The Metro Vancouver Retail Thread - Page 437

SpongeG · #**8721** Posted **Mar 29, 2015, 5:30 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retail-Insider

Possibly Vancity Buzz? We've never published a list, though we can certainly confirm much of what's been listed above by whiteshadow. Plenty of retail space is still available for interested retailers.

yea one of those probably vancity buzz

zahav · #**8722** Posted **Mar 29, 2015, 6:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by connect2source

Seemed inevitable, Best Buy has no reason to operate two very similar banners in a rapidly shrinking industry. Logically they would maintain the better known banner while consolidated.

Locations like Lansdowne made no sense, both banners were basically beside each other.

On the North Shore my guess is that Park Royal will remain and convert to Best Buy, Marine Dr. will close. In Vancouver, Robson & Granville will remain, Broadway is questionable as the Cambie Best Buy is relatively close.

I have some fairly reliable information (this was from a couple weeks ago too, before the FS closure was public obviously) that Bed Bath & Beyond was taking over the FS Broadway location.. We shall see

Sheba · #**8723** Posted **Mar 29, 2015, 10:40 PM**

Target speeds up its Canadian exit

A court-appointed monitor overseeing the windup of the Target Canada stores says all 133 locations across the country will be permanently shut down by "as early as mid-April," which is about a month ahead of schedule.

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/topstories/target-speeds-up-its-canadian-exit/ar-AAaakSS

WarrenC12 · #**8724** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 4:24 PM**

I noticed there are now more empty spaces at "The Shops at New West", as some of the initial commercial tenants have packed it in. Too bad, I'd like to see that area succeed.

officedweller · #**8725** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 8:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retail-Insider

Two major department stores are in the running to take the entire Metrotown Target space.

Cool, thanks!

My guesses would be Simons, Nordstrom or Wal-Mart.

*****

Pic by me today of the Granville & Robson Future Shop.

Shame about losing the "Future Shop" brand name - it was originally a Vancouver-born store that went national.

I suppose that "Best Buy" allows evolution of the brand into all the other oddball - non-techy - areas that you see on the website
- like furniture and health & fitness.

If they don't have any nearby locations, Winners or Marshalls could easily "fit" physically into many of the closed Future Shop locations.

Interesting about Bed, Bath & Beyond at the FS Broadway location.
I tend to think of them as requiring a lot of parking (i.e. a lot of their merchandise is bulky) - I suppose there is underground parking though.

Tetsuo · #**8726** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 10:35 PM**

I remember seeing a blog post on Futureshop's french community boards with pictures of an old Future Shop on Broadway in the 80's

Any pictures of the first Future Shop location in Burnaby>?

osirisboy · #**8727** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 11:39 PM**

Isn't saks opening two locations in Toronto. And they want to open up to 7 more? Could that be something for Metrotown?

red-paladin · #**8728** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 12:53 AM**

I thought Saks was opening up as boutique operations inside Hudson's Bay locations?

osirisboy · #**8729** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 1:20 AM**

Oh right. Giess that's all they are doing

TourOdeon · #**8730** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 1:23 AM**

After losing Target and Future Shop, Lansdowne Mall is now using their parking lot for operating a Playland

GlassCity · #**8731** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 1:38 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TourOdeon

After losing Target and Future Shop, Lansdowne Mall is now using their parking lot for operating a Playland

Lansdowne's been having that fair on their parking lot for many years now. I remember going there when I was a kid.

Retail-Insider · #**8732** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 2:20 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by red-paladin

I thought Saks was opening up as boutique operations inside Hudson's Bay locations?

Slight change in strategy for Saks. Saks will open mostly free-standing Canadian locations, including one or two suburban Vancouver stores (negotiations are ongoing). Remarkably, Saks has decided to carry brands slightly less pricey than we originally anticipated - a number of brands in The Room at Hudson's Bay, for example, won't be carried at Saks and will actually be pricier than Saks' offerings.

red-paladin · #**8733** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 3:52 AM**

Interesting!

