to have the DC changed to allow for more retail space. The City granted enough additional space to accommodate that expansion - and not a square foot more. Meaning right now the site legally cannot accommodate an expansion like the last one - the City would have to amend the DC again (not likely as the last amendment just squeaked by).

So, Cadillac Fairview is planning 'TOD' type development on the East parking lots including hotel, office and residential towers, with retail in the podiums below. Presumably, the City will allow more retail on the site IF it is in tandem with multi-use towers above.

Long story short, another expansion like the last one at Chinook is HIGHLY unlikely.

The expansion shouldn't be a problem so long as (1) it allows parking access from the east side of Macleod, (2) it incorporates improved access to LRT, and (3) it incorporates more uses. A tall order, but Chinook is so successful, I don't doubt they can work something out. Hopefully they make a concept render public in the near future. Believe it or not, Chinook mall is an important 'institution' for the city.

[Retail-Insider]

Originally Posted by Spring2008

lol nice, but I don't think anybody on here will ever set foot in there unless they got dragged in by their gf.

Cool website you have btw. I noticed you have an earlier post about The Bay at Chinook getting a Top Shop and Top Man, plus a major reno similar to the recently rennovated Yorkdale location. Is this all supposed to be complete by November, including The Bay renovation?


http://www.retail-insider.com/2013/02/topshop-to-open-in-renovated-hudsons.html

And just like DizzyEdge, I too am wondering if you know any timeline info of the Chinook Expansion? The former mall GM mentioned last fall something like - we are working on a list of global retailers that Calgarians couldn't even dream of for our new expansion.

Re: The Chinook Hudson's Bay renovation... they're aiming for a fall completion date on the store renovations, but you never know with these things... Hudson's Bay's expenditures are often done 'on a budget', meaning there can sometimes be delays, unfortunately. That, and they tend to renovate portions of stores periodically so a 'completion date' is hard to predict.

We've heard Chinook expansion plans may occur via adjacent parcel addition, and we shouldn't rule-out a rezoning of the current parcel just yet. Money talks and the City might consider a world-class, expanded shopping centre will be in the best interest to Calgary as a whole. We can't confirm any timelines, sorry.

[DizzyEdge]

Originally Posted by Plus15

RE: Chinook Centre expansion:

As far as I know, the DC zoning of Chinook's site does not allow for any further GLA expansion. When they went for approval on the last addition, they had to have the DC changed to allow for more retail space. The City granted enough additional space to accommodate that expansion - and not a square foot more. Meaning right now the site legally cannot accommodate an expansion like the last one - the City would have to amend the DC again (not likely as the last amendment just squeaked by).

So, Cadillac Fairview is planning 'TOD' type development on the East parking lots including hotel, office and residential towers, with retail in the podiums below. Presumably, the City will allow more retail on the site IF it is in tandem with multi-use towers above.

Long story short, another expansion like the last one at Chinook is HIGHLY unlikely.

Any idea why there would be resistance to converting surface parking into something more productive?

[SpongeG]

maybe the city also wants to encourage some of the potential tenants to look downtown for their stores and by zoning or denying expansion retailers are forced to go downtown

[Plus15]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

Any idea why there would be resistance to converting surface parking into something more productive?

I think the city is concerned about additional congestion that will be created by 50-100 more retailers and another 1,500 or so new parking spaces. I believe that Cadillac has been in discussion with the city and hopefully they are receptive to further development, perhaps someone in the know there could shed some light on any progress.

[DizzyEdge]

^^ That doesn't bode well for the city's encouragement to build a large TOD node for that area if just the mall expanding is anticipated to create gridlock.

[Rusty van Reddick]

Originally Posted by kap384

Believe its a Cactus Club

That would be nice. I was just at the Cactus Club website (the great job their corp chef is doing on Top Chef Canada got me intrigued) and I was thinking how unfortunate it is that they don't any inner-city locations in Calgary as opposed to the many such options in Vancouver. They're opening in DT Edmonton though.

[Spring2008]

Originally Posted by Plus15

I'm referring to the parking lots on the current site...the site plan I saw only briefly showed a series of about six buildings stretching from the parking lot right in front of the TD Bank all the way to the theaters.

Looks like that area is currently being looked at by the city for amendment:

http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/LUPP/Pages/Cur...pment-tod/Chinook-Station-Area-Plan.aspx

More detailed Chinook TOD pdf file here:
http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/LUPP/Documents/Publications/chinook-sap.pdf

[artvandelay]

Originally Posted by Rusty van Reddick

That would be nice. I was just at the Cactus Club website (the great job their corp chef is doing on Top Chef Canada got me intrigued) and I was thinking how unfortunate it is that they don't any inner-city locations in Calgary as opposed to the many such options in Vancouver. They're opening in DT Edmonton though.

I hope it's true, I love the design of their location on Burrard:


Linky

The food is good and the "talent" isn't half bad either.

[Rusty van Reddick]

Originally Posted by artvandelay

I hope it's true, I love the design of their location on Burrard. The food is good and the "talent" isn't half bad either.

Yeah, glad to see that we agree that Top Chef Canada contestant Matthew's pretty hot but I think he waxes his chest. I hate that.

As to design- I've never actually eaten there, but even their Barlow location looks neat- really neat, at least from their website shots. Stephen Ave should be amazing.

