Saskatoon Restaurants, Pubs & Retail
 

Inspired by W.W. La Chance's recent post on the Saskatoon Construction Forum, I thought I'd start a thread that highlights developments in Saskatoon's ever-evolving restaurant, pub, and retail scene.

To get the ball rolling, here is W.W. La Chance's post from the Saskatoon Construction Forum:

A few newish developments [in Saskatoon]....

Freshii (https://www.freshii.com/ca), the pricey health fast-food chain is opening on Broadway next to Ryde on the corner of 11th and Broadway.

Leopold's Tavern of Regina fame (http://leopoldstavern.com/) is moving into the Empyreal Building where Duck Duck Goose is or was - they are closing.

Luna & Hill (http://www.lunaandhill.com/), the retailer located in the Avenue Building is closing.

La Vie Lente (http://www.lavielentefashion.com/), the retailer located in the Kempthorne building is closing.

The Crazy Cactus (https://www.facebook.com/Crazy-Cactu...2104105156817/), Saskatoon's "gringo"HQ is moving from their location at Ruth Melrose to 3rd and 20th downtown.
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Persistence pays off for Saskatoon restaurateur

by Alex MacPherson, Saskatoon StarPhoenix
July 4, 2016

Ryan Sutherland figures it was his refusal to give up that convinced the owners of Shoeless Joe’s Sports Grill to let him open the company’s first franchise outside Ontario.

“When I initially applied, they kind of assumed it was a university project, (but) I phoned them every single day for at least three to four months,” the 24-year-old business school graduate said.

“Eventually they said, ‘If we fly you out to Toronto for an interview, will you stop calling?’ And I said sure. I think persistence is a huge part of it, for sure.”

Sutherland was born in Melfort but grew up all over Western Canada, due to his father’s job with the RCMP. After finishing his business degree at the University of Saskatchewan, he decided to open a restaurant with his mother Linda.

[........]

Read more:
http://thestarphoenix.com/business/l...n-restaurateur

The recent closure of Journeymen & Co. at 11th and Broadway was picked up pretty quickly. It appears as if a Vape shop is moving in.

Looks like there are a few moves happening at the 8th and Cumberland Sobeys location. first off, Sobeys has a major expansion happening now. The Dollar store has moved to Grosvenor park (the old Bike shop location) and Blossoms is shutting down and combining with their Anthology location on B and 20th. Rumour has it that Prairie Mobile will move into the empty Blossoms store. Not sure if Sobeys will build and connect all the way to the strip mall or not.........anyone here know? Thanks

Up to six Save-On-Foods to open in Saskatoon

by Alex MacPherson, Saskatoon StarPhoenix
July 26, 2016

Save-On-Foods will open three supermarkets in Saskatoon within the next 18 months and consider adding an additional three stores in the coming years, according to its president.

“We’d like to have six stores in the city of Saskatoon,” Darrell Jones told reporters following a groundbreaking ceremony for the chain’s first Saskatoon supermarket, which is expected to open in Kensington in early 2017.

“We’re building three; we’ve got three that are coming. If the response is excellent — and we believe it will be — then yeah, absolutely. This is a great city and easily able to take on six Save-On-Foods stores.”

[........]

Read more:
http://thestarphoenix.com/business/l...n-in-saskatoon

well, 3rd save on foods announced for the city.

cumberland square, where old safeway used to be.

report came out saying there will be 6 in saskatoon in the end. as myself being a store manager for Extra foods, i think the grocery stores in the city is a little excessive, but if theres going to be 6, wheres the other 3 going

so far confirmed
1) Kensington 2017
2) brighton/holmwood 2017???
3) Cumberland square late 2017 probably early 2018?

3 other locations ( these are MY OPINIONS )

1) downtown ( even though article said no groc retail was wanted to go downtown ) this will definitely be the last of the 6
2) north east where new commuter bridge is going, i know commercial will be developed in the future
3) market mall, since all safeways will be closed at some point

thoughts anyone? im curious to hear your opinions on this one. but im sure you all agree on that we have too many groc retail stores for the size of our city.

