[Burnaby] The Amazing Brentwood | 15 Towers | 186m | 56 flrs | U/C & Proposed

[HelloKitty]

Originally Posted by Spr0ckets

Yeah, but....
I hate to be the one to break this, but Mexico City apart from being an actual capital city of a country, - and despite what people may think of it and the general rep the country has down south - actually happens to be a world metropolis or major metropolitan city.
Even if it may not seem so.

So, not really surprising that they'd have a major brand name like Saks.
(the world's second richest man does come from Mexico, after all).

If a brand like Saks or Harrods were to open a major store anywhere in Canada, I'd put my money on Toronto or Montreal first, before Vancouver, (and not even meaning any disrespect to Vancouver) - let alone Burnaby.

And even in GVA it probably goes without saying that they'd be more likley to open stores at Pacific Center and nowhere else, just based on sales/revenue per square footage (as well as the fact that Pacific Center is the only one in the GVA that ranks in the top 15 in all of Canada).
And even then, maybe Saks, probably, but Harrods, I seriously doubt.

Yes.. and Mexico City has a population about 3x (more or less) that of Metro Vancouver. It has a larger market or pool of customers...as do many big Asian metropolises that have the mixed residential/commercial sites similar to what's being built now with the Amazing Brentwood.

[HelloKitty]

Originally Posted by GilmoreStation

There goes Brentwood's chance to attract MUJI...
http://www.retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2017/1/muji-vancouver

Cool it's finally arriving in Vancouver... not cool it's not in Brentwood. Lol! Still, it's great that the second store will be in Burnaby, in Metrotown, kinda/almost next door. hehe! Good thing Burnaby has a big Metrotown mall so that non-downtown Vancouver residents don't have to go all the way downtown for these shops.

[Jebby]

Originally Posted by HelloKitty

Yes.. and Mexico City has a population about 3x (more or less) that of Metro Vancouver. It has a larger market or pool of customers...as does many big Asian metropolises that have the mixed residential/commercial sites similar to what's being built now with the Amazing Brentwood.

More like 8-10x the population, but the purchasing power of 90% of that population is lower than almost every single Metro Vancouver resident.

[HelloKitty]

Originally Posted by sburnaby33

I choose the Brentwood area because living close to Granville St. did not sound appealing. If I wanted absolute quite then a townhouse in Pitt Meadows would suffice, but I did not want to live there. I know that I would be dealing with traffic noise and the like in the area. That I do not mind. A bunch of obnoxious people yelling at 3 AM and urinating everywhere, not so much .

Agree.. Noise, traffic, and light are a given where the Skytrains are located... No NIMBYism there... It's the drunken obnoxiousness in the Granville St. area that's not a welcome thought I imagine anywhere, NIMBY or not. Actually that stretch of street I found rather chaotic and dirty, I wouldn't like to work in that part of downtown either.

[HelloKitty]

Originally Posted by Jebby

More like 8-10x the population, but the purchasing power of 90% of that population is lower than almost every single Metro Vancouver resident.

I see.. I just googled the numbers.. Lol. From what I remember Metro Vancouver has more or less 3m people. Mexico City it says has about 8-9m people. So I figured that's about 3x the population of Metro Vancouver.

[HelloKitty]

Would be nice too if there's room for like a type of modern museum as well as like a public library in the Amazing Brentwood or nearby... Dream on. Lol.

The distance to Confederation Park where there's a library is not exactly a daily-type-of-walking distance to these highrises/the skytrain. Perhaps once the proposed walkway stretching to Hastings from Brentwood is completed, then that becomes more accessible I suppose.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by HelloKitty

Would be nice too if there's room for like a type of modern museum as well as like a public library in the Amazing Brentwood or nearby... Dream on. Lol.

The distance to Confederation Park where there's a library is not exactly a daily-type-of-walking distance to these highrises/the skytrain. Perhaps once the proposed walkway stretching to Hastings from Brentwood is completed, then that becomes more accessible I suppose.

Any new museum in Burnaby would be in the Metrotown area, as it's been designated the downtown of Burnaby.

Also Burnaby has one library in each of it's quadrants and seems to have no interest in adding any more (it's been like that for aeons). "The present library branch opened in 2001" so they're not likely to move it anytime soon (in comparison the Metrotown branch opened 10 years earlier and has only had one reno).

[HelloKitty]

Originally Posted by Caliplanner1

Although I generally agree with your international urban market analysis as to the global status of Mexico City (being home to many wealthy foreign and local elite etc.) and thus an attractive site for Saks....couldn't/wouldn't you also argue that Vancouver with its inflow of so many foreign millionaires (as evidenced by this city's high priced housing real estate market) alongside a stronger Canadian dollar vis-a-vis the peso might very well render such high-end retail operations viable (out here on the West Coast)??

