[Moncton] Retail Thread - Page 365

MonctonRad · #**7281** Posted **Mar 20, 2022, 1:09 PM**

Some interesting texting back and forth with a reliable contact this morning regarding the future of the old Kent location in Wheeler Park.

- Apparently, Irving is going to keep control of the building, and plans to renovate it into a multi-unit leasable commercial/retail plaza. Tenders have already been issued.

- According to my source, Irving will keep control of the CRU on the east end of the plaza and convert it into a Kent Design Centre, similar to the Home Hardware Design Centre in the Granite Centre, but intended for contractors only, therefore it will have a different focus, probably to improve contractor customer service for project planning. The other CRUs closer to Superstore will be leased out.

I have no information as to whether or not there are any prospective tenants, but Irving undoubtedly has been beating the bushes for the last few years, so you never know, there might be something lined up.

Given the depth of this building, these leasable units will have to be large (big box), which will give you some idea of the type of business that might be interested in locating there. There has been a persistent rumour for some time that Decathlon might be interested in opening a Moncton store. They already have a location at MicMac Mall in Dartmouth, and, given that this sports megastore is from France and a majority of their Canadian units are located in Quebec, a Moncton location would make ethnocultural sense. I have no inside knowledge however, and this is all pure speculation, but we will have to keep an eye on this.

MonctonRad · #**7282** Posted **Mar 20, 2022, 1:28 PM**

As for the old Costco next door, things have been deadly quiet since the news last month that the building had been provisionally sold, perhaps to U-Haul.

The sales agent at the time said that he hoped to be able to name the buyer within 4-6 weeks after all due diligence had been completed and the sale had been finalized.

This has not happened. Does this mean that the sale has fallen through, or does this mean the new owner wants to remain anonymous for now?

Does anyone know anything?

MonctonRad · #**7283** Posted **Mar 21, 2022, 3:57 PM**

It appears that work has begun on Mezza's second location in the Plaza Boulevard Centre.

MonctonRad · #**7284** Posted **Mar 24, 2022, 3:48 AM**

Interesting Retail Insider interview with the new CEO of Simons.

https://retail-insider.com/retail-in...onic-retailer/

This little tidbit stood out:

Quote:

“Clearly, a lot of work still needs to be done on those investments that we have made in the markets throughout Canada. We have nothing yet in the Atlantic so that’s on our radar screen. We’ll see if there’s something that might come to light there in the next little while and big cities like Toronto, like Vancouver. If you think we have three stores in Quebec City, five in Montreal, clearly there’s space in both Toronto and Vancouver.

So, Simons is considering expansion to Atlantic Canada.

Simons is of course a high end fashion department store, and all of their current 15 stores across the country are in major markets. It would seem obvious that if they are heading east, it will likely be to Halifax, and in particular to the HSC, where the large space formerly occupied by Eatons (and then subsequently Sears) lies dormant and is begging for redevelopment.

Simons is of course a Quebec based company, and about 2/3rds of their stores are in metro Montreal, QC and Ottawa. Moncton therefore could potentially be on their radar as well, but I consider this far less likely than a store at the Halifax Shopping Centre. In particular, the former Sears space in HSC is vacant and ready for redevelopment. There is no such similar space at CF Champlain, and a major retailer (like Sobeys) would have to be persuaded to leave the mall to make space. Overall, it would just be simpler (and probably more appropriate) to consider a Halifax store, at least at first.

MonctonRad · #**7285** Posted **Mar 25, 2022, 3:24 PM**

Take It Outside is now apparently open in the Granite Centre. I read this online. I don't know if this also includes the Trail Shop or not.

DyAm00394 · #**7286** Posted **Mar 25, 2022, 3:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Take It Outside is now apparently open in the Granite Centre. I read this online. I don't know if this also includes the Trail Shop or not.

It’s both. They posted a video and showed inside. Trail Shop is on the left and Take It Outside is on the right. It’s combined inside one big space.

Source: https://facebook.com/story.php?story...m_source=group

MonctonRad · #**7287** Posted **Mar 28, 2022, 3:27 PM**

There's a rumour out there that the former Jump+ location at CF Champlain has been leased. At present, the new tenant is unknown.

