Winnipeg Retail

[Biff]

The Pier 1 space on Dakota seems to be leased as work is happened by there.

[thurmas]

Originally Posted by esquire

So what's the likely scenario for Hudson's Bay at this point? Maybe reduced to a few stores in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and a couple of others with everything else shut down/sold off?

I think HBC is dead within the next 6-18 months it is too much in rot to have anything worth preserving at this point.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by esquire

So what's the likely scenario for Hudson's Bay at this point? Maybe reduced to a few stores in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and a couple of others with everything else shut down/sold off?

Sadly, due to mismanagement and really questionable business choices over about the past 10 years full bankruptcy/creditor protection is going to be about the only choice. Due to the decline in the large format department store model globally and the impact from the pandemic I am not sure it can be saved.

That said many Canadian landlords are going to find themselves in a tough spot if this happens. There is perhaps a deal to be made where the mall owners effectively take control over a restructured Hudson Bay with majority ownership held by the mall consortium to continue operations as a going concern. In 2016, facing a similar exodus of mall retailers in the USA a consortium of mall owners got together and saved Aéropostale from bankruptcy by taking it over so they could operate stores rather than having spaces sit dark so there is a precedence here. Also Hudson Bay is an iconic Canadian brand that had mostly been going in the right direction as a store before the pandemic hit. The questionable choices like acquiring Saks out of their own bankruptcy and expanding the Europe by buying Galeria Kaufhof in 2015 (sold off last year) would also be left behind in bankruptcy although the Canadian "Off 5th" outlets might be left as-is or wound back to the Hudson Bay Outlet banner.

[rrskylar]

What is the stopped construction project at the Outlets site across from IKEA? Footing is in but work site is empty.

[esquire]

On the HBC thing, I have a hard time imagining the brand disappearing entirely... surely there is some value in such a longstanding brand? Even if it just carries on as a small specialty boutique selling maple sugar candies, point blankets and HBC stripe toques to tourists or whatever in a handful of cities, you would think it would still exist in one form or another?!

Originally Posted by rrskylar

What is the stopped construction project at the Outlets site across from IKEA? Footing is in but work site is empty.

Are you maybe thinking of the Co-op supermarket?

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by esquire

On the HBC thing, I have a hard time imagining the brand disappearing entirely... surely there is some value in such a longstanding brand? Even if it just carries on as a small specialty boutique selling maple sugar candies, point blankets and HBC stripe toques to tourists or whatever in a handful of cities, you would think it would still exist in one form or another?!



Are you maybe thinking of the Co-op supermarket?

No, location is closer to Kenaston. It’s behind the new liquor mart

[dam_well]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

No, location is closer to Kenaston. It’s behind the new liquor mart

Wasn't that supposed to be the Porche dealership?

[Biff]

The new Porsche Dealership.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by esquire

Are you maybe thinking of the Co-op supermarket?

The Outlets Coop is basically across the street from the Shell. When I was by there last week it had roof and most of the walls completed.

[EspionNoir]

Originally Posted by esquire

On the HBC thing, I have a hard time imagining the brand disappearing entirely... surely there is some value in such a longstanding brand? Even if it just carries on as a small specialty boutique selling maple sugar candies, point blankets and HBC stripe toques to tourists or whatever in a handful of cities, you would think it would still exist in one form or another?!

HBC has announced that it would close its downtown Toronto location.

I personally think HBC has lost much of its unique differentiating factor at this point. In some cases, one can just buy online at a low price without having to pay for transportation to a department store.

It’s also not upscale enough for people to think that physically shopping in HBC is an truly amazing experience. In terms of its heritage and brand image...it’s though being mainly a department store even though it has its own brands.

Maybe one day some effort will revitalize the Hudson’s Bay brand name to do something big, hopefully as big as the fact that it was the English-speaking world’s first incorporated company.

[DavefromSt.Vital]

Originally Posted by EspionNoir

HBC has announced that it would close its downtown Toronto location.

Unless I have missed something, this is not correct.

The City of Toronto is in lockdown and retailers should be closed unless they sell essential goods. Unlike Manitoba, in Ontario if you sell any essential items you are allowed to be open and sell essential and non-essential items.

