The Metro Vancouver Retail Thread - Page 768

NewfBC · #**15341** Posted **Jan 22, 2021, 3:59 PM**

Godiva closing all North American retail locations...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/god...ores-1.5883575

Ron.

Changing City · #**15342** Posted **Jan 22, 2021, 4:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

Well closures are not happening in the US, a sign that this is not based purely on the pandemic. Starbucks Canada has said that the pandemic accelerated these closures but is not the root of them.

What other business has 30 locations downtown? If that number goes down to 20, you still won't find another company with that density.

Starbucks are closing stores in the US, but not at the same rate as in Canada. It seems to be a changing number all the time, but as well as the 300 Canadian stores they're closing 500 in the US.

scryer · #**15343** Posted **Jan 22, 2021, 5:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Tesla in Langley

https://www.theprogress.com/news/tes...angley-bypass/

Uh oh. The tech giants are discovering that the SOF municipalities have expansive/cheaper land to develop on, access to North America's 3rd largest port, and access to a region that promotes tech training in its population. Better get that Expo line to Langley, and fast

!

Good job Langley! Take advantage of this great win

!

dreambrother808 · #**15344** Posted **Jan 22, 2021, 5:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Changing City

Starbucks are closing stores in the US, but not at the same rate as in Canada. It seems to be a changing number all the time, but as well as the 300 Canadian stores they're closing 500 in the US.

Thank you for finding that information.

The same article states that they will be closing 800 stores in North America while also opening 850 stores in 2021, a net gain of 50 stores. So this aligns with the strategy of shifting locations.

dreambrother808 · #**15345** Posted **Jan 22, 2021, 5:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by scryer

Uh oh. The tech giants are discovering that the SOF municipalities have expansive/cheaper land to develop on, access to North America's 3rd largest port, and access to a region that promotes tech training in its population. Better get that Expo line to Langley, and fast

!

Good job Langley! Take advantage of this great win

!

Is this a joke? It's just a car showroom, not a factory or an office.

Changing City · #**15346** Posted **Jan 22, 2021, 5:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

Thank you for finding that information.

The same article states that they will be closing 800 stores in North America while also opening 850 stores in 2021, a net gain of 50 stores. So this aligns with the strategy of shifting locations.

Indeed, and also a changing business model, as you've already noted. While they have opened new stores in Vancouver recently with seating, (Main and Broadway, East Hastings for example), their replacement Main and Terminal SkyTrain store doesn't have any seats, and that seems to be the direction they're going. It's completely understandable; real estate is expensive, and the number of customers who would buy a coffee (mostly) and then plug in their laptop and treat their table like a free WeWork can't be a tremendously profitable enterprise.

WarrenC12 · #**15347** Posted **Jan 22, 2021, 6:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

Is this a joke? It's just a car showroom, not a factory or an office.

Yeah pretty funny, although I imagine they will use this location as a Service Center. They don't have any outside City of Vancouver right now.

EVs make good sense for people with nice big suburb garages to charge in, and long boring highway commutes are made better with autopilot. They should do well there.

WarrenC12 · #**15348** Posted **Jan 22, 2021, 6:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Changing City

Indeed, and also a changing business model, as you've already noted. While they have opened new stores in Vancouver recently with seating, (Main and Broadway, East Hastings for example), their replacement Main and Terminal SkyTrain store doesn't have any seats, and that seems to be the direction they're going. It's completely understandable; real estate is expensive, and the number of customers who would buy a coffee (mostly) and then plug in their laptop and treat their table like a free WeWork can't be a tremendously profitable enterprise.

Main and Broadway will be at a future skytrain station too, like the Main & Terminal location is, perfect for on the go.

I suspect Starbucks' app ordering has exploded and they are not seeing the need for as many large stores. It's still surprising to see major renovated locations get the axe already though.

scryer · #**15349** Posted **Jan 22, 2021, 7:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

Is this a joke?

Yes.

jollyburger · #**15350** Posted **Jan 22, 2021, 8:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by scryer

Yes.

When is Vin going to tell us he's just been joking this whole time.

Starbucks is going to win with tech

Quote:

Organizations across multiple business sectors use data analytics in pursuit of real-time, in-depth understanding of major strategic and mission-critical factors, such as customer engagement, mobile platform usage and…well, restroom availability.

That’s certainly been the case at Starbucks over the past few months as the firm’s well-established digital DNA has been put to good use as the coffee giant found itself even more dependent on its mobile app to connect with customers as COVID lockdowns shuttered its stores.

