Canadian Retail Thread

[thewave46]

Not sure if Tim's density per capita discussion is depressing or amusing. Let's split the difference: Depressingly amusing, I suppose.

Also, what side of that measure to be on? Do I join the anti-Tim's low density crowd as the marker of 'my society is better'? Or just accept that my culture is just pro-Tim's and embrace it whilst idling in the drive-thru.

Decisions, decisions.

[DirectionNorth]

Originally Posted by casper

I lived in Deep River ON in the 1990s when it’s first and only Tims opened. First day they ran out of supplies. Parking lot was packed. Not certain if the entire town of 5000 came out but it felt like it.

Does that include highway traffic? In 2018, I passed through the Deep River and Wawa Tim's, and both were packed with huge wait times. I doubt it's locals driving those locations.

Anecdotally, I haven't seen much decline in fast food locations, but there have been a couple of spots with a revolving door of local restaurants. I don't really eat out though, so I haven't looked to closely.

[casper]

Originally Posted by DirectionNorth

Does that include highway traffic? In 2018, I passed through the Deep River and Wawa Tim's, and both were packed with huge wait times. I doubt it's locals driving those locations.

Anecdotally, I haven't seen much decline in fast food locations, but there have been a couple of spots with a revolving door of local restaurants. I don't really eat out though, so I haven't looked to closely.

It is on the Highway so some traffic would be those passing through.

I don't know if it was caused by Tim's but the one place that use to be there when I lived in Deep River and has disappeared was the Dairy.

It was actually a dairy, they processed milk and made ice cream in the back. In the front it was a very good cafe with an emphasis on well drinks and deserts made from dairy products. It is no more. You use to be able to get a good quality milk shake, now you have to be satisfied with whatever cold counterpart Tims sells.

[casper]

Originally Posted by whatnext

It’s just like living in Russia!

We are talking about Deep River. It is a weird town. It was built at the peek of the second world war to house British and Canadian nuclear scientists. Not listed on any maps and complete with gatehouse. The people who administered the town ensured it had a Bay Department store and marina.

All that disappeared in the 1960s, but still a weird place.

When I lived there it was a bed room community for Chalk River Nuclear Labs. Today there are also a lot of military families from Petawawa living there as well.

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Gee, sounds like the Popeyes that opened the other month in Halifax.

Our Popeyes opens in a few months time. I'm bracing for massive traffic jams on Mountain Road for at least a month.

Yes, it was weird. However back then Tim's actually had crusty bread and decent donuts. Today not so much.

[MonctonRad]

Construction hoarding has been removed from the front of the new LL Bean store at CF Champlain in Dieppe (Moncton) NB. LL Bean plans about 20 stores nationwide. This store in Moncton is #9 in the rollout.





The store looks very nice, dare I say even nicer than the existing Dartmouth Crossing location in Halifax.................

[q12]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

dare I say even nicer than the existing Dartmouth Crossing location in Halifax.................

Based on the those pictures I would say probably not any nicer, but neither are really that remarkable.

Monctonians don't always have to compare everything to Halifax. They are two different cities in many ways.

Dartmouth Crossing:

[Djeffery]

The Dartmouth store looks way nicer on the outside, mainly because it's not in a mall and is able to be made to look nicer.

[Denscity]

Has anyone mentioned Zellers coming back yet?
Inside existing Hudson's Bays?

[casper]

Originally Posted by Denscity

Has anyone mentioned Zellers coming back yet?
Inside existing Hudson's Bays?

Zellers never went away. They kept one or two Zellers store that they used as clearance centers for stock that did not sell in the Bay stores.

In a recent interview the former CEO of Sears Canada, suggested it was an attempt to do something with some of the underperforming properties that the Bay has.
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/zellers-...back-1.1807022

I don't know. They may try turning it into an online focused operation with a brand that has some consumer recognition and being a separate brand it lets them sell at a price point that is competitive with Walmart and Amazon without impacting the pricing at the Bay stores.

On social media lots of people look to have a strong attachment to the Zellers restaurant. I don't know. I don't remember anything compelling about Zellers restraints. However the Bay cafeteria were fantastic, especially the hot turkey dinner and apple pie.

