General Retail News

[TheGoods]

Originally Posted by DarthVader_1961

They have delive d the fridges and freezers to the new Walmart at Bayshore.

They did it early saturday morning using a helicopter to lift them off of a flat bed to the roof of Bayshore. Kinda cool to watch

Are you sure they were the fridges and not the compressors for the fridges and freezers, they usually are installed on the roof of a building.

[MoreTrains]

Originally Posted by DEWLine

They needed a helicopter for that?

No way in hell of getting a cargo truck up there... well actually up isnt the issue... down is... unless they take the ramp to the 5th floor and closed it for the delivery. They kinda made it so that vehicles cannot be more than 6'8". Going up to the top floor they can be as tall as they want (except for the sign that says how tall they can be) but going down... will literally take off roofs of taller vehicles.

[rocketphish]

Union Local 613 gets city permission for alleyway patio
After two years of negotiations the downtown eatery will finally be able to serve patrons outdoors.

By: Haley Ritchie Metro Published on Wed Jan 13 2016

Somerset Street eatery Union Local 613 is finally getting a patio after two years of negotiations with the city over parking rules.

“It was super quick,” said restaurant co-owner Ivan Gedz after the city approved the request in a committee meeting on Wednesday afternoon. “They just said all the conditions were in the proposal and we were good to go.”

That means this summer the restaurant will be able to seat 32 people on a wrap-around patio in front of the restaurant and in the building’s western driveway.

Gatz said being able to seat patrons outside is good for business.

“In the current economic climate restaurants are struggling,” he said. “Having a patio during the summer time will allow our business to sustain itself. On nights that we’re seeing drops in business we can offset that by having some people outside – whether it’s for drinks, food or both.”

The restaurant first asked the city to approve a patio in 2013, but the request was originally denied.

The city adjustment committee argued at the time that “the existing driveway on the property serves an important function for the regular operation of the existing business on the site” and that it would cause "undue and unnecessary stress on traffic flow along Somerset Street."

This time around, Gedz said the city re-zoning Somerset Street into a traditional main street made a big difference in the application and helped reduce the parking requirement.

Under the new regulations, the restaurant still required one parking space and had to go through the committee of adjustment to have an exemption made.

Gedz also credited the successful application to the help of Somerset Ward Coun. Catherine McKenney, who offered advice and support to help the business get the patio approved.

http://www.metronews.ca/news/ottawa/...way-patio.html

[rocketphish]

As first rumoured by citydwlr over in the Bayshore thread

Lincoln Fields losing Walmart to newly-renovated Bayshore Shopping Centre

Paula McCooey, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: January 15, 2016 | Last Updated: January 15, 2016 7:14 PM EST

The news that the Lincoln Fields Walmart is closing this month and moving to Bayshore Shopping Centre has hit area residents hard, particularly seniors who rely on the chain’s low prices.

The store is slated to close on Jan. 27 and open at Bayshore the following day. The new location is expected to be a Walmart “supercentre” with more floor space and departments, including a complete grocery section, whereas the Lincoln Heights location had a small food section with non-refrigerated items.

Jill Ivers, 74, has been living in the Lincoln Heights neighbourhood for 17 years and is upset to see Walmart go.

“I’m a senior and I’m not rich,” said Ivers, sitting on a bench outside the store. “I live in a low-income building in Ottawa housing and I shop here quite a lot and I depend on that.”

Gordon Culkin, 85, a neighbour of Ivers’ does most of his shopping at the Lincoln Fields Walmart and says he won’t be making the drive to Bayshore because it is a “hard place to park”.

“I think it’s bad because people are used to the store and there are a lot of apartments around here and condos, and a lot of senior citizens,” said Culkin. “It’s convenient for a multitude of people. I don’t understand why they are moving.”

RioCan, the real estate company that owns and leases the property was not immediately available to say which retailer — if any — will be taking over Walmart’s lease.
Bayshore general manager Denis Pelletier said the new store will open in a 130,000-square-foot location on the third floor once meant for Target. Walmart will have a pharmacy and sell groceries, two elements that Bayshore needs, he added.

“Groceries is something we’ve heard about in virtually every survey we’ve done as something that we lacked.”

Bayshore hasn’t had a pharmacy since Zeller’s closed and Shopper Drugmart relocated to Carling Avenue.

“Walmart is filling both those roles. And Walmart’s a pretty good retailer,” Pelletier said.

He acknowledged that Bayshore has had a shortage of parking since it began renovations 3 1/2 years ago — at one point the mall was down to 2,000 spaces — but the north parking structure is now complete. By the end of the year, when the west parking deck is finished, the mall will have 4,000 parking spaces.

“Walmart will bring more traffic and more vehicles to the mall, but we feel pretty strongly that we’re going to be able to manage that.”

Just as employees were clearing shelves at the Lincoln Heights location, CNN Money reported Walmart will close 269 stores — more than half of which are in the U.S. — in 2016 as the retailer tries to revitalize its slumping finances.

