Rideau Centre Expansion | Completed

[Marshsparrow]

They took shopping centres that were glorious of the 1980s and places people wanted to be and changed them into bland, boring and sterile almost hospital-like / institution settings. It also amazes me the stark contrast between the retail experience of US stores vs Cdn stores in how you are treated. Still in Canada it is almost an annoyance that you are in the store.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by RuralCitizen

I like the big store too. I don't understand how The Bay is sitting on some of the best real estate in every city and still be loosing money. Although they lease in some cities, I find it stupid when they sell their properties to reduce the size of their stores.

To me, when you own the best pieces of land, you should do everything possible to keep it. The potential for revenue is gigantic. They should just use their land better to diversify/complement their current stores. They still can reduce their stores, but they shouldn't sell them.

One example of service they could provide is a Daycare. Some people could drop their kids there before doing their shopping. Having people walk in the store just for the daycare increases your foot traffic and potential for sales in your own store.

Malls are slowly dying because of the competition with online shopping. The way for survival is to provide an experience that isn't matched online. It is about bringing community services and providing a social experience. the downfall of shopping centers started when malls became purely a commercial space, doing away with it's public amenities. Maybe we should try to bring back some of Victor Gruen's ideologies, which brought the initial success of shopping malls.

The Bay is crazy. Went there a week ago and it was constant customers wandering around trying to find a staff member. They have like one till open doing not much business. This on Saturday afternoon. The other Ottawa locations are similar.

It is a nice piece of land but Rideau Centre doesn't seem like they are doing well leasing right now either so not sure who the tenants would be for retail space.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

The Bay is crazy. Went there a week ago and it was constant customers wandering around trying to find a staff member. They have like one till open doing not much business. This on Saturday afternoon. The other Ottawa locations are similar.

It is a nice piece of land but Rideau Centre doesn't seem like they are doing well leasing right now either so not sure who the tenants would be for retail space.

That's too bad, because the Bay is a really nice store since the renos.

As for tenants, I'm thinking that a target would be a lot of restaurants or a food hall type set up given the location straddling Rideau and the Market.

[RuralCitizen]

Originally Posted by phil235

That's too bad, because the Bay is a really nice store since the renos.

As for tenants, I'm thinking that a target would be a lot of restaurants or a food hall type set up given the location straddling Rideau and the Market.

There is this misconception that the tenant NEEDS to be a commercial income generating space. I'm trying to argue that some spaces within the mall, that are difficult to rent, should be converted into community space, transforming them into a destination. While not being the money generating space themselves, they would increase foot traffic and revenue for adjacent stores.

[OTSkyline]

What are your suggestions as to some of these community spaces?

I hope it doesn't turn into another St Laurent (with random office space and community colleges) plugging empty holes.

[RuralCitizen]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

What are your suggestions as to some of these community spaces?

I hope it doesn't turn into another St Laurent (with random office space and community colleges) plugging empty holes.

Indoor Parks, Free Play areas for kids, Libraries, Daycare, Exhibition Space, Performance Space. Those are small examples, but anything that brings life/culture/social exchange can be considered. Sure it can be expensive to run these space, but it is an investment in the profitability of the surrounding spaces. Cost is simply redistributed in the other tenants leases.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by RuralCitizen

Indoor Parks, Free Play areas for kids, Libraries, Daycare, Exhibition Space, Performance Space. Those are small examples, but anything that brings life/culture/social exchange can be considered. Sure it can be expensive to run these space, but it is an investment in the profitability of the surrounding spaces. Cost is simply redistributed in the other tenants leases.

So you want the city to move a bunch of services into the space or you want the company that owns the Bay to get into the municipal services business?

[phil235]

Originally Posted by RuralCitizen

Indoor Parks, Free Play areas for kids, Libraries, Daycare, Exhibition Space, Performance Space. Those are small examples, but anything that brings life/culture/social exchange can be considered. Sure it can be expensive to run these space, but it is an investment in the profitability of the surrounding spaces. Cost is simply redistributed in the other tenants leases.

I'm not saying that none of these would be a good idea, but your list kind of reads like a list of things that have been tried in dying suburban malls in the US Midwest. The Bay/Rideau Centre are not exactly in that category, and I don't think that they need most of those things to drive traffic. I could definitely see a play area or a performance space if they were willing to invest and do it properly, but I'd rather see pop-up retailers in spaces that aren't rented long term and leave the public services to the city.

[RuralCitizen]

either or, it can also be an hybrid.

Perhaps not bring every single ideas within 1 mall. But I can see how some of these services could be beneficial for both customers and the tenants.

Maybe for Rideau center the best would be simply adding some exhibition spaces and performance space. It could be done in partnership with the NGC and the OAG to showcase some work and provide a preview of what one could see if they visit the Gallery proper. Being a touristic mall and high end brand mall, tourist would come for special performance events.

While local community services would profit more to suburban malls like St-Laurent and Place d'Orléans. Being along the transit line, daycare, library, play areas would be ideal for working families.

The other option is the status quo and watching malls slowly die without making any attempts. Online shopping will only become more competitive with the arrival of metaverse shopping where one could check 3D products, try virtual version of clothing on their virtual avatars before making purchases. The need to physically be at the mall to make purchases will become irrelevant.

