General Retail News

[toaster]

Originally Posted by Harley613

whoa whoa whoa...seriously. i wonder how many they will do this to? very cool! unlike the new walmart at the old zellers in gloucester centre...that walmart doesn't feel anything like any other walmart i've ever been in.

Really? I was in there, and it felt and looked like all other Walmarts I've ever been in. The only difference was that the layout was a little different (similar to the layout found when many Walmarts operated in malls back in the 90/early 00s), and there is brown brick on the outside, which you wouldn't notice when your in the actual store.

[c_speed3108]

Wow that St Laurent Target store application is pretty awesome!

The old Zeller's there was terrible. Terrible enough to make you travel to other Zeller's stores. It did not have a nice feel at all.

I like what they are doing with the site. They are moving the parking back from the street and improving the pedestrian walk up to the building a fair amount.

Really my only other wish would be that they improve the bus stop area by, at a minimum, replacing the current standard shelter with something larger. It is already over capacity now when it is say raining.

I was hoping for a solid renovation during the target conversion. This is more than I could have wished for and a welcome improvement to the neighborhood.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by toaster

Really? I was in there, and it felt and looked like all other Walmarts I've ever been in. The only difference was that the layout was a little different (similar to the layout found when many Walmarts operated in malls back in the 90/early 00s), and there is brown brick on the outside, which you wouldn't notice when your in the actual store.

Weird because I've been in there a few times and it feels like an old Zellers with the signs painted blue, nothing like a Walmart.

[Capital Shaun]

The Walmart at Glouceter Mall does have a different feel to it compared to the the Walmarts at Tarinyards and South Keys.

The layout is also almost the same one that the Zellers had. Zellers with blue signs is a pretty good description. There's even a couple former Zellers employees who now work at the Walmart. (The ones that use to peddle the HBC credit cards.)

[c_speed3108]

At 152,000 sq feet that Target store will slot almost exactly between Target's average General Merchandise format and the Super-Target format.


http://pressroom.target.com/news/fastfacts

Formats

Target operates two store formats:
General Merchandise stores (P04) are typically one-level stores within major community or regional shopping districts. This is our most prevalent store format which is approximately 126,000 square feet in size. Our merchandise offering includes general merchandise and selected grocery products and may also include other amenities such as photo processing services, a pharmacy, a Food Avenue restaurant and often a Starbucks.

SuperTarget stores extend the Target brand beyond fashion and home dcor by providing guests with a pleasant and convenient grocery shopping experience in addition to the traditional Target store experience. SuperTarget offers a full grocery line, including a bakery and deli, meat and produce selections. With an average size of 174,000 square feet per store, SuperTarget’s mix of grocery and merchandise delights our guests by offering the convenience of one-stop shopping.

[drawarc]

The Walmart at Glouceter Mall does have a different feel to it compared to the the Walmarts at Tarinyards and South Keys.

The layout is also almost the same one that the Zellers had. Zellers with blue signs is a pretty good description. There's even a couple former Zellers employees who now work at the Walmart. (The ones that use to peddle the HBC credit cards.)

Another thing is the Gloucester store has a few large skylights, not something i've seen in other Walmarts.

[Harley613]

I wonder if we are getting any Targets with groceries...

[toaster]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Weird because I've been in there a few times and it feels like an old Zellers with the signs painted blue, nothing like a Walmart.

All cashes, checkouts, flooring, shelving, signage, doors, carts, baskets, fridges are new. The Zellers didn't even have all the grocery that is now in the Walmart (typical of most walmarts). Maybe I'll take pictures for you the next time I am there.

[c_speed3108]

The Gloucester Walmart definitely was a bit of a quick do-up. They opened initially without even having the store fully stocked. They kept many things like the flooring from the Zeller's store. They just got rid of things like red inlays. I am guessing they opened quickly to maintain the current Zeller's customer base that was used to going there.

The store also seemed to lack a few usual things like the (in)famous Walmart greeters.

It being smaller than some of the other Walmarts it is a much easier store to run into to pick something up quickly as the parking lots etc.. are not as chaotic. It is also far more accessible by transit that Innes and Trainyards.

The only drawback being that because it is smaller, it is more likely to be out of things like sale items, which are piled up by the pallet at the other stores.

[Capital Shaun]

The renos were minimal other than the new "furniture" since Zellers sold off all of theres. The grocery section is almost double what Zellers had but otherwise the stores are very similar. The hallway that loops around the store is at the same place. The clothing is still on the East side of the store. Electronics is at the exact same place. Seasonal is still to the West. The pharmacy is at the exact same place. Bathrooms remain unchanged.

Compare that to Target that's going to tear down and rebuild the Zellers on St-Laurent. Albeit that building is older then Gloucester mall.

I agree with c_speed3108's assessment that Walmart must have moved fast to pickup Zeller's former clientele (like my own family who live in the area).

