News   Apr 03, 2020
From the Editor: A Message to Our Readers
 9.3K     3 
News   Apr 02, 2020
Topping Off March 2020: What's Hot on SkyriseEdmonton
 10K     0 
News   Apr 02, 2020
News Roundup for April 2, 2020
 3.5K     0 

Edmonton City Centre Mall (Renovations) | ?m | 2s | LaSalle Investment Management

Avenuer said:
Agreed, there is oodles of room there for a market and built-in loading facilities for vendors. Just depends if Canderel can give them a good lease rate and term, unlike Five Oaks, and of course, the Market Board would need to be interested in the first place.
Click to expand...
They are getting $NIL for the space now which has been empty for a couple of years and unlike the current space the market is using it is not really old with potentially high maintenance costs.
 
"Have you visited our newest (and perhaps shiniest) store yet? GLAM Shoes offers everything from stylish summer kicks to glamorous girls' night shoes."

www.linkedin.com

#yeggers #yegdt #yegfashion #edmontonshopping | Edmonton City Centre

Have you visited our newest (and perhaps shiniest) store yet? GLAM Shoes offers everything from stylish summer kicks to glamorous girls' night shoes. #yeggers #yegdt #yegfashion #edmontonshopping
www.linkedin.com www.linkedin.com

1690933208937.jpeg
 
Last edited:
I don't know why they will no longer be hosting the Int'l Film Fest. I suppose its relevant because it is coming up soon, but I don't think having it or not will make a big difference for the theaters or the mall.

There are more people working and coming downtown in the last several months and downtown is noticeably busier even though it is summer. A few new stores have come in, or are coming, which is nice. In the end gradually filling up the retail space a bit more is the crucial thing, but it will take time.
 
The_Cat said:
City Centre Mall has added more security and it looks busy at lunch. I’m sure there will be more stores coming when the Valley Line opens.
Click to expand...
I am not so sure. Having returned to Edmonton for 6 weeks in May for a visit and having a place in the core - we walked around the core, Chinatown, Oliver every day several times with our pups. Homeless, drunks and drugged people seemed the majority of people on the streets especially near ECC while litter, garbage and vandalism is everywhere. I can't see people coming by train to shop at ECC unless people feel downtown is safe, attractive and has something to offer. The mall is DEAD. As a long time resident of the core (very long) I am hard pressed to recommend visiting Edmonton downtown to anyone under the present circumstances. City Council has failed to clean up the heart of Edmonton -while spending freely this year on environmental issues per this EJ news piece: https://edmontonjournal.com/news/po...es-edmonton-visit-with-transit-worker-meeting

"The mayor pointed to the most recent Edmonton budget, which included $16 million for an energy transition strategy, $53 million to energy retrofit city facilities and $34.5 million supporting a district energy network strategy and nodes."

Clearly there is money to spend - and it's a question of priorities. Sohi and his friends on Council do not really give a rats ass about downtown Edmonton.
 
I suppose one could as just easily blame the provincial government that refuses to add more permanent homeless shelter spaces, even though it has billions more money than the city, rather than the mayor.

Why does Calgary have more permanent homeless shelter spaces than Edmonton, even though the problem is worse here? Can anyone explain that, I have asked this question before and got no answer. The problems in Chinatown are related to this so I this is why I bring this up, but back to the mall.

Yes, there are problems throughout downtown but they differ in severity considerably depending on the specific area, but I would not conflate City Centre Mall which has quite a bit of security and is a controlled indoor space with Chinatown which is quite different. Also not sure if you are still here, or have been downtown since May, but in the areas I go (not Chinatown) regulary things have generally improved since then.
 
I honestly just do not see a a way in which ECC continues to be a traditional retail mall. As a city of 1.4 million we have our retail needs more than covered (an area we far exceed our peer cities in, Ottawa and Calgary, regarding store offerings and shopping experience). How can ECC compete with nearby Kingsway (which got a refreshed look and is doing quite well), Southgate (a really respectable and solid mall offering) and WEM (the largest mall on this continent)?

I really believe that ECC needs to let go of the idea of being a retail mall and shift its focus elsewhere. Yes, I know the untold sums of money that would need to get dumped to make this place some other type of venue or destination, but if ECC is to do it's part in helping revitalize the core, it has got to become something else (maybe evaluate if condo towers can be built, try to attract entertainment venues like the Rec Room etc.). I'm just spitballing ideas here.
 
Munanyo said:
I honestly just do not see a a way in which ECC continues to be a traditional retail mall. As a city of 1.4 million we have our retail needs more than covered (an area we far exceed our peer cities in, Ottawa and Calgary, regarding store offerings and shopping experience). How can ECC compete with nearby Kingsway (which got a refreshed look and is doing quite well), Southgate (a really respectable and solid mall offering) and WEM (the largest mall on this continent)?

I really believe that ECC needs to let go of the idea of being a retail mall and shift its focus elsewhere. Yes, I know the untold sums of money that would need to get dumped to make this place some other type of venue or destination, but if ECC is to do it's part in helping revitalize the core, it has got to become something else (maybe evaluate if condo towers can be built, try to attract entertainment venues like the Rec Room etc.). I'm just spitballing ideas here.
Click to expand...

Ottawa I can see, mostly, but Calgary? This isn’t 2005, and nowadays a lot of retailers start in Calgary or eschew Edmonton altogether. Both Ottawa and Calgary also have stronger urban retail than Edmonton. Pretty much anything at South Common can be found in other cities, just in separate shopping centres. The key retailers in WEM are usually found at Chinook too. Obviously it isn‘t an either/or, as some retailers do come to Edmonton first, and some ignore Calgary, even, but the gap is pretty much non-existent now, as for every retailer that goes to Edmonton first, there’s another that goes 300km south first.

I agree that City Centre will continue to struggle as many of the destination retailers will skip it in favour of the much nicer, larger, and more profitable Kingsway slightly north. For the first-in-town or only-in-town options, WEM, Southgate, and South Common fill that void nicely. The only way I can see City Centre thriving as a mall is if the downtown population, of either residents or workers or visitors (but ideally all of the above) explodes. When you have that high of a density, having multiple locations of certain things close by becomes more viable.

Retail does have a place downtown, and will be a key piece of making the neighbourhood more vibrant and desirable and functional, but I think we need to cover the basics first before we chase Uniqlo or Lululemon. Unfortunately all of those basics are found in suburban-style shopping centres on 104th Ave, rather than on Jasper Ave, 102nd Ave, 101 St, RHW, 104th St, 124th St, etc. I like the Rec Room idea, though. And keep the Landmark Cinema, somehow. And the food court, I suppose. But the rest can be turned outward, and imagine the complex being headed by Rec Room and some of the Unity/Brewery staples like Safeway, Best Buy, and London Drugs. Then leave some room for smaller tenants with an emphasis on unique attractions rather than traditional mall retailers.
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top