The mall needs to become more than simply a shopping place, it needs to diversify and needs to remain relevant.

[ars]

Originally Posted by TransitZilla

Indigo moving to Rideau Centre would be great. I'm sure this is being done with redevelopment of the existing store in mind.

It — about Paramount being replaced by a bank. I never went, but I think Paramount is pretty popular in Toronto. I think there is still one in business in Barrhaven- not sure why it didn't work out on Rideau..?

The wife and I went to Paramount Rideau around the time when it first opened. There was a really sharp piece of plastic in my wife's kabab and the only thing that the staff did to rectify that was give us a few pieces of baklava. We never went back after that.

Even outside of the sharp plastic in the food, the food wasn't as good as the Paramount locations in Toronto and neither was the restaurant itself. Not to mention that the competition for Lebanese restaurants in Ottawa is a lot stronger than in Toronto. I would rather have Paramount than TD in that location, but I'm not surprised that they closed down. IIRC, they closed at the start of the pandemic and never opened up again after that.

[Kitchissippi]

Here's my fantasy for the Rideau Centre:

• Shift the Bay towards the old Chapters so it has Sussex frontage. Build an underground link so it's connected to the LRT entrance.
• Convert the east side of Freiman Mall to boutiques.
• Extend the pedestrian bridge axis over George Street
• Redevelop the parking garage into an indoor market that integrates into the ByWard buildings with direct axis to the Sussex Courtyards, York Street and the Market Building. Maybe the Laff can have an indoor patio

[LRTeverywhere]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

I like that a lot!
I was just thinking the other day about how its cool that they left that gap in that newer dev along the courtyards for an eventual redev of the parking garage.

[UrbOttawa]

Noticed new signage up at the former forever 21 space confirming the rumours that indigo will be moving into the Rideau Centre

[DarthVader_1961]

Originally Posted by UrbOttawa

Noticed new signage up at the former forever 21 space confirming the rumours that indigo will be moving into the Rideau Centre

I would assume then that the Chapters across the street will be gone …? Any I dicationsxas to how big the new Indigo will be?

[CanadaGoose]

Originally Posted by DarthVader_1961

I would assume then that the Chapters across the street will be gone …? Any I dicationsxas to how big the new Indigo will be?

based off leasing plan:
https://assets.ctfassets.net/p2tvuj4eecj...70c0c99b8efad05f773e/RIDCT20_LEASING.pdf

12033+16769+3344+4039 = 36 185 sq ft approx.

But, do note that typically an Indigo is around 22 000 sq ft. CF Sherway is 13 000 approx.

[MichelKazan]

Originally Posted by CanadaGoose

based off leasing plan:
https://assets.ctfassets.net/p2tvuj4eecj...70c0c99b8efad05f773e/RIDCT20_LEASING.pdf

12033+16769+3344+4039 = 36 185 sq ft approx.

Wonder how that compares to the current store.

Is there a date or timeframe posted (fall, winter etc..)?

[DarthVader_1961]

Originally Posted by MichelKazan

Wonder how that compares to the current store.

Is there a date or timeframe posted (fall, winter etc..)?

This article says opening in fall

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/indigo-opening...tawa-s-rideau-centre-this-fall-1.5998702

[CanadaGoose]

Originally Posted by MichelKazan

Wonder how that compares to the current store.

Is there a date or timeframe posted (fall, winter etc..)?

I opened google maps and measured, property is about 20 000 sq ft (excluding cibc, etc)

Two floors about 40 000 sq ft.

https://imgur.com/a/hhGGFJz

[MichelKazan]

Originally Posted by CanadaGoose

I opened google maps and measured, property is about 20 000 sq ft (excluding cibc, etc)

Two floors about 40 000 sq ft.

https://imgur.com/a/hhGGFJz

You can probably subtract some floor space from the existing second floor since much of it opens to the floor below.

[CanadaGoose]

Originally Posted by CanadaGoose

based off leasing plan:
https://assets.ctfassets.net/p2tvuj4eecj...70c0c99b8efad05f773e/RIDCT20_LEASING.pdf

12033+16769+3344+4039 = 36 185 sq ft approx.

But, do note that typically an Indigo is around 22 000 sq ft. CF Sherway is 13 000 approx.

I went by Rideau today.

• 1st floor 4039 sq ft old Forever 21 is now Indigo Branded
• 2nd floor 12033 sq ft is Indigo branded (old Forever 21)
• 2nd floor roughly 12 000 sq ft of the 16 000 sq ft Old Navy space is Indigo Branded
• making Indigo now approximately 28 000 sq ft (if it is first and second floor)
• 2nd floor: VS Pink space (3344 sq ft) and 4000 sq ft of Old Navy space is now for Lululemon (current Lululemon is 3100 sq ft)
• 2nd floor: Aerie is coming to Rideau taking over a space of approx 4000 sq ft.
• 2nd floor: Dynamite is gone, but moved to a temporary space.
• 3rd floor: Victoria Secret + Stitch it + Buck or Two is now boarded up, about 14000 sq ft.