Thom Bargen Downtown Opens

It looks like after months of renovations that Thom Bargen Downtown has opened at 250 Kennedy Street. Two years after successfully opening on Sherbrook and being part of a rejuvenated Wolsley, the popular coffee house has taken over an optical store kitty corner to Starbucks . This is not a bad thing for either quite honestly. People attract other people and this growth seems organic as a few places have opened and there appears to be a desire to connect. Perhaps in a wired world, the street has a new appeal.

Community restoration goes building by building, street by street. Sometimes there are a few stumbles but it would seem that there is some steady progress in a few key areas of the downtown that are undeniable.

Thom Bargen is likely to a very welcome addition to the downtown area.

Danier Leather Closing

People from Winnipeg of a certain age remember fur stores all over the city. A lady at the symphony would have the latest fur and at the end of the season, it would be stored often at the same story it was bought from. By the late 1970s though the innovations in type of material used in winter coats and attitudes towards furs erased a part of that Winnipeg history.

And so it seems with leather in terms of outer wear. Puffy coats like Canada Goose or of the snowmobile variety or team sport variety have crushed leather sales. Weather played a factor too. Colder winters meant the company a few years ago did not have warm enough clothing. Appeals to younger shoppers failed and alienated older shoppers. What could go wrong did go wrong.

Danier Leather went insolvent and with it go over 1000 retail jobs in Canada and 84 stores. For Winnipeg it means the loss of four stores in high traffic areas such as Polo Park and St. Vital. Deep discounts to clear the stock have already begun and will continue until they are selling shelving and fixtures.

The retail landscape is littered with companies that have faltered and not kept up with consumer demand. In this case, leather itself appears to be the problem.

The choice locations of Danier in Winnipeg will likely be picked up in short order but there are still spaces even now that landlords have not filled.

Polo Park Number 16 Mall in Canada

In 2014, Polo Park ranked at number 14 in Canada for sales in Canada. major upgrades at several malls across Canada have pushed the mall back two places for 2015.

There is little doubt that Sears is hurting Polo Park's standings although sales did increase in the year overall in the mall. If Sears does decide to quit Polo Park, it is expected sales will leap in Winnipeg's biggest shopping area.

List for 2015

1. Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Toronto, ON: $1,610

2. CF Pacific Centre, Vancouver, BC: $1599

3. Oakridge Centre, Vancouver, BC: $1,537

4. CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Toronto, ON: $1,509

5. Southgate Centre, Edmonton, AB: $1,215

6. CF Chinook Centre, Calgary, AB: $1,119

7. Royal Bank Plaza, Toronto, ON: $1,096

8. CF Rideau Centre, Ottawa, ON: $1,018

9. Metropolis at Metrotown, Burnaby, BC: $1,008

10. Square One Shopping Centre, Mississauga ON: $994

11. CF Sherway Gardens, Toronto, ON: $965

12: CF Market Mall, Calgary, AB: $961   

13: CF Richmond Centre, Richmond, BC: $928

14: CF Fairview Mall, Toronto, ON: $913

15: CF Carrefour Laval, Laval QC: $888

16: CF Polo Park, Winnipeg, MB: $886

17: CF Masonville Place, London, ON: $855

18: Holt Renfrew Centre, Toronto, ON: $828

19: Mapleview Centre, Burlington ON: $823

20: Toronto Dominion Centre, Toronto, ON: $816

21: Peter Pond Mall, Ft. McMurray, AB: $804

22: Complex Les Ailes, Montreal QC: $790

23: Scarborough Town Centre, Toronto, ON: $790

24: Conestoga Mall, Waterloo, ON: $786

25: Halifax Shopping Centre, Halifax, NS: $783

Lucky Supermarket Coming to Maples

Former IGA across from Maples Collegiate

One of the causalities of the Safeway and Sobey's merge was the IGA on Jefferson Avenue across from Maples Collegiate. It was closed in 2014 and has remained shut since then. It will be now the location of the second Lucky Supermarket, an Asian food store.

