Tsawwassen First Nation Updates

[NewfBC]

Originally Posted by cornholio

When I was there I thought the mall was great. Much better to drive out there from South Vancouver then to drive into Vancouver/Burnaby if you shop once a year.

But you make a absolute valid point about online shopping. Traditional retail over the next decade or two will get destroyed imo. I do almost all my shopping except clothes, furniture and sometimes food now online. I would never go to a store for example to shop for electronics, its frustrating now. Much simpler to find what I need and order it so that it comes in a couple hours to either my office or my home. As for clothes I see my self doing more of that sort of shopping online as well with time due to convenience. Food is super easy to do online and I actually don't know why I still go to super markets, that will change. Furniture as well but its just so damn rare to need to buy something, as in almost never. Traditional retail will die and become just a niche, and we will all be better for it.

I do wonder what will happen to these malls and many stores and what not. For example Best Buy will definitely go bankrupt probably within the next decade, maybe much sooner. That's one example. They have set their course and looking at their model they can no longer reverse it. So many more traditional retail franchises will go bust that people would not have imagined being a possibility. Restaurants for now seem to be safe as a group, McDonalds for example I think is amazing what they have done with their business (and I say this as someone that doesn't like fast food, beyond the coffee and occasional value burger).

Back on topic though, with online shopping and the certain death of most traditional retail it would seem that this mall will face serious existential problems in the future. Once a few stores begin to fold it will impact the remaining ones and create a gradual chain reaction at some point.

hmm.. all this as Amazon just closed their deal to buy Whole Foods and continues to open Amazon branded retail locations.

Ron.

[SpongeG]

speaking of amazon - might want to wait till monday to go shopping at whole foods and amazon prime members will also see some benefits in the coming months at whole foods

Amazon to cut Whole Foods prices, including in Canada, on Monday

Amazon.com Inc said it will cut prices on a range of popular goods as it completes its acquisition of Whole Foods Market Inc, sending shares of rival grocers tumbling on fears that brutal market share battles will intensify.

The price cuts will extend to stores in Canada, according to Whole Foods Market.

...

http://globalnews.ca/news/3695778/amazon-whole-foods-prices/

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by jhausner

To answer a few questions:

1. I believe they are all leaseholds aka 99 year leases

Originally Posted by flipper316

http://vancouversun.com/storyline/retail...game-changer-for-tsawwassen-first-nation
Love how in the article they pretty much admit that it's slow there.

The article says that Ivanhoe Cambridge paid upfront for a 99 year ground lease.
Anyone know if Ivanhoe Cambridge (and flowed through to retail tenants) would pay property taxes?

[s211]

Originally Posted by officedweller

The article says that Ivanhoe Cambridge paid upfront for a 99 year ground lease.
Anyone know if Ivanhoe Cambridge (and flowed through to retail tenants) would pay property taxes?

Pretty sure the TFN will be levying property taxes, based on what I know of other TFN properties.

[officedweller]

Thanks.

[Klazu]

I visited Tsawwassen Mills on Tuesday evening after 6pm and the whole place was a ghost town. I kid you not, it was so empty everywhere that it felt eerie to walk around this huge mall where all stores were open but there were almost no customers anywhere. It was also the same a month ago that I went, but that was close to the closing hours.

If this is really the reality, there is a very grim future for this place. The mall has been open less than a year and already now it is deserted. I personally like the space, but I have to admit that it is a long way from Burnaby and honestly there is very little reason to visit it from here.

[osirisboy]

Wow every time I've gone it's been very busy weekdays and weekends

[Klazu]

That's interesting to hear and I hope that is the case. I wish I would have had my camera with me on those two occasions, as the whole thing looked like something out of a dead malls documentary.

Any locals visiting the mall on regular basis to give us better context?

[officedweller]

I wonder about the mall hours, being open til 9:00pm Monday-Saturday.

Even Pacific Centre - DOWNTOWN - has these hours:

Monday & Tuesday 10:00am-7:00pm
Wednesday-Friday 10:00am-9:00pm
Saturday 10:00am-8:00pm
Sunday 11:00am-7:00pm

Tsawwassen Mills has these hours:

Monday-Saturday 10:00am-9:00pm
Sunday 10:00am-7:00pm

Those are the same hours as Metropolis at Metrotown (also Ivanhoe Cambridge, but it is far more central)
Guildford Town Centre (also Ivanhoe Cambridge) has the same Monday-Saturday hours, but 10:00am-6:00pm Sunday.

Usually malls in the burbs close at 6:00 or 7:00 pm Monday-Wednesday.

[retro_orange]

Hopefully they will be starting with the adjacent housing developments a.s.a.p. before this thing flounders.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I wonder about the mall hours, being open til 9:00pm Monday-Saturday.

Even Pacific Centre - DOWNTOWN - has these hours:

Monday & Tuesday 10:00am-7:00pm
Wednesday-Friday 10:00am-9:00pm
Saturday 10:00am-8:00pm
Sunday 11:00am-7:00pm

Tsawwassen Mills has these hours:

Monday-Saturday 10:00am-9:00pm
Sunday 10:00am-7:00pm

Those are the same hours as Metropolis at Metrotown (also Ivanhoe Cambridge, but it is far more central)
Guildford Town Centre (also Ivanhoe Cambridge) has the same Monday-Saturday hours, but 10:00am-6:00pm Sunday.