Other possible sites would be as follows:
1. Rosewood development near the new Costco
2. Preston Crossing Phase V currently under development
3. Hampton Village proposed retail development on Claypool Drive

forgot about the hampton commercial, that would be a good location.

forgot to mention, earlier this year, my former superiors mentioned a superstore in the NE end of the city, 2018 completion. loblaws is due for a brand new store. but that proposal was iffy. highly doubt that will happen though but it was mentioned to us managers

i know it has nothing to do in saskatoon, but extra foods kindersley is closing.

if anyone has been wondering whats happening with the last 3 , i can tell you Taylor st will convert at some point to no frills ( which is perfect for that area ) , broadway is still figuring out what banner would suit that location ( it will stay a loblaws own store ) and as for me at canarama, were unsure...

sobeys is moving into target lawson. and seeing as loblaws owns shoppers and its right beside us, both of us in the mall have a big ??? over our heads.

So broadway extra foods is sticking around (in some form or another) for a while? Losing it would be a huge loss for the area. Is it possible they will expand?

not too sure, i think that would be a good idea...but just as of how? maybe going south a bit and connecting to the bakery and adding 2 aisles. loblaws owns that building, and theres an empty salon underneath ( for those who remember ) but who knows. that store does REAL REAL well for profit and business. its #1 in canada for sales per sq ft. . a no frills was an idea...but the clientele for that store wouldnt buy the NF type market. broadway has a wierd demographic. so thats why i think once that store does go...itll be a "first" of its kind in the city.

as for taylor st. thats a well established market. and ive made tons of profit managing that few years back as an EF. so imagine a NF...$$$$$$.

Not sure what this means?

theres some markets in vancouver/toronto that have a different style of grocery retail that support downtowns. kind of like independent/citi market. thats all ive been told. something along the lines of that. broadway is too small for independent, good size for box NF, but that market wont last. so theyre looking at something different. its really confusing. that store will be the last in the country to convert as an EF i think lol. everyones scratching their heads for that one

Interesting. Thanks for the info, Mitchell.

Hopefully that store proves the market for more urban stores (i.e. downtown).

im sure it will. but that little one might take a few years to decide. i know toronto/regina shoppers drug marts have some pilot stores going into grocery/produce/deli etc. ( regina guys, speak for me please ) but if thats the case, id like to see Canarama shoppers beside me be reno'd.

with that being said...i was notified that until sobeys took target lawson, i possibly would close, but now thats off that list. ( which i think its a lie, just prolonged to see how it affects us, then that call will be made ) Canarama EF needs more work than any other loblaw store in the province. if any of you guys are customers here, my equip is always broken down , roof leaking, etc, and no help to fix it on our end. so ive been hurting for a while.

whats your thoughts on this ? im curious

How is Safeway allowing another grocery store into Lawson mall?

Sobeys owns Safeway

safeway will close.

eventually ALL safeways nationwide will close. thats an old school banner.

it may take 15+ years to do so but in the end all safeways wont exist anymore.

like OK-Economy if any of you remember .

I'd always thought that Loblaws was keeping the EF in Canarama simply to keep the other grocery chains out of there. I don't really see that the switch to Sobey's from Safeway in Lawson would impact that. If Loblaws was to leave Canarama, I could certainly see Co-op looking at that space, as they don't have any grocery stores near there.