Lucky Supermarket first opened a 32,000 square foot store in Winnipeg in 2010 and has done well in the market.

The closing of several stores by the big players in mergers has left the market open to others who might have a different approach. There were some justifiable fears that some the sore closures might leave retail holes not just for years but for several years. In locations outside of Winnipeg that might very well still be the case. However, inside the city, new players like Save-On Foods and Co-Op stores have grabbed old grocery locations and are running with them.

The 26,000 square foot Jefferson location of Lucky is in the middle of a residential neighbourhood with a good portion of Asian heritage residents living nearby. A typical store sells around 40% of what you would find in any grocery store in Canada. The rest is a combination of Chinese, Philippines, Vietnamese and other fare from the Pacific.

The new store will employ around 100 people which is welcome in this rather tumultuous time in the Canadian economy.

TV Changes in Manitoba...What does "skinny" mean?

The CRTC has set a deadline of March 1st, 2016 for changes to cable.

The regulatory body for Canada has mandated a new "skinny package" of basic cable for $25. It would include the local stations, provincial education stations and national stations. In short, that is the CBC, CTV, Global. City, access TV, weather and most likely APTN, YTV, a news service and some American channels.

So far only Shaw has released their skinny package despite warnings from the the government that telecoms must promote the service.

Shaw will have a mix of 44 channels, some HD and some standard definition.

There is a catch. If you want to watch any high definition, you need to rent a box at $5 a month of $138 outright. Want to record anything, it doubles to $10 and more to buy the box outright.

Skinny includes NO sports channels.

Their packages start at $6 a month. If you select two of them, it is already at the price of Shaw's Personal TV package which offers a greater selection at pretty much the same price.

Will their be customers of the skinny package? Most likely. If you have no interest in high definition, not recording stuff, don't like sports and watch TV on an older TV with a picture tube, this package is for you.

Will a $25 service attract the people who cut the cord to television? Probably not. Those people will watch, if they watch, downloads both legal and illegal and mostly subscribe to Netflix (and U.S. Netflix at that). The only reason some of these people have cable is to watch live sports which may be harder to get via other means or is of poorer quality.

Zero dollars is better than any dollars for those who want their content free. It is hard to convince people that it is wrong or comparable to going into a grocery store and walking out with whatever you want and not paying.

So far MTS has not revealed their skinny package.

These changes won't save the telecoms, local TV or borderline channels. A revolution is taking place and Canada and the rest of the world are likely to see wholesale collapse of parts of the industry in due course. It remains to be seem how content will be produced and be profitable under any plan thus revealed.

Charleswood Seniors Multi-Unit Housing Denied

Once again the plans for a seniors residence on church owned land has been shot down. This time it is by the city planning department whose rejection only seems to inspire confusion.

Not every development project has to be approved. However, every development needs a clear consistent policy set out by the city. In some cases some vocal proponents and opponents will make it very difficult to come to a decision that doesn't make someone want to duck and cover.

I originally looked at the project when it was proposed and thought it satisfied a need in the community and wasn't overly burdensome to the homes and streets surrounding.  The zoning meeting proved that there was a lot of controversy. Some of it came from those that didn't want to change the character of Charleswood.

It is a rather nebulous argument sometimes because it feels like someone closing the door after they themselves are inside.

The future needs of Charleswood are hard to deny. Many senior residents will find it hard to buy or even rent a place in the area if they sell their homes. It is true that that there are some personal care home homes, rental apartments and condos in the community but many are situated many blocks from where residents live now. Often, there are no places that are between house and personal care home.

The land behind the Charleswood United Church seems appropriate for seniors housing. It hardly looks like a location for massive amounts of traffic. At the moment, it seems that the winning idea for that land is do nothing.

