Winnipeg Construction X - Page 370

Highwayman · #**7381** Posted **Jun 15, 2022, 1:23 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff

I often wonder how well a mall like St. Vital Centre would have done if it were placed instead at Plaza and Pembina other than where it is. Probably would be doing a lot better being able to profit more directly off the U of M, etc.

St vital centre is in the best place possible. It has zero places to compete with. It's surrounded by a very well to do middle and upper class neighborhoods.

One only needs to see how Fort Richmond mall survived. It didn't.
Or the mall at Pembina and Bishop. Now it's just big box stores.

The U of M isn't exactly where a mall makes its money. If that were the case Portage Place would have been a huge success since it's right beside UofW.

(sub)urban · #**7382** Posted **Jun 15, 2022, 2:49 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Highwayman

St vital centre is in the best place possible. It has zero places to compete with. It's surrounded by a very well to do middle and upper class neighborhoods.

One only needs to see how Fort Richmond mall survived. It didn't.
Or the mall at Pembina and Bishop. Now it's just big box stores.

The U of M isn't exactly where a mall makes its money. If that were the case Portage Place would have been a huge success since it's right beside UofW.

I agree with your point but to be fair the U of M has 20,000 more students than the U of W. And the area surrounding the U of M is actually safe.

And isn't St. Vital Mall struggling at the moment? Last time I went I remember it feeling a lot more like Grant Park mall than Polo Park. Lots of vacancies and lower-end / local stores. As far as malls go in the city the Outlet Mall and Polo really stand alone IMO.

esquire · #**7383** Posted **Jun 15, 2022, 4:11 AM**

St. Vital has been absolutely clobbered the last five years. The combination of covid and the outlet mall opening have done a number on the place. Comparing it to Grant Park is dead on. Its days as a destination retailer are arguably over... I'm sure it will continue to fill with more "neighbourhood services" like the Fit4Less, Dynacare, etc.

Probably rough times for the mall business in general, I'd say. Even Polo Park doesn't seem to be thriving. I went there for the first time in a long time a couple of weeks ago and the place feels much "harder", more Portage Place like. So much stuff under lock and key, way more security keeping a close watch on people. I didn't see anything bad happen but the vibe was such that it felt like chaos could break out at any moment. It's a far cry from the sanitized experience that going to the mall used to be.

Only The Lonely.. · #**7384** Posted **Jun 15, 2022, 1:14 PM**

Just yesterday, I was inside Polo Park for the first time in at least two or three years. I was surprised at how many closed storefronts there are in there.

Also amazed at how many cellphone kiosks there are within 100 feet of each other who are all essentially selling the same thing and competing for the same consumer. How do they all survive?

wags_in_the_peg · #**7385** Posted **Jun 15, 2022, 1:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Only The Lonely..

Just yesterday, I was inside Polo Park for the first time in at least two or three years. I was surprised at how many closed storefronts there are in there.

Also amazed at how many cellphone kiosks there are within 100 feet of each other who are all essentially selling the same thing and competing for the same consumer. How do they all survive?

i was in West Acres mall in Fargo, ND this past weekend and similar experience. it's not a "Winnipeg thing"

Biff · #**7386** Posted **Jun 15, 2022, 2:23 PM**

Polo Park is doing a fair bit of reorganizing stores right now. Apparently some new stores coming. They will be fine.

esquire · #**7387** Posted **Jun 15, 2022, 2:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biff

Polo Park is doing a fair bit of reorganizing stores right now. Apparently some new stores coming. They will be fine.

I guess if any local mall will weather the storm and come out on the other end, it's them. Every other one is kind of questionable at this point.

drew · #**7388** Posted **Jun 15, 2022, 2:53 PM**

Not sure if it has been mentioned here, but I have heard from a reliable source that Banana Republic at PP is closing at the end of June.

esquire · #**7389** Posted **Jun 15, 2022, 2:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by drew

Not sure if it has been mentioned here, but I have heard from a reliable source that Banana Republic at PP is closing at the end of June.

So all that will be left is the outlet mall store?

Kind of sad. I like BR stuff and buy a fair bit of it. But I guess I didn't help the situation any as it's been years since I've set foot in the Polo Park BR store...

Wpg_Guy · #**7390** Posted **Jun 15, 2022, 3:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by drew

Not sure if it has been mentioned here, but I have heard from a reliable source that Banana Republic at PP is closing at the end of June.

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bu...576593022.html

Biff · #**7391** Posted **Jun 15, 2022, 3:06 PM**

It's not Winnipeg related. They are closing almost 400 stores in North America.

"While that’s not to say the Banana Republic brand is waning — Banana Republic sales were up 24 per cent in the first three months of the year — the plan is to have about 870 Banana Republic and Gap stores in the US and Canada by the end of next year, compared to 1,216 in 2019."

drew · #**7392** Posted **Jun 15, 2022, 3:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bu...576593022.html

I promise that wasn't my source...

drew · #**7393** Posted **Jun 15, 2022, 3:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

So all that will be left is the outlet mall store?

Kind of sad. I like BR stuff and buy a fair bit of it. But I guess I didn't help the situation any as it's been years since I've set foot in the Polo Park BR store...

Ditto - I know my shirt size there, wait for sales and buy exclusively online...

Wpg_Guy · #**7394** Posted **Jun 15, 2022, 4:26 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by drew

I promise that wasn't my source...

I figured you hadn’t seen that yet haha

pspeid · #**7395** Posted **Jun 15, 2022, 6:21 PM**

Just my personal opinion: If Biff didn't consistently and thoroughly quash so much of the "doom & gloom/Winnipeg sucks" chatter you see here with accurate information and calm perspective, this forum would quickly become unreadable.

Biff · #**7396** Posted **Jun 15, 2022, 6:56 PM**

No new buildings are in the city's future, I heard there was a plan to turn large area's of the city into natural grasslands, and are looking to reduce all retail in the city to one corner type store - one storey, tons of parking.

esquire · #**7397** Posted **Jun 15, 2022, 7:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biff

and are looking to reduce all retail in the city to one corner type store - one storey, tons of parking.

...so, basically Costco

Boreal · #**7398** Posted **Jun 16, 2022, 1:23 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

...so, basically Costco

rrskylar · #**7399** Posted **Jun 16, 2022, 2:28 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wags_in_the_peg

i was in West Acres mall in Fargo, ND this past weekend and similar experience. it's not a "Winnipeg thing"

Passed through there a few weeks back, notice how everything is the same price or more than here now, in fact most groceries priced higher than here in US dollars!~

harls · #**7400** Posted **Jun 16, 2022, 2:40 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rrskylar

Passed through there a few weeks back, notice how everything is the same price or more than here now, in fact most groceries priced higher than here in US dollars!~

Were you just buying bulk bags of Jack Links and bathrobes?