[Moncton] Retail Thread

[MonctonRad]

Bouclair in Wheeler Park is currently under renovations to their new format style store. The exterior facade is currently being updated.

[MonctonRad]

Stakes are now in the ground where they will soon be starting construction on the new plaza housing Subway, Harvest & Blaze Pizza at the entrance into the Granite Centre.

[MonctonRad]

Planning documents for this new plaza (Plaza Three) at the Granite Centre, which will contain Blaze Pizza, Subway & Harvest. I see that the Subway will have a drive-thru.





Speculation about "Future Plaza Four". I see that this proposed building has only a single entrance. This implies only a single business will occupy this building. I know that plans are subject to change at any time, but does this mean that the developers are anticipated a single sit down restaurant in this location???

[MonctonRad]

As for a potential sit down restaurant for "Plaza 4", apparently Denny's considers Atlantic Canada as a "priority market" for future expansion.

https://franchise.dennys.ca

Hmmmm..............

[drewber]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

As for a potential sit down restaurant for "Plaza 4", apparently Denny's considers Atlantic Canada as a "priority market" for future expansion.

https://franchise.dennys.ca

Hmmmm..............

My understanding is a Denny's would only come if colocated inside a Sandman hotel. I'm thinking five Guys would fit in perfectly in this spot though and that is my educated guess �

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by drewber

My understanding is a Denny's would only come if colocated inside a Sandman hotel. I'm thinking five Guys would fit in perfectly in this spot though and that is my educated guess �

Denny's has a relationship with Sandman, no question, but, unless Sandman has territorial rights to the Maritimes, there is no reason why a standalone restaurant might not be built here.

Denny's has a mix of corporate and franchised locations across Canada. If they want to stimulate interest in the brand in the region, they could just build a corporate store here to get things going.

[MonctonRad]

from Huddle:

Denny’s Coming To Atlantic Canada As Soon As 2023
SAM MACDONALD
https://huddle.today/2022/06/28/denn...V8YhiJ1mE2SEAM

Bobby Naicker, director of franchise development for Denny’s Canada, said he and his real estate team are about to promote the opportunity for franchisees across the Maritimes. They hope to eventually open five Denny’s restaurants across Atlantic Canada.

“I think the soonest you’ll see a Denny’s in New Brunswick is in 2023 because it takes about six months to get the package together. As we speak, the team is putting things together, so I see us having a restaurant there in 2023,� he said.

Moncton, Halifax, and other major Maritime cities are the first places Naicker is considering promoting franchise opportunities. He said establishing a presence in larger centers first is a priority to mitigate risk, before he looks to smaller centers.

Naicker stressed that Denny’s Canada won’t open restaurants piecemeal or slowly but will expand quickly and aggressively, opening three of four restaurants, six-months-to-a-year at a time.

There you have it. Pretty strong evidence that Denny's will be in greater Moncton within the next 18 months or so. The obvious location in Moncton is the Granite Centre, because this development is looking for a full service sit down restaurant. The fact that the restaurant would be in a major shopping node, immediately next to the TCH would be a large bonus. Denny's is the sort of place travellers would readily stop at to satisfy their hunger on a road trip.

I'm predicting it now - Denny's is coming to the Granite Centre!

[Taeolas]

Five NEW restaurants across Atlantic Canada, and wanting to focus on larger centers first. And St John's already has a location so it doesn't need to be considered.

So that probably means Halifax x2, Moncton, Saint John and Freddy are gimmies for those 5 slots. Maybe Charlottetown instead of a second Halifax slot.

[mctnguy]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I'm predicting it now - Denny's is coming to the Granite Centre!

Either there or Magnetic hill area. Maybe not with Ihop there already, but I couldn't see it going anywhere else.

