Quote:
Originally Posted by CoryB
As a point of reference I recall when Premium Outlets Phoenix opened. The city already had a pure outlet mall. That said, they didn't open with a bunch of filler stores, they opened with only actual outlet stores and almost zero late openings or empty spaces.
The challenge with how Outlet Collection Winnipeg has opened is people will quickly write in off as a place that isn't worth going to. I know my wife was super excited when it was first announced but now having been there would likely not bother going back even though she visits an outlet mall anytime we are near one in the States. I think once the "new mall smell" is gone it is really going to struggle and not be the magnet that draws people into the city. It is no different than how when Ikea first opened it was super busy and now it is a lot quieter than people original predicted. Outlet Collection needed to step up to the plate and hit a home run on the first pitch and it didn't.
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Phoenix isn't a fair comparison because that mall could survive on Canadian consumers alone, in the United States.
Again, you can be guaranteed that every effort was given here... sometimes Winnipeg gets the impression it receives the the B team treatment (like Target did to all of Canada) but sometimes it's the opposite; a big undertaking in a tough market requires EVERY muscle and I'm sure it was used here.
The mall will be fine because it's close to the fastest growing neighbourhoods in Winnipeg which are upper-middle class no less. Meanwhile it nudges on wealthy tuxedo. It is directly across from
THE destination tenant of our modern times, IKEA. And IKEA is still very busy. It's on route 90 which is always packed for traffic (which is good). The entire Kenaston corridor is ultimately doing pretty good and this will be the newest and best retail there.
All the right pieces are in place and we have a mall that is mostly occupied with good tenants.
And a last bit of food for though; the avg shoppers isn't an
outlet shopper. Aside from maybe missing some retailers I'd like to see, I wouldn't be able to decry it's "outlet" status based on nuances because the average consumer doesn't care about that at all. They want selection and they want a deal. That Bowring isn't an "outlet" thing (I'm guessing) doesn't bother me or 90% of people the slightest, because it still makes sense in a mall. Which this is.