In River Heights there was a fight over the railway land running north and south called Oakbank Line. The neighbourhood since the 1980s fought every single use of the land including the innocuous bike path. Today it is condos stretched all the way down the line. Residents must wonder now if the bike path was such a bad idea afterall.

At some point there will be something done with the land in Charlewood. Perhaps later on people will think a seniors residence on the site was a lost opportunity.

Andrenaline Unlimited Takes Over River City Sports Location

The retrenching of River City Sports to its original location and liquidation of stock from other stores is a reminder how fickle retail can be. The expansion to the IKEA site on Sterling Lyon last only 18 months.  The Seasons Of Tuxedo retail development slowed on the north side once the Cabela's was up. Last year the Seasons rental apartments as well as Montana's restaurant opened. However, the promise of a Lowe's never came and further expansion of other stores stalled.

River City Sports was a bit early into the development as not enough traffic was coming to the retail beside IKEA. Hard to know what the future is for a once dominant sports store but we can happily report a different sports store has taken up the challenge and opened just before Christmas in the old location.

The new store is another Winnipeg sporting good group with locations in Edmonton and Saskatoon as well as in St. Vital Mall under the FXR Riders. The specialty retailer sells snowmobile clothing and helmets as well as other items in what is described as power sport. The new location at Seasons of Tuxedo called Adrenaline Unlimited will feature FXR brand as well as KTM which is a supplier of for offroad bikes.

It seems likely that Adrenaline Unlimited has a specialty in sport that is not as easily duplicated by other big sports stores. In other words, it is likely to be a destination store in the way IKEA and Cabela's are in their fields.

The Outlets of Seasons continues construction across the street and new condos and apartments in the area ensure that there will be a larger population in the area to sustain additional businesses in proximity. The entire Sterling Lyon and Kenaston area is very close to the synergy that shopping districts like Polo Park and St. Vital have.

It is possible that Adrenaline Unlimited is just the right specialty retailer to make that location work.

Filipino Store Seafood City Coming to Winnipeg

Seafood City, a San Diego-based Filipino food store has announced they will be opening in Mississauga this year. It will be their first location in Canada. The 1989 established company has 23 locations presently with 20 in California thus far and feature seafood, meat and specialty goods aimed at the Filipino market. The locations often have travel and immigration services inside as well.

Winnipeg ranks as the third largest Filipino community in Canada and analysts indicated that Seafood City is very likely to announce expansion in the west soon. Vancouver and Winnipeg were top of the lists.

In many Seafood City are Jollibee restaurants. Jollibee has already indicated a desire to come to Winnipeg but have had difficulty finding ideal locations. It is very likely in the food store comes, the restaurant chain comes as well. Jollibee is more popular than McDonald's back in Asia. There is also a possibility that Seafood City will feature red Ribbon bakery and Maxim's, a breakfast place.

Stay tuned for more of this.

Lowe's to Buy Rona in Friendly Deal

The Kenaston Lowe's Cancelled?

There was an announcement today that the number 2 home improvement company in the U.S. Lowe's is making a friendly purchase of Rona in Canada for $3.2 billion. This is a familiar story as this courtship has been attempted before sometimes with the government of Quebec stepping in and saying no.

Rona is different than Lowe's in that it has large corporate stores as well as very small dealer stores. It would appear that an offer was made that has satisfied both the corporation and government of Quebec. The cash offer is double the company and it appears that the Rona brand or style will be disappearing in the immediate future.

 Last year Lowe's announced they were building a store at Linden Ridge Shopping Centre. It is difficult to say how far along that process construction has began or whether that job will now be cancelled.

Manitoba, unlike every province in the west, has no Lowe's yet. It would seem odd if the one store planned might be built just down the street from their latest acquisition. Lowe's has 42 stores in Canada and it is certain that there will be more but details of how the combined Quebec-based corporation operates remains uncertain. It could be that Manitoba may not see for the Lowe's format for some time to come.

