Regina Retail
 

Cyro had the idea for a retail thread for Regina. Retail may dominate development in the next couple of years as office, hotel and residential take a pause. I'll start this thread off with a picture of Harvard's tasteful window coverings at the Shoppes on Hamilton. These are much better than the usual paper. swank Shoe Lounge and Greenspot are now open and the Capitol has built a patio across the street.

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps2w82nut0.jpg

Good timing on this thread, I was just coming back to enquire!

Anyone heard anything about Second Cup losing their spot in the Cornwall Centre? In the surface, it sucks, but it's interesting for a couple of reasons...the owners of the north location seem to be looking for another location downtown so hopefully hey find something soon. It will be interesting to see where they end up. Aside from that, there was apparently a bidding was over the location and it sounds like Tim Horton's won. While I have little use for Tim's coffee, the interesting part is that it frees up their current location above the old Smitty's location. I have no idea if they were kicked out of that spot or were simply more interested in the Second Cup location (higher traffic, more visible) but between Smitty's, Tim's, and the Havik building that the mall purchased it frees up a big chunk of space. When the mall bought that building there were rumours of H&M moving in there but I have no idea where that started and I haven't heard anything since. I did find it interesting that the mall never did anything with those spaces despite the fact that they kicked Smitty's out before their lease was up.

The long standing rumor has been H&M or Forever 21 taking the Havik/Mall space. And it's quite likely.

I assume we will also hear about the relocation of the Chatters soon as well. However, it's simply a matter of finding additional space since the mall almost certainly has the right to relocate in the lease.

Tim's taking the Second Cup space makes sense it's approximately a million times better located.

I could see Tim Horton's keeping the 2nd floor location even if they do open a second location on the main floor. They get a lot of business from office workers at the Alvin Hamilton, Royal Bank, and BMO office towers as it is very convenient for them to come across the two pedways. It would not be convenient if they had to go to the main floor.

Anyone know what's going into the location in the Cornwall which was previously a Calendar store kind of the by The Bay?

I do not know Regina geography well but will try to share insights on the general trends in Canada on items posted here.

We have seen similar scenarios happen in Winnipeg although I am not sure if a bidding war was involved. The history in Winnipeg shows that Tims is willing to open locations within a short distance of each other especially if the first location is very popular. Based on that alone I would say watch for Tims to keep both locations mentioned in this thread.

Forever 21 has actually been slowing down their expansion plans as their fiscal performance is not keeping place with expectations. H&M though seems to be continuing expansion without issues.

This isn't two locations a block or two from each other, it's two in the same mall. Come to think of it, there's another a few blocks east. While it's possible, I really would hope that's not the case. Because of the location of the original Tim's in the mall, it seems likely that the mall has other plans. They kicked Smitty's out before their lease was up and bought the building adjecent to those spots. The previous owners of that building were also tenants and they moved to a new location while the mall told the second floor tenant they had other plans for the building and they were asked to move. They haven't done anything to to that area of the mall and don't appear to be trying to lease the spots. It seems safe to say they have something in mind. The first floor in that area is completely free now and the second floor only has Tim's and Chatters. And now that I think about it I vaguely remember someone telling me a month or so ago that Chatters was looking for a new location. I assume their lease is up soon. It was just an offhand remark from a coworker who buys her hair products there so it didn't really register. I only remember because I said that for the mall their current setup is nice with the store in front and salon in the back.

^^ For a long, long time Polo Park mall in Winnipeg had an A&W at both ends of the mall so it does happen and there is actually a third location directly across the street from the mall parking lot.

Renovated Dynamite store in the Cornwall is going to be open very soon, potentially as early as tomorrow by the looks of it. This leaves their temporary location on the second level vacant, along with at least four other store fronts (old calendar store on the main level, Second Cup, Havik, and Smitty's).

I am not in Regina so I don't know, but didn't Dymamite just open in the Cornwall Centre? Why would they renovate a brand new store (unless the retail chain went through a major store format change right after they opened the Regina store)?

I am hoping H&M is taking the vacant Havik, Smitty's and upper floor. I really do hope as that would be an amazing addition to the mall and gateway across from LuluLemon. I am also guessing Goodlife will be looking for a location downtown to compete with the YMCA and GOLD's Gym on Scarth. Goodlife would actually be a great tenant for the first couple levels of the yet to be built Hill Tower IV when they get to it.... with some restaurant space on the 1st level. I wonder when Harvard will announce that project.

I was in the mall yesterday and there were a couple of guys doing survey work just inside the main entrance. I almost wondered if the second cup could be altered into an entrance for the Cornwall and a new store like H & M move into Havik, Smitty's and part of the existing entrance. I highly doubt it but the surveyors got me wondering.

