General Retail News - Page 77

Norman Bates · #**1521** Posted **Mar 28, 2015, 11:47 PM**

Went to the Kanata future shop late this afternoon and it was red papered up as closed.

TransitZilla · #**1522** Posted **Mar 29, 2015, 1:17 AM**

According to the Best Buy website, the South Keys, Barrhaven and Orleans Future Shop locations will re-open as Best Buy outlets on April 4.

https://www-ssl.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/sto...reLocator_en_5

Cre47 · #**1523** Posted **Mar 29, 2015, 5:15 AM**

Kinda of expected. Now wondering what could replaced those locations. The one in Gatineau was quite small and used to be a gardening/landscaping store before Future Shop moved from a location at the center of the strip mall. Maybe it should revert back to a gardening/landscaping store again

The one in Kanata will easily find a replacement while the one in Merivale I'm not sure, but considering several appartment buildings were built behind and considering that Future Shop was quite away from the road itself, I think it might turn to additionnal land for more towers there. Though which kind of retail is missing along that stretch of Merivale?

SF Thomas · #**1524** Posted **Mar 29, 2015, 10:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cre47

The one in Kanata will easily find a replacement while the one in Merivale I'm not sure, but considering several appartment buildings were built behind and considering that Future Shop was quite away from the road itself, I think it might turn to additionnal land for more towers there. Though which kind of retail is missing along that stretch of Merivale?

I can't really think of any type of shopping that this part of Merivale lacks. There are more than enough grocery stores, two dollar stores, a couple of drug stores, the Walmart on Baseline is close enough if you need a general department store, Best Buy and Staples cover computers and office junk. For hardware and furniture there is a Home Depot not too far away at College Square.

When they complete the apartments I could see the area being able to support a few more restaurants and potentially a good place for a mid sized retailer like Giant Tiger, especially if they are easy to walk to since Merivale isn't too pedestrian friendly. For Giant Tiger they don't have any stores in this part of the city, it covers slightly bigger variety of stuff than the dollar stores and offers an alternative for some things to Walmart if you would rather shop at a smaller store over a super center or live closer.

canabiz · #**1525** Posted **Mar 29, 2015, 11:44 PM**

What about something like a Bushtukah or Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) in this neck o' the woods?

I know there is a LeBaron not too far up the street but I think they cater to different niche. LeBaron is for the hunter/angler/survivalist while Bushtukah/MEC is for the camper/hiker/environmentalist.

P.S: Or maybe a SAIL in the west end? seeing there's 1 in TrainYards serving the East Enders?

wingman · #**1526** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 12:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cre47

Kinda of expected. Now wondering what could replaced those locations. The one in Gatineau was quite small and used to be a gardening/landscaping store before Future Shop moved from a location at the center of the strip mall. Maybe it should revert back to a gardening/landscaping store again

Are you sure on that? I am pretty sure the Gatineau location was build specifically for FS a few years back. They were in the Lazyboy store to the immediate right of their current (former?) location. Maybe that was the gardening/landscaping store?

My preference would be for a Canada Computers... but the space is too big for that so maybe split it and rent to multiple tenants.

Acajack · #**1527** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 2:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wingman

Are you sure on that? I am pretty sure the Gatineau location was build specifically for FS a few years back. They were in the Lazyboy store to the immediate right of their current (former?) location. Maybe that was the gardening/landscaping store?

.

I think it's the other way around. Pretty sure the Future Shop on Chemin de la Savane was a WH Perron store, which was the Quebec division of White Rose.

La Détente (LAZ Boy) I think was purpose built.

Harley613 · #**1528** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 3:15 AM**

The big box strip mall up against the Queensway at Gloucester Centre is almost completely empty. There are three or four stores left. I think Reitmans, Addition Elle, and Dollar Tree are still open. Old Navy is gone.

Harley613 · #**1529** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 3:16 AM**

Does anyone else feel like Chapters/Indigo will be the next big box to shutter the doors?

eternallyme · #**1530** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 3:25 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harley613

The big box strip mall up against the Queensway at Gloucester Centre is almost completely empty. There are three or four stores left. I think Reitmans, Addition Elle, and Dollar Tree are still open. Old Navy is gone.

That looks like a prime redevelopment opportunity post-LRT.

wingman · #**1531** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 3:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harley613

The big box strip mall up against the Queensway at Gloucester Centre is almost completely empty. There are three or four stores left. I think Reitmans, Addition Elle, and Dollar Tree are still open. Old Navy is gone.

