[Moncton] Retail Thread

[josh_cat_eyes]

I found a rendering of the new Costco in Moncton!


In all seriousness though, I kind of hope that it doesn't go out to Harrisville.

[stephan.richard]

Originally Posted by josh_cat_eyes

I found a rendering of the new Costco in Moncton!


In all seriousness though, I kind of hope that it doesn't go out to Harrisville.

Hahaha and I hope not I hope it stays near the Trinity drive area.

[cbujold]

As Costco is a destination store, it doesn't matter where they put it, people will go and shop. I live in Dieppe so real happy to hear it will be built on Harrisville blvd and hope others follow and make this another shopping destination. We need a Winners in this end of town as Moncton has both Winners and Marshalls up that way. With the IGA/Coop possibly leaving that would be a great space for a Winners. Trinity is so congested all the time and there isn't much space for the city to change the traffic patterns.

[josh_cat_eyes]

Originally Posted by cbujold

As Costco is a destination store, it doesn't matter where they put it, people will go and shop. I live in Dieppe so real happy to hear it will be built on Harrisville blvd and hope others follow and make this another shopping destination. We need a Winners in this end of town as Moncton has both Winners and Marshalls up that way. With the IGA/Coop possibly leaving that would be a great space for a Winners. Trinity is so congested all the time and there isn't much space for the city to change the traffic patterns.

I will agree with you that Trinity/Plaza/Mapleton/Mountain is always congested. I also find that Main/Champlain/Paul to be congested quite a bit too. So maybe it would be good to get some of the major retail out of those two areas.

[whisky7up]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Welcome to the forums!

Thanks.

I understand where the mall is coming from in terms of limiting carts in the main concourse however. It limits clutter and keeps the common areas looking clean and inviting. One never knows where those carts end up once they are on the loose.

Yes, this was said at the time the decision was announced. But I don't think there was any weight to it.

Aside from never having seen carts strewn around inside, why would there be? If you use the cart to transport stuff to your car, then it's left outside. Of course it might not always be left in the proper corral but that's not a reflection of how many stores the cart was used for.

One of the advantages of big box stores is that you are able to park close to the entrance of the store that you are interesting in going to. It's hard for any mall to compete with that. On the other hand, it's much more pleasant strolling in the mall environment, especially in February. A mall invites window shopping year round.

Absolutely. But one way it can (and did) compete with the convenience of parking near the individual stores was to allow purchases to be transported around inside, conveniently, and then to where your car was. Or in our case, the last stop was Sobeys and then outside to where taxis routinely waited.

Doesn't the mall have a limited number of wheelchairs and walkers available for people with mobility issues to use?

I believe it does.

That aids mobility but does zero for transporting your purchases.

If you are fit enough to get about, with support, then the cart becomes your support (your walker or cane) while also ferrying your items.

If you are using a walker or cane, how do you carry your large pack of toilet rolls as well as other things you bought? It's easy to put them in the cart and push it while using it for support.

If you actually are a wheelchair user (my wife was before she died) how does the carer push a wheelchair and carry the shopping?

Pushing the wheelchair while she was guiding the cart was actually doable.

But Champlain lost us as regular customers.

We weren't alone in believing it was nothing to do with carts and more to do with attracting more monied customers and they wanted rid of all those unsightly disabled and elderly folk slowing everything down.

[stephan.richard]

When it comes to CF Champlain i think they lost sight on who their core shoppers are here in Moncton.. And I personally think they are going through a major purge of some of the shops they have in the mall.

I know it might be radical but I think that the construction of another mall or outlet center would bring extreme competition to Cadillac Fairview but that is only a pipe dream.