That would be a great addition to downtown! :tup: I much prefer Goodlife to Golds. A better vibe there with less "bro" mentality and less people hyped up on preworkout throwing barbells around. I drove by the South Golds the other day and saw no less than 10 lifted, big wheeled pickup trucks in the parking lot. :haha:

Wrong thread.

I moved to a different end of town so I don't even use my Anytime Fitness membership any more. I'd really like to join Goodlife since it's more convenient, but I'd have to figure out how to get out of my current contract, and from what I understand gyms are notorious for not letting you out early.

^^ Thankfully, due to the collapse of the gym industry in the 80s, "lifetime" memberships were banned by law with the longest term being one year. You should be free of it at some point but the cancellation clauses are difficult to use if you want out sooner.

Regina Guys,

hows that Save on foods? im curious to hear your thoughts. seeing as us in saskatoon are getting 3 in the next 18 months. is it something to get super excited about ? to me its just another grocery store

It's just another grocery store.

If you like delivery or more pre-made options it might be more interesting to you.

Ben Moss has announced it will be shutting down across Canada. Over 100 years old and disappearing. That will leave a pretty good location open in Southland Mall. No dates for closure have been announced yet.

Delivery is only $5 or you can shop online and pickup. This is really popular with some Moms I know. I've only been in a few times, but seems to have lots of staff and be very clean.

Prices are also high at save on foods. Higher than other grocery chains from my experience. I like the look and feel of the place though, both in and outside, but don't shop there due to the high prices.

also curious on how the Golden Mile mall re-development is going.

i know the EF should be all done soon?( last one in regina ) isnt the SS opening next year sometime? or am i off ? i could call the mgr and ask but just more curious on how that whole mall is going also

It has some big pros, but also cons:

Pros:
- Much better fresh food section than most stores (with the exception of fruits/vegetables compared to Superstore). The prepared stuff is really great, especially the pre-marinated meats, sausages, fish, etc. Also really good samosas for like $2.50 each.
- Online delivery/pickup
- Definitely the best service

Cons:
- Regular items (canned, boxes, etc) are more expensive than most stores (maybe non-member Safeway options might rival them, I don't know). You can offset some of these prices with a Save-On card, but not all of them.


If you're looking for some nice pre-made meals or meats/sausages then it's a great place. For general big shopping trips, I'd stick to Superstore or Costco. But it serves a niche and for people who don't care about spending a bit more (there is a market like that) it works. I go for the fresh and pre-made stuff, but I wouldn't buy $300 worth of groceries there on a big trip.

Also their self-serve checkout is much better than other places.

Interesting, thanks, i can relay this to my saskatoon troops here. everyones curious, 3 save on popping up in 18 months should be interesting for saskatoon.

Save on is nice but it still has not become my one-stop shopping place as they do not carry all brands and products that I am used to getting. Some prices are higher but some are lower - like anything you have to know the prices of things at various stores (if you care that udon noodles are .66 at extra foods and .99 at save on). Save on uses group pricing quite a bit - ie. buy 4 for the price of 3 sort of thing and in those cases the prices are typically better than extra foods. There are some meat cuts and products that you can get at Save on (stir fry cuts) that others like sobeys or extra do not have (or they pass stewing chunk cuts off as stir-fry). Save on has some decent steak cuts from the butcher section (ie. thick!!) but for flavour and aging they can not touch cathedral butcher boy. I have not checked out the prepared foods but will be looking the next time I go. At the end of the day, I still find I have to go to at least 3 different places (save on, extra, sobeys, asian grocery store on albert) to get all the food products I need over the course of a month.

i know shoppers drug mart was getting some pilot stores to do a expansion into fresh groceries ( produce,meat,deli etc ) and i know toronto had a few stores trying it out, and i heard regina was one of the cities to have a few pilot stores?

can any of you regina guys confirm on this? if it is true, how has it been ? or is it still up in the air type thing.

True - most (not sure if all) shoppers now carry a small selection of food products but to be honest I have just assumed the prices were high (haven't actually checked) and haven't bought anything beyond milk. It likely fills a need for locals that don't drive but beyond that.......

Yes TO was the big city test market and Regina was the small City test market. Regina was no doubt selected because we have the massive Loblaw distribution Centre

have you visited one of the pilot locations that carry the full service? mine beside my EF just has tiny amount of grocery, but thats it.

Cornwall is small, but Northgate is bigger, although I do not recall much fresh stuff. Mostly prepared, packaged meat and basic fruits and veggies. Apparently they plan to stock fresh fish.