[J.OT13]

Don't remember anything about HBC cafeterias. But I do have found memories of the Zellers restaurant, not necessarily the food (I'm sure by my standards as an adult, the food would likely be sub-standard for me today), but getting a bite to eat after shopping with my mom as a kid.

Seems to me that Zellers may bring back customers for the nostalgia for a few months, but the novelty will die off.

[toaster]

Originally Posted by casper

Zellers never went away. They kept one or two Zellers store that they used as clearance centers for stock that did not sell in the Bay stores.

Lol. Yes Zellers went away, closed, most leases were sold to Target. The Zellers department stores as they were run all closed. HBC kept two of those old locations as outlet/clearance centres, but EVEN THOSE CLOSED a few years ago. Stop this contrarian nonsense, yes Zellers went away.

[casper]

Originally Posted by toaster

Lol. Yes Zellers went away, closed, most leases were sold to Target. The Zellers department stores as they were run all closed. HBC kept two of those old locations as outlet/clearance centres, but EVEN THOSE CLOSED a few years ago. Stop this contrarian nonsense, yes Zellers went away.

As I said in the earlier post, they kept 2 open out of what 300 locations that they had at their peek. Changed the format to being a clearance centers for unsold stock from the Bay stores.

Sounds like those two were shutdown in 2020 and then they opened a Zellers in the Bay store in Burlington center in 2021.

I guess those are not real stores, but ghost stores.

Either way it sounds like this new Zellers 3.0 is not planned to be a clearance center but something with its own product offering.

[WhipperSnapper]

You're repeating what he said. The two locations remained Zellers in name only (only the mess and missing prices was similar to Zellers) and they were shut down.

The restaurant had great service, good diner food at amazing prices. The restaurants I went to were always busy but, definitely wasn't a place for a 20 something to find love.

[J.OT13]

Canada's largest Canadian Tire store opens in Ottawa

Josh Pringle
CTV Ottawa, September 22, 2022

The largest Canadian Tire store in Canada is now open at Ottawa's Carlingwood Shopping Centre.

As Canadian Tire celebrates its 100th birthday this month, the company opened a 135,000 sq. ft. store in the location of the former Sears store at the mall on Carling Avenue.

Billed as a "Remarkable Retail" Canadian Tire location, the store includes a six-car Customer Pick Up canopy area for customers to Click and Collect their online purchases, a Garden Centre, and an auto service department with an auto-lounge and upscale tire wall.


"It's a wonderful morning here in Carlingwood Mall and we couldn't be prouder to open this store," Jason Kane, Canadian Tire vice-president of Store Planning and Design, told CTV Morning Live shortly after the doors opened on Thursday.

"Remarkable Retail is all about showing customers the best that we have across our brands and products, and being able to deliver an amazing customer experience throughout the store."

Kane says it was a "special moment" to open the store after years of planning and construction.

"It's a great milestone. This month is Canadian Tire's 100th birthday, so we wanted to mark it with something special and make a big investment here in Ottawa with a great retail experience."

Construction on the new store in the Carlingwood Shopping Centre began in the fall of 2019.

Canadian Tire says all customer and employee washrooms in the new store are gender neutral.

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/canada-s-l...tawa-1.6079628

• Video Link

[kwoldtimer]

I was in the other day and it certainly is ... large.

[urbandreamer]

^Just in time for a recession lol. CT has always been a bellweather signal; will they survive this downturn?

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

^Just in time for a recession lol. CT has always been a bellweather signal; will they survive this downturn?

CT is publicly traded on the TSX. They have been doing quite well.

[esquire]

I recently popped into IKEA for the first time in a while. I was surprised to see how sparse the grocery selection has become... the store in Winnipeg never had the greatest grocery area to begin with (especially compared to the US stores that I was more familiar with), but it has taken a step down since the pandemic. It's like they're down to frozen salmon filets and meatballs, lingonberry jam and chocolate bars.

Is this happening in other locales or just a Winnipeg thing? The cafeteria is the same as always, though.

[J.OT13]

Groceries at IKEA? Don't remember ever seeing that in Ottawa.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Groceries at IKEA? Don't remember ever seeing that in Ottawa.

Near the checkouts, you could miss it if you aren't looking for it