Winnipeg Retail

[Bdog]

I'm surprised nobody here has mentioned Toad Hall Toys. Or maybe I skimmed through too quickly and someone did

[South248]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Re Sobeys/Safeway - Just a guess but there was likely a concession that new hires are a different pay/benefits class but existing employees maintain the status quo. Also Sobeys was likely given permission to convert some stores to FreshCo, their low-priced banner said to be similar to No Frills but those stores would remain under union contract.

As for Safeway to Soebys conversions, if you asked me when the deal first closed I would have said absolutely. Since then, in other western markets, brand new Safeway banner stores have opened. This seems to suggest the Safeway banner has more legs under it still than people would guess.
.

It's interesting to note that these new Safeway stores are remodelled the exact same as new Sobeys locations are, save for the banner. The first picture is the recently relocated Safeway in Lawson Heights mall in Saskatoon. The second picture is from a newly opened Sobeys in south Saskatoon from two years ago.





At some point, integration will occur. Otherwise, why remodel both banners to look identical? The only thing I can suggest with any confidence, is Safeway stores remodelled like this, are probably safe from being converted into FreshCo.

[rkspec]

Originally Posted by South248

It's interesting to note that these new Safeway stores are remodelled the exact same as new Sobeys locations are, save for the banner. .

I dont really see it

well i guess they both have hanging florescent lights and a square cashier lane light

Do you mean color wise?

[buzzg]

Wow that dark ceiling is horrible.

[bomberjet]

The cashier lanes are the same. Otherwise a bit ahrd to tell what else is the same.

[South248]

Originally Posted by rkspec

I dont really see it

well i guess they both have hanging florescent lights and a square cashier lane light

Do you mean color wise?

I tried to take pics where you could discernably show one was from Safeway (the plastic bags) and the other from Sobeys (reusable bags). Guess I'll do it this way then. Look at the department signage between all these photos. Same white font, on black background.

Sobeys in Edmonton
Safeway in Vancouver.
Safeway in Langley
Sobeys in Saskatoon

[cheswick]

So it looks like new Sobeys are adapting a more safeway aesthetic rather than the other way around. Also save on foods looks almost exactly the same as well.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by cheswick

So it looks like new Sobeys are adapting a more safeway aesthetic rather than the other way around. Also save on foods looks almost exactly the same as well.

Funny you should mention that. When I went to the new Sobeys on south Pembina recently, it looked for all intents and purposes like Sobeys tried to make their store look as much like a Save On location as possible.

[CoryB]

Keep in mind, in the not too distant past, Sobeys, Save-On-Foods and eastern Canada's Metro all operated as a defacto chain. Sobeys jumped shipped ended their partnership though. It isn't surprising that Save-On-Foods which at the time operated almost exclusive where Sobeys didn't might have shared a design language.

[vjose32]

It appears the fitness place to the McPhillips Superstore has closed, not sure when.

[pegcity]

Originally Posted by vjose32

It appears the fitness place to the McPhillips Superstore has closed, not sure when.

Snap Fitness will be opening up in that location.

[cheswick]

Originally Posted by pegcity

Snap Fitness will be opening up in that location.

I assume it’s the one from north gate that’s relocating. Didn’t make much business sense being located at the same mall as fit4less which charges a fraction of what snap was charging while being 4 times bigger.

[CoryB]

The McPhillips Superstore location was one of the early Goodlife locations in Winnipeg and it was "women's only". It was effectively replaced by the Garden City mall location for Goodlife many years ago. I guess with the opening of Fit4Less (By Goodlife) it was time to let the lease expire at Superstore.

Also the Snap Fitness is in the Moore Centre on McPhillips and Fit4Less will be in Northgate. They are actually two separate properties and the new Northgate owners are really trying to emphasize that by building a row of buildings along the south end of their property, aka where Jollibee is located.

..

Separately I heard Roadsport Auto (form Sportscheck on McPhillips) has run into financial difficulties. Was by there recently and their used vehicle lot was effectively empty. Their sister company, Porky's, looked to have a fairly full compound a little further south on McPhillips.

[LilZebra]

Looks like Music Trader got bought out by Into the Music.
When did this happen?

Into the Music website notes a 2nd location, if you scroll down a bit, same address as Music Trader...