Over the years i have seen a decline to the mall due to the fact that at one point whenever someone left the mall they had someone come in right behind to fill the vacant spot. But I hope it can change but in what way a major expansion or wait until Sobeys moves out? I do not know the problem and i wish folks at CF Champlain would come out with a few declarations and the announcements of new stores coming to town instead of being quiet about it.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Monctoncore

The only problem is we shouldn't even be talking about Halifax and Moncton in the same sentence, population wise we are different, but also, there is a huge distance for Everyone else to get to Halifax. Yes it has great shopping, but it's a hell of a drive for anyone who doesn't live near or around the HRM, Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton, Charlottetown (pei in general) Bathurst, miramichi and the list goes on... I do have friends who deal with attracting potential businesses ( retail) to malls etc. And from what I heard Champlain is slow at attracting retail because of the issue with lack of space and size, to many small stores, and not enough free space in between. You can only shuffle stores around so much before you have to kick one out.. The retailers looking to set up shop currently are all large foot prints and can't use the old 500 sq foot jewelry store or stockhomme, they need 7000-10000 square feet

There's a lot of truth in your post.

Halifax is geographically remote to about 60% of the population of the Maritimes. Moncton meanwhile is able to comfortably service about half the Maritime population, many of whom would never drive to Halifax to shop except for a weekend getaway. The Maritimes need an alternate fashion mall like Champlain Place.

You're also quite right that Champlain is overburdened by stores with small footprints which can be difficult to fill with modern retailers. That's why so many stores had to relocate in the mall to allow space to be consolidated for Victoria's Secret and H&M. That's what I'm wondering might be going on right now too. Once sufficient storefronts are empty, then retailers can reshuffle and thus free up space for larger stores (like Forever 21).

[stephan.richard]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

There's a lot of truth in your post.

Halifax is geographically remote to about 60% of the population of the Maritimes. Moncton meanwhile is able to comfortably service about half the Maritime population, many of whom would never drive to Halifax to shop except for a weekend getaway. The Maritimes need an alternate fashion mall like Champlain Place.

You're also quite right that Champlain is overburdened by stores with small footprints which can be difficult to fill with modern retailers. That's why so many stores had to relocate in the mall to allow space to be consolidated for Victoria's Secret and H&M. That's what I'm wondering might be going on right now too. Once sufficient storefronts are empty, then retailers can reshuffle and thus free up space for larger stores (like Forever 21).

Would that mean do a potential expansion project that could bridge the gap between the mall and Chapters/ Cineplex or wait until Sobeys potentially moves out and Sears eventually closing shop? Thats just my take.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by stephan.richard

Would that mean do a potential expansion project that could bridge the gap between the mall and Chapters/ Cineplex or wait until Sobeys potentially moves out and Sears eventually closing shop? Thats just my take.

I sincerely doubt that there will ever be physical connection between the main mall and the old Crystal Palace. The way that Crystal Palace has been renovated, it's obviously planned to remain a standalone building.

There is the potential to expand Champlain Place to the west, incorporating the Sobeys space, but that depends on
1) - Sobeys plans for servicing the Dieppe market
2) - the need for additional space for retailers within the mall.

I do think there are major redevelopment plans in play for Champlain Place, but I'm not sure if they need additional square footage, or if these plans simply require a reshuffling of existing retailers in order to consolidate space for the (potential) new stores.

[cbujold]

Here's an interesting job posting. Wonder if it is for a new store. http://jobview.monster.ca/Senior-Store-M...aspx?mescoid=1101116002005&jobPosition=2

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by cbujold

Here's an interesting job posting. Wonder if it is for a new store. http://jobview.monster.ca/Senior-Store-M...aspx?mescoid=1101116002005&jobPosition=2

From the job posting:

· ON OFFER......Exciting INTERNATIONAL brand = CAREER GROWTH
· Management Team Member – AAA Volume
· GENEROUS PACKAGE of 60k +++ for top talent with large format fashion experience

Our client is one of the best names in international runway-inspired fashion chain. They are well known globally and are loved in every market they open in! They provide the best in up to the minute looks inspired by the runway and made accessible for every member of the family.

No indication as to whom the client is, but it sure sounds like a Champlain Place kind of store. Just for fun, I googled the description "runway inspired fashion chain", and one of the hits I got was Forever 21. There's also no question that F21 would be considered a "large format fashion experience".....

