[Moncton] Retail Thread

[habs33]

A new restaurant has opened in the old Ed's Sub location on Archibald.
http://guacmsf.wix.com/guacamole

There's a story about it in today's T&T

[NBNYer]

Originally Posted by habs33

A new restaurant has opened in the old Ed's Sub location on Archibald.
http://guacmsf.wix.com/guacamole

There's a story about it in today's T&T

Looks very similar to the very popular Chipotle franchise. I use to eat at Chipotle all the time when I lived near one in the US, it's great. I always thought this type of food was lacking in Moncton. Great addition! can't wait to try it out.

[Taeolas]

Mmmm yeah it does look good, and very similar to Chipotle. Glad to see something like that around here. I hope he does well and looks to expand through the province and beyond.

[josh_cat_eyes]

Originally Posted by icetea93

It is always better to have big name stores rather many lesser know stores. Having Victoria's Secret open a large store is much better for the mall than having several lesser knowns

But they could expand and have both! Honestly I don't buy the whole "we can't build up" idea. If they can build a 6 story office building on the comer of Vaughan Harvey and Assumption then they can add another floor to Champlain place.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

Mmmm yeah it does look good, and very similar to Chipotle. Glad to see something like that around here. I hope he does well and looks to expand through the province and beyond.

Indeed, the owner's father has experience in franchising restaurants (Ed's Sub). I wonder if this new eatery couldn't be a template for a new region wide franchising model.

This would work very well on Main Street too. I predict 2-3 Guacamole restaurants in the metro area in the next couple of years........

[icetea93]

Originally Posted by josh_cat_eyes

But they could expand and have both! Honestly I don't buy the whole "we can't build up" idea. If they can build a 6 story office building on the comer of Vaughan Harvey and Assumption then they can add another floor to Champlain place.

I'm not sure there is enough demand for an entire second floor. Champlain Place is already the largest single building mall in Atlantic Canada. A small expansion may make sense if they have tenants lined up.

Either way, the number of stores in a mall matters much less to consumers than the quality/desirability of the individual stores.

[OUIR@random]

Oh, no! Not the ''let's build another storey'' to Champlain Place again... What's next; unearth the bring IKEA to Moncton topic? Good grief!

[josh_cat_eyes]

I think that there you could justify adding a second stores to part of the mall. Like between Walmart and Sears.

[Walk then Run]

Originally Posted by josh_cat_eyes

I think that there you could justify adding a second stores to part of the mall. Like between Walmart and Sears.

I don't believe the current structure of Champlain Place would support a second level without significant money being thrown at it.

I know that THIS would never happen, but I'd like to see a large two story shopping "mall" built in the downtown area (Downing Street area ). It's a nice dream, but current population downtown (day or night) would not be able to support it. Maybe the Events Center could change that.

With Moncton's awesome reputation as a shopping mecca, I believe it's time Champlain Place had a little competition in the mall wars.

[NBNYer]

Originally Posted by Walk then Run

I don't believe the current structure of Champlain Place would support a second level without significant money being thrown at it.

I know that THIS would never happen, but I'd like to see a large two story shopping "mall" built in the downtown area (Downing Street area ). It's a nice dream, but current population downtown (day or night) would not be able to support it. Maybe the Events Center could change that.

With Moncton's awesome reputation as a shopping mecca, I believe it's time Champlain Place had a little competition in the mall wars.

There used to be several other indoor malls in the Moncton area, but this is the age of big box and online shopping. The marketshare for indoor malls has shrunk considerably, even when considering the area's significant population increase. I think any competitor would be hard pressed to go up against Cadillac Fairview and Champlain Place since they are so dominant in the Moncton market. Also, sales probably don't justify 2nd or 3rd locations for most retail brands that you would want to set up shop in a new mall (higher end brands). Still, there is talk of a retail component to the events centre. I think it's success probably depends on whether or not they can land a good anchor store, such as Hudson's Bay. That would be a huge win and a catalyst to 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 up quality brands who otherwise would have no other option but Champlain. Only then could you get any kind of competition going with CP.

[swish]

I know Champlain Place is still busy but I have noticed a significant drop in foot traffic at least the last number of recent visits i have made. I am not blaming the mall as it is still a very good mall. I blame it on the box store proliferation.