The low Canadian dollar makes it possible for other U.S. retailers to expand into Canada and build their networks. However, it always makes it difficult for them sent profits back. Still, if the goal is to be around for the long haul, the investment can pay off very nicely with an operation that produces returns for decades to come. Rona looks to be that type of investment for Lowe's.

Sobey's Extra to Open January 29

It took an incredibly long time to replace the Safeway that closed in 2014 in Fort Richmond Plaza. Speculation was rampant and people looked on despair as the ramshackle and outdated shopping center rotted with no plans being put forward.

This comes to an end January 29 when Sobey's Extra opens up. At 58,000 square feet, it will be bigger than a lot of grocery stores out there. It will be much more than what was available previously on the site. That is to be expected with not only Fort Garry but St. Norbert and nearby Bridgwater seeing more people move in.

The Extra in the Sobey's is more staff dedicated to customer service such as in-store chef. There are also specialists called ambassadors who will on hand in various food sections. Cooking classes, sushi bar and noodle bar will mark the location as different from other stores.

The store opens 9 AM Friday and offers $10 gift cards to the first 500 people in the door. There will be also a selection of exotic foods to taste.

The store will employ 100 people which in today's market is welcome news. The refreshing of this particular shopping enclave is likely to attract other merchants after being empty or under-utilized so long. 2016 will be a fairly good year for new grocery stores to open after a number of years of closures.

Walmart Supercenter Southdale Opens January 28

The year 2015 delivered a crushing blow to Target which came to Canada, spent billions and utterly failed. Some of those details of computer problems, logistics, empty shelves and overpaying for property are only coming to light now.

Winnipeg has fared better than some cities who had their Targets closed in that two out of the four properties will re-open with strong retailers. The Grant Park store will become a Canadian Tire in several months. The Southdale store has already been converted over to a Walmart Supercenter which will open next week January 28.

It is obvious that Walmart believes that the southeast quadrant of the city is undeserved and that their nearby location at St. Vital Centre will hold its own just fine. The takeover also blocks competitors save as Save On Foods or Real Canadian Superstore from getting a foothold in the area.

On Thursday, Walmart opened a supercenter in Winkler as part of their plan to move to 400 stores across Canada.

The Polo Park location of Target, bought by Polo Park, remains without a new tenant. Kildonan Place is also awaiting a new tenant.

The opening of a new Walmart is sure to keep up some competition in the area of Southdale especially in food.

The Bay Downtown Winnipeg Closes 4th Floor

Hudson Bay Company has announced that the 4th floor of the downtown Winnipeg location will close very soon as the department store retrench to the first two floors. It is interesting to note that there aren't any men's washrooms on the first floors so they have to keep that 4th floor open just for that purpose.

For many years now. the fate of the The Bay has been talked about and hopes were that the University of Winnipeg would ride to the rescue as it seems to have in other times. This remains a possibility but the sheer size of a building that has much space as the Richardson Building is daunting.

The closure of Zellers also meant the closing of the grocery store in the basement. By and large, aside from two floors, the Bay is empty. A lucrative parkade attached to the building is not owned by HBC which might have made development and a way to fund it possible. The lot has always been more practical than lovable in look but at 650 spaces, it is very lucrative.

Often it seems everyone wants to own parking lots rather than buildings as they generate consistent money with little effort.

The Hudson Bay Company has been on a bit of a roll lately even in tough times. It has bought several other department stores including Sak's from the United States and made a profit doing so. However, tough times might be ahead if the economy is any indication. Sak's outlet division has already announced they will be in the Seasons of Tuxedo development rather than in the downtown. Still, there may be an opportunity for Canadian retailers with a prolonged fall in the Canadian dollar.

Any redevelopment into retail, offices, classrooms or the like in the downtown space will be more expensive than other construction. There is also the fact that said development can't happen in a vacuum. There is no unicorn out there that is going to say they want the entire space and have all the capital that they need to get the job done.