[josh_cat_eyes]

I was looking at the floor plan of Mic Mac Mall and turns out the Forever 21 in Dartmouth is actually 32946 sq/ft. A store that size will either require most of the Sobeys space, or an addition to the mall.

[cbujold]

Or a reshuffling of stores. That is what they usually do and they may not need/want as much space as they have in the Halifax store. Sobeys , if they leave, won't be for another 18 months at least. No company would be looking for a manager that long in advance. I am thinking they would want to open for the back to school in August if it is in fact a Forever 21.

[MonctonRad]

Another possibility is the Forever 21 Red banner.

They plan on opening 20-30 F21 Red stores in Canada in the next five years, and a quick on line search shows that these stores are typically in the 10-20,000 sq ft range. As such they could fit into the footprint of the old GAP/GAP Kids (+/- Jump+) locations.

I throw in Jump+ because that would give a potential store a squarer footprint, and Jump+ could easily relocate within the mall, perhaps upsizing their store at the same time.........

[mmmatt]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Another possibility is the Forever 21 Red banner.

They plan on opening 20-30 F21 Red stores in Canada in the next five years, and a quick on line search shows that these stores are typically in the 10-20,000 sq ft range. As such they could fit into the footprint of the old GAP/GAP Kids (+/- Jump+) locations.

I throw in Jump+ because that would give a potential store a squarer footprint, and Jump+ could easily relocate within the mall, perhaps upsizing their store at the same time.........

Here is an "ideal" picture of movement in CF Champlain this summer:

- F21 or F21 Red takes over old Gap, Gap Kids and Jump+
- Jump+ Moves to former Coach location, bumpting Steele to a less prominent vacancy
- Nice restaurant (good quality, family friendly) chain moves into Tommy, International Clothiers location
- Starbucks moves from kiosk to full storefront location in dental clinic
- remaining vacancies fill up in advance of Christmas


Many of those ideas are quite plausible and could return the mall to upswing mode easily.

I personally don't think the mall is performing poorly by any stretch, I've gone there quite a bit this winter as I have a young kid and he loves to roam around there...most of the time its quite busy and weekends are always nuts as usual.

Sure there are a few vacancies but they are few and far between, spaced over the whole mall...it certainly doesn't give the impression of struggling at this moment. No its not the high point of the last 10 years but its also not nearly the low point either (before reno).

CF will continue to chug along, BPS has brought new life into the mall with the "tag-along" folks who may not be interested in camo so much.

I have big hopes...lets see how summer goes down

[habs33]

There goes another one. Teen apparel chain Aeropostale files for bankruptcy protection
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-aeropostale-bankruptcy-idUSKCN0XV08X

The mall-based retailer said it would close 113 U.S. stores and all 41 stores in Canada.

[stephan.richard]

Originally Posted by habs33

There goes another one. Teen apparel chain Aeropostale files for bankruptcy protection
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-aeropostale-bankruptcy-idUSKCN0XV08X

Here we go again.. another chain bites the dust!!

[Taeolas]

Originally Posted by habs33

There goes another one. Teen apparel chain Aeropostale files for bankruptcy protection
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-aeropostale-bankruptcy-idUSKCN0XV08X

Ouch; that's going to be a big gap in Regent mall. Even worse for Champlain Place, with all the empty slots it already has.

[Nashe]

Makes me wonder what the landscape is going to look like in 10 years... It looks like clothing retail chains are imploding... something will step in and fill the void, likely clearing a lot of overhead by starting out anew. People will always need to buy clothes. Will take some time, though.

[MonctonRad]

Not a huge surprise.

Aeropostale was guilty of overexpanding too early, and has been in trouble for the last couple of years at least. Again, Champlain Place is not being picked on here, but it a victim of turmoil in the retail marketplace.

On the bright side, if Jump+ were to relocate, then this could create a nearly square consolidated space of over 14,000 sq ft (GAP, GAP Kids, Aeropostale & Jump+) which could be very attractive to a destination retailer like Forever 21