That's really sad, because, while Into the Music is "best of breed" due to not just being a place to purchase optical media (CD, DVD, BluRay), but also is a great place to purchase LPs, 45s, cassettes, videotapes, and listening supplies (sleeves, cleaner)... it would have been best to have still at least another competitor to keep ItM "on their competitve toes".

Music Trader specialized in CD, DVD, "new" vinyl.

http://intothemusic.ca/

[cheswick]

Originally Posted by CoryB

The McPhillips Superstore location was one of the early Goodlife locations in Winnipeg and it was "women's only". It was effectively replaced by the Garden City mall location for Goodlife many years ago. I guess with the opening of Fit4Less (By Goodlife) it was time to let the lease expire at Superstore.

Also the Snap Fitness is in the Moore Centre on McPhillips and Fit4Less will be in Northgate. They are actually two separate properties and the new Northgate owners are really trying to emphasize that by building a row of buildings along the south end of their property, aka where Jollibee is located.

Fit4Less at Northgate has been opened for a number of months. The Snap Fitness in Moore Centre has closed down. I didn't literally mean the same mall, but it might as well have been. It must have bled clients to Fit4Less. Fit4Less is packed all the time. I assume it's relocated to the Superstore location.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by LilZebra

Looks like Music Trader got bought out by Into the Music.
When did this happen?

Into the Music website notes a 2nd location, if you scroll down a bit, same address as Music Trader...

That's really sad, because, while Into the Music is "best of breed" due to not just being a place to purchase optical media (CD, DVD, BluRay), but also is a great place to purchase LPs, 45s, cassettes, videotapes, and listening supplies (sleeves, cleaner)... it would have been best to have still at least another competitor to keep ItM "on their competitve toes".

Music Trader specialized in CD, DVD, "new" vinyl.

http://intothemusic.ca/

This happened a few months ago. They're currently blowing out all of the Movie Village inventory and will be down to just music as of April 1st, when any remaining video inventory will be taken out of the store and sold off online.

Just a reality of the times, unfortunately. But at least Into the Music is taking it over to keep the music store open. Could easily have just shut down.

[laumag]

BuyBuy Baby is to open in Winnipeg. I wonder if it will be located by their existing parent company, Bed Bath and Beyond?

[buzzg]

“Just in case you didn’t already know that kids’ retail is all about gouging, we put it in our name!”

[CoryB]

Defurnes Furniture on Ellice has signs up that they are relocating however nothing indicating where they are moving to, perhaps the mystery tenant for the former Target on St James?

Independent Jeweler closed up their Polo Park mall location.

Suzy Shier has moved into the former BGBX space in Polo Park.

Academy Lanes announced they are moving to St Matthews and changing their name to Uptown Lanes. New location will feature more than just bowling. Sounds like it is the former MTS building/back of SIR Warehouse just east of the rail line near Polo Park.

The former Bank of Montreal building on west Portage near Westwood Dr has been sold. No indications to whom.

The tarping is off the front of the Popeye's at the Outlet mall so they must be close to lockdown point on the building.

The Qdoba on Regent looks a little further ahead of Popeye's.

--

Also noticed that Hakim Optical seems to be making a slow withdrawal from the Winnipeg market. Not sure what that is about.

[tvor202]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Defurnes Furniture on Ellice has signs up that they are relocating however nothing indicating where they are moving to, perhaps the mystery tenant for the former Target on St James?

Independent Jeweler closed up their Polo Park mall location.

Suzy Shier has moved into the former BGBX space in Polo Park.

Academy Lanes announced they are moving to St Matthews and changing their name to Uptown Lanes. New location will feature more than just bowling. Sounds like it is the former MTS building/back of SIR Warehouse just east of the rail line near Polo Park.

The former Bank of Montreal building on west Portage near Westwood Dr has been sold. No indications to whom.

The tarping is off the front of the Popeye's at the Outlet mall so they must be close to lockdown point on the building.

The Qdoba on Regent looks a little further ahead of Popeye's.

--

Also noticed that Hakim Optical seems to be making a slow withdrawal from the Winnipeg market. Not sure what that is about.

Hakim just moved to KP Mall...If you are referring to the one that closed next to Applebee's