HBC sits a fairly choice spot though. Across the street is the headquarters of Investor's Group, Liquor and Lotteries headquarters will soon be in the Medical Arts Building. Manitoba Hydro headquarters is just down the street. The Winnipeg Art Gallery, RBC Winnipeg Convention Centre, MTS Centre, hotels and the University of Winnipeg are all nearby.  In short, there are a lot of attractions not to mention growing residential components coming.

Everyone talks about doing something about the HBC but there is no evidence that a working group is actually discussing the issue. Obviously, The Bay owners need to be asked what they would like for the building and determining what is possible.

Here are 25 things that could go into the The Bay downtown (not ranked in particular order):

1. A HBC data center. The St. Louis IT offices of HBC took up 80.000 square feet. They have a data center in Toronto as well. Why not in a building they own in a central time zone?

2. A grocery store. The basement could still be perfect for this.

3. Home Outfitters. This is a HBC owned division that could be in the building.

4. Saks Fifth Avenue. It is a HBC owned division.

5. Off 5th. HBC owned discount store of Saks.

6. Lord and Taylor. HBC owned department store.

7. The Room. Luxury section of HBC in Toronto and Vancouver could have a version in Winnipeg.

8. Back office functions of HBC and other divisions of the company. Winnipeg once was the head office, why not back office functions in accounting, etc?

9. A fitness center. Despite the Y being nearby, fitness centers can occupy generally 25,000 square feet and attract a good amount of people. Eaton Center has two inside.

10. A health food store. Going to have a fitness center, why not a store right across from it?

11. Tim Horton's. Why not? Shouldn't there be one on every corner? Yes, I know there is one just outside.

12. A Pharmacy. Doesn't compete with other HBC lines. Could be in basement with a grocery.

13. A bank or credit union offices.

14. University of Winnipeg class or offices. Yes, it has been talked about before. Could still be a good idea.

15. A CBC Broadcast Center. The old CBC offices could be sold to the University of Winnipeg and a full floor or so HBC could be the radio. TV, broadcast center. Enough parking for all employees. Only question is shipping doors for large broadcast vehicles. Could tap into infrastructure money.

16. Provincial offices. Truth be told is that the province leases space all time.

17. City offices: A more difficult idea if city campus plan is still in effect. But they did move police to south Portage.

18. A regional health authority. Seems like they build new buildings every year.

19. A medical or dental clinic. Could be a downtown quick service clinic or walk-in clinic.

20. A Chinese food buffet. I've joked about this in the past but why not?

21. A restaurant and grill sport bar. The Jets and moose are just around the corner. Should be a no brainer.

22. A daycare. How many head offices, government offices and residents nearby? large daycare would be filled immediately.

23. Escape rooms. They are all over town. Why not part of a floor dedicated to entertainment?

24. A cabaret. Music, dancing, night club.

25. Water park. Always like to throw this one in there.

New Leaf Airlines Announces Discount Flights

New Leaf Airlines has announced their new flight schedules and prices starting on February 12. Winnipeg is the headquarters and main hub for the airlines and travel will be between seven cities. For Winnipeggers the travel will be between Abbotsford, Kelowna and Hamilton. Introductory rates are as low as $99 for Winnipeggers with all fees and taxes included.

The website says: “Your fare gets you the two essentials: a seat and a seatbelt. The rest is up to you.”

Ultra low cost means you pay extra for printing a boarding pass, carry-on luggage or drinks.

The company will fly two 156 seat Boeing 737-400 aircrafy leased from Kelowna's Flair Airlines. As more employees and destinations to places in Canada, United States, Mexico and the Carribbean increase, the goal is to expand to 15 aircraft.

The burst of excitement after the announcement caused the system to crash but it back up and running.

WestJet which started in 1996 with three aircraft and low rates says they will vigourously defend their market.

