I am not going to argue the fact that the larger urban population of Halifax, and the young, educated and fashion conscious demographic of HRM doesn't give Halifax a decided advantage over Moncton in terms of establishing a solid retail base. Obviously it does......
For
destination retailers however, the larger regional population base becomes a more important factor in the decision making process and these retailers (think LL Bean) will tend to look at who is willing to drive a couple of hours to spend a good part of the day at their store. This is an entirely different kettle of fish, and in this equation, the population base within a couple of hours of Moncton is not that much different than a couple of hours of Halifax.
Also, for
Bass Pro and
Cabela's, they really aren't interested in an
urban demographic, as most hunters and fishermen are rural folk. This would also play into their decision to base in Moncton. Moncton is simply more convenient to the consumer base that these retailers are catering to. This is no offense to Halifax - it is simply reality. It is a reality similar to the one that argues that IKEA would obviously choose Halifax over Moncton when the time come to return to the Maritimes.
Each city has it's strengths. High end national department stores and fashion retailers will come to Halifax first. Fishing, camping and hunting retailers (and possibly factory outlet retailers) might cast a more favourable eye on Moncton.
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