[josh_cat_eyes]

Originally Posted by swish

I know Champlain Place is still busy but I have noticed a significant drop in foot traffic at least the last number of recent visits i have made. I am not blaming the mall as it is still a very good mall. I blame it on the box store proliferation.

I blame it on there being less stores. They when they amalgamate a big area together for H&M, Victorias Secrect, Gap, and Tommy Hilfiger, you loose the number of stores.
I think that a new mall would have lots to pick from for stores. Hudson's Bay, Journeys, Spencer's, Hot Topic, Forever 21 etc.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by swish

I know Champlain Place is still busy but I have noticed a significant drop in foot traffic at least the last number of recent visits i have made. I am not blaming the mall as it is still a very good mall. I blame it on the box store proliferation.

I think this is a testament to the fact that sales per square foot isn't absolutely tied to foot traffic.

As Champlain Place has migrated to being a high end female focussed fashion mall, it has become less of a hangout for teenagers and of course most men don't spend much time there unless dragged along by their significant other.

The mall therefore "seems" less busy, but I bet you that retail sales are still quite healthy. Otherwise, retailers like Victoria's Secret, Coach and Sephora wouldn't be beating a path to get leaseholds in the mall like they seem to be doing.

The new paradigm will be to have Jim dropping Doris off at Champlain, and then driving across town to Mapleton Road so that he can browse around Cabela's and Princess Auto before they head back to PEI…….

Still, I sympathize with Josh, and it is sad to see the store count go down and to have mid range retailers run out of town. If you look at the store directory, the store count is now in the 120's, down from about 160 stores about five years ago. The mall isn't any smaller. The store count has gone down due to massive consolidations for larger retailers like H&M and VS.

[L'homard]

It is my guess as well (and purely a guess) that the economy is playing a role in the reduced foot traffic. I don't go often to the mall, but from what I've seen since before Christmas the lower traffic count is blatant.
I'm a middle-class guy with middle-class friends, and me and my ilk are spending our money on paying off our excesses from the recent boom times (Mr. Visa, Mr. Car Loan and Mr. Mortgage) rather than buying more stuff.
I sincerely hope sales are up. My comments pertain solely to foot traffic, not sales, and is purely a personal observation. It wasn't long ago that you could hardly find a place a to park there on a Thursday night. By coincidence I've had to go there on three or four Thursday nights since the new year, and you could shoot a 12-gauge and not necessarily hit anyone.

[Monctoncore]

It really depends on what day you go to the Mall, I usually go to the mall with my girlfriend on Saturdays or on evenings during the week and have not noticed any different in foot traffic. If you go during a the day, Monday to Friday between January 1st and May 1st you will see a huge drop in foot traffic, but that goes for any mall, I was in Toronto recently and the whole week I was there the Eaton center seemed very dead for Toronto standards during the week, its just the time of year.

[L'homard]

I was comparing one time span this past year to the identical time span in previous years.

[micks5477]

I for one think a new two story mall is needed in the next 5-10 years somewhere with easier access and a convenient floor plan that does not zig zag around. I avoid going to the mall at ALL costs and will shop somewhere else as I hate going there.

[josh_cat_eyes]

Originally Posted by micks5477

I for one think a new two story mall is needed in the next 5-10 years somewhere with easier access and a convenient floor plan that does not zig zag around. I avoid going to the mall at ALL costs and will shop somewhere else as I hate going there.

Yeah the floor plan 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵. That's my biggest pet peeve about Champlain. I like Halifax Shopping Centre because the floor plan is nice and it is two stories.

[MonctonRad]

It would appear that Better Buy Sports plans on being proactive in the upcoming battle with Cabela's and (presumably) Bass Pro Shops.

They are opening a consignment department in their store, and have plans to also open a factory outlet store too. It would make sense to get these projects off the ground before Cabela's opens, but it will still be a challenge to survive given the impending hunting/fishing retail wars…….

[MonctonRad]

The latest job advert on kijiji indicates that Victoria's Secret/Pink plans to open at Champlain Place in July………
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-sales-retail-jobs...82185795?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true