Usually malls in the burbs close at 6:00 or 7:00 pm Monday-Wednesday.

i miss ontario where the malls were open til 9 pm 6 days a week. i think BCer's just aren't used to that, somedays i only get going at 4 pm and by the time i get to the mall i have no time for anything.

[VancouverOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by Klazu

I visited Tsawwassen Mills on Tuesday evening after 6pm and the whole place was a ghost town. I kid you not, it was so empty everywhere that it felt eerie to walk around this huge mall where all stores were open but there were almost no customers anywhere. It was also the same a month ago that I went, but that was close to the closing hours.

If this is really the reality, there is a very grim future for this place. The mall has been open less than a year and already now it is deserted. I personally like the space, but I have to admit that it is a long way from Burnaby and honestly there is very little reason to visit it from here.

when I've been, its been less then busy. not empty but certainly closer to empty then to full. all the other malls similar in size, and even smaller see more people than this mall; even the YVR outlet mall sees more people when you don't account for the opening people wanting to go check it out and never go back.

always a ton of sales on things though, that's for sure.

Originally Posted by osirisboy

Wow every time I've gone it's been very busy weekdays and weekends

i have been a few times, and would never call it "very busy," and this was midday on Saturday and Sunday. it was more on the less busy side, but still more then what Klasu saw.


on another note, i saw the shuttle-bus the other day at Oak/W70th and i didn't realize it was a full sized tour bus. must cost a pretty-penny to operate all summer and be free.

[connect2source]

I have a listing and a couple of buyers in Tsawwassen which takes me down there quite a bit, I typically stop at Tsawwassen Mills for a bite and a quick browse, mostly weekday afternoons. Every time I've visited it been absolutely dead, whether it's early or late in the week.

I doesn't take a rocket-scientist to know that the lack of people during most weekdays, doesn't amount to good numbers for the retailers. I spoke to the manager of one of the full-service restaurant and she said their numbers suck and the mall is dead all but Saturdays and most of Sundays, she also heard a rumour that at least 16 retailers will vacate by the end of 2017.

The cancelling of the Massey Bridge can't be good news for this place either.

[s211]

Originally Posted by VancouverOfTheFuture

on another note, i saw the shuttle-bus the other day at Oak/W70th and i didn't realize it was a full sized tour bus. must cost a pretty-penny to operate all summer and be free.

Yes, I didn't realize they had that. I saw it as I was walking on the Cambie Bridge last week. I'd consider taking it just out of curiosity.

[NewfBC]

MAC Cosmetics store is under construction - opening soon.

Ron.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I wonder about the mall hours, being open til 9:00pm Monday-Saturday.

Even Pacific Centre - DOWNTOWN - has these hours:

Monday & Tuesday 10:00am-7:00pm
Wednesday-Friday 10:00am-9:00pm
Saturday 10:00am-8:00pm
Sunday 11:00am-7:00pm

Tsawwassen Mills has these hours:

Monday-Saturday 10:00am-9:00pm
Sunday 10:00am-7:00pm

Those are the same hours as Metropolis at Metrotown (also Ivanhoe Cambridge, but it is far more central)
Guildford Town Centre (also Ivanhoe Cambridge) has the same Monday-Saturday hours, but 10:00am-6:00pm Sunday.

Usually malls in the burbs close at 6:00 or 7:00 pm Monday-Wednesday.

TM hours are also the same as Macarthur Glen at YVR and Richmond Centre.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by s211

Yes, I didn't realize they had that. I saw it as I was walking on the Cambie Bridge last week. I'd consider taking it just out of curiosity.

I saw that bus downtown. I have no idea what the route is though. I was confused if it was an actual shuttle bus or just an advertising wrap.

[Zassk]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

i miss ontario where the malls were open til 9 pm 6 days a week. i think BCer's just aren't used to that, somedays i only get going at 4 pm and by the time i get to the mall i have no time for anything.

This comment is interesting to me because in the 90's, it was the opposite. I lived a year in Ontario in the early 90's and I was appalled that stores were prohibited by law from opening on Sundays, and Friday was the only night you could shop past 6 p.m. At the time, BC had roughly the same shopping hours as today.

[VanK]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

I saw that bus downtown. I have no idea what the route is though. I was confused if it was an actual shuttle bus or just an advertising wrap.

Downtown Shopping Shuttle
Our exclusive 48-passenger luxury coach provides COMPLIMENTARY round trip service twice a day from 2 convenient locations to Tsawwassen Mills.

Downtown Vancouver at Canada Place
Richmond at River Rock Casino Resort

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by Zassk

This comment is interesting to me because in the 90's, it was the opposite. I lived a year in Ontario in the early 90's and I was appalled that stores were prohibited by law from opening on Sundays, and Friday was the only night you could shop past 6 p.m. At the time, BC had roughly the same shopping hours as today.

i lived in ontario from 92 to 94 in a smaller town and the mall was always open late from Monday to saturday, sundays however was tougher to find a grocery store open.