We might still be too tiny a market... We might be 3m in population but out of that population, only a very few handful are probably immediate customers. Which is why these stores open in the Metro Toronto area first... bigger market, more foreseeable immediate chances of success or less risky. Hudson's Bay (the major owner..?) though didn't have a good 2016. I guess that's one evidence of the department store concept almost going the way of the dinosaur in certain places...

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

Saks has found a Vancouver location chosen doesn't it?, its opening inside the bay downtown, with its main entrance on seymour street I thought.

That is certainly not a done deal and it's around Saks Plan D or E in terms of level of willingness. An absolute last resort.

Originally Posted by HelloKitty

I see.. I just googled the numbers.. Lol. From what I remember Metro Vancouver has more or less 3m people. Mexico City it says has about 8-9m people. So I figured that's about 3x the population of Metro Vancouver.

You're using the city of mexico vs the metro of Vancouver. Metro Mexico City hasn't been 8 million probably since the 1945s. There are around 22 million people living in the Mexico City metropolitan area, as far as I know it's the largest city in the Western Hemisphere.

[HelloKitty]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

That is certainly not a done deal and it's around Saks Plan D or E in terms of level of willingness. An absolute last resort.



You're using the city of mexico vs the metro of Vancouver. Metro Mexico City hasn't been 8 million probably since the 1945s. There are around 22 million people living in the Mexico City metropolitan area, as far as I know it's the largest city in the Western Hemisphere.

Yes.. I mentioned Mexico City alone from the beginning as I wasn't sure of their metropolitan area. So Mexico City alone is like 3x that of Metro Vancouver. The Metropolitan Mexico area then is one really big market. hehe!

[excel]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

There are around 22 million people living in the Mexico City metropolitan area, as far as I know it's the largest city in the Western Hemisphere.

São Paulo

[cornholio]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

That is certainly not a done deal and it's around Saks Plan D or E in terms of level of willingness. An absolute last resort.



You're using the city of mexico vs the metro of Vancouver. Metro Mexico City hasn't been 8 million probably since the 1945s. There are around 22 million people living in the Mexico City metropolitan area, as far as I know it's the largest city in the Western Hemisphere.

Its a toss up with São Paulo as they are pretty much equal with 21 to 22 million each ;-). It gets complicated though because although Mexico city has some 21-22 million you have cities like Puebla (3 mill), Cuernavaca, Toluca etc just outside it. Vancouver has nothing outside of Vancouver worth mentioning, Mexico City basically has other Vancouver's and Calgary's just outside of it. Same thing for São Paulo, outside of it you have Campinas (3mill), Santos(2.5 mill), Jundai, São Jose Dos Campos, Sorocaba all 1 to 3 million people cities/metros within a 1 hour drive. Then you have Rio with another 12 million only 350 km's away. In fact if you took the New York metropolitan area and dropped it over Sao Paulo you would have some 35 million people, and of course that would not include Rio.

So yeah Mexico city and São Paulo are not comparable to Vancouver in any way shape or form. People underestimate how populous these two are. And one has to remember they are the financial and economic hubs of two large unequal and Plutocratic countries, there is plenty of money in these cities and no reason for the wealthy to leave since they run the show.

[Caliplanner1]

Originally Posted by HelloKitty

We might still be too tiny a market... We might be 3m in population but out of that population, only a very few handful are probably immediate customers. Which is why these stores open in the Metro Toronto area first... bigger market, more foreseeable immediate chances of success or less risky. Hudson's Bay (the major owner..?) though didn't have a good 2016. I guess that's one evidence of the department store concept almost going the way of the dinosaur in certain places...

So you really believe that Vancouver's upscale consumer market (as exhibited by the city's super hot real estate house prices and numerous super expensive cars on its streets --which are sustained by hundreds of thousands of wealthy immigrants and visitors--is still too small for high end stores like Saks)?? Interesting......

[Blease]

Originally Posted by cornholio

Its a toss up with São Paulo as they are pretty much equal with 21 to 22 million each ;-). It gets complicated though because although Mexico city has some 21-22 million you have cities like Puebla (3 mill), Cuernavaca, Toluca etc just outside it. Vancouver has nothing outside of Vancouver worth mentioning, Mexico City basically has other Vancouver's and Calgary's just outside of it. Same thing for São Paulo, outside of it you have Campinas (3mill), Santos(2.5 mill), Jundai, São Jose Dos Campos, Sorocaba all 1 to 3 million people cities/metros within a 1 hour drive. Then you have Rio with another 12 million only 350 km's away. In fact if you took the New York metropolitan area and dropped it over Sao Paulo you would have some 35 million people, and of course that would not include Rio.

