Winnipeg Retail

[CoryB]

DavidsTea officially filed for bankruptcy today. I heard from unofficial "sources in the know" well before this happened they plan to close most/all retail locations and focus on their online business. They have five retail locations in Winnipeg - Polo Park, Grant Park, St Vital, Kildonan Place and Outlets.

[cllew]

Not sure if any physical work has started on the old Henderson @ Bronx Safeway store conversion to a FreshCo but Bonafide Carpentry has stuck one of their contractor signs outside the store.

[CoryB]

It's hard to keep up with the retail apocalypse...

Cousin brand to DavidsTea (same family, different companies) Le Chateau also entered bankruptcy yesterday.

And Bed Bath and Beyond (sister brand of Buy Buy Baby) announced plans to close 200 stores but is not currently in creditor protection. With only two stores in Winnipeg, one of each of its main banners, there is unlikely to be immediate impact. That said closing stores is often one of the last steps before entering bankruptcy and completely exiting the business.

[CoryB]

We should likely put Squish on the watch list. It is another cousin of the DavidsTea/La Chateau family and it falls into both discretionary and luxury categories, ie the kind it is easy to cut back on if tough financial times.

[buzzg]

I honestly don't understand how Squish even exists in the first place, just a gummy store paying premier mall rents? And their candy is some of the worst I've had... it's not even squishy!

[buzzg]

Sobeys is expanding its Voila delivery service to all of the GTA, and other places in the future. All orders are fulfilled in a robotic warehouse, then delivered to customers. Only a matter of time before we see grocery stores scale down here.

https://www.retail-insider.com/retai...hopping-in-gta

[DavefromSt.Vital]

Originally Posted by buzzg

I honestly don't understand how Squish even exists in the first place, just a gummy store paying premier mall rents? And their candy is some of the worst I've had... it's not even squishy!

My wife and son swear by Squish's "brains"

[wags_in_the_peg]

Not sure if it’s been posted here but Urban Behaviour is joining HomeSense and Winners at Plaza Polo Park [former target].

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by buzzg

Sobeys is expanding its Voila delivery service to all of the GTA, and other places in the future. All orders are fulfilled in a robotic warehouse, then delivered to customers. Only a matter of time before we see grocery stores scale down here.

The Winnipeg Sobey's warehouse did a massive expansion in support of the being the supply chain to Target Canada's grocery department. Granted since that time Sobey's also acquired Safeway and merged warehouse operations to the Sobey's warehouse but there could still be excess capacity to build out the automated fulfilment center locally.

As I have said many times, the goal posts are moving fairly rapidly in the grocery space and it no longer makes sense to have 30,000+ sq ft stores spammed across a market trying to catch the last-mile service. Those could easily be cut to 10,000 sq ft or less pickup locations or even more ideal home delivery. The other possibility that may come from this is a rise of independent butchers and bakeries that act as fulfilment pickup locations. Order all your packaged foods to the pickup location and stop in for a selection of fresh meats/baked goods. That model could even seen current grocery stores stay as pickup locations with leased out spaces to independent butchers/bakers.

Again it is all about maximizing those tiny margins and minimizing shrink, especially due to retail theft. It is a big part of why FreshCo has contracted out the meat department, someone else takes the loss for theft of meat.

[buzzg]

The article I was reading about Sobeys said they think they only need 3 or 4 of these automated distribution centres across the country, not necessarily one in every large city. They think they could cover 75% of Canada's population with 3-4 warehouses. Mentioned they're building one in Montreal to service all of Quebec, Ottawa, and possibly Maritimes.

[CoryB]

Depends of your delivery time frame. If you are doing next day and willing the air ship product you can have fewer fulfilment centers. If you want to do same-day or can't easily air ship you build them to cover the majority of people in about 4-5 hour drive radius. ie you could cover Brandon with Winnipeg but you wouldn't cover Regina. That also assumes we are talking last mile and direct to customer. If it is automated restocking of brick and mortar stores that is a whole different beast.

[EspionNoir]

This might be the most appropriate thread for this thing in my opinion. Uber has launched its service in Winnipeg for a week now.

