Winnipeg Retail

[Urban recluse]

Originally Posted by vjose32

Perhaps if they are renovating GC, they could get Sears out of there and replace it with Marshalls and Home Sense? I'm guessing Sears won't last there much longer anyways and I know those other stores are interested in the area so why not?

If they become a better retailer, Sears definitely has a place in the market.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Urban recluse

If they become a better retailer, Sears definitely has a place in the market.

Agreed wholeheartedly. Going from Sears to Homesense/Marshall's would be quite a downgrade in my books.

[h0twired]

Originally Posted by vjose32

Perhaps if they are renovating GC, they could get Sears out of there and replace it with Marshalls and Home Sense? I'm guessing Sears won't last there much longer anyways and I know those other stores are interested in the area so why not?

Home Sense perhaps.

Marshalls would be a bit redundant and Winners would likely have the ability to veto that lease.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by h0twired

Home Sense perhaps.

Marshalls would be a bit redundant and Winners would likely have the ability to veto that lease.

If you want to get technical, all 3 chains are owned by T.J. Maxx. But what I was really getting at is that Sears is a pretty useful store... perhaps not the most in fashion, but still... I don't get when people cheer for its demise.

[The Jabroni]

That Sears went from a regular store, to an outlet store many months ago.

I don't know what the difference is though, since I haven't been inside there in a while, to be honest.

[h0twired]

Originally Posted by esquire

If you want to get technical, all 3 chains are owned by T.J. Maxx. But what I was really getting at is that Sears is a pretty useful store... perhaps not the most in fashion, but still... I don't get when people cheer for its demise.

I didn't realize that Marshall's was under the TJ Maxx umbrella.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by The Jabroni

That Sears went from a regular store, to an outlet store many months ago.

I don't know what the difference is though, since I haven't been inside there in a while, to be honest.

Aren't Sears outlet stores the ones that sell off the stuff that did not sell out at the full line retail stores. and also scratch and dent models.

[vjose32]

Yeah I haven't been to Sears in years either. They used to be good for appliances and tools at one point, don't know about now. Does Craftsman still exist?

[cllew]

Originally Posted by vjose32

Does Craftsman still exist?

Apparently more selection in the US stores. KP has shrunk its tool department so much that I probably have a better selection of Craftman tools in my trunk for emergency breakdowns than they have on display.

Some of the specialty wrench sets (ignition size) I don't even know how they would do a warranty replacement as they are not on display now.

[laumag]

Originally Posted by cllew

Aren't Sears outlet stores the ones that sell off the stuff that did not sell out at the full line retail stores. and also scratch and dent models.

I cut through this store last week to get to another one and it appears that it is a bunch of basement smelling left over Sears Catalogue garbage. I think I bought an item there back when it was actually a real Sears Store. Now, I cut through to go somewhere else.

[pegcity]

The last time I was at the Garden City Sears location, they had boxes upon boxes of cookies for a dollar, I've never heard of the brand. It looked like cookies from a Dollar store/liquidation store.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by pegcity

The last time I was at the Garden City Sears location, they had boxes upon boxes of cookies for a dollar, I've never heard of the brand. It looked like cookies from a Dollar store/liquidation store.

Yeah, I seem to recall that the Sears store had merchandise that was specifically brought in for the outlet and wasn't just mainline Sears stuff that didn't sell.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by esquire

Yeah, I seem to recall that the Sears store had merchandise that was specifically brought in for the outlet and wasn't just mainline Sears stuff that didn't sell.

Sort of sounds like what CBC's Marketplace said earlier this year about the products in the branded stores in the outlet malls. Its mostly stuff of a lesser quality than in the regular stores.

[vjose32]

Maybe they can finally do something with the old theater!

Btw my last look inside Northgate I noticed the Buzz Gift Shoppe has closed, as has Metro Driving School, AFC (now at GC apparently), KN Jeweller, and at least one other place and I'm not sure if the Asian restaurant is still there either. Turning into a ghost town, I wonder what their plans are for the mall. All the long time main shops are still open as well as a couple others. Also noticed Bela Casa is doing a stock reduction sale which sounds like it could be a closing sale.

[esquire]

^ I understand that DQ is going to be moving out of the mall and into the pad site going up which will be shared with Tim Horton's. Sounds like something must be cooking with the mall, but given that the main anchor is going to remain in place (Save On Foods), I wonder what the owner's plans are?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it's some branch of the Martens family (Artis/Marwest) that owns Northgate.

[vjose32]

I personally think they should build a strip mall behind the existing mall for some of the current tenants and some new ones and demo the existing mall, aside from the theater to create more parking and make use of the back lot.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by vjose32

I personally think they should build a strip mall behind the existing mall for some of the current tenants and some new ones and demo the existing mall, aside from the theater to create more parking and make use of the back lot.

I agree. The existing mall setup is clearly obsolete.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by vjose32

Perhaps if they are renovating GC, they could get Sears out of there and replace it with Marshalls and Home Sense? I'm guessing Sears won't last there much longer anyways and I know those other stores are interested in the area so why not?

Originally Posted by h0twired

Home Sense perhaps.

Marshalls would be a bit redundant and Winners would likely have the ability to veto that lease.

Sears is actually very open that every location is essentially available for a sublease. If TJ Maxx called up the Sears real estate side with a serious offer they would move out of Garden City in a blink. Also as Marshalls, HomeSense and Winners are all the same company even if Winners had a veto clause in their lease at Garden City they would not use it in this scenario.

Originally Posted by The Jabroni

That Sears went from a regular store, to an outlet store many months ago.

I don't know what the difference is though, since I haven't been inside there in a while, to be honest.

Speaking of the Sears store at Garden City, it has operated as an outlet location for most of the past 15 years. There was a brief period in time where they undertook a full reno of the store and went back to being a mainline store. It lasted for about 12 months and occurred about six years ago. The location and the other outlets used to be named in the fine print on the Sears flyers as exclusions as outlet stores.

[horrorbro123]

TOPSHOP AT Hudson Bay Is Coming To Polo Park

[CoryB]

Re Top Shop at Polo Park - any word if this will finally be a full store or just increasing the number of racks selling the items??

Also observed today the Portage Ave Superstore has put up Click and Collect signs in their parking lot. I would suspect that these are one of the last pieces to happen before the service launches. I would also guess the launch will happen at All Winnipeg locations around the same time. If these locations also combine InPost they could become a real hot spot for online shoppers and offer a great blend of online and brick and mortar.