MonctonRad · #**7288** Posted **Mar 28, 2022, 8:08 PM**

It's interesting to note that in the before times (pre pandemic), that Lush had been scoping out this particular unit, and probably would have moved in there once Jump+ moved to their new mall location.

Hmmmmmm..............

MonctonRad · #**7289** Posted **Mar 31, 2022, 11:46 PM**

According to Retail Insider, Indigo has partnered with Good Earth Coffee House to fill some of the vacant cafe spaces in their stores.

https://retail-insider.com/retail-in...ns-interviews/

Apparently 40 Indigo (Chapters) stores in the country are currently operating without a cafe. According to the article, roughly half of those will see Good Earth as a replacement for the former Starbucks locations.

Now, this doesn't necessarily mean that the local Chapters here in Moncton will definitely see a Good Earth outlet, but the chances may be 50/50. The article goes on to state that Indigo plans on evaluating each location independently, and will come up with a solution individually tailored to allow for each store to have a coffee shop of some form.

It will be interesting to see what solution they choose for Moncton.

MonctonRad · #**7290** Posted **Apr 2, 2022, 3:48 PM**

Wing'n It signage is now up at unit 8, plaza 5 of the Granite Centre.

This seems precocious as there is no evidence of any construction activity within the unit itself yet.

Meanwhile signage for The Trail Shop still hasn't been installed, despite the fact that the actual store itself is open. Signage for it's co-tenant (Take It Outside) is up. As this is a combo store, does this mean that both stores will be operating under a single banner, or is the signage just delayed.........

David_99 · #**7291** Posted **Apr 2, 2022, 5:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Meanwhile signage for The Trail Shop still hasn't been installed, despite the fact that the actual store itself is open. Signage for it's co-tenant (Take It Outside) is up. As this is a combo store, does this mean that both stores will be operating under a single banner, or is the signage just delayed.........

It may just be a delay as even the “Take it” part of the sign wasn’t added to the “Outside” for a week.

MonctonRad · #**7292** Posted **Apr 2, 2022, 7:45 PM**

The Devil's Halo Cheesecake and Milkshakes

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

While the proprietors wouldn't reveal the actual street address (yet), they did admit it would be somewhere in the general vicinity of the north end. They hope for an opening near the easter long weekend.

Well, we now know where The Devil's Halo Cheesecake and Milkshakes is going:

There is a building permit in the window of one of the units in the Apple Self Storage Plaza on Mountain Road, by Wheeler Blvd, where St. Louis Ribs and Freddy's Pizza is located.

Access to this plaza is a little challenging because of the heavy traffic on Mountain Road next to Wheeler, but there is good visibility, and colocating with St. Louis and Freddy's may be a plus.

I wish them well.

MonctonRad · #**7293** Posted **Apr 3, 2022, 3:08 PM**

Collier's International is pre-leasing for Plaza Six at the Granite Centre, yet another indication that construction is getting close. I would not be surprised to see ground being broken this summer, especially now that Plaza Five is leasing rapidly.

In particular, I think Unit One in Plaza Six is begging for another restaurant like BarBurrito, because it would share a small outdoor plaza between the two buildings that could be used by both it and Wing'n It as a shared outdoor eating area.

Barburrito has already confirmed interest in establishing one (and probably two) locations in the greater Moncton area.

MonctonRad · #**7294** Posted **Apr 4, 2022, 12:55 PM**

According to Huddle, Mezza Lebanese Kitchen has confirmed it will open it's second Moncton restaurant in the Plaza Boulevard Centre by June 2022. Interior fit up is currently underway.

https://huddle.today/2022/04/04/mezz...on-restaurant/

Mezza says that their first location in McLaughin Place is performing to expectation, and that they still plan on opening a third location somewhere in Dieppe by the end of 2022. Final negotiations on a lease for the Dieppe location are underway, but the franchisor refused to indicate where in the city of Dieppe he plans on setting up shop.

josh_cat_eyes · #**7295** Posted **Apr 4, 2022, 7:32 PM**

The leasing map for CF Champlain now lists the former Jump+ unit as leased. No tenant is listed, but I wonder if there could be so truth to the rumour about Lush being interested in that unit.