I also like that this Walmart isn't a zoo like some of the larger locations. I hate going to those when I have my kids with me.

[c_speed3108]

Originally Posted by c_speed3108

On CFRA they mention in house leases will be transferred to Surgenor . I wonder if they might also pick up the Cadillac and Chevy brands too since they lost two brands (Hummer and Pontiac) when GM reorganized.

Surgenor did open a shinny new Hyundai dealership.

So this is exactly what seems to have occurred:

"Surgenor Buick GMC" is now called "Surgenor Chevrolet Buick GMC Cadillac", although they are still appear to be working at changing signs and revamping their website and social media pages. On facebook they call themselves: Ottawa's newest 'full line' GM dealership!

[kevinbottawa]

La Maison Simons Confirms Canada-Wide Store Search

Retail Insider

Peter Simons confirms he is actively seeking space for La Maison Simons stores in Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa-Gatineau.

"These markets are in our plans. We are working hard on it to open more stores in the rest of the country, "said Peter Simons to Lapresse.

According to Mr. Simons, sales at the new Edmonton Simons store are stellar and "beyond our expectations. Our business is profitable, "he said.

Simons sunk about $35million into the 118,000 square foot Edmonton store. We previously reported on its opening and its beautiful interior design.

Peter Simons, again, expressed his disappointment at the falling-through of negotiations to open a Simons store at Ottawa's Rideau Shopping Centre. Nordstrom's securing space at Rideau hampered Simons' ongoing negotiations. Negotiations for a store at Ottawa's St. Laurent Shopping Centre also fell through. As we previously reported, Simons may therefore open its first Ottawa location in Gatineau.

In Fall 2013, La Maison Simons will open its eighth store in suburban Montreal at the Galeries d'Anjou. Simons will have sunk about $25million into the two-level, 100,000 square foot store when completed.

Retail Insider was also informed by a commercial real estate broker that Simons wants stores in Calgary and Winnipeg.

http://www.retail-insider.com/#!/201...nada-wide.html

[toaster]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

http://www.retail-insider.com/#!/201...nada-wide.html

The "Big 3" are all going through expansions/will be expanding soon. If they wanted to get into one, they could have. It must have been a monetary thing.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by toaster

The "Big 3" are all going through expansions/will be expanding soon. If they wanted to get into one, they could have. It must have been a monetary thing.

Yes and no. Some of the malls apparently have clauses in their leases with big players that allow these guys to veto or simply ban the implantation of competing chains. For example, Sears and The Bay at St. Laurent have exclusivity as the only large department stores in the mall.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Yes and no. Some of the malls apparently have clauses in their leases with big players that allow these guys to veto or simply ban the implantation of competing chains. For example, Sears and The Bay at St. Laurent have exclusivity as the only large department stores in the mall.

I was wondering why Simon's wouldn't be going to St Laurent, so that explains it. Seems short sighted as Simons would draw even more people to the mall, which would help the other department stores, I should have thought. Too bad.

[MountainView]

Why wouldn't Simons be interested in going to Bayshore? If they're big in being close to a French area of town I think that's silly. They should be in Bayshore when the expansion is done! It's right off 417 for easy access too!

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MountainView

Why wouldn't Simons be interested in going to Bayshore? If they're big in being close to a French area of town I think that's silly. They should be in Bayshore when the expansion is done! It's right off 417 for easy access too!

I don't see what's silly about capitalizing on a demographic that knows your brand and has been demanding your presence for quite some time, as opposed to a demographic that has barely even heard of you.

In any event, Simons wasn't really hell-bent on going for the francophone market only (or even primarily), as their first choice for Ottawa-Gatineau was St. Laurent but it appears this did not work out.

[MichelKazan]

Originally Posted by MountainView

Why wouldn't Simons be interested in going to Bayshore? If they're big in being close to a French area of town I think that's silly. They should be in Bayshore when the expansion is done! It's right off 417 for easy access too!

Because we all may remember a few years what happened a few years back when Les Ailes de la Mode (another Quebec fashion department store chain) expanded into Ontario and opened at Bayshore. I think that lasted less than 2 years.

[toaster]

Originally Posted by MichelKazan

Because we all may remember a few years what happened a few years back when Les Ailes de la Mode (another Quebec fashion department store chain) expanded into Ontario and opened at Bayshore. I think that lasted less than 2 years.

Les Ailes was having financial difficulties at the time, and it was less known than Simons. Plus, Bayshore has grown and become the major "indoor" mall of not only Nepean now, but Kanata and Barrhaven too. A Bayshore location would be better than any Gatineau location, but it would also be much more expensive.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by MountainView

Why wouldn't Simons be interested in going to Bayshore? If they're big in being close to a French area of town I think that's silly. They should be in Bayshore when the expansion is done! It's right off 417 for easy access too!

I doubt that is it. After all, their first expansion was to Edmonton, not exactly a hotbed of francophone culture.