[MonctonRad]

Mary Brown's has acquired a Toronto based burrito chain (Fat Bastard Burrito Company). I would imagine they will now consider expanding this chain to the east coast.

https://vocm.com/2022/06/15/mary-bro...st-food-chain/

[drewber]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Mary Brown's has acquired a Toronto based burrito chain (Fat Bastard Burrito Company). I would imagine they will now consider expanding this chain to the east coast.

https://vocm.com/2022/06/15/mary-bro...st-food-chain/

Although they stated their wouldn't be MB items on the FB menu or vice versa they do plan on expanding their footprint with an expected opening in St. John's in the near future

[MonctonRad]

Huddle article about the revamping of the Bouclair store at Wheeler Park:

https://huddle.today/2022/07/04/bouc...concept-store/

Bouclair spokesperson Christina Mangiola said the facelift for the chain’s 10,500-square-foot location is part of a larger rebranding it has been carrying out since 2020.

The rebranding is heavily focused on arranging wares in a more visually appealing style, coordinating and showcasing the best of what each collection has to offer.

“They’ve updated a bunch of their existing stores in Canada to fit this scene they’ve been going for, which is a lot of greenery — a rustic sort of thing,� Mangiola said.

“It’s a new concept they have, they want to really elevate their features and shopping experience. The new goal of the look they’re going for with their concept stores is natural wood, greenery, and an exclusive scent. They want the experience to be stimulating and elegant so that’s really the overall goal of remodeling these locations.�

The revamp comes on the heels of a bankruptcy filing and a change in ownership of the chain, resulting in the closure of nearly half of their 92 stores across the country. The Moncton Bouclair is the only survivor of the purge in the Maritimes, and was one of only 20 stores in the 55 store chain chosen for the upgrade. This is certainly a vote of confidence in our local store.

The reopening event will be July 8-10th.

[MonctonRad]

Granite Centre On Track To Become ‘The Dartmouth Crossing Of New Brunswick’
SAM MACDONALD, Huddle:
https://huddle.today/2022/07/06/gran...new-brunswick/

Lots of hyperbole in this headline, but there are some very interesting nuggets in the article, including, surprisingly, a statement that they feel full phase one build-out will be completed by the end of 2024.

Construction is underway for a new, 6,000-square-foot building at the southeast corner of the site near Elbow Drive, and negotiations are in the works for a 4,500-square-foot, sit-down restaurant at the southeast end of the property.

This is essentially confirmation that "Plaza 4" will be a sit down restaurant, almost certainly Denny's.

Hennessey told Huddle that 16 tenants are coming to the retail plaza, where Costco is its largest anchor business.

16 tenants is more than the number of tenants already announced. By my count, there are 14 tenants already present or announced (including Costco). This means more announcements will be made in the near future.

The developers are also in negotiations with two retail tenants looking for a 40,000-square-foot berth each at the Granite Centre.

Hennessey couldn’t release any names but noted each new business, if they sign leases, would require new construction located on the north side of Granite Drive. With those built, the plaza would include 12 separate buildings.

40,000 sq ft units = big box retailers. I wonder who these might be???

further developments on still-vacant land in the west portion of the property near Costco aren’t off the table. However, those are considerations are for after 2024, once the first phase for the Granite Centre is complete.

[BlackYear]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

40,000 sq ft units = big box retailers. I wonder who these might be???

A Canadian Tire would probably do very well here.

[MonctonRad]

I'm hoping for new-to-market retailers. I think Decathlon would fit in nicely here.

[David_99]

Has Home Hardware ever stated when/where they expect to build? Hopefully some McLaughlin ramps are put back on the to-do-list…

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by David_99

Has Home Hardware ever stated when/where they expect to build? Hopefully some McLaughlin ramps are put back on the to-do-list…

No, Elmwood Home Hardware has not tipped their hand yet.

Yes, I agree about the need for a TCH interchange at McLaughlin, both for increasing traffic arising from the Granite Centre, and also to assist in the build-out of the eastern portion of the "Vision Lands"

[drewber]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I'm hoping for new-to-market retailers. I think Decathlon would fit in nicely here.

There were some rumblings of an Atmosphere wanting to open in Moncton. It would be their second location in Atlantic Canada. I don't know about sq footage matching that size though

[MonctonRad]

Apparently Simply for Life is now open at the Granite Centre.

[MaritimerJAB]

On Five Guys. I have just been told by the leaseholder of Granite Drive that Due to McDonalds Exclusivity, they can't bring Five Guys. So perhaps Five Guys would look elsewhere in the city?