The Metro Vancouver Retail Thread

[NewfBC]

Originally Posted by HelloKitty

Hi...

This isn't a Vancouver store but it's food for thought on how a bricks and mortar department store is trying to keep up/survive..

See Debenham's news link here... or bbc’s here.

Sounds a lot like a Nordstrom store.

Ron.

[SpongeG]

It's not as fancy as Nordstrom. I went to the Debenhams in Melbourne, it was their first store in Australia recently opened. It was more like Macys, the Bay downtown feels more upscale. I went to Debenhams in London years ago, it was maybe a little fancier than the Australian store but not really high end. They had some nice house label brands and collabs with lesser known British designers.

this is the Melbourne star, as you can see they carry brands like Van Heusen, Jaspar Conran, Calvin Klein etc.

• Video Link

[osirisboy]

That's good. I don't want a high end store. Those things are pathetic

[Vin]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

It's not as fancy as Nordstrom. I went to the Debenhams in Melbourne, it was their first store in Australia recently opened. It was more like Macys, the Bay downtown feels more upscale. I went to Debenhams in London years ago, it was maybe a little fancier than the Australian store but not really high end. They had some nice house label brands and collabs with lesser known British designers.

this is the Melbourne star, as you can see they carry brands like Van Heusen, Jaspar Conran, Calvin Klein etc.

• Video Link

Wearing a pair of Debenhams work pants as we speak. I like the store: been to the ones in London and Kuala Lumpur. They do carry good quality stuff, although they are not as good as they used to be. Store design wise is rather plain, but then again I'm referring to the one on Oxford Street. Can't say about the new one in Melbourne because it wasn't there back when I last visited.

[SpongeG]

It seems like it would be a good fit for Canada. Not outrageous $1200 Gucci sneakers like Nordstrom. The store in Melbourne was nice, it was in the basement so it had that basement feel. I don't remember having any sales people come up and ask if I needed anything. It wasn't very busy either, in the mens dept there was me and one other person looking around.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I went to Metropolis at Metrotown 2 weeks ago and it was hopping!
That place was packed - and the variety of stores is broader than downtown has to offer.
Downtown has Nordstrom, Holt Renfrew and Hudson's Bay for the wealthy tourists - but in terms of specialty stores, Metropolis at Metrotown (and other suburban malls?) have large format stores like H&M, etc. in the mall.
Those big stores (with cheaper rent than downtown) probably have as much if not more selection than the stores downtown.

Yup, that totally goes against the idea of some here who think that "traditional shopping is dying" and that there is "no demand". City centre malls are usually pretty packed, and it gets better in colder and wetter seasons. Best thing I like is that it animates the streets around, again contrary to what many think of city malls "killing street life".

[Vin]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

Granville street isn't that run down.

LOL, come on, seriously? Try to remember the time you were in Melbourne, then think about Granville street again, especially from Robson to Davie.

Originally Posted by s211

There's a statement I've never heard before from either residents or tourists.

I concur!

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Sheba

You should e-mail the next city council and suggest that. They're not going to do anything about it if they don't hear anything form people.

I might just be doing that!

[SpongeG]

Well we can't do much about the fact that past city councils let the historic buildings get dozed for ugly. For what it is Granville Street is fine.

[trofirhen]

As someone suggested, could we not redo the Sinclair Centre, with Leone as the probable anchor, move the government offices out, and restructure the interior?
With the government offices gone, the whole inside could be revamped in such a way as to make it a smaller, more intimate, upscale mall with several levels, chic restaurants and stores.
It is already in a great location -right on classy West Hastings - and would give Vancouver that "small but smart" element that it does not yet have, unless you include the Wedgewood and such. Big, sprawly malls like the Pacific Centre are fine and dandy, and the new enlarged Holt Refrew is classy enough, but we don't have any of that more intimate, refined charm characteristic of many major cities.
Redoing the Sinclair Centre might be the first step. The buildings are already there, and several upsale tenants are already there, so it's not as if we're starting from scratch.
And West Hastings is a distinguished, rather regal street (by Vancouver standards anyway) and would lend itself sell to such a project, IMO anyway, unless I'm wrong.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

...And West Hastings is a distinguished, rather regal street (by Vancouver standards anyway) and would lend itself sell to such a project, IMO anyway, unless I'm wrong.

Except that Hastings St. failed as a high end district, with the high end retailers flocking to Alberni Street, closer to the high end hotels that supply the tourists with fat wallets (Shangri-La, Sutton Place, Four Seasons, etc.)
(i.e. the summer cruise ship traffic around Hastings was not enough to sustain the area)

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Except that Hastings St. failed as a high end district, with the high end retailers flocking to Alberni Street, closer to the high end hotels that supply the tourists with fat wallets (Shangri-La, Sutton Place, Four Seasons, etc.)
(i.e. the summer cruise ship traffic around Hastings was not enough to sustain the area)

aww, too bad, but that's the way it goes. I wonder how Leone manages to survive if that's the case?

[SpongeG]

they have some exclusive brands

[s211]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

I wonder how Leone manages to survive if that's the case?

Rents measurably lower than elsewhere, as I understand it.

[SpongeG]

Opening in Lougheed Town Centre soon, they started in Edmonton where the first store is in West Edmonton Mall, this looks to be the second store for them.

its going to be quite large, has taken over the spots where about 4 or 5 stores were.
2018-10-01_06-40-04 by snub_you, on Flickr

[Waders]

I walked by Muji Metrotown today and found the store closed and store interior shielded behind black curtain.

According to news report,

The Japanese clothing and household goods retailer announced today that it will close its store for a few weeks beginning on October 1, so that the existing store can be amalgamated with the under-construction adjacent expansion space, which replaces three retail units.

This location experiences some of the company’s highest sales in Canada, and it is consistently crowded with shoppers.

When the store reopens later-October, the store’s footprint will grow from 7,700-sq-ft to 12,305-sq-ft, making it the second largest MUJI location in Canada – right after the 14,507-sq-ft Robson Street flagship store in downtown Vancouver, which is the largest MUJI store outside of Asia.

Picture from DailyHive.

[Conrad Yablonski]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

Opening in Lougheed Town Centre soon, they started in Edmonton where the first store is in West Edmonton Mall, this looks to be the second store for them.its going to be quite large, has taken over the spots where about 4 or 5 stores were....

Ceramics, Beauty Products, Japanese Snacks, Stationary to Cleaning Supplies, Kitchenware, Organizers, Gift Wrapping Supplies and much more!

So Oomomo is how you spell Dollarama in Japanese-now I know.

[osirisboy]

Muji sells clothes? Lol weird

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by s211

Rents measurably lower than elsewhere, as I understand it.

When they first moved in:

$27 per square foot triple net,

https://www.bcbusiness.ca/maria-leone-co-owner-leone

Also, didn't know the Leone's were behind RYU.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by osirisboy

Muji sells clothes? Lol weird

lol how did you not know that? have you never been to a muji? its not a dollar store, its really quite expensive