Agreed that the Canarama EF is pretty tired. It wouldn't shock me to see a new tenant simply knock it down and build new to suit their prototype layout if they were to take over that space.

loblaws also owns shoppers drug marts also. so hence this big ??? , for both of us tenants here. i agree with you, this location is one of the best for traffic wise. but with us owning shoppers too and how theyre going to a full service grocer, i dont see loblaws having 2 tenants here, we as an EF rent our spot which the overhead is stupid over the top insane in fees, but im not sure if shoppers actually OWNS that spot. i think i heard that they do.

i also agree with another tenant knocking this down too, we need a whole new roof just to put that out there, and thats 1.5mill. if my EF was to convert to a no frills, michaels independent would be out of business ( were good friends and he knows NF would kill him ) so they wouldnt have converted michaels to a independent if they were going to do something with my building. this is just my opinion. and my sales have dipped -45-50% last few weeks...and no idea why. all of us are just holding our breaths at the store right now. but i hate to say it, in my mind and for good business, convert shoppers, and close me. theyll save a wack of 6-figure dollars.

thoughts?

Originally Posted by Draftsman View Post
From cbc.ca/news (July 31, 2016)

"The fresh additions began as a pilot project in a handful of Shoppers stores in 2014. The company recently remodelled several stores in downtown Toronto and now boasts 29 locations serving perishable goods — 19 in Toronto, eight in Regina and two in Hamilton."

Here is the full article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/shop...mart-1.3700945

Personally, I check all of the grocery store flyers to see who has the best weekly deals for the majority of my needs. Shoppers does have some good weekly deals.

The Broad & 14th store has scaled back their grocery section a bit since the pilot was created, as they initially had no idea what would sell and what wouldn't. Now, after a period of time, it is clear what their customers want. It really is about convenience, especially in neighbourhoods without a major grocery store within reasonable walking distance.

Selection may be limited and can be a bit pricey, but this is the price we pay for convenience. Ever find reasonable grocery items in a 7-11 or Macs?

As a side note, Galen Weston flew to Regina in his private jet late last year to see a few of these stores and to talk with the owners.



----- posted by a regina guy in their retail section-------

this makes it a bit more clear to me in my mind on my location with the shoppers. it would make much more sense , even as a business move to close me, and have the shoppers expand into a full grocery/deli/produce etc... seeing as this North park/river heights needs a store like that. and as loblaws owns shoppers now too. again, im just wondering since EF rents this spot, does shoppers OWN theirs. thats what ive been hearing.

Unless things have changed since it was built, Shoppers is still just a tenant in Canarama Mall. Their shell space was built for the landlord and Shoppers contracted the TIs separately. But that was many years ago now.

Didn't Periwinkle Quilting (or whatever it is called) just move into that building between the grocery store and Nutana Bakery, a few months back( maybe longer)?

Just curious if anyone here has heard what is happening on the corner of Broadway and Main St.
I think all of the businesses from and including the bank on the corner all the way down to the pharmacy have closed or moved. Seems a bit coincidental that they would are close down at the same time.

i was aware the RBC shut down ...but yes coincidental for all to be gone

here's one new restaurant in a competition for best new restaurant

http://thestarphoenix.com/business/3...urants-contest

I had one of best restaurant experiences ever in Saskatchewan at Little Grouse. I wish them well.

My wife and I celebrated our anniversary at Little Grouse a few weeks ago.

Exceptional.

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/about_ikea...canada_halifax

If Halifax can land an IKEA, I wonder if Saskatchewan's largest city may also be on IKEA's radar.

Halifax CMA pop. (2015): 417,800

Saskatoon CMA pop. (2015): 305,000

IKEA announced plans for significantly more Canadian stores a couple months ago, did they not? It'd be hard to expand in Canada while ignoring Saskatchewan.

Keep in mind, though, that in addition to having a CMA 37% larger than Saskatoon, Halifax's closest IKEA is in Boucherville, QC. That's over 1100km from Halifax, whereas we have IKEA stores surrounding Sask in Winnipeg, Calgary & Edmonton.

As much as we'd all like to see an IKEA here, it all comes down to whether or not IKEA thinks it makes economic sense to build here. I think they'll have a pretty good handle on that.

Ikea opens 'collection point' in Saskatoon

Saskatoon StarPhoenix
September 6, 2016

Buying furniture from Ikea is getting more convenient for residents in and around Saskatoon.

