Winnipeg Retail

[laumag]

Originally Posted by CoryB

The Save On Foods launch event talked about how they were going to compete with Superstore on price. Considering the narrow margins and buying power of Superstore this seems like a poorly thought out idea. Add in that if you are trying to have the "lowest" prices Walmart will put you in their crosshairs and put an extreme amount of pressure on you.

You are much better of trying to compete against Superstore and Walmart on other aspects than trying to keep up with them on price. It also goes without saying that there will be grand opening specials that push the floor on prices to try and get people through the doors.

The Save On logo is already on the large sign at the Northgate Mall entrance. All this talk of Wal-Mart and Superstore is a tad premature and all speculation. I have thrown out a lot of rotten produce from Superstore purchased a day or two earlier. I also just threw out a rather disgusting cabbage that I bought from Wal-Mart. I remember Save On in Nelson having a very nice selection of fresh produce. I am looking forward to Save On joining the community.

I also saw a bunch of guys with clip boards at the empty Maples IGA store last week. The doors were open and guys were wandering in and out making notes on their clip boards. I tried not to be too obvious as I drove slowly by peering out my window at the activity.

[CoryB]

^^ Had reports of people with clipboards looking at the Maples IGA on and off for about 10 months now. Based on that alone it seems the site attracts attention for qualified parties but has issues of some sort limiting its development.

In terms of Save On Foods, it will be interesting to see how they compete.

On a separate note, the old Future Shop exterior signage on St James has been removed. Following the closing in March it had remained up until recently.

[vjose32]

I think we should wait until they open before we judge them. Walmart probably won't even care, they won't be losing many customers to them anyway. It's not like Walmarts prices have been that great lately anyway.

[buzzg]

Rona is buying out all of its franchisees. I'm no retail expert, so maybe Cory has some insight, but would you not do this if you were planning on selling (ie: maybe this is the first step in a Lowes buyout)?

[esquire]

A few randoms:

-Looks like some work is going on in what was one of the worst eyesores around in terms of downtown storefronts, the former Eye-Site Optical at Graham and Kennedy. Anyone know what's going in there?

-A restaurant called Planit is opening next to Dollarama on Portage, presumably this must be part of some sort of accountant-designed scheme to incur losses deliberately because who the hell else would start yet another restaurant where so many have failed before?

-Warehouse One has opened in Portage Place leaving the Portage and Carlton location vacant. When they took the signs down you could see the ghost TD Bank signs underneath... I had totally forgotten that used to be there before Warehouse One. Any word on what's going in that space? It's probably one of the better storefront spaces on Portage, with direct skywalk connection and all.

-Speaking of Portage Place, construction hoarding is up on the second floor next to (I think) Suzy Shier? No indication as to what's coming.

-That basically leaves Portage Avenue with what, four or five mainstream standalone retailers, excluding the ones in malls? (MEC, Dollarama, Jets Gear, Hakim Optical, The Bay... am I missing any?) Probably fewer left on that stretch than at any time since the mid to late 1800s.

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by esquire

-A restaurant called Planit is opening next to Dollarama on Portage, presumably this must be part of some sort of accountant-designed scheme to incur losses deliberately because who the hell else would start yet another restaurant where so many have failed before?

I got a good chuckle out of this one

You really have to wonder what the hell people are thinking sometimes.

[headhorse]

Ming Court at Graham and Edmonton is also getting a facelift, not sure if they're restoring what was underneath though...


from https://twitter.com/wpgarch

[headhorse]

there is also a rumour Thom Bargen is opening somewhere on Graham, maybe the renos at Graham and Kennedy are part of that?

[headhorse]

Scott Bagshaw (Deseo/Enoteca) is also opening a new Japanese restaurant called Maque in August... unsure of the location.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by esquire

A few randoms:

-A restaurant called Planit is opening next to Dollarama on Portage, presumably this must be part of some sort of accountant-designed scheme to incur losses deliberately because who the hell else would start yet another restaurant where so many have failed before?

-Warehouse One has opened in Portage Place leaving the Portage and Carlton location vacant. When they took the signs down you could see the ghost TD Bank signs underneath... I had totally forgotten that used to be there before Warehouse One. Any word on what's going in that space? It's probably one of the better storefront spaces on Portage, with direct skywalk connection and all.

As to Planit - yeah that's bad... Especially since I'm pretty sure I remember hearing the building had a lot of issues like flooding.