With files from Blair Crawford

[email protected]

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...hopping-centre

[canabiz]

This may be the KoD (Kiss of Death) for Lincoln Heights with only Metro remain as the big tenant.

Rexall is on the 2nd floor and there is a hodgepodge of small retailers but the number of vacant and boarded shops pretty much paint a grim picture.

I can't think of any retailers that will take over this space, maybe Canadian Tire but there is a big one not too far down Carling already.

[Norman Bates]

Lincoln Fields / Lincoln Heights Galleria / Lincoln Fields has been grim for as long as I can remember going back to the Woolco and Ogilvy's days. But I agree: It's toast now.

[rocketphish]

Of course, Lincoln Fields is a RioCan property, and this would be a perfect site for another near-TOD redevelopment. Maybe they've got something up their sleeve that they haven't revealed yet?

[rocketphish]

Rideau Street shut Saturday as Hudson's Bay gets facelift

The Ottawa Citizen
Published on: January 16, 2016 | Last Updated: January 16, 2016 2:30 PM EST

Passersby gawked Saturday afternoon as work crews spent the day hanging a huge, spruced-up Hudson’s Bay sign on the company’s Rideau Street store.

Rideau Street — already restricted to buses, taxis and emergency vehicles due to LRT work — was shut for the day to allow the work to proceed.

The sign is in the company’s new branding, a streamlined Hudson’s Bay, which replaced the former The Bay/La Baie moniker in 2013.

The store’s interior has been undergoing renovations over the last few months, and the sign was further indication the iconic retailer is once again ready for prime time.

The Rideau Centre across the street has also undergone a massive re-do.





http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...-gets-facelift

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by canabiz

This may be the KoD (Kiss of Death) for Lincoln Heights with only Metro remain as the big tenant.

Rexall is on the 2nd floor and there is a hodgepodge of small retailers but the number of vacant and boarded shops pretty much paint a grim picture.

I can't think of any retailers that will take over this space, maybe Canadian Tire but there is a big one not too far down Carling already.

Or the kiss of life: sounds like a great knockdown-redevelop opportunity to rid Ottawa of yet another hideous mistake.

[Norman Bates]

The Bay, sorry Hudson's Bay, will need a lot more than a new sign and script.

[MaxHeadroom]

Kevin O'Leary got fired from his first job at Lincoln Fields, which inspired his entrepreneurial spirit, and I believe he said during a TV interview he would like to plow the place under. Maybe he will finally get his wish! The site is ripe for redevelopment.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by MaxHeadroom

Kevin O'Leary got fired from his first job at Lincoln Fields, which inspired his entrepreneurial spirit, and I believe he said during a TV interview he would like to plow the place under. Maybe he will finally get his wish! The site is ripe for redevelopment.

Let me guess... the redevelopment will be anchored by two or three 25-28 story condo towers surround by a sea of 3-8 story mixed use buildings. The amount of proposals like this is getting ridiculous, and half of them will never be built.

[eternallyme]

Now this is interesting...while I don't mind the *thought* of it, ending Sunday shopping only in Ottawa would be an economic black hole. What is to stop people from going to Gatineau or to other municipalities?

Before 1992, neither of those options existed either (I believe Sunday shopping was introduced almost concurrently in Ontario and Quebec).

http://www.cfra.com/news/2016/01/15/...hould-be-ended

Councillor wonders if Sunday Shopping should be ended

Posted on 1/15/2016 10:12:00 AM by Norman Jack

City council is considering a motion that would allow stores in the Glebe to open on statutory holidays.

But the councillor who sponsored that motion wonders if we should reconsider Sunday shopping.

Eli El-Chantiry, councillor for West Carleton - March, notes that, before 1992, stores in Ottawa weren't allowed to open Sundays.

"We susrvived, people were doing fine," El-Chantiry says.

"Our provincial government introduced Family Day so we could spend time with our families, so maybe Sundays should be reconsidered."

El-Chantiry says new technology might help.

He notes you can order just about anything on line to be delivered, including your groceries.

El-Chantiry says he's not opposed to Sunday shopping -- people can simply decide not to shop on that day.

But he notes employees who have to work that day don't have that option.

[Richard Eade]

Originally Posted by Norman Bates

The Bay, sorry Hudson's Bay, will need a lot more than a new sign and script.

I’m a little confused. My memory is that The Hudson’s Bay Company changed its labeling to The Bay / Le Baie because there is no apostrophe available in Quebec, due to the stricter language laws there. By shortening the name, the store could have a more colloquial name and the apostrophe would no longer be a problem. Many people already referred to The Hudson’s Bay Company as ‘The Bay’, including the company itself. How many of you remember the ad campaign “We put ‘The Bay’ into Bayshore”?

