By this logic all the malls with failed anchors should now be doing better.

H&M should be great for downtown and will pull people downtown that nevergo downtown.

So just to clarify, you are saying:

A drop in sales = most clothing stores in the mall folding?

That's a lot of stores closing based on your logic, not sure you are making much sense..

Nonsense. H&M has 82 stores in Canada... if it's so bad for other clothing retailers, why haven't we heard anything about the retail destruction that follows H&M openings in smaller markets like Regina.

Are the Stonecutters keeping it under wraps?

Chain stores in particular insist on being near other chains.

Remember when ya'll said Lulu Lemon was going to draw people to downtown?? Don't think that quite materialized.

Here's an article from last year that some of you should take a read through:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/cana...sing-1.3485248

What's your evidence it didn't draw people to the mall?

You're talking out of your ass.

That article does not support your harebrained theory though...

Downtown is the busiest it's been in my lifetime. Instead office space, exclusive retailers, and new pubs have all played a part in that.

Well if any of you are in the food and beverage industry, you will already know that several of the new food and drinking establishments downtown have been struggling this year. Malt City in particular is one. Admittedly I haven't heard much about the Capital, however most nights I have gone this year, it has only been half full. I see they now have half price drinks some evenings, so that typically isn't something a profitable bar does, especially in the summer. Atlantis was not able to profit off of their new location either.

Downtown has some serious fundamental flaws that need to be addressed before private business can truly be successful. Regina is a small prairie city with only so many people to visit bars and restaurants downtown. The market is clearly saturated. The PST certainly doesn't help either.

The restaurant business has and always will be the most brutal. The PST is a very, very small part of any of this.

That Malt City didn't make it doesn't mean that downtown isn't growing.

[QUOTE=Regina Boi;7881891]Well if any of you are in the food and beverage industry, you will already know that several of the new food and drinking establishments downtown have been struggling this year. Malt City in particular is one. Admittedly I haven't heard much about the Capital, however most nights I have gone this year, it has only been half full. I see they now have half price drinks some evenings, so that typically isn't something a profitable bar does, especially in the summer. Atlantis was not able to profit off of their new location either.

Downtown has some serious fundamental flaws that need to be addressed before private business can truly be successful. Regina is a small prairie city with only so many people to visit bars and restaurants downtown. The market is clearly saturated. The PST certainly doesn't help either.[/QUOTESo

You seem to be changing your point. First it was the opening of H and M was going to be doom and gloom for the other existing retailers in the mall. A pretty simple statement and I think people on this blog are calling BS on such a simplistic statement. Now you are saying downtown has flaws and that is the reason businesses are closing. So which is it? The arrival of a large European retailer or the inherent flaws in downtown?

Perhaps some of the challenges are related to a poor economy, increased taxes, more competition etc etc..

Bingo! Same for my lifetime. Solid foot traffic at all hours - unlike just 6-7 years ago where downtown became a ghost town around 5-6pm.

6-7 years ago there were a couple dining options downtown after the business day (Beer Bros; O'Han's/Copper Kettle; whatever was in Crave's spot; Golf's; Diplomat; and a couple others). Now we also have Capitol; Malt City; Flip; Victoria's; Fat Badger; Caraway; Wild Sage; Rooftop; probably a couple other I'm forgetting). That Malt City & Flip have struggled against new entrants isn't necessarily a sign that downtown isn't growing... it may simply represent market forces - Malt City's atmosphere & food were OK, not great, just OK. People can choose to walk elsewhere.

I'm not denying that there are issues downtown needs to address - the biggest is pre-conceived notions. I can't convince my family that parking is available, and downtown is busy (read: safe). No matter how hard I try, they simply refuse to believe it.

LOL, to say the PST has little to do with a drop in sales is moronic and completely uneducated. Any business that has to increase prices by 6% overnight is going to see a drop in sales. Yes, food and beverage is a tough business to make a profit in, but adding that increase was the final kick in the face. Many of us are in the same boat, and that is why you are now seeing so many announcements of closures of the past month. As I have said, I know many food and beverage owners as we are all quite close. More closures are coming.

I own 4 businesses, 2 in Regina and 2 in Mexico. My Mexican assets by far have a much larger ROI than the Regina assets. I'm closing one business here and putting several people out of work, because I simply can't afford the additional overhead of increased utilities, PST on more goods I purchase, and PST on my already ridiculous insurance premiums. The list goes on and on.

Additionally, once Brad sells off 49% of the crowns, you are kidding yourself if you think there will not be job losses. That is also going to be a huge blow to the downtown. I'm already hearing some of the estimates of what the gov't is expecting in terms of reductions.

I love when people who don't own businesses think they have all the answers.

I have to agree, Governments think they can just keep taxing and raising costs through regulation and do not worry about the consequences. Just wait for the $15 minimum wage that is already going forward in BC, AB and ON. That will be a killer for restaurants.

Yeah, I have no idea how they will be able to absorb that. I strongly believe in people being paid what they are worth, however mandating $15.00 per hour is crazy. There are better ways of compensating employees.

For example, most people here would not know that in Mexico, it's the law that you provide your staff with a Christmas bonus and staff are entitled to a percentage of your businesses profits at fiscal year end. So while most of my staff make between $450-$600 a month, they get a sizeable amount of money at the end of the year. This is one of the reasons they work so hard. They know that the stronger they perform, the better the business does, and the more money will they will make.

I love when bad operators assume they know what everyone else does.

:koko:

I can make assumptions too.

You act like business adaptation is simply impossible. The companies that go under due to the PST would have done so regardless.

You are acting like other provinces do not levy taxes on restaurants when in fact the majority already do.