So yeah Mexico city and São Paulo are not comparable to Vancouver in any way shape or form. People underestimate how populous these two are. And one has to remember they are the financial and economic hubs of two large unequal and Plutocratic countries, there is plenty of money in these cities and no reason for the wealthy to leave since they run the show.

The plutocrats might run the show, but both cities are also severely gang and crime infested where ransom related kidnappings are endemic. In Mexico as a whole, diners risk water borne illnesses even in seemingly the cleanest restaurants.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by HelloKitty

We might still be too tiny a market... We might be 3m in population but out of that population, only a very few handful are probably immediate customers. Which is why these stores open in the Metro Toronto area first... bigger market, more foreseeable immediate chances of success or less risky. Hudson's Bay (the major owner..?) though didn't have a good 2016. I guess that's one evidence of the department store concept almost going the way of the dinosaur in certain places...

Missed this post. That's not why saks opened up first in Toronto. They opened up first because the opportunity was there.

Nordstrom opened in Ottawa before they opened in Toronto. It's certainly not because Ottawa is a better lux market than Toronto, it just took them less time to find the location and build it out.

Saks wants to be in Vancouver, they have said that very publicly, they are just having trouble finding a space that works for them.

[HelloKitty]

Originally Posted by Caliplanner1

So you really believe that Vancouver's upscale consumer market (as exhibited by the city's super hot real estate house prices and numerous super expensive cars on its streets --hich are sustained by hundreds of thousands of wealthy immigrants and visitors--is still too small for high end stores like Saks)?? Interesting......

Hi CaliPlanner1,

I don't mean they're not ever gonna open in Van. hehe. What I was responding to was agreeing with Spr0ckets's observation in principle.. Since we're on the Amazing Brentwood forum, stores like Saks would most likely open elsewhere first in Canada, rather than Vancouver, especially given the competition in retail lately plus size of the market/pie it's competing for vs its investment. So while agreeing with Spr0ckets, when it does open in Vancouver, it probably won't likely be in Amazing Brentwood. But then again, we'll never know 'til it does get here. Lol! There is a Saks Off Fifth though...

Also some of the luxury property buyers.. am not sure but they buy but don't really live here.. That's why the empty homes tax came about.. But I can be mistaken.

I am sure though that a Harrod's is quite far off... Lol!

[HelloKitty]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Missed this post. That's not why saks opened up first in Toronto. They opened up first because the opportunity was there.

Nordstrom opened in Ottawa before they opened in Toronto. It's certainly not because Ottawa is a better lux market than Toronto, it just took them less time to find the location and build it out.

Saks wants to be in Vancouver, they have said that very publicly, they are just having trouble finding a space that works for them.

yeah.. That too.. We don't really have much space in Metro Van that would be most accessible to their core market, relatively speaking. And Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks Off Fifth are two different types of Saks.. Seems Ottawa ones are the less lux version. Off Fifth is like the discount Saks or a Saks outlet.. not the full Saks Fifth Avenue stores in Toronto area that I've been talking about.

[Jebby]

Originally Posted by cornholio

Its a toss up with São Paulo as they are pretty much equal with 21 to 22 million each ;-). It gets complicated though because although Mexico city has some 21-22 million you have cities like Puebla (3 mill), Cuernavaca, Toluca etc just outside it.

Yes, Mexico City proper is around 8.9 million.
The urban area directly adjacent to Mexico City takes up to 25.4 million.

Then add in Cuernavaca (350,000), Toluca (820,00), Puebla (3 million), Cuautla (150,000) and all the smaller towns around you get up to around 30 million.

You could probably even add in Quertaro which is about an hour and half drive away and that adds another million people.

Still, despite it's massive size, the purchasing power is extremely low, especially in everywhere except four municipalities within Mexico City (Miguel Hidalgo, Cuauhtémoc, Cuajimalpa and Alvaro Obrejon)

[Jebby]

Originally Posted by Blease

The plutocrats might run the show, but both cities are also severely gang and crime infested where ransom related kidnappings are endemic. In Mexico as a whole, diners risk water borne illnesses even in seemingly the cleanest restaurants.

Sounds like Surrey!

[HelloKitty]

Originally Posted by Blease

The plutocrats might run the show, but both cities are also severely gang and crime infested where ransom related kidnappings are endemic. In Mexico as a whole, diners risk water borne illnesses even in seemingly the cleanest restaurants.

Those kidnappings.. it's quite unfortunate.. A Mexican-Canadian friend always says she has to be careful going back to Mexico City if she knows she's doing some business on that trip. Flies back to Canada quickly. A family member of one of her Mexican friends (very much middle class family) was kidnapped for ransom then killed.. Sorry this is out of topic. Will stop now. Lol!