[artvandelay]

Originally Posted by Rusty van Reddick

Yeah, glad to see that we agree that Top Chef Canada contestant Matthew's pretty hot but I think he waxes his chest. I hate that.

Such a turn off.

[Spring2008]

Apparently Goodlife Fitness is leasing the retail portion of the Old Bank of Montreal Building. Wasn't really expecting a gym there, but better than sitting empty I guess. Anytime Fitness is also opening on 8th ave, a bit more west in that new small office building on ~6th street come May.

Also, read somewhere that those fake tree sculptors on Stephen are being fitted with changing color LED's. Could be a cool effect!

Calgary's retail landscape expands

Taurus Property Group is the largest retail landlord representative firm in Alberta with a current portfolio of 32 properties totalling more than 1.7 million square feet.

President Bernie Bayer, vice-president leasing Paul McCloy and director of leasing Bonnie Cooke cover a broad range of retail properties in major markets in this province and in Saskatchewan, including all aspects of retail leasing for Brookfield Properties, Dundee Realty and Triovest in Calgary.

They know their business well and process a lot of deals, but still get excited to share new leases, particularly those that are newcomers to this city.

Oska is not only new to Calgary, but the high-end internationally renowned Boehmian-style fashion store that will open on the Plus 15 level of Bankers Hall is the first of the German house's retail shops in Canada.

McCloy said another first for this city is Mastermind Toys. In business since 1984 and with more than 20 stores throughout Ontario, it has signed a lease with Taurus to take the 5,000 square feet vacated by Sony Store next to Urban Barn in Westhills Towne Centre - its first store outside of Ontario.

Taurus is responsible for all of the retail leasing in Westhills for Triovest and recently completed a contract that will see the Concorde Group open another National location later this summer in the former Blockbuster store there.

When the Bow building was in the initial design stages, Taurus was hired as a consultant to assist in the merchandising and planning of the retail spaces. In 2011, it was engaged by Matthews Southwest on behalf of H&R REIT to lease the 21,000 square feet of retail areas on the first two floors of the new tower.

Apart from a small 457-square-foot space, the leasing assignment has already been completed.

The main floor will be occupied by a 5,900-squarefoot CIBC branch, Fish-man's Cleaners, Shefield Express convenience store and Starbucks Coffee Company.

On the second level, workers in the Bow will be happy to see a 3,500-square-foot area leased to MTY Group of Montreal that will divide it up into separate brands - all new to Calgary's downtown - O'Burger, Koya Japan, Villa Medina and Kimchi Korean.

Tim Hortons, Extreme Pita and Denim & Smith Barber Shop have also leased space but the big excitement will be the opening of Mercatino and Patiserrie Du Soleil.

Mercatino is taking 3,700 square feet to open a new concept marche-style restaurant. Owner Amit Va-dan, whose family has been in the Calgary restaurant business for many years, has Tony Spoletini of Spolumbo's on his advisory board, so we know the quality of its sausages.

The Bow will be the third Calgary location for the hugely popular Patisserie du Soleil, selling its fresh baked daily savory French delights.

Bayer and his team are enjoying a very successful year to date that also includes locating a Marcello's on the east end of the Plus 15 level of Suncor Energy Centre and leasing the main and lower levels of the historic Bank of Montreal building on Stephen Avenue Mall to Goodlife Fitness.

A new contract is to handle the leasing of Crowfoot Crossing shopping centre and they are already researching who would be the best retail fit for Brookfield's new tower at 225 6th Avenue S.W. on the former Calgary Herald building site.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/Calgary+retail+andscape+expands/8214727/story.html#ixzz2QZcfzRwj

[Rusty van Reddick]

Wow, a David Parker column with a lot of useful info- miraculous.

Correction- the Villa Medina won't be the first in DT; there's one in The Core. O'Burger looks interesting-

http://www.oburger.ca/en/menu.aspx

Kim Chi Delight is one of my fave fast food places anywhere, in Market Mall is where I've had it. Everything is cooked to order and it's delicious. Really happy to see it opening downtown but wonder if the retail in The Bow will be open weekends?

B of M would make one hell of a gorgeous gym.

[Jimby]

Boutique Value Village is opening a fourth Calgary location in Silver Springs.

[MasterG]

So Phil & Sebastian coffee is opening across the street from purple perk in the Burkart block in mission.

[Ramsayfarian]

Originally Posted by MasterG

So Phil & Sebastian coffee is opening across the street from purple perk in the Burkart block in mission.

That has to be PP's biggest nightmare. I wish they were opening up closer to 4th st and 11 th ave, as that's still too far from my office.

[SpongeG]

render for nordstrom calgary


www.calgaryherald.com

[Rusty van Reddick]

Originally Posted by MasterG

So Phil & Sebastian coffee is opening across the street from purple perk in the Burkart block in mission.

Matthew Bates Block, not Burkart, and it's been talked about in the restaurants etc thread. I agree that this will, hopefully, be the death knell for Purple Perk or its impetus to get its — together.

Mission already does have an outstanding coffeehouse that opened recently- Savour in the Roxboro Shops.

[MasterG]

Originally Posted by Ramsayfarian

That has to be PP's biggest nightmare. I wish they were opening up closer to 4th st and 11 th ave, as that's still too far from my office.

yeah apparently they are all upset and freaking out for some competition coming in. Capitalism is a —.