Uber launches service in Winnipeg

"A major player in the ridesharing industry is hitting Winnipeg streets Tuesday morning.

U.S.-based Uber is finally launching its service for Winnipeg passengers at City Hall at 11 a.m.

'Winnipeggers now have an affordable option to help get where they need to go, when they need to,” said Uber Canada’s Michael van Hemmen.

And for those with a safe driving record, a flexible opportunity to earn money on their own time. We’d like to thank mayor Bowman, council, and the province for their support in bringing ridesharing to Winnipeg.'

Uber was engaged in a long negotiation process with Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI), before receiving its dispatcher licence from the City of Winnipeg in June."

https://globalnews.ca/news/7147585/u...e-in-winnipeg/

[one_brick_at_a_time]

Originally Posted by EspionNoir

This might be the most appropriate thread for this thing in my opinion. Uber has launched its service in Winnipeg for a week now.

Uber launches service in Winnipeg

"A major player in the ridesharing industry is hitting Winnipeg streets Tuesday morning.

U.S.-based Uber is finally launching its service for Winnipeg passengers at City Hall at 11 a.m.

'Winnipeggers now have an affordable option to help get where they need to go, when they need to,” said Uber Canada’s Michael van Hemmen.

And for those with a safe driving record, a flexible opportunity to earn money on their own time. We’d like to thank mayor Bowman, council, and the province for their support in bringing ridesharing to Winnipeg.'

Uber was engaged in a long negotiation process with Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI), before receiving its dispatcher licence from the City of Winnipeg in June."

https://globalnews.ca/news/7147585/u...e-in-winnipeg/

Finally!!!!!

[buzzg]

Anyone who is excited for Uber thinking it's going to be a cheaper alternative to Tapp/Reryde/cabs is going to be disappointed.

[BAKGUY]

Originally Posted by CoryB

The Winnipeg Sobey's warehouse did a massive expansion in support of the being the supply chain to Target Canada's grocery department. Granted since that time Sobey's also acquired Safeway and merged warehouse operations to the Sobey's warehouse but there could still be excess capacity to build out the automated fulfilment center locally.

As I have said many times, the goal posts are moving fairly rapidly in the grocery space and it no longer makes sense to have 30,000+ sq ft stores spammed across a market trying to catch the last-mile service. Those could easily be cut to 10,000 sq ft or less pickup locations or even more ideal home delivery. The other possibility that may come from this is a rise of independent butchers and bakeries that act as fulfilment pickup locations. Order all your packaged foods to the pickup location and stop in for a selection of fresh meats/baked goods. That model could even seen current grocery stores stay as pickup locations with leased out spaces to independent butchers/bakers.

Again it is all about maximizing those tiny margins and minimizing shrink, especially due to retail theft. It is a big part of why FreshCo has contracted out the meat department, someone else takes the loss for theft of meat.

I wonder who does the meat for Freshco? Since Cantors only looks after what you order at their specific counter.They have nothing to do with Freshco meat products.

[buzzg]

Likely whoever does Sobeys. Superstore and No Frills both have Westfair meats.

[The Unknown Poster]

Originally Posted by buzzg

Anyone who is excited for Uber thinking it's going to be a cheaper alternative to Tapp/Reryde/cabs is going to be disappointed.

Never used TAPP but I did a few mock comparisons between Uber and Unicity and found Uber a bit cheaper in every instance. Mainly, Im excited for someone like my elderly mom who always has issues with taxi drivers not wanting to use the meter and trying to negotiate prices with her. Used Uber when I was in Vegas a few times and loved it (it was also way way cheaper than taxi in vegas).

[CoryB]

Uber - its like modern day slavery but with a slick app.

Personally I would rather pay the person driving me around a living wage.

[bomberjet]

Except compared to slavery, one is not forced to be an Uber driver. If you choose to drive for Uber, you could always just not do it.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Except compared to slavery, one is not forced to be an Uber driver. If you choose to drive for Uber, you could always just not do it.

And people from India were not "forced" to go and work in the Caribbean. Not all forms of human exploitation look like the African slave trade.