So why has the company reverted to a more formal name, which includes the apostrophe? Is it meant to imply that the store is now of a ‘higher class’? What is to happen in Quebec? Does the longer name elicit thoughts of it being a major retail chain, or of an individual’s, Hudson's, single store; like Stubbe Chocolates – only with less description of what the business is? (Yes, I know that Stubbe Chocolates has two locations in Ottawa and one in Toronto, but it is still a small family owned company.) Should they have reverted fully to the complete name, The Hudson’s Bay Company, to recapture the history?

The marketing point of the name change seems a bit obscure to me. “Hudson’s Bay” says no more about the company than the name “The Bay”. It is still as non-helpful to a traveler for identifying a department store as the names of grocery stores are to hungry voyagers. (Seriously, if you arrived hungry from the States, for example, would you easily identify Loblaws or Metro as the names of grocery stores? "Liquorland Drive Thru" - Now there's a name that says it all. Only in America do you get drive through liquor warehouses - at least, I hope it is only in America.)

[jslath]

In french, it was rebranded to La Baie D'Hudson.

Companies rebrand- in a few years time, it may try something different. That's what businesses do. I think you are over-thinking it.

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

I’m a little confused. My memory is that The Hudson’s Bay Company changed its labeling to The Bay / Le Baie because there is no apostrophe available in Quebec, due to the stricter language laws there. By shortening the name, the store could have a more colloquial name and the apostrophe would no longer be a problem. Many people already referred to The Hudson’s Bay Company as ‘The Bay’, including the company itself. How many of you remember the ad campaign “We put ‘The Bay’ into Bayshore”?

So why has the company reverted to a more formal name, which includes the apostrophe? Is it meant to imply that the store is now of a ‘higher class’? What is to happen in Quebec? Does the longer name elicit thoughts of it being a major retail chain, or of an individual’s, Hudson's, single store; like Stubbe Chocolates – only with less description of what the business is? (Yes, I know that Stubbe Chocolates has two locations in Ottawa and one in Toronto, but it is still a small family owned company.) Should they have reverted fully to the complete name, The Hudson’s Bay Company, to recapture the history?

The marketing point of the name change seems a bit obscure to me. “Hudson’s Bay” says no more about the company than the name “The Bay”. It is still as non-helpful to a traveler for identifying a department store as the names of grocery stores are to hungry voyagers. (Seriously, if you arrived hungry from the States, for example, would you easily identify Loblaws or Metro as the names of grocery stores? "Liquorland Drive Thru" - Now there's a name that says it all. Only in America do you get drive through liquor warehouses - at least, I hope it is only in America.)

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Let me guess... the redevelopment will be anchored by two or three 25-28 story condo towers surround by a sea of 3-8 story mixed use buildings. The amount of proposals like this is getting ridiculous, and half of them will never be built.

Condo vs. rental is a huge difference here. The RE market here has an oversupply of condos but an undersupply of rentals.

The Elmvale and Westgate redevelopments by Riocan are building rentals, not condos. Because Riocan is a REIT, whose goal is to maximize annual cash flow, building rentals makes far more sense for the company than building condos. They've previously stated that all of their mall-turned-mixed-use proposals they plan across Canada involve rentals.

I expect an LF proposal to be all rental towers.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by eternallyme

Now this is interesting...while I don't mind the *thought* of it, ending Sunday shopping only in Ottawa would be an economic black hole. What is to stop people from going to Gatineau or to other municipalities?

Before 1992, neither of those options existed either (I believe Sunday shopping was introduced almost concurrently in Ontario and Quebec).

http://www.cfra.com/news/2016/01/15/...hould-be-ended

Banning Sunday shopping is an absolute no-no, for a myriad of reasons:
1) Massive loss of convenience; for the majority who work M-F it means there's only one shopping day left
2) Loss of income/employment for retail workers as there's less shifts available
3) A very nanny-statish proposal far beyond what the government should reasonably be allowed to regulate
4) Has a very uncomfortable Christian-centric air about it
5) Loss of business to Quebec

[Harley613]

I was out at Tanger the other day and the Cabela's is pretty much all built up and enclosed, I'd imagine the cladding is next. It looks pretty impressive.

[ars]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Banning Sunday shopping is an absolute no-no, for a myriad of reasons:
1) Massive loss of convenience; for the majority who work M-F it means there's only one shopping day left
2) Loss of income/employment for retail workers as there's less shifts available
3) A very nanny-statish proposal far beyond what the government should reasonably be allowed to regulate
4) Has a very uncomfortable Christian-centric air about it
5) Loss of business to Quebec

Totally agree with all of your points. Saturday and Sunday are the only two days most working people have to shop as many stores close after working hours on weekdays.

It's just a bad idea all around.

[1overcosc]

I also find it very odd that El-Chantiry seems to think banning Sunday shopping would be in the interest of retail workers.

I don't think he realizes that retail jobs are almost always waged, not salaried, meaning less time worked = less salary. Staying home every Sunday would amount to a wage cut for them.