Winnipeg Retail

[BAKGUY]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ That is another head scratcher. Target was so good. And they were finally getting things figured out, the empty shelves of the first few months had been mostly figured out by the end. I thought they had a much nicer selection of merchandise than what you find at Walmart... I miss it.

It still blows me away that their purpose-built, and no doubt extremely expensive store on St. James was only in operation as a Target for a few months before they pulled the plug on the whole thing.

For me Target kind of replaced Zellers.I never went to Walmart while they were open.
Their clothes I purchased are all still in good repair.
And same for almost all my Zellers apparel.
Their housewares, linens and food offerings were better than W Mart.
People have short memories.When Walmart arrived they had empty spaces for products for a couple of years as well.
I recall how frustrated it made me.
So, Zellers was a great alternative.
The closest option other than Costco, is Giant Tiger.

[BAKGUY]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ I agree that Banana Republic at Polo Park wasn't the same here as it was in other cities. The variety was nowhere near what you'd see at a store in big American cities, for instance. (I still find it weird that they closed their only mainline store in a city this big, but that's another story) The outlet store is a little more typical but those generally have less variety to begin with.

I guess you could add Simons as another brand that is conspicuous by its absence here.

...and yes, I have been here way too long

Simons not represented here is absurd.'
But, we have a reputation of being Cheap..also fashion forward does not work well here.. many retailers think twice and 3 times to open here plus theft here is horrendous as well.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by BAKGUY

Simons not represented here is absurd.'
But, we have a reputation of being Cheap..also fashion forward does not work well here.. many retailers think twice and 3 times to open here plus theft here is horrendous as well.

Simons is not really out of line with other existing stores in Winnipeg when it comes to price, though. I always thought the issue there was lack of a suitable location... the former Sears at Polo Park seemed like a logical spot for them but that obviously didn't happen. I wonder if they kicked the tires on it at all?

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by esquire

So when Zara opens up, what will be the most glaring missing clothing brand in Winnipeg? Maybe Uniqlo?

I'd love a Uniqlo and a J.Crew.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by esquire

Simons is not really out of line with other existing stores in Winnipeg when it comes to price, though. I always thought the issue there was lack of a suitable location... the former Sears at Polo Park seemed like a logical spot for them but that obviously didn't happen. I wonder if they kicked the tires on it at all?

I think what happened with Simons is when The Elms development failed they moved on to next on their list. By the time Sears at Polo Park freed up the space, Simons was fairly committed elsewhere for expansions and lacked the access to quickly pivot for a Winnipeg store. Then as they were getting close to giving serious consideration to the Sears at Polo space the pandemic hit. Simons nearly went bankrupt in the pandemic and struggled for a few years but did recover. In that time CF moved on with finding a tenant for the space.

I sort of wonder if the reported struggles of Off 5th might end up swinging in such a way that their space at Outlets becomes available and could be renovated to house Simons, perhaps with a renovation to add a second floor.

[BAKGUY]

Originally Posted by CoryB

I think what happened with Simons is when The Elms development failed they moved on to next on their list. By the time Sears at Polo Park freed up the space, Simons was fairly committed elsewhere for expansions and lacked the access to quickly pivot for a Winnipeg store. Then as they were getting close to giving serious consideration to the Sears at Polo space the pandemic hit. Simons nearly went bankrupt in the pandemic and struggled for a few years but did recover. In that time CF moved on with finding a tenant for the space.

I sort of wonder if the reported struggles of Off 5th might end up swinging in such a way that their space at Outlets becomes available and could be renovated to house Simons, perhaps with a renovation to add a second floor.

Personally, I hope Saks Off 5the can make it as we see brands and offerings we do not otherwise have.But, your idea is bang on. Unless, Simons can get Polo Park to build them something with a slight expansion. I hear ST Vital mall is chugging along but no longer the mecca for retail it once was. If downtown was healthy, they would have put it there but we know the sad reality.

[horrorbro123]

Something Going On Former Northern Reflections Next To Shaw in Polo Park

[thurmas]

It seems this page has just become the whatever is moving around polo park page? Is there ever any non polo park news?

[WinCitySparky]

…no

[Wpg_Guy]

There is a cafe opening in the CRU of Smith Street Lofts downtown.

[Biff]

I am currently in Chicago. Lots or for lease signs on Michigan Ave (Magnificent Mile). A lot of the stores I remember being here 5 years ago are gone.

It is not a Winnipeg specific thing.

One thing Winnipeg could do better is police presence. Police cruisers on most street corners. Some here will say that sounds terrible, like a police state, but You feel very safe wandering around. Very little visible panhandling. Zero encampments, very clean. Constant cleaning happening.

Every time I have been it has felt very safe and clean.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by Biff

I am currently in Chicago. Lots or for lease signs on Michigan Ave (Magnificent Mile). A lot of the stores I remember being here 5 years ago are gone.

It is not a Winnipeg specific thing.

Been saying exactly this for a long time. Personally there is a company that makes leather laptop bags, wallets, etc that I like and own a couple of now. They would never have a retail store anywhere and are such a niche company they wouldn't even end up in stores carrying multiple brands. And then even for stores that have wide retail networks they often have lots of only online products and even in clothing.

The reality is leasing a CRU to sell merchandise is fairly expensive and when customers would rather either purchase a niche brand or have a cost savings on a product they are willing to go online to get that.

What that leaves is the very bottom of the low end where the product is essentially "free" to the company selling it. Which explains why dollar stores are popping up faster than weeds.

[yellowbean]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

There is a cafe opening in the CRU of Smith Street Lofts downtown.

That's awesome! I'm in that area quite often for the bubble tea at Xing Fu Tang and always felt that it could be something more with just more presence; I see the cafe making that area even more livelier.

Any other further intel on what kind of cafe it is?

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by thurmas

It seems this page has just become the whatever is moving around polo park page? Is there ever any non polo park news?

Fat Guys Auto Parts heard your request for retail news outside of Polo Park. They are well underway on the location most recently used as a COVID test site on Nairn.

Also not retail directly but Osmows has their signage up on Regent at the former Arby's site. It does not appear to be open yet.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by yellowbean

That's awesome! I'm in that area quite often for the bubble tea at Xing Fu Tang and always felt that it could be something more with just more presence; I see the cafe making that area even more livelier.

Any other further intel on what kind of cafe it is?

It’s called Lavanda, for morning rituals and afternoon indulging.

[kjmz]

This building is filling up quick. 11 CRUs in this building and only 2 CRUs are available. Here are the confirmed tenants:

• Steel N Ink
• NAILS 4 YOU
• Starbucks with drive thru and patio.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by kjmz

This building is filling up quick. 11 CRUs in this building and only 2 CRUs are available. Here are the confirmed tenants:

• Steel N Ink
• NAILS 4 YOU
• Starbucks with drive thru and patio.

Starbucks is clearly a relocation from elsewhere in the development. They have long had a freestanding location just south of FreshCo and a little north of where A&A Records used to be.

[wags_in_the_peg]

definitly more convenient Starbucks location for many on Lag

[kjmz]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Starbucks is clearly a relocation from elsewhere in the development. They have long had a freestanding location just south of FreshCo and a little north of where A&A Records used to be.

That's correct. There current location is up for leasing in the future.

[horrorbro123]

I Was at Polo Park On Sunday Now I Learn Zara Is Coming To Polo Park and Now Northern Reflections Is Taking Over Levi’s Location Next To Lush In Upper Level