Old Navy is opening in Train Yards, near Marshalls I believe. I could see that place disappearing for development opportunities for sure!

wingman · #**1532** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 3:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

I think it's the other way around. Pretty sure the Future Shop on Chemin de la Savane was a WH Perron store, which was the Quebec division of White Rose.

La Détente (LAZ Boy) I think was purpose built.

Definitely not. FS was in the La Detente space up to a few years back (5-7 years maybe). The FS building perhaps replaced an older building that was there? I have been to the old FS, and watched the new building being constructed.

Either way, they are looking for a new tenant.

1overcosc · #**1533** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 4:22 AM**

The whole Gloucester Centre area is doing badly these days. TOD redevelopment is probably not far off at this point.

1overcosc · #**1534** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 4:26 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harley613

Does anyone else feel like Chapters/Indigo will be the next big box to shutter the doors?

Hmm. An interesting thought. They are doing badly these days, as most buy books online, helped in part by the growing transition to e-books. Pretty soon buying books retail is going to become a niche/hipster sort of thing... which big box has a hard time doing.

If they do go, we'll probably see a limited revival of independent bookstores. In Kingston, the downtown Indigo closed a couple years back, leaving the suburban Chapters location as the only Chapters-Indigo store in the city, and there was a big boost in business at all of the downtown independent booksellers, one of which is actually expanding now.

kwoldtimer · #**1535** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 1:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harley613

Does anyone else feel like Chapters/Indigo will be the next big box to shutter the doors?

Followed by a renaissance of small, independent book shops. One can dream!

MoreTrains · #**1536** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 1:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wingman

Old Navy is opening in Train Yards, near Marshalls I believe. I could see that place disappearing for development opportunities for sure!

Ottawa should try to kill trainyards, it is such a poor location (as long as there is no tunnel from the Train LRT Station to Train Yards) unless you drive and it is really killing St Laurent businesses. Train Yards should have been used for one of two things: A Train Yard or A high density development with good integration to the Train Station and the LRT.

Obviously not gonna happen. But yes, most likely the Blair station area will see a massive overhaul soon and hopefully it does bring in a highly walkable TOD.

Acajack · #**1537** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 2:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoreTrains

Ottawa should try to kill trainyards, it is such a poor location (as long as there is no tunnel from the Train LRT Station to Train Yards) unless you drive and it is really killing St Laurent businesses. Train Yards should have been used for one of two things: A Train Yard or A high density development with good integration to the Train Station and the LRT.

Obviously not gonna happen. But yes, most likely the Blair station area will see a massive overhaul soon and hopefully it does bring in a highly walkable TOD.

Trainyards is booming actually. But you already knew this...

silvergate · #**1538** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 2:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoreTrains

Ottawa should try to kill trainyards, it is such a poor location (as long as there is no tunnel from the Train LRT Station to Train Yards) unless you drive and it is really killing St Laurent businesses. Train Yards should have been used for one of two things: A Train Yard or A high density development with good integration to the Train Station and the LRT.

Obviously not gonna happen. But yes, most likely the Blair station area will see a massive overhaul soon and hopefully it does bring in a highly walkable TOD.

That's what business is. If St. Laurent businesses want to survive, maybe they should do something to compete. Now that it's built you can't really kill it, not for years anyways. It wasn't a particularly accessible location to begin with, so I doubt much has changed, aside from the fact that people are driving to Trainyards instead of some other big box development.

Uhuniau · #**1539** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 4:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichelKazan

I've always found it annoying that neither of them had a store downtown like they do in Toronto and Montréal. It would've been great for the Rideau Centre expansion. Guess that's not happening now.

There's a lot of that going on; do the market-research companies not realize that there are human beings in Ottawa outside the big-box suburbs?

Uhuniau · #**1540** Posted **Mar 30, 2015, 4:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoreTrains

Obviously not gonna happen. But yes, most likely the Blair station area will see a massive overhaul soon and hopefully it does bring in a highly walkable TOD.

Not in Ottawa, nope. The developers will never propose such a thing, and city clowncill would never approve such a thing. Ottawa developers and Ottawa city clowncil love their sprawl, and can't conceive of any other way of doing things, no matter what the expensive, pointless, precatory, useless, official planning documents say.