[Moncton] Retail Thread

[lirette]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I would be surprised if trick or treating were allowed this year too.

I can tell you my parents run a bulk barn franchise in the maritimes and they took a massive loss on leftover easter candy they couldnt sell & eventually donated. Corporate had already made the decision in may to forego halloween candy ordering to prevent this situation from happening again and focus on other products.

[MonctonRad]

Not a big thing, but I noted this evening that the Lindt store in the Mapleton Centre has replaced their signage, so that the illuminated lettering is now on a darker background in order to improve visibility.

Looks much better.

[MonctonRad]

Article in the T&T today:

Apparently the former Skyzone space in the Champlain Plaza will be subdivided into "3-4 units", with one confirmed unit already leased (presumably the rumoured dollar store).

According to the article, there have been positive negotiations with other retailers for the remainder of the space, and Plaza REIT is optimistic about occupancy.

[MonctonRad]

There is site prep work going on in the lot at the SW corner of Granite/Elmwood in the Granite Centre. Site plans show this lot is designed to accommodate a restaurant.

Is this a sign that development is imminent? If so, then what restaurant do you think would locate here? My own personal guess would be Jack Astor's, but that is just a hunch.

I wonder that if a restaurant is indeed building here, if this was perhaps the impetus to build the adjacent plaza which is currently under construction. I could never understand why the developers of the Granite Centre would bring a new plaza on line during the worst retail apocalypse in collective memory. Perhaps the restaurant chain wanted the plaza as a precondition before starting on their own project???

We'll have to keep an eye on this one.

[josh_cat_eyes]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

There is site prep work going on in the lot at the SW corner of Granite/Elmwood in the Granite Centre. Site plans show this lot is designed to accommodate a restaurant.

Is this a sign that development is imminent? If so, then what restaurant do you think would locate here? My own personal guess would be Jack Astor's, but that is just a hunch.

I wonder that if a restaurant is indeed building here, if this was perhaps the impetus to build the adjacent plaza which is currently under construction. I could never understand why the developers of the Granite Centre would bring a new plaza on line during the worst retail apocalypse in collective memory. Perhaps the restaurant chain wanted the plaza as a precondition before starting on their own project???

We'll have to keep an eye on this one.

Which unit is Home Hardware going in? Presumably unit 7.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by josh_cat_eyes

Which unit is Home Hardware going in? Presumably unit 7.

Perhaps, although I think it more likely the plan is to locate the new Home Hardware on the other (west) side of Costco, backing on the TCH. This is outside the current municipal service boundary, but that can be changed pretty easily (and will be at some time in the future anyway, as a matter of course as the city grows).

[MonctonRad]

And now there are excavators on site at the Granite Centre where Plazas 6 & 7 are going. As such, maybe they're just doing some preliminary site work to make it easier for development down the road, and there really isn't anything imminent going on.

[josh_cat_eyes]

Another note on the granite centre, it’s almost too bad that there is a very large area of the highway ramp ROW not being used between the highway ramps and the proposed plazas 4 & 5. I feel like if this area was utilized that a development could have been much larger here.

[jonny golden]

Originally Posted by josh_cat_eyes

Another note on the granite centre, it’s almost too bad that there is a very large area of the highway ramp ROW not being used between the highway ramps and the proposed plazas 4 & 5. I feel like if this area was utilized that a development could have been much larger here.

Would it be possible to expand in that direction sometime in the future?

[josh_cat_eyes]

Originally Posted by jonny golden

Would it be possible to expand in that direction sometime in the future?

It could be but it’s part of the right of way for the highway ramp. The developers would have to buy it from the government.

[DyAm00394]

Found these two things over on Retail Talk & Share.


Signage is now up for Suzy Shier at CF Champlain. They are opening soon at the former La Vie en Rose unit in the TD Corporate Office hallway.






And the Giant Tiger at Mapleton Plaza is undergoing renovations.

[MonctonRad]

The signage for the new McDonalds at the Granite Centre has now been installed

[Colouratura]

Also with Champlain Mall they have opened up the former Victoria's Secret/Pink to use for extra food court seating.

[DyAm00394]

A new job posting is listed online for Designer Depot at CF Champlain.
Source: https://ca.indeed.com/cmp/Designer-D...9xMD_pknMgOxE0

Apparently a source has confirmed that they are indeed coming to CF Champlain. For anyone who didn't know, they are owned by the same company as Fairweather, International Clothiers, Labels, etc. So I wonder if Fairweather is staying open? or will they be closing when Designer Depot opens?

[jonny golden]

According to a report by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, 60% of restaurants in Canada could permanently close in the next 3 months. That's pretty a scary forecast. If that were to actually happen there would be a huge spin-off effect.

http://www.chamber.ca/media/news-rel...e-permanently/

[josh_cat_eyes]

Originally Posted by jonny golden

According to a report by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, 60% of restaurants in Canada could permanently close in the next 3 months. That's pretty a scary forecast. If that were to actually happen there would be a huge spin-off effect.

http://www.chamber.ca/media/news-rel...e-permanently/

I’m gonna go ahead and take this with a grain of salt. That’s a pretty grim forecast, and that’s a lot of restaurants. All the more reason to open things up more on this end of the country. The economy is worth than however little amount of people will get/have got the virus in Atlantic Canada.

[L'homard]

You make a good point, but I have to wonder if you'd feel the same if your mom died in your arms because some asshole who wasn't careful served your mom her salad.

[Taeolas]

Looking around Freddy, it doesn't feel like the restaurant scene is in that much danger. Most places that are open seem to be pretty full (with appropriate distancing) and a steady takeout business as well.

Last night I was looking to eat out myself, and both the local restaurants (like Moco) and the chains (like East Sides and Swiss Chalet) had wait times. Mama's Pub often seems 'packed' (for COVID levels of 'packed') when I've been by.

Of course the weather is starting to shift, even with the extended Patio Season Freddy has implemented, that will probably bite into their capacity.

The restaurant industry is always a tough one, with a lot of turnover and churn even in good years. And some areas may actually see that 60% failure rate. But here in Freddy, it isn't really feeling anywhere close to that bad. Not sure what it's like in the other cities in the Maritimes.

[MonctonRad]

I too find the claim that 60% of restaurants will close in the next three months to be a case of reckless hyperbole.

Food service is a low margin business, no question, and even in the best of times, marginal operations are often performing on the thin edge, overlooking the abyss, but, at least in the Maritime cities, I am pretty confident that most restaurants will survive this pandemic.

The restaurants truly at risk are those located in major tourism hotspots (these communities are badly over-restauranted), and a poor tourism season will cause many of these locations to close. In the larger cities of North America, sky high rents can take a huge bite out of operating margins too. There could be a lot of casualties as a result in places like Montreal or Toronto.

Cities like Freddy or Moncton though are probably "safe spaces" for restaurant operators (at least in relative terms). We have not been badly affected by COVID-19, the customer base is pretty stable, rents would be less than in places like Toronto, and for the most part, we are not in a position of oversupply of restaurants in our communities.

Will we have restaurant business failures - absolutely; especially if the predicted second wave causes the economy to shut down again. I personally don't think it will get that bad though, and I would be surprised if there were more than 15-20% bankruptcies within the sector over the next year.

[MonctonDev]

Not sure if you'd consider them "retail", but are there any leads as to where sky zone may be moving to?