Canadian Retail Thread - Page 224

esquire · #**4461** Posted **Aug 9, 2016, 6:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by q12

IKEA groundbreaking ceremony was today at 10am.

https://twitter.com/JWCampbellCTV/st...98268594913280

Congratulations! I've appreciated having a store in town for the last 4 years or so... there is catalogue shopping but it's just not the same as dropping by to pick up a couple of things you need. I'm sure students and younger people in particular will really appreciate having this option.

Where will they open their next Canadian store?

MonctonRad · #**4462** Posted **Aug 9, 2016, 6:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by north 42

^^^ Looks like they're building it on the moon from that picture.

Well, they are building it in Halifax - no topsoil and hard granite bedrock everywhere.

They've been doing site prep for months. I'd hate to guess how many tonnes of dynamite they've used so far to create their building site......

someone123 · #**4463** Posted **Aug 9, 2016, 6:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Well, they are building it in Halifax - no topsoil and hard granite bedrock everywhere.

This isn't correct. There are three or four different major geologic formations in the Halifax area (the "Halifax formation" under the city is slate). If you go a few kilometers south and/or west of the city you get into the Peggy's Cove style exposed granite (part of the South Mountain batholith that extends through much of Southwestern NS) but the city centre and east is slate or sandstone and those areas typically do have a larger layer of topsoil.

The IKEA site itself used to be a quarry.

q12 · #**4464** Posted **Aug 9, 2016, 7:03 PM**

Here's a picture from today taken from the edge of the IKEA parking lot looking away from the IKEA Store:

https://www.facebook.com/DartmouthCrossing

MonctonRad · #**4465** Posted **Aug 9, 2016, 7:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

This isn't correct. There are three or four different major geologic formations in the Halifax area (the "Halifax formation" under the city is slate). If you go a few kilometers south and/or west of the city you get into the Peggy's Cove style exposed granite (part of the South Mountain batholith that extends through much of Southwestern NS) but the city centre and east is slate or sandstone and those areas typically do have a larger layer of topsoil.

The IKEA site itself used to be a quarry.

I'm from PEI originally - good farming country.

Except for the Annapolis Valley, Hants shore and the Northumberland shore, the rest of NS (especially around Halifax) has next to no topsoil (a couple of inches doesn't count). I stand by my comments.

someone123 · #**4466** Posted **Aug 9, 2016, 8:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Except for the Annapolis Valley, Hants shore and the Northumberland shore, the rest of NS (especially around Halifax) has next to no topsoil (a couple of inches doesn't count). I stand by my comments.

You're unlikely to agree with me I guess but this is a typical excavation site in Halifax:

Source

The typical soil depths are more in the 1-3 m range outside of granitic areas. Almost none of the developed part of the city is in those granitic areas, probably partly because they're harder to build on.

TownGuy · #**4467** Posted **Aug 9, 2016, 10:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by q12

Big box store porn. It's funny how much they emphasize the bike lanes and paths likes anyone is going to use them to go to any of that. A nice little walk through a series of parking lots and shitty stores.

ue · #**4468** Posted **Aug 9, 2016, 11:57 PM**

^ The smaller scale street facing towards the Cineplex and the Intact building (Fish Park in-between) is actually decently walkable and has ample sidewalks and bike racks. Not that its the most pleasant place to do anything but drive to, but its an improvement I guess.

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

You're unlikely to agree with me I guess but this is a typical excavation site in Halifax:

Source

The typical soil depths are more in the 1-3 m range outside of granitic areas. Almost none of the developed part of the city is in those granitic areas, probably partly because they're harder to build on.

Is this why the urban development basically halts SW of the Halifax peninsula towards Spryfield and Fergusons Cove? It does look really strange having that emptiness so close to downtown while towards Bedford and in Dartmouth, it just sprawls on.

someone123 · #**4469** Posted **Aug 10, 2016, 12:23 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ue

Is this why the urban development basically halts SW of the Halifax peninsula towards Spryfield and Fergusons Cove? It does look really strange having that emptiness so close to downtown while towards Bedford and in Dartmouth, it just sprawls on.