MonctonRad · #**7296** Posted **Apr 5, 2022, 12:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

According to Retail Insider, Indigo has partnered with Good Earth Coffee House to fill some of the vacant cafe spaces in their stores.

https://retail-insider.com/retail-in...ns-interviews/

Apparently 40 Indigo (Chapters) stores in the country are currently operating without a cafe. According to the article, roughly half of those will see Good Earth as a replacement for the former Starbucks locations.

Now, this doesn't necessarily mean that the local Chapters here in Moncton will definitely see a Good Earth outlet, but the chances may be 50/50. The article goes on to state that Indigo plans on evaluating each location independently, and will come up with a solution individually tailored to allow for each store to have a coffee shop of some form.

It will be interesting to see what solution they choose for Moncton.

There's an article about this in the T&T today.

Apparently the roll out of Good Earth Coffee House is happening in western Canada. The chain is based in Calgary.

Indigo is still looking for a "local partner" to fill the former Starbucks space at the Chapters here in Moncton. The obvious choice would be Down East Coffee Roasters. Their cafe on St. George Blvd is very popular, and the product is local (Notre Dame), but are they interested?

Another possibility could be Second Cup. They currently have two locations in Moncton, both of which do well. This could also serve as a sort of replacement for their former location at CF Champlain too.

But, of course, this is Moncton, and we are after all the Tim Hortons capital of Canada. Could we see a Timmies at Chapters????

DyAm00394 · #**7297** Posted **Apr 5, 2022, 1:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

There's an article about this in the T&T today.

Apparently the roll out of Good Earth Coffee House is happening in western Canada. The chain is based in Calgary.

Indigo is still looking for a "local partner" to fill the former Starbucks space at the Chapters here in Moncton. The obvious choice would be Down East Coffee Roasters. Their cafe on St. George Blvd is very popular, and the product is local (Notre Dame), but are they interested?

Another possibility could be Second Cup. They currently have two locations in Moncton, both of which do well. This could also serve as a sort of replacement for their former location at CF Champlain too.

But, of course, this is Moncton, and we are after all the Tim Hortons capital of Canada. Could we see a Timmies at Chapters????

I could see Second Cup at the CF Champlain one, since the Indigo in Saint John has a Second Cup.

MonctonRad · #**7298** Posted **Apr 5, 2022, 1:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Collier's International is pre-leasing for Plaza Six at the Granite Centre, yet another indication that construction is getting close. I would not be surprised to see ground being broken this summer, especially now that Plaza Five is leasing rapidly.

The admin at Retail Talk & Share read my post about the preleasing of Plaza 6 and mentioned it on their Facebook page. A Collier's agent replied to the post over there, noting the new plaza will have 15,555 sq ft of leasable space, and that there would be "more announcements coming down the turnpike soon!"

Does this mean they have additional tenants ready to sign on the dotted line? Tenants like BarBurrito, Wayback Burgers, Pizza Salvatore, Cobb Bread, or Five Guys???

We should know soon.........

bridgeoftea · #**7299** Posted **Apr 5, 2022, 2:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

The admin at Retail Talk & Share read my post about the preleasing of Plaza 6 and mentioned it on their Facebook page. A Collier's agent replied to the post over there, noting the new plaza will have 15,555 sq ft of leasable space, and that there would be "more announcements coming down the turnpike soon!"

Does this mean they have additional tenants ready to sign on the dotted line? Tenants like BarBurrito, Wayback Burgers, Pizza Salvatore, Cobb Bread, or Five Guys???

We should know soon.........

Cobbs, Five Guys and BarBurrito would be fantastic!

MonctonRad · #**7300** Posted **Apr 7, 2022, 2:03 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

As for the old Costco next door, things have been deadly quiet since the news last month that the building had been provisionally sold, perhaps to U-Haul.

The sales agent at the time said that he hoped to be able to name the buyer within 4-6 weeks after all due diligence had been completed and the sale had been finalized.

This has not happened. Does this mean that the sale has fallen through, or does this mean the new owner wants to remain anonymous for now?

Does anyone know anything?

There's a (paywalled} article in the T&T online. Apparently the sale of the former Costco building remains a "work in progress", and the sales agent involved doesn't think any papers will be signed for at least another 60 days. I guess the potential buyer is being extremely cautious, which is understandable, it's a major investment.

The agent again refused to say who the potential buyer is..........