Most of the stores have a grocery section. I assume it's been successful. The store near me just renovated and kept the grocery section. I find the selection is hit and miss. I forget what I was looking for the other day but it was something I was surprised they didn't have. They seem to have a bit of prepared foods, a decent (not huge) selection of fruits and vegetables. You likely. Like the do your grocery shopping there unless you had a very limited diet but it works well for stocking up between trips to the grocery store. Having said that, there is an Independent Grocer in the same shopping centre. I have a feeling that there would be more focus on grocery if there weren't a much larger store 100 feet away. I think the 14th and Broad location has been quite popular and I believe their grocery section is a bit bigger. Which makes sense given the neighbourhood and lack of options near by unless you have $$ to spend for organic at Nature's Best.

It would've been nice to see Cornwall expand into the old medical clinic next door and have a large grocery section. Though I can see why that might not have been appealing for a pilot project.

Shoppers Drug Mart enters grocery wars, armed with fresh fruit and fish
 

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.

thanks for this. now it gives me a little more info on my EF/shoppers location here in saskatoon. makes sense for me to close and have shoppers converted into the full service grocery.

South Albert & Vic Square both have decent grocery sections - including fresh produce. Produce typically looks good - not seeing items that look "off."

My dad shops at the Vic Square one quite a bit - he seems finds the prices to be in-line with other Loblaws stores. Good for those mid-week shopping trips most people do (for a handful of smaller items, not a full shopping trip).

i think itll be a great fit for those shoppers that are tucked into those neighborhoods. just something nice and easy for the folks to come and grab something. i just find theres too many big stores around, especially building out in the burbs. itll be nice if most if not all shoppers will be converted to these full service grocers. itll help the inner city alot.

New Design Studio
 

Dean Renwick Design Studio will be expanding to include a boutique that will feature Dean Renwick's designs along with select Canadian designers. The boutique will soon open in downtown Regina.

This is going in the main floor of the parking lot structure on Rose street, which has been vacant for a long time, so good news.

https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...d5&oe=585D4459

So awesome! Great for him and great for the downtown (not to mention much needed for that parkade!) Whoop!

That is great for Renwick. That parkade now has VIP, Deluxe Tailors and Renwick. This is what we want on the street level of our downtown parkades!

Let's hope the Shoppes on Hamilton around the corner start filling up.

I saw that H&M was hiring in Regina a little while back, now I don't seem to see it on their site anymore. Did anyone else notice this?

Could be they were looking for management staff for H&M. The other thing I have seen happen in Winnipeg is you get advance job postings like that and then the planning for a location falls through and the jobs never actually get staffed.

I am thinking one of those is likely the case.

Chatters is moving to the main floor of the Cornwall across from American Eagle. This will leave Tim Hortons as the only remanining tenant occupying space in that entire South-East corner of the mall which previously had Smitty's and Havik. Anyone heard anything concrete yet?

...and Tim's is moving to the Second Cup space is it not?

When they finally do this, look for the whole 11th Ave street front to be re-done including the possible demo of the office building where Lulu is located. The Cornwall also owns that too.

It's gotta be for H&M! Or Forever 21. H&M would definitely be two floors regarding the lack of width available for the Cornwall floor plates.

The new, bigger Costco for Aurora is a huge deal for that development. With all the other proposals around town for big box centres, including Harvard's own Acre 21 down the street, there will be plenty of competition for tenants. Retailers always want to be near the big boys like Walmart and Costco who draw in regional traffic.

Hopefully Costco gets a liquor store licence for this location.

Stormer, have any design plans been released yet regarding the 11th avenue renovations? Is the plan to build a multilevel retail addition on the lulu lemon building floor plate once the office building is demolished?

Also hope they have plans for Hamilton Street and Sask Drive renovations.

I also was thinking that they could buy or lease out the main floor or first two floors of the sasktel building if there is space to put retail so that they could finally make that north section of the mall more active. Anyone know of the Sasktel building has extra space or are they full to the brim?

My other thought was a floor addition on top of Sears and escalators connecting through the center of the food court to that area.

Replies in bold

The current slate of liquor licences are required to be operational in like 18 months. I don't think the new Costco will be happening that soon. But maybe in the future.

While possible, malls typically hate third floors. I can't really see them ever doing that. Especially since Sears itself will probably be gone in the coming years.

One of the unique things about Save On in Saskatchewan is they offer on-line groceries. Many of the major brands are doing online. But I think Save on is the only one in Saskatchewan. Which is odd given there is software that lets most grocery stores get in on it. http://www.mightyplus.com/

Superstore also has online ordering now, though I think you need to pick it up at the store.

Well it looks like Costco is going forward in 2017 as Aurora is up to RPC.

I'm really nervous the existing Costco site will be left empty and we start to see the hollowing out of the western portion of Vic East.