The Bay on Queen stayed open on the first day of the lockdown on the premise that it has a grocery section run by Pusateri's in the basement. Other retailers complained as that Pusateri's location has been closed since March. The Bay then announced that they would close for the lockdown on the second day. It is not a permanent closure.

I find much depends on the particular location and how much has been spent on renos. The Bay on Queen is a pleaasure to shop in. I was recently at the one at Hillcrest Mall in Richmond Hill and it was nice too. The Bay downtown Winnipeg had ceased to be nice long ago.

[bomberjet]

See that's where I agree with the restrictions. If mom and pop have to close because they're non essential. 100% Walmart should not be selling those items. If anything it should be the opposite. Let mom and pop be open. Close the mega corporations.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

See that's where I agree with the restrictions. If mom and pop have to close because they're non essential. 100% Walmart should not be selling those items. If anything it should be the opposite. Let mom and pop be open. Close the mega corporations.

It's weird to see how that is playing out in big box stores... I went to Costco last night and you'd see random items covered in plastic. Socks and gitch? OK. Jeans? No. Christmas gift baskets? OK. It's a little random.

[bomberjet]

Costco McGillivray I think was fined for selling non-essentials.

I've been to Superstore for some baby stuff and it was rather organized. Had winter gear out, everything else was blocked off.

[EspionNoir]

Originally Posted by DavefromSt.Vital

Unless I have missed something, this is not correct.

The City of Toronto is in lockdown and retailers should be closed unless they sell essential goods. Unlike Manitoba, in Ontario if you sell any essential items you are allowed to be open and sell essential and non-essential items.

The Bay on Queen stayed open on the first day of the lockdown on the premise that it has a grocery section run by Pusateri's in the basement. Other retailers complained as that Pusateri's location has been closed since March. The Bay then announced that they would close for the lockdown on the second day. It is not a permanent closure.

I find much depends on the particular location and how much has been spent on renos. The Bay on Queen is a pleaasure to shop in. I was recently at the one at Hillcrest Mall in Richmond Hill and it was nice too. The Bay downtown Winnipeg had ceased to be nice long ago.

Oops you’re right, I made a mistake. Sorry for that one.

[Curmudgeon]

Oh geez, very disappointed that I didn't get a chance to pay one last visit to the downtown Bay before it closed. Was there a few times in the last year and each time I do believe there was more staff than customers, even though there wasn't many staff either. The store had been dying a slow death since at least the 80s but what really seemed to kill it in my view is when they stopped giving out parking tokens for the parkade if you made a purchase. After all, Polo Park is just a couple miles down the road.

The Bay does well catering to middle class customers with more high end product but still needs to be more price competitive if it is to survive. If you aren't getting at least 40% off their prices are just too high. Even people with disposable income don't like to overpay, esp. when pricing can be so easily compared online.

[esquire]

My last visit to The Bay was in October and even by then it felt like it was half-closed already with much of the store hollowed out.

There was a feeling in the mid 00s that there would be a retail rebound downtown as there had just been some store openings and MTS Centre was going to lead a retail renaissance. But here we are 15 years later with downtown retail now effectively dead.

[blueandgoldguy]

It will be a bummer if the Bay declares bankruptcy and all the stores eventually close. The Bay at Polo Park is one of my go-to locations for clothes shopping. It has been for as long as it has been open. Reasonable selection and quality at mid-level prices.

[esquire]

Now that The Bay is gone, there is a fairly large population of downtown residents and workers who are now left with almost no options for many Bay staples like menswear, children's wear, housewares, towels and bedding, furniture and appliances, jewelry, watches and cosmetics, and only minimal options for women's wear and shoes. There are people who buy this stuff... maybe not in the volumes needed to sustain a seven level mammoth department store, but at least a few shops. I wonder if we might see a few new shops around downtown offering the type of merchandise that people relied on The Bay for?

[drew]

^ There may be a few smaller shops that open to fill a void, but IMO online shopping will be doing most of the heavy lifting for downtown residents. Especially those without personal vehicles.