[Moncton] Retail Thread

[jonny golden]

Waddaya think Westcliffe????

I know that the Sobey's at Champlain Place is a separate property from the mall. I'm not sure if Westcliffe owns it or not, but technically it isn't a part of the mall. I recall it being talked about on the forums before when we were discussing why this Sobey's hasn't been renovated in a long long time. I really like the idea of an IKEA here.

A major renovation replacing the dated grocery store with a fresh new IKEA store would be a major shot in the arm for Champlain place. I'm not sure if the separate property issue would hinder or help this situation, but a new IKEA located here would definitely bolster this long time "dead" area of the mall.

It'd be great to see it happen some day.

[josh_cat_eyes]

Crombie owns the property and sub leases it to Sobeys. Westcliffe owns the land and leases it to Crombie at a very low rate for 99 years or something. As a part of the lease agreement, in order to get out of the lease, you have to back pay all the years of the lease at a much higher rate.

Possibilities for this site are right now very limited. They include:
1. The status quo Keeping Sobeys’s as the tenant with or without a major renovation.
2. Rebrand. Perhaps with FreshCo opening stores in Halifax, we could see this store rebranded as FreshCo and given a renovation at the same time. This would increase the marketability of this location and differentiate itself from the other Sobeys locations.
3. Downsize & sublet. You could downside the Sobeys store and sublet the remaining space. Perhaps as a Lawtons.
4. Sublet the whole space. Since it is Crombie who I believe the problematic lease is with (and not the Sobeys lease with Crombie) I can assume that if Sobeys did decide to pull the plug on the store, that Crombie could then sublet the whole space to another tenant.
5. Sell the lease I wonder if this is even an option, but similarly to how Sears & Zellers were selling their leases back in the day, I wonder if this could be an option for Crombie. I don’t know if Westcliff would be open to this or not, but I’m sure they’d be willing to have a conversation about it.

One caveat to several of these options is apparently in order to make ANY changes to the building, they have to run it though the property owner first (this would now be Westcliff)
This means that if they wanted to do a full renovation, change the brand, or sublet the building, it would need approval from Westcliff.

Ultimately I think that a rebrand, renovation or downsizing are the most realistic options.

[new kid in town]

I think I mentioned it somewhere else in the thread (or in another) but I would love for a potential IKEA to be somewhere near Magnetic hill, and for some other exclusive outlets to be in the area. It could mean exposure to other attractions in the area (casino, Magnetic Hill zoo, winery) since a lot of people elsewhere in NB would be driving to it. It would be sort of like a destination/tourist commercial node, while also avoiding further congestion downtown or in areas like Costco.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by josh_cat_eyes

Crombie owns the property and sub leases it to Sobeys. Westcliffe owns the land and leases it to Crombie at a very low rate for 99 years or something. As a part of the lease agreement, in order to get out of the lease, you have to back pay all the years of the lease at a much higher rate.

Possibilities for this site are right now very limited. They include:
1. The status quo Keeping Sobeys’s as the tenant with or without a major renovation.
2. Rebrand. Perhaps with FreshCo opening stores in Halifax, we could see this store rebranded as FreshCo and given a renovation at the same time. This would increase the marketability of this location and differentiate itself from the other Sobeys locations.
3. Downsize & sublet. You could downside the Sobeys store and sublet the remaining space. Perhaps as a Lawtons.
4. Sublet the whole space. Since it is Crombie who I believe the problematic lease is with (and not the Sobeys lease with Crombie) I can assume that if Sobeys did decide to pull the plug on the store, that Crombie could then sublet the whole space to another tenant.
5. Sell the lease I wonder if this is even an option, but similarly to how Sears & Zellers were selling their leases back in the day, I wonder if this could be an option for Crombie. I don’t know if Westcliff would be open to this or not, but I’m sure they’d be willing to have a conversation about it.

One caveat to several of these options is apparently in order to make ANY changes to the building, they have to run it though the property owner first (this would now be Westcliff)
This means that if they wanted to do a full renovation, change the brand, or sublet the building, it would need approval from Westcliff.