Vin · #**8734** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 5:41 AM**

Can Sak's actually find space downtown? Don't like the idea of it tagging along inside The Bay. People will start associating it with The Bay and it would lose its originality and exclusivity. Too bad Trump doesn't have a big podium to house a Sak's: it would've been an awesome location.

hollywoodnorth · #**8735** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 7:37 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by zahav

I have some fairly reliable information (this was from a couple weeks ago too, before the FS closure was public obviously) that Bed Bath & Beyond was taking over the FS Broadway location.. We shall see

sounds like a perfect fit. lets hope it plays out!

officedweller · #**8736** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 6:26 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tetsuo

I remember seeing a blog post on Futureshop's french community boards with pictures of an old Future Shop on Broadway in the 80's

I think it was in the location east of Hemlock (south side of Broadway) currently occupied by Staples.

*********

Vancouver Sun article on Future Shop from today's paper - quite complimentary, actually:

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/aff...hop+dominated+market/10933067/story.html

*********

Interesting WRT Saks.

Oakridge would be an obvious location - maybe Park Royal, too.
but are those too close to downtown?

Retail-Insider · #**8737** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 7:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vin

Can Sak's actually find space downtown? Don't like the idea of it tagging along inside The Bay. People will start associating it with The Bay and it would lose its originality and exclusivity. Too bad Trump doesn't have a big podium to house a Sak's: it would've been an awesome location.

Finding 120,000 to 150,000 square feet in downtown Vancouver is a challenge - Peter Simons (of La Maison Simons) has yet to locate any and he wants a downtown Vancouver store as well.

Saks' Canadian flagship will be somewhat integrated into Toronto's flagship Bay, and there's a possibility that it could still happen in Vancouver. Cosmetics, for example, will be split between Saks and HB, with pricier lines located in Saks. We wrote about Saks/HB in Toronto here: http://www.retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2015/3/saks-flagship

sacrifice333 · #**8738** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 8:55 PM**

WRT Future Shop / Best Buy... it really doesn't take a rocket scientist to surmise that having Best Buy and Future Shop locations canibalize each other in the SAME FRIGGIN PARKING LOTS (in some cases) is not good business.

That being said the picture is not quite as bad as it seems...

Future Shop had approx. 85 stores when they were sold to BB. The FS brand was grown to approx. 131 stores by last week. As we know we're now losing 65 stores... bringing the FS number back to 66 which will become Best Buy stores.

Best Buy has some 70 stores in Canada.

The net total being 136. Greater than the original 85 FS stores and still higher than the recent number of 131 stores, though obviously fewer than the total FS & BB number (last week) of 206 stores.

Never fun to see people lose jobs though...

Vin · #**8739** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 10:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retail-Insider

Finding 120,000 to 150,000 square feet in downtown Vancouver is a challenge - Peter Simons (of La Maison Simons) has yet to locate any and he wants a downtown Vancouver store as well.

Saks' Canadian flagship will be somewhat integrated into Toronto's flagship Bay, and there's a possibility that it could still happen in Vancouver. Cosmetics, for example, will be split between Saks and HB, with pricier lines located in Saks. We wrote about Saks/HB in Toronto here: http://www.retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2015/3/saks-flagship

Ah, thanks! I'm surprised that developers are not scrambling to build a larger mall or retail building downtown to cater for that kind of demand. I don't think Saks or the Bay will do well if they are placed in the same building. They would even cannibalize each other if they are located in the same neighbourhood, particularly since they have such a similar concept of high-end fashion department like Hudson Bay's The Room. I think that Sak's should be in a whole new location downtown, occupying soace in a new building like perhaps the new entertainment casino complex, or the new Plaza of Nations development. That whole area could be a new downtown retail centre, with Sak's as the fashion retail anchor (Imagine "Sak's by the Water". It's own restaurant could include a 2nd floor patio overlooking False Creek. One can only dream right? Also it's just too bad there aren't any major skytrain stations really close by, but I believe it would still work wonderfully.

Van23H · #**8740** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 11:02 PM**

I would expect if Saks does not pursue opening in the Bay downtown, that It will open in Oakridge centre. The mall was entertaining a couple of luxury department stores in the past and with Target out of the picture a opening could be fast-tracked in the construction phasing. Alberni as usual continues its upward luxury trend. Tiffany will upgrade their store on Alberni Street. Preliminary concept images look amazing. Definitely will rival the Toronto store.