The market is tough for Canadian airline start-ups.  CanJet failed last year in Halifax. Jetsgo stopped right in the middle of March break stranding passengers in 2005. Canada 3000 failed after September 11 in 2001.

Greyhound Airlines was the last discount passenger start-up in Winnipeg in 1996 but failed a year later in 1997.

New Leaf airlines looks to be located on property at the Richardson International Airport.  They appear to have a plan and they are sticking to it. They also appear to have the people to really make a go of it.

Canada's problems with air travel is that the country has a lot of east-west geography which means higher costs to run the aircraft. It will be a real test to build traffic between some cities. However, if the idea of ultra low cost takes off, the airline could be well positioned for this niche in the market.

It is hard not to peg ultimate success for this airline not for flights within Canada but to holiday destinations such as Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Mexico, Cuba.

Stella's Cafe and Patio Coming to Pembina Highway

Stella's on Pembina by radio station

Stella's Cafe and Patio is coming to 1463 Pembina Highway right next to the TSN 1290 radio offices. The popular chain of Winnipeg eateries takes over a recently constructed and updated building with a fair sized parking lot in the back.

The company website lists January as the opening date but it will likely be spring when they open their latest attraction: a rooftop patio. Since 1999, Stella's has grown in leaps and bounds and now the very busy stretch on a main route south to the university will have a large restaurant with a patio to enjoy the incredible view north to the cityscape.

Stella's has been instrumental in revitalizing areas wherever they move whether it Osborne, Sherbrook or Portage Avenue. They are likely to be a welcome addition to the area.

Who is Winnipeg's Best Tweeter?

As the year comes to a close, who is Winnipeg's best tweeter? And yes, I did say who as in a person.

As far as Canadians, Justin Bieber is generally listed and Justin Trudeau made it to the top. However, a city councillor in Toronto named Norm Kelly who gets twitter wars with hip singers like Drake was considered Canada's top tweeter.

The top Twitter account in Winnipeg is Captain Andrew Ladd. But he is the top tweeter? The next account is Kevin Michaluk, a digital wunderkind who runs a business reviewing the latest gadgets. Is he top tweeter? Following that are a fitness business people, journalists, athletes and some others who I have to determine what they do.

As far as myself, I follow a number of journalists, politicians, new sites and individuals. Since I don't own a cell phone, my access to Twitter is usually only see highlights and scrolling through a bit. I don't get to see Twitter wars as they happen. I often miss live tweeting of events.

Do I have a favourite Winnipeg tweeter? Hmm, I don't know. I don't know. I like a little mix of news, humour and sarcasm and some links to further detailed stories. However, I don't know that there is one person that is my go to.

So who do others think is Winnipeg's best or top tweeter?

2015 Fall Radio Ratings

In the spring radio book, CBC Radio 1 did what would have been thought impossible only a few years ago: It surpassed CJOB in the ratings. The fall radio book has confirmed and emphasized the gains CBC has made in the Winnipeg market. The parenthesis is the 2014 fall figures.

1. CBC Radio One –15.3 (12.8)
2. 680 CJOB — 10.9 (13.6)
3. 92 CITI FM — 9.4 (6.6)
4. 103.1 Virgin Radio — 9.0 (8.3)
5. QX 104 — 7.4 (9.8)
6. 99.9 BOB FM — 6.0 (5.8)
7. KiSS 102.3 — 4.9 (5.0 as 102.3 Clear FM)
8. Energy 106 — 4.5 (5.3)
9. CBC Radio 2 — 4.0 (3.4)
10. FAB 94.3 — 3.9 (5.0)
11. TSN 1290 — 3.5 (3.2)
12. 97.5 BIG FM — 3.1 (2.6 as Power 97)
13. 99.1 Fresh Radio — 2.5 (2.2 as 99.1 Fresh FM)
14. Jewel 100.5 — 2.2 (1.8 as Jewel 101)
15. Radio-Canada — 0.2 (0.2)

CJOB still maintains a number 1 hold on the 6 AM to 10 AM slot and that is where the music stations offer the most competition as well. However, CBC Radio 1 is strong in so many other places that it climbs into the number 1 spot for daily listeners.