I think that is part of it. There are also a lot of steep grades around there, and the road network isn't very good, partly because building roads and bridges there is challenging and partly because of NIMBYs. Another factor is that the watershed around the Chain Lakes is part of the city's water supply (going back to the 1840's; there's an interesting blog post about it here: http://halifaxbloggers.ca/builthalif...vice-resevoir/) and Long Lake is part of a provincial park.

ue · #**4470** Posted **Aug 10, 2016, 12:51 AM**

Yeah, I thought a bridge from the South End to Purcells Cove (roughly) would do wonders in terms of connectivity but figured its the South End and anybody proposing anything would have their eyes scratched out. As it is now, everything just funnels into that Quinpool/Chebucto/Herring Cove roundabout. Thanks for the link!

Nouvellecosse · #**4471** Posted **Aug 10, 2016, 1:17 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by someone123

You're unlikely to agree with me I guess but this is a typical excavation site in Halifax:

Most of the construction sites I've seen have had deep (at least 1-2 stories) and muddy excavations

SaskScraper · #**4472** Posted **Aug 12, 2016, 2:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

Congratulations! I've appreciated having a store in town for the last 4 years or so... there is catalogue shopping but it's just not the same as dropping by to pick up a couple of things you need. I'm sure students and younger people in particular will really appreciate having this option.

Where will they open their next Canadian (Ikea) store?

My guess is either Saskatoon or Victoria will get the next Ikea in Canada. Victoria for Vancouver Island's 3/4million population. Nanaimo with over 100,000 people is 1½ drive from Victoria's CMA of 365,000 which adds to catchment area. Saskatoon with CMA over 300,000.. >3/4million within ~2hr drive radius.

http://thestarphoenix.com/business/l...in-next-decade

north 42 · #**4473** Posted **Aug 12, 2016, 2:58 PM**

London will probably be the next full sized IKEA store in Canada, much bigger than Victoria or Saskatoon.

Even Windsor and Essex County is about 400,000 people, but we already have an IKEA pick up store, so I doubt a full size one will open any time soon.

1overcosc · #**4474** Posted **Aug 12, 2016, 5:06 PM**

A London store could serve London, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Stratford, Woodstock.. there's well over a million people in that area.

TownGuy · #**4475** Posted **Aug 12, 2016, 6:21 PM**

Don't hurt SaskScrapers feelings too much. He probably has no idea SW Ontario is more populated than his entire province.

OTSkyline · #**4476** Posted **Aug 12, 2016, 6:42 PM**

Repost from the Ottawa forum; the Rideau Centre just opened their 3-floor $360-million expansion this week and it looks amazing! Top notch all around. You'll notice the corner brick building is new but all rebuilt using the same bricks and materials that were preserved when they had to take down the old Ogilvie building.

Quote:

Originally Posted by urbform

some recent photos:

SKFW_04108_20160808.jpg by SKFW, on Flickr

SKFW_04113_20160808.jpg by SKFW, on Flickr

SKFW_04125_20160811.jpg by SKFW, on Flickr

SKFW_04127_20160811.jpg by SKFW, on Flickr

SKFW_04140_20160811.jpg by SKFW, on Flickr

eternallyme · #**4477** Posted **Aug 12, 2016, 7:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by north 42

London will probably be the next full sized IKEA store in Canada, much bigger than Victoria or Saskatoon.

Even Windsor and Essex County is about 400,000 people, but we already have an IKEA pick up store, so I doubt a full size one will open any time soon.

Is there an Ikea in Metro Detroit? Since most likely that store would be much more convenient to those in the Windsor area.

eternallyme · #**4478** Posted **Aug 12, 2016, 7:37 PM**

Also re: downtown malls, why have they been an enormous success in Toronto and Ottawa, and even successful in Regina and Saskatoon (their main malls are downtown), yet a total failure in other cities, particularly Winnipeg and the mid-sized southern Ontario cities?

Acajack · #**4479** Posted **Aug 12, 2016, 8:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by eternallyme

Also re: downtown malls, why have they been an enormous success in Toronto and Ottawa, and even successful in Regina and Saskatoon (their main malls are downtown), yet a total failure in other cities, particularly Winnipeg and the mid-sized southern Ontario cities?

There are a number of factors but I'd say a big success element is that in Toronto and Ottawa the downtown malls are located at major transit hubs.

eemy · #**4480** Posted **Aug 12, 2016, 8:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

A London store could serve London, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Stratford, Woodstock.. there's well over a million people in that area.

Most people in KW would be more likely to go to the Burlington IKEA over one in London. Both London and KW also have the pickup and order point stores already as well.