Closing Franchise Businesses in the Lower Mainland

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sj-roc
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Here's an article from today's Vancouver Courier that offers perhaps a refreshing change of pace from the direction of this thread, on the thriving business of independent grocers and smaller local chains in the Metro Vancouver region who are succeeding against competition from larger/national grocers. They're gaining ground because the larger retailers are either unable or unwilling to address the increasingly segmented market created by increasing numbers of people with highly varied dietary requirements. I've mentioned my own issues in this regard before and there's no way I could depend on a place like No Frills or even Safeway for all my grocery needs and I'm surely not the only one. Some shoppers are also more conscious about supporting the local economy rather than shopping in places where their money flows out of the region (or at least is perceived to do so).

The existing Stong's Market near 30th & Dunbar in Vancouver will close next year to make way for a condo project but reopens a month later just 3-4 blocks north in another building that offers almost 50% extra capacity above current.

http://www.vancourier.com/news/independ ... -1.1815054
Independent grocers gain ground: Vancouver's Stong's Market returns to North Shore

Glen Korstrom / biv.com
April 6, 2015 10:30 AM

Independent grocers and small grocery chains are expanding across Metro Vancouver even as consolidation makes national competitors ever larger.

The expansion comes not only from longtime independent grocer Stong’s Market, but also from the small chain Choices Markets and newcomer Pomme Natural Market.

Stong’s Market owner Cori Bonina helped turn sod at a March 31 groundbreaking along with politicians, developers and others involved in Northwoods Village on Dollarton Highway in North Vancouver.

Bonina plans to open in the development her second Stong’s store when the project is complete early in 2016. The 20,000-square-foot grocery store would be the first new Stong’s location in 26 years.

“We were on the North Shore 20 years ago when we had four stores,” Bonina told Business in Vancouver after the ceremony. “We always wanted to come back.”

Bonina has lived in North Vancouver for decades and believes that demand for an independent grocer is strong.

She is a fourth-generation owner of the company and is also preparing to move her longtime grocery store on Dunbar Street into larger premises. Her family has operated a 14,000-square-foot grocery store at 4560 Dunbar Street for decades, but the location is slated for redevelopment.

Bonina secured a lease until February 28, 2016, and intends to move up the street a few blocks to between West 26th and West 27th avenues on March 31, 2016.

Her future Dunbar Street store would be larger, at around 20,000 square feet, she said.

Other grocers are similarly expanding.

Upstart Pomme Natural Market, for example, has four owners who aim to open 10 stores in 10 years and are already ahead of schedule.

The Victoria-based foursome of Rasool Rayani, Ed Low, Dave Arnsdorf and Craig Hermanson opened a 16,000-square-foot location in Port Coquitlam in January 2014, and then added a 5,000-square-foot second store on Davie Street in Vancouver earlier this year.

Both of those stores involved buying an existing grocer and then renovating and rebranding.

A third Pomme Natural Market is slated to open this summer in Nanaimo.

The ownership team earlier this year bought Nanaimo’s 5,000-square-foot Island Natural Markets, which they intend to rebrand.

“There are no more openings in the immediate future,” Hermanson told BIV. “It’s been a lot with three in the last year and two in the past two months, so we’re in a bit of a consolidation phase. But 10 stores in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island is our goal.”

Choices Markets has also been expanding by buying existing grocers and then rebranding them.

For example, the Vancouver-based company bought the Drive Organics on Commercial Drive earlier this year.

When Drive Organics rebrands, it will raise Choices Markets’ store count to eight locations – seven in Metro Vancouver and one in Kelowna.
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
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Robbie
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Soundy wrote:
Robbie wrote:Bino's - there used be over a dozen of them and they opened 24 hours. They only have one location in Kingsway and Joyce.
Are we counting all of BC, or just the Lower Mainland? Because I think there are still a few others around BC.

We used to hang out at the Richmond (No. 3 Rd.) Bino's all the time in the late 80s/early 90s; that was largely driven under by the owner (there's a whole other amusing-in-hindsight horror story there, I won't get into in this thread). When we were on tour, the first thing we'd always look for in every town was the Bino's - the food and coffee were "okay" but at least they were always consistent. We actually kept track of them, too - it was our mission for a while to visit every Bino's in BC :)
This is overdue but the last Bino's in the Lower Mainland on Kingsway and Joyce closed permanently late last year. I wonder if there are any more Bino's in the rest of the province. 30 years ago that franchise was all over the Lower Mainland, and now they are extinct.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Binos-Fa ... 2513699867

I mentioned before that the franchise was wealthy enough to even sponsor the uniforms of the 1989 BC