The Metro Vancouver Retail Thread

[Jougho]

Originally Posted by Retail-Insider

You can add Jaeger-LeCoultre to the list of luxury brands opening on/near Alberni Street. Other posts above are pretty accurate as well.

http://www.retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2015/1/jaeger-lecoultre

Interesting! Have you any idea who is taking over the Pandora space.

cheers,
J

[Retail-Insider]

Originally Posted by Jougho

Interesting! Have you any idea who is taking over the Pandora space.

cheers,
J

Last I checked, it was still under negotiation. The broker indicated that it could go to a luxury brand (no surprise, given what's happening on the rest of Alberni).

[AudiA3]

Kewl.. Sportchek is gonna take over Chapter's lease on Robson

[Tetsuo]

I remember when EB Games said they would reopen in the trade area, never happened.

Chapters would look good in Telus near the Library.

[connect2source]

Originally Posted by Retail-Insider

Uniqlo looked at the space but FGL ultimately got the lease. Uniqlo has yet to secure space on Robson Street, though negotiations continue for a three-level purpose-built space on the 1000 block.

I guess the only option would be redeveloping the 4 remaining CRU's between the Manhattan Building and Sephora, would finish the block off very nicely.

Hopefully all this renewed strength will eventually spill over to the 1100 block where the vacancies continue to mount.. now with Mexx gone.

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by Tetsuo

I remember when EB Games said they would reopen in the trade area, never happened.

Look how long it took for Old Navy to reopen downtown. You never know...

[EdinVan]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

Ugh book snob much? i know tons of people who read on e readers! Oh I guess that doesn't count towards "literary culture" for you?

Reading an e-book is not the same experience as reading a print book -- and people actually retain far less when reading the former. Plus it's just nice to walk into a place surrounded by books and be in the company of others who are browsing and who don't have their faces glued to their gadgets.

[EdinVan]

Originally Posted by Conrad Yablonski

Chapters actually used to do that but it was all about flogging books, flogging books, flogging books...

What's wrong with flogging books?

[officedweller]

Walked down Robson tonight for the first time in a while
- noticed a lot of empty storefronts, including a couple next to L'Occitane.

[dreambrother808]

You would also notice construction going on in both of those spaces beside L'Occitane and "leased" signs...

[s211]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Walked down Robson tonight for the first time in a while
- noticed a lot of empty storefronts, including a couple next to L'Occitane.

Robson's not alone. Vacancies are up along most of our retail streets. Kitsilano is also seeing notable rises in vacancy along Broadway and West 4th.

[EastVanMark]

Originally Posted by s211

Robson's not alone. Vacancies are up along most of our retail streets. Kitsilano is also seeing notable rises in vacancy along Broadway and West 4th.

That's what happens when your focused way too much on residential and the few available streets where commercial interests aren't an afterthought see landlords jacking up rents leaving few if any viable options.

[DesignerBunny]

There always seem to be quite a few vacant retail spaces along Robson, especially the more you go West from the 1000 block. However I did notice a few "leased" signs and future developments walking home yesterday.
1100 Block North side - the old "Eternal" skin care store just East of Steve Madden now has a leased sticker
1200 Block South side- A space beside the Aveda salon now has a leased sticker, and 2 spaces in the old crappy yogen fruz complex are papered up with Asian bubble tea "Chatime" opening soon. So while not Grade A tenants, I look forward to a few new "somethings", rather than nothing. Unless they're Money marts. Or Telus / Rogers / Fido stores...

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by EdinVan

Reading an e-book is not the same experience as reading a print book -- and people actually retain far less when reading the former. Plus it's just nice to walk into a place surrounded by books and be in the company of others who are browsing and who don't have their faces glued to their gadgets.

Of course it's not the same experience. It's personally way better haha

is it any different or better when people are walking around with their faces glued to a book?? lol but yes I agree it is nice to have a bookstore to browse. One thing that bugs me about chapters now is they seemed to have removed all their table and chairs. I used to love sitting down with a bunch of books.

Regarding that study. if you use your ereader like a book as in pages that you turn versus scrolling down the screen you remember just as much. The key is remembering where the information is located on a specific area of a page that's what can help you retain the info better

[connect2source]

If the landlords and property owners on the 1100 block Robson don't commit to some serious redevelopment I'm a afraid the future will bring in more second-rate retail like mobile phone shops and short-term lease tenants. Any brand of significance will look to what's left on the 1100 block, or Alberni, Burrard or Granville.

[theKB]

Originally Posted by EastVanMark

That's what happens when your focused way too much on residential and the few available streets where commercial interests aren't an afterthought see landlords jacking up rents leaving few if any viable options.

Bingo...

Although 4th Ave is seeing a new renaissance with the big outdoor brands opening flagships etc. Patagonia sure showed up the local boys with their complete gut and redo of the moulet space. Arcteryx's store is kinda blah by comparison. The Hills is also opening a new store on 4th as well.

That said the rents were getting a bit ridiculous and even an agent or two was starting to admit that. There has also been some pretty hefty property value increases along 4th so that doesn't help the situation.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

You would also notice construction going on in both of those spaces beside L'Occitane and "leased" signs...

Probably - it was late, they were dark and I was across the street.
Did Bebe have the entire building? I had assumed that L'Occitane took the entire space.
What's going in?

************

Choices has taken over a grocer on Commercial Drive:

http://www.biv.com/article/2015/1/choices-markets-expand-commercial-drive/

[bjan]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

Of course it's not the same experience. It's personally way better haha

is it any different or better when people are walking around with their faces glued to a book?? lol but yes I agree it is nice to have a bookstore to browse. One thing that bugs me about chapters now is they seemed to have removed all their table and chairs. I used to love sitting down with a bunch of books.

Regarding that study. if you use your ereader like a book as in pages that you turn versus scrolling down the screen you remember just as much. The key is remembering where the information is located on a specific area of a page that's what can help you retain the info better

I'm glad that Chapters/Indigo removed the tables and chairs. They're a store, not a library! I don't want to purchase a book that's been thumbed through during a marathon "browsing" session...

[connect2source]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Probably - it was late, they were dark and I was across the street.
Did Bebe have the entire building? I had assumed that L'Occitane took the entire space.

Yup Bebe had the whole building, it's now 3 CRU's.

[officedweller]

Thanks.