Ultimately I think that a rebrand, renovation or downsizing are the most realistic options.

Thanks for the refresher.

Only a cabal of corporate lawyers could come up with a leasing structure so labyrinthine!

Regardless, the prime decision maker here is Westcliff (and Crombie). Westcliff knows which side of it's bread is buttered. If a prospective tenant were to present itself (IKEA, Simon's) that would really alter the quality of the entire mall, and if Crombie/Sobeys really wanted to move the store out of the mall, then some form of accommodation regarding the leasing agreement could be reached. It would just have to be worth the while of both these parties.

If IKEA (or Simon's) really wanted this spot, I'm sure something could be done.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by new kid in town

I think I mentioned it somewhere else in the thread (or in another) but I would love for a potential IKEA to be somewhere near Magnetic hill, and for some other exclusive outlets to be in the area. It could mean exposure to other attractions in the area (casino, Magnetic Hill zoo, winery) since a lot of people elsewhere in NB would be driving to it. It would be sort of like a destination/tourist commercial node, while also avoiding further congestion downtown or in areas like Costco.

It would have to be more than IKEA. I firmly believe that IKEA plans for these compact stores to be part of a larger shopping complex. You would have to pair the IKEA with something else, like a factory outlet centre.

The north segment of the Vision Lands (facing the TCH) is planned to be a retail district. An IKEA store here would have tremendous visibility. If it could be part of a small high quality factory outlet centre, this could really kickstart the development of the Vision Lands.

[stephan.richard]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

It would have to be more than IKEA. I firmly believe that IKEA plans for these compact stores to be part of a larger shopping complex. You would have to pair the IKEA with something else, like a factory outlet centre.

The north segment of the Vision Lands (facing the TCH) is planned to be a retail district. An IKEA store here would have tremendous visibility. If it could be part of a small high quality factory outlet centre, this could really kickstart the development of the Vision Lands.

Would the old space that was held by Ashley furniture be big enough to accommodate and IKEA express and hope they can repurpose that space. As soon as possible.

But for the mall I hope that can have a tennNt lined up for the old shoppers. I can see JD sports is using that space as a staging ground for their merchandise to bring into the new store. They will be. Great addition to the Moncton market. But I can’t wait for them to do work in the abyss that I call the Sobeys end. Then i
Can’t wait to see what they will do with the old Eddy Bauer.

Does anyone have any update on Five Guys opening or is that on the shelf.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by stephan.richard

Would the old space that was held by Ashley furniture be big enough to accommodate and IKEA express and hope they can repurpose that space. As soon as possible.

But for the mall I hope that can have a tennNt lined up for the old shoppers. I can see JD sports is using that space as a staging ground for their merchandise to bring into the new store. They will be. Great addition to the Moncton market. But I can’t wait for them to do work in the abyss that I call the Sobeys end. Then i
Can’t wait to see what they will do with the old Eddy Bauer.

Does anyone have any update on Five Guys opening or is that on the shelf.

The former Ashley store would be too small for a compact IKEA. You are still looking for a space that is department store sized. The former Sears would have been ideal, but, that ship has sailed.

The Shoppers space in Champlain Place is apparently under contract. A lessee has been secured, but who it is has not been revealed.

You are quite right that JD Sports is currently using the space to store their inventory before opening. I believe JD Sports may open next weekend.

Ardene is apparently trying to secure the former Eddie Bauer space at Champlain Place

This will only compound the problem however for the dead space in front of the Sobeys store, but, Jeff Boucher over at Retail Talk & Share seems to think that Miniso may be interested in coming to the mall. This could solve that problem.......

[jonny golden]

When Starbucks moved from their kiosk, going to this area would have driven a lot of foot traffic to the "dead" end of the mall. But it was not to be.

[MonctonRad]

Laura Secord is apparently closing at the Regent Mall in Fredericton.

Should we be concerned about the store at Champlain Place?