The company has relied on its data analytics capabilities to inform strategic and tactical responses to the virus and enable it to pivot operationally according to local circumstances - which is where the restrooms come in. Bathroom use was a metric that no-one really expected to be focusing on, explains Rajesh Naidu, the firm’s VP of Architecture, Data and Analytics Technology, but realisation dawned that it is actually very relevant,

https://diginomica.com/brewing-stron...behavior-store

Vin · #**15351** Posted **Jan 22, 2021, 8:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Changing City

Starbucks are closing stores in the US, but not at the same rate as in Canada. It seems to be a changing number all the time, but as well as the 300 Canadian stores they're closing 500 in the US.

Shows that Americans are still drinking mediocre coffee: hence Starbucks would do just fine. Canada is indeed moving on, especially in urban cores where many local and foreign-inspired cafe chains are taking root. Good for us.

memememe76 · #**15352** Posted **Jan 22, 2021, 9:43 PM**

You notice the change on major holidays. Christmas Day, if you wanted coffee, Starbucks was the only option. Nowadays, a lot of the Korean run coffeeshops open on those days too.

whatnext · #**15353** Posted **Jan 23, 2021, 1:12 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by memememe76

You notice the change on major holidays. Christmas Day, if you wanted coffee, Starbucks was the only option. Nowadays, a lot of the Korean run coffeeshops open on those days too.

What Korean run coffee shops?

I found this interesting as I had been to the Terra Nova Sbux a coupkle times and it seemed busy. There answer to these folks seems to be get in yoru car and go to a drive thru, hardly the environmental image Starbucks ahs tried to project.

Richmondites petition Starbucks to keep its Terra Nova location open
The online petition has more than 900 signatures so far.

An online petition calling on the coffee giant Starbucks to keep its Richmond’s Terra Nova Location open is gaining traction online.

The petition asks Starbucks to reconsider its decision to shut down its location in the Terra Nova neighbourhood on Jan. 31. A staff member from the store also confirmed the decision with the Richmond News.

“It is a heartless decision to shut down the only coffee shop in our community, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s one of the few outdoor spaces available to many of us during this period of darkness,” Vicki Morell, who posted the petition on change.org, wrote. ...

https://www.richmond-news.com/local-...n-open-3285596

Conrad Yablonski · #**15354** Posted **Jan 23, 2021, 3:28 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by scryer

Uh oh. The tech giants are discovering that the SOF municipalities have expansive/cheaper land to develop on, access to North America's 3rd largest port, and access to a region that promotes tech training in its population. Better get that Expo line to Langley, and fast

!

Good job Langley! Take advantage of this great win

!

God Help anyone who ends up in that dreadful backwater-last year I spent a week out there for work and it felt like a month.

SpongeG · #**15355** Posted **Jan 23, 2021, 7:50 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlousa

Heard a rumour of yet another downtown starbucks closing at the end of the this month, one that was just recently renovated for a eye popping about of money... Seems like something is going on internally at Starbucks and I can't figure out how their shareprice is where it is given the decisions being made. If anyone could be taking advantage of the current situation it should've been them to steal key locations from others.

is it the Robson and Richards one? I walked past it tonight, it was recently renovated, they sell a lot of the Reserve items, there is or was another location on the block to the east, didn't go down that way to see if it was still there.

SpongeG · #**15356** Posted **Jan 23, 2021, 8:02 AM**

I noticed tonight that the Pacific Centre Michael Kors is gone. Just a few weeks ago there was a sign on the door that said the location was closed for renovations, but all the signage has been removed, they also shut the store at Park Royal a while back too. The boarded up broken window is still there. In news articles it said sales had plummeted at MK stores and they would be closing 125 stores.

I think the only two left are Metropolis and Richmond Centre.

jlousa · #**15357** Posted **Jan 23, 2021, 4:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpongeG

is it the Robson and Richards one? I walked past it tonight, it was recently renovated, they sell a lot of the Reserve items, there is or was another location on the block to the east, didn't go down that way to see if it was still there.

It's the Kengo Kuma one at Shaw Tower. The one at waterfront centres food court closed a couple months ago as well.

jollyburger · #**15358** Posted **Jan 23, 2021, 5:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpongeG

is it the Robson and Richards one? I walked past it tonight, it was recently renovated, they sell a lot of the Reserve items, there is or was another location on the block to the east, didn't go down that way to see if it was still there.

Probably the Granville and West Pender location

NewfBC · #**15359** Posted **Jan 23, 2021, 6:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlousa

It's the Kengo Kuma one at Shaw Tower. The one at waterfront centres food court closed a couple months ago as well.

My guess would have been the Reserve location at Granville / Pender... I mentioned the Shaw Tower location a couple weeks ago.
https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...ostcount=15307

I'm sure Ian Gillespie will be looking for someone to take Starbucks place at Shaw Tower.. he commissioned the design of that location.

Ron.

jlousa · #**15360** Posted **Jan 23, 2021, 9:04 PM**

Was in Europe for a couple of weeks and missed your post. Yes will be interesting to see what happens to test space and wether Westbank or Starbucks owns the design.