The Metro Vancouver Retail Thread

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by Hot Rod

oh well then! (after looking at the last pic)

haha there is a whole series of picture featuring them partying around the hotel, trying to attract a non hipster hip crowd i guess lol

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

i wonder what they will do in vancouver with rona and lowes, there is only one lowes location. The only Rona that seems to fit the big box format is the one in vancouver off grandview highway. The coquitlam rona is pretty crappy.

Are there many ronas in the area?

they did try the big box format in surrey but didn't last very long.

There are two very old Ronas in North Van in industrial/shoreline areas. Neither have any room to be turned into a store the size of the one Lowe's. I've generally driven all the way to the Terminal Ave Home Depot when I needed stuff.

[GeeCee]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

i wonder what they will do in vancouver with rona and lowes, there is only one lowes location. The only Rona that seems to fit the big box format is the one in vancouver off grandview highway. The coquitlam rona is pretty crappy.

Are there many ronas in the area?

they did try the big box format in surrey but didn't last very long.

Which one in Coquitlam? There's the former Lumberland near Coquitlam Centre, but there's one on Austin I've never been into but seems bigger.

[SpongeG]

the austin one, i never really went to the other one that much.

[connect2source]

Reading through several news articles on the Rona takeover and part of the condition of the approval from the Caisse de depot, as I recall, is that the Rona branding stay in place, at least for now.

WSJ has some mention of this :

http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2016/02/03/lowes-lays-on-the-syrup-in-rona-deal/

Lowes will also locate it's Canadian headquarters in Quebec and several members of the Rona Board will remain.

Hence we'll likely see Rona be a wholly owned subsidiary of Lowes.

[bjan]

Danier Leather has entered into insolvency proceedings.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/danier-leather-insolvency-bankruptcy-1.3433807

As per CBC article today.

[officedweller]

WRT RONA's smaller locations, they're considered an asset:

Another critical piece in Rona’s retail arsenal is its vast network of small stores in neighbourhood and rural markets — something Home Depot lacks, with the exception of a handful of smaller-footprint urban locations in Canada.

“A consumer does not always want to navigate a large box store, in any category,” Mark Satov, business advisor and founder of Toronto-based Satov Consultants. “When you want a lightbulb or a wrench, you don’t want to go to Home Depot, you want to go to Home Hardware or Canadian Tire.

“Lowe’s is buying the small format stores that Rona has, but they are also buying the capability to manage that, and that is a key part of this because they do not really have that in the U.S., either.”

http://business.financialpost.com/news/r...in-cash-to-create-home-improvement-giant

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Ahh, okay thanks.
I just drive by and I assumed that it was being combined with the space next door for a new tenant.

Miele is expanding into the adjacent space.

[cairnstone]

Originally Posted by bjan

You're thinking of the Bosman Hotel on Howe I think.

maybe will have to look closer. i like the pics of the courtyard

[cairnstone]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

i wonder what they will do in vancouver with rona and lowes, there is only one lowes location. The only Rona that seems to fit the big box format is the one in vancouver off grandview highway. The coquitlam rona is pretty crappy.

Are there many ronas in the area?

they did try the big box format in surrey but didn't last very long.

The Surrey store was an american store that Rona or Revy bought out prior to it opening in Canada. I believe there was 3 super centers surrey abbotsford and grandview. It closed down as it was so close to home depot and both were price matching.

Several of the Ronas here are private owned so depending on lowes plan they may change branding to something else. Also I wonder if the Rona sale includes their wholesale divisions, as they own several lumber yards plumbing electrical supply across canada. Here they own Dicks Lumber

[officedweller]

I think the American chain was called Eagle Hardware, which Wiki says was taken over by Lowe's (in the US) in 1999.

**********

Firefly Wines and Ales in the Plaza 500 is moving to the former FigMint space:

http://www.straight.com/food/632531/firefly-fine-wines-and-ales-moving-bigger-vancouver-store

[Conrad Yablonski]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Firefly Wines and Ales in the Plaza 500 is moving to the former FigMint space...

“For sure, we’re going to do a bigger tasting room, and that will be something amazing,”

That's Good News for anyone who's ever been shoehorned into the present cubbyhole I'll certainly consider going back for a tasting in a larger space.

[djh]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Firefly Wines and Ales in the Plaza 500 is moving to the former FigMint space:

http://www.straight.com/food/632531/firefly-fine-wines-and-ales-moving-bigger-vancouver-store

I wonder if Yuk Yuks will take over the old Firefly space?

[Conrad Yablonski]

Originally Posted by djh

I wonder if Yuk Yuks will take over the old Firefly space?

Too small/too awkward a space.

[SpongeG]

F21 red is opening its first western canada store in abbotsford at the high street, it will 15,000 sq ft apparently and open in the fall according to the high streets facebook page.

i believe the concept is everything is priced under $15.

[connect2source]

Bed Bath & Beyond going in the old Future Shop space on Broadway and Pine.. per Retail-Insider.

http://www.straight.com/news/633581/broadway-centre-attracts-bed-bath-beyond-and-tilley

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

F21 red is opening its first western canada store in abbotsford at the high street, it will 15,000 sq ft apparently and open in the fall according to the high streets facebook page.

i believe the concept is everything is priced under $15.

That's a good sign that Shape Properties is able to attract/negotiate with unique retailers.

[djh]

Originally Posted by Conrad Yablonski

Too small/too awkward a space.

No, I meant as an addition to its existing space, not as a replacement.

[zahav]

Apologies if this has been mentioned already, but the space in the Carlye beside Moncler is going to be a Saint Laurent Paris store. The first one in Canada, according to the website.

[osirisboy]

Thanks. I was wondering about that spot!