The company confirmed Tuesday that it has opened a ‘collection point’ in the city, a facility that will allow customers to pick up products ordered online for a flat fee of $79.

“In such a large country, it is important to offer a variety of solutions we can use to penetrate markets in relevant and economical ways,” Ikea Canada acting president David McCabe said in a statement.

“Saskatoon is a natural next step in our plan to grow the Ikea brand in Canada.”

[........]

Read more:
http://thestarphoenix.com/news/local...t-in-saskatoon

Mastermind Toys is having a Grand Opening Party at its new Preston Crossing location from Sept 22 - 25.

It is the first Mastermind Toys store in Saskatchewan.

http://www.mastermindtoys.com/Help.a...ns+(New+Stores)

According to this recent Saskatoon Express article, Motion Fitness is going to be opening a 22,000 square foot facility in the former Zellers space at Market Mall.

There were previous rumours of a Motion Fitness opening in the Scotia Centre - is there any truth to that? A gym in the central downtown would do well, I would think. Especially if they focus on attracting the right before work, lunch hour, and right after work workout crowd.

There is the YMCA, though it would probably be best described as being on the fringe of downtown. I know that it's an issue of time, but there is something ironic in people saying "that gym is too far away for me to walk to".

And don't forget, there is Freedom Functional Fitness on 20th and Idylwyld just a few more calories away.

A new video showcasing "the evolving food and drink scene" in Saskatoon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW4Vxcat2RE

Second Costco nearing completion in Saskatoon

By Meaghan Craig, Global News Saskatoon
September 23, 2016

It’s Saskatoon’s best kept secret but Costco has finally spilled the beans.

Officials with the American membership-only warehouse club have confirmed that its second location in the city’s southeast corner will open in November.

[........]

Read more:
http://globalnews.ca/news/2960111/se...-in-saskatoon/

There are signs up at Preston Crossing announcing that a new Goodlife Fitness will be opening at that location.

I was reading an article this morning on CKOM's website that we are going to be getting a Skechers store in Preston Crossing as well. First I've heard of that.

http://ckom.com/article/1065214/bed-...eston-crossing

Costco goers "Pumped" for the new location coming to Saskatoon.

By JT Marshall, 650 CKOM
October 1, 2016

The parking lot on Saturday mornings at Costco next to the Sasktel Centre is a zoo.

Folks hope that will change with a second location being added on the southeast side of Saskatoon in November.

"I'm very very pumped," Jeff Bergman said.

"I'll keep coming to this one because I live in the north, but now everybody can go to the other one."

[........]

Read more:
http://ckom.com/article/1069863/cost...ming-saskatoon

Once space sold at the banks, corner of b and sonnenschein.

That is great news! Hopefully that will start some momentum for the other street-level commercial spaces to start filling up.

Saskatchewan's first Purdys Chocolatier store is opening up in Midtown Plaza in December 2016.

http://ca.indeed.com/job/shop-manage...b442da536fd564

words going around that Lawson Safeway will begin to close up and start to tear down the interior. been told by a few of my retail friends. for any of you lawson safeway customers on here....

not sure if its true but it makes sense since sobeys is taking over target lawson.

If Safeway does close, it will be interesting to see what is planned for that space once the space is vacated. The space is ideally located at the mall's mid-point, so should be attractive to an array of retailers -- especially if it were to be subdivided. Just my opinion.

Safeway closure
 

Safeway and Sobey's are owned by the same company. They are opening a new, larger store in Lawson Mall and the existing Safeway will be closed.

21st and Avenue D
 

Not much action on here lately.

Just curious to know if anyone here knows anything about the "rebuild" taking place beside Past and Present on 21st street. Been by there a few times in the last couple of weeks but no signs up yet or never anyone around that I could talk to.

Looks like they are doing a nice job....nice big windows on the store front.

Great to see the area continue to make improvements.