There have been many programming and brand changes in the Winnipeg radio market. Charles Adler has left for SiriusXM Radio on Satellite. And four of the 15 radio stations including one dominant Power 97 have changed call letters, staff and music formats.

The CBC is not without problems. It has excellent national programming that helps it stay original but just this past weekend the Globe and Mail pointed out to problems of the show Q. Once again the issue is hosting and how rigid the program is to reading off question cards. The interview will Adele is given as an example of missed opportunities in the form of an intuitive follow-up questions.

Setting aside quibbles about CBC radio programming, it has been successful where CBC TV has not: winning the ratings.

So is all lost for CJOB? The answer is no. There are some possibilities available to increase their ratings without a lot of pain. The first thing is to move to FM. Or at the very least run dual signals like CBC. One of the reasons CBC has gained in the local ratings is that people continue to favour FM. Another thing the station can do is to find a broadcast partner like 92 CITI FM and CBC Radio 1 have for television. The Wheeler show broadcasts on both 92 CITI FM and City TV and the ratings are solid.

It hasn't helped CJOB that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers didn't even make the play-offs. It is a sure bet that had the team made a run for the Grey Cup, the ratings may have looked very different. As it is, the fall book reflects continued strength of the TSN 1290 and the continued love affair with the Winnipeg Jets return. It is not hard to imagine that a CJOB with Winnipeg Jets on it would not have lost the number 1 position.

Still, not the first time CJOB has lost the Jets. They can survive but the question remains whether Corus Entertainment wants to give their local station the resources to pursue a more solid ratings outlook.

As for all of the music radio stations? It would seem to be that radio DJs will be the main attraction if music can be sourced from so many other places. In short, the people doing original material on the station matter.

I have migrated to satellite radio for all but TSN to CBC to CJOB. A lot of people don't listen to anything they haven't downloaded or haven't connected to via streaming. Will that audience come back? Maybe only for live sports broadcasts.

It is a tough market but original material still has a market. For a long time many radio stations chased the same music or talk formats with the same people and thought they had a captive market. They don't. Local and original could be what changes where the radio stations stand in the next years.

Saks Off Fifth Discount Store Coming to Outlets Collection of Winnipeg

It was long suspected but today it was announced the Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th discount store would be one of the major tenants in Outlets Collection of Winnipeg. Today it was confirmed by
Ivanhoé Cambridge that the store will anchor the development in 2017 across from Seasons of Tuxedo.

Work is in earnest on the factory outlet mall already with Porsche and Audi indicating they will be building two new dealerships on the site.

The 32,191 square foot store will have some size to it and today announcement is likely to draw other top retailers to firm up their plans and sign leases in the mall. The 117 acre site is expected to cost $200 million when complete.

Expect more announcements soon.

Future Pot Shops of Manitoba

1957 Liquor Commission Winnipeg. Fill in a form, we get your liquor, does your mom know you drink, son?

The Liquor Marts of today are far removed from the Liquor Commissions or LCs of Manitoba's past. A selection was behind a counter, a customer wrote their order and put lots of personal information there for tracking and a government worker went into the back and fetched it for you. Cash only, please. Put in a plain paper bag and don't dare have it anywhere but your trunk, sir.

The good old days.

We just had changes to archaic liquor laws in Manitoba but neither the NDP or Progressive Conservatives like to go to far for labour or religious reasons. Manitoba might eventually be the only place in North America with government stores.

Now, don't get me wrong... the Liquor Marts of today are far better than the sullen shops of the past. The liquor laws as well. However, as we have been told, Manitoba liquor is the most expensive in the nation. Our government has boasted how proud they are of it.

