[Hallsy's Toupee]

MEC moving to Brewery District
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/busin...324/story.html

MEC is moving its Edmonton store a few blocks east to the new development where the former Molson Brewery once operated, the outdoor retailer said Wednesday.

The new store will open in spring 2017 in a larger, purpose-built location in the mixed-use project currently under construction at 104th Avenue and 120th Street referred to by the developer as the Brewery District.

Edmonton’s only MEC opened in 1998 in a former supermarket at 12328 102nd Avenue.

“We’ve outgrown our existing space and have been planning to relocate the store for several years,” said chief financial officer Sandy Treagus for Vancouver-based MEC.

“We seized the opportunity to relocate MEC Edmonton to the Brewery District, as it allows us to remain in the core and to be an integral part of a vibrant mixed-use urban development.”

Currently in the planning stages, the two-storey, 38,000-square-foot store will allow the retail co-operative to expand its product assortment, improve its merchandising and allow easier access. The Edmonton store has 197,000 members. It sells outdoor apparel, camping and sports equipment, bicycles and kayaks.

The look will adopt the “developed over time” character of the “Brewery District” and be built to achieve a minimum of LEED Silver certification.

Construction of the new store starts in April and lasts about a year. The current store will remain open until the new location is completed.

The Brewery District, incorporating the 1913 Molson Brewery building, is a project of First Capital Realty and Sun Life Investment Management. Tenants announced so far for the strip mall include Loblaws City Market, Shoppers Drug Mart and a GoodLife fitness centre.