It is one of the oldest existing stores at the mall. I can't remember it ever not being there.......

[BlackYear]

Wasn't there talk a couple years ago about an IKEA drop off location somewhere on Mapleton? You order your product, it's shipped from Halifax, you go pick it up at this location.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by BlackYear

Wasn't there talk a couple years ago about an IKEA drop off location somewhere on Mapleton? You order your product, it's shipped from Halifax, you go pick it up at this location.

It's still here. It's at Day & Ross. This compact IKEA store they are trialling in London ON is a whole lot different (general merchandise, commonly purchased item, display rooms, Swedish food items, an order point and a pick up point).

[MonctonRad]

Very sad news - Scholar's Choice at the Lounsbury Centre is closing.

The nationwide chain nearly slipped into bankruptcy during the pandemic, with only four stores surviving, including the one in Moncton. These were strategically located in all four principle regions of the country and served partially as local fulfilment centres for online sales (and as bricks and mortar resource centres for teachers).

That was six years ago. I thought the Moncton location was safe.

It was not only a sales and resource centre for teachers, it also had a broad selection of high quality educational toys. It had unique offerings. I was in there before Christmas looking for gifts for my granddaughter.

With the demise of TRU last year, the only choices for bricks and mortar toy purchases in the city now are Walmart and Mastermind Toys (and to some degree Indigo Kids at Chapters, and Clement). This is a tremendous change from when my own kids were small and there were over a half dozen good places to buy toys around the city, including some independents.

[MonctonRad]

JD Sports has been unsheathed at Champlain Place:



Adjacent Roots store added for context.

Official opening is this Saturday.

EDIT - Apparently the soft opening is today.

[OUIR@random]

JD is a new brand at Champlain and in the Moncton market; good for that, but they are selling the same stuff and brands as like 10 other stores in the mall right; SportChek, Foot Locker, Globo, Boathouse and so on!? So just more of the same. I don't see what it brings to the table or to the market.

[MonctonRad]

A rumour has arisen that Ardene has been asked by Westcliff to move from their current location to make way for a new retailer interested in their space. Ardene in turn is interested in relocating the the former Eddie Bauer space. Will this now happen? Since Westcliff apparently has a replacement ready to go, I would say yes..........

So, who is interested in the Ardene space? Will they take the whole block (including the three small vacant CRUs facing Sobeys)?

I think we may be looking at a new signature retailer, and the whole block will be consolidated. There have been recent rumours that Miniso may be interested in a Champlain Place store.

Hmmmmm...........

[stephan.richard]

Originally Posted by OUIR@random

JD is a new brand at Champlain and in the Moncton market; good for that, but they are selling the same stuff and brands as like 10 other stores in the mall right; SportChek, Foot Locker, Globo, Boathouse and so on!? So just more of the same. I don't see what it brings to the table or to the market.

For me JD Sports fills a gap left by Foot Locker in the mall that closed when they had to make room for LL Bean. They are a specialized store and they have plenty of exclusive stuff that other shoe stores at the mall. I agree the mall needs to attract more quality retailers.

[MonctonRad]

Another Quebec based fast food chain is planning expansion into New Brunswick.

Valentine operates both standalone and mall based units and is seeking local franchisees. As they are a Quebec based enterprise, I would imagine Moncton would be way up there in terms of a potential franchise location.

Valentine specializes in hot dogs, poutines, smoked meat and hamburgers.

https://valentine.ca/en/

[Ire Narissis]

A Quebec-based chain that sells poutine and smoked meat sandwiches? That sounds promising.

[MonctonRad]

a $9.5-million interior and exterior renovation project for Walmart Canada at 25 Plaza Boulevard,

This little snippet from a City of Moncton press release hints at the extent of the upcoming renovations to the Plaza Blvd Walmart, which will be as extensive as the recently completed renovations to the Champlain Place Walmart.

[MaritimerJAB]

Mr Pretzels is being installed today at Champlain Mall. Facing roots