And Warehouse one - the old space is completely empty and all the signs gone but there's no for lease signs up as of yesterday so maybe they have someone lined up? Usually they're pretty fast to get signs up if they know a vacancy is coming.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by headhorse

there is also a rumour Thom Bargen is opening somewhere on Graham, maybe the renos at Graham and Kennedy are part of that?

That would make sense. The NW part of downtown is the only one that doesn't have a new-wave café in the vein of Parlour or Little Sister. Given the preponderance of UW students nearby, I'm sure Thom Bargen would do well in that location. Besides, anything would be an improvement over Eye Site.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by buzzg

As to Planit - yeah that's bad... Especially since I'm pretty sure I remember hearing the building had a lot of issues like flooding.

I wish Planit well, but come on, we know how this is going to end. I'd like to just see that spot converted into office space or something else more sustainable.

And Warehouse one - the old space is completely empty and all the signs gone but there's no for lease signs up as of yesterday so maybe they have someone lined up? Usually they're pretty fast to get signs up if they know a vacancy is coming.

That would be nice. Hopefully it's something that adds a bit of pizzazz to the street and not, say, a new service counter for the Residential Tenancies Branch.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by esquire

That would be nice. Hopefully it's something that adds a bit of pizzazz to the street and not, say, a new service counter for the Residential Tenancies Branch.

Shh... don't give them any ideas.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by esquire

-A restaurant called Planit is opening next to Dollarama on Portage, presumably this must be part of some sort of accountant-designed scheme to incur losses deliberately because who the hell else would start yet another restaurant where so many have failed before?

The space definitely has a second floor but I have not seen it in use over the many different tenants and many years. I think the second floor might actually house the kitchen. That said, at some point someone will launch a successful concept in the space. I heard that around five years ago the people that were leasing it had a reasonable profitable operation handling airline catering of some sort. It was to the point though they rarely had the dining room open, by why open that if that side of things is causing expenses not covered by revenue, ie no need for servers.

Originally Posted by esquire

-That basically leaves Portage Avenue with what, four or five mainstream standalone retailers, excluding the ones in malls? (MEC, Dollarama, Jets Gear, Hakim Optical, The Bay... am I missing any?) Probably fewer left on that stretch than at any time since the mid to late 1800s.

Don's Photo is a very significant one. There is also the comic/card store just west of MTS Centre. I thought there was a dollar store (Dollar Tree?) moving in just east of MTS Centre too. There are also a reasonable mix of restaurants and banks with store fronts on Portage Ave too.

---
In terms of Rona, I am not sure what to make of the franchisees. Most of them are apparently located in Quebec. It is also well documented that the Quebec provincial government stepped in to block the sale of Rona to Lowes several years back. With Lowes renewed push on opening stores in Canada it seems unlikely another buy-out offer is forth coming. I did hear though that Rona is looking at smaller store formats and if Gimli is any indication they might not be too far off the path.

My guess is there are just working to tighten control of their brand to provide more consistent messaging to the consumers. Running a franchise you give up some level of control over your brand.

[vjose32]

Originally Posted by headhorse

Ming Court at Graham and Edmonton is also getting a facelift, not sure if they're restoring what was underneath though...


from https://twitter.com/wpgarch

Looks to me like the are strapping out the exterior walls to put on new siding or something else.

Just drove by Northgate and no sign of anything, no wonder it won't open for another year, they haven't even gotten off their asses to start anything yet.

[waffler]

So I've heard that the Canadian tire at grant park won't be ready until Christmas 2016 and that the automotive part will be a stand alone building on taylor by walmart

[cllew]

I see that the location that the local independent butcher / grocer Fresh to the Bone on Henderson Hwy has closed up.

I would have thought that with no other food retailer in that part of Elmwood other than 7/11 they would have had a good chance to stay in business.

[Riverman]

No parking at that location causing it to fail. They are reopening in a new location near the Chalmers CC.

[CoryB]

Driving past the Maples IGA site this weekened I noticed a large garbage bin out front, again. The "for lease" sign is still up in the window though. Also with a Dollarama already in the mall splitting the IGA space into several smaller units doesn't seem like it would help secure a tenant.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by Riverman

No parking at that location causing it to fail. They are reopening in a new location near the Chalmers CC.

I live in EK and off the top of my head I can't think of any space for rent in that area with parking.