The government is so proud of their achievement that they have merged liquor and lotteries. Both businesses need to be government owned according to the government. Best they be together.

Now, Premier Greg Selinger has indicated that marijuana should also be sold by the government in Manitoba. Talk about the triple crown here.

Now, I am not a consumer of pot but I think it is very rich that the government is stepping in here to make sure they can max out on the profits by banning everyone else from selling it. Talk about overstepping.

The early pot shops in Colorado were heavy on security and light on aesthetics. That is changing. The latest store to open in the Denver area saw design reporters attending to comment on the award-winning architects.

An election is coming up and one has to ask: If the federal government moves to laws similar to Colorado on crime and pot, do we really need the province to step in and crush everyone else? Go further with this argument and perhaps we can ask: Do we need to own government liquor stores and casinos? Is there a better way? Is regulation not enough?

Look at what Colorado opened up this week.

Ajoya...get your pot and a Apple computer

Regulate where a pot store goes. Regulate security. But do we need to know it if it legally can be sold?

Winnipeg could see some brilliantly designed stores. The money will pour in. Keep the province safe, healthy and prosperous but stop being mother.

Fill to this line or go to jail

Popeyes Louisiana Chicken & Biscuits Coming to Winnipeg

It has been on some Manitoban's list for a while of restaurants they would like to see come to Winnipeg and now it has been confirmed: A spokesmen says Popeyes Louisiana Chicken and Biscuits are in discussions for locations within the city in 2015/2017. The company has been in Canada since 1984 when they opened a location in Toronto and next to KFC has one of the most extensive network of locations around the world. However, they have never been to Winnipeg.

Popeye's was founded in Louisiana in 1972 and today is noted for a spicier Cajun fare compared to other chicken restaurants.

There has been a pull back of chicken restaurants from the Winnipeg market in recent years. Both KFC and Winnipeg-based Chicken Delight have all retrenched a bit in the Winnipeg market.

The restaurant industry is a tough market even for well known franchises. Still, we have see Five Guys, Fat Burger and Famous Dave's all set up and continue here. Woody's Southern Barbecue failed though.

Location will likely be a big factor for the success of Popeyes. The construction of Seasons of Tuxedo continues and there are over a dozen pad spaces for restaurants so it is extremely likely we will see something in the Kenaston area.

Winnipeg continues to be attractive to retailers and restaurants looking to set up in the city although the failure of Target, falling oil prices and lower dollar has made many cautious. Still, Popeyes has been in the market for some time in Canada and they seem to believe that the time is ripe.Expect to hear announcements soon!

InPost Parcel Pick-Up Coming to Winnipeg

As many people in Winnipeg gear up for Christmas, the prospect of coming home and finding that you missed a parcel delivery becomes a regular occurrence. In some cases apartment and condo managers are now refusing to allow delivery onto the property of parcels because so many are coming in.  Many Super Mailboxes are not big enough to receive many parcels and as some people have found out, a parcel left on your doorstep can be stolen!

As many people soon find out, you have to tramp down to a place to pick up the parcel and may have to do this repeatedly.  Not all these places are 24 hours. In fact, most aren't. On occasions, some packages end up being sent back to the sender as they are not picked up in time.

It now appears that a new business to deal with the onslaught of parcel deliveries is starting to take hold. In Toronto, InPost has been setting up multiple 24 hour automated parcel pick-up places conveniently located near where people live, work, shop and go for recreation.  Pick-up is as easy as stopping at Superstore and getting your package in under a minute. Or at your local gas station.

InPost has said they are coming to Winnipeg in the next year. It is hard not to think that landlords across Canada are going to love this. It will give some a chance to earn rent from the boxes, for others it will mean no more clutter of packages piling up at their buildings and for parcel delivery services, it will be a quick way to deliver a lot of packages while making their deadlines.

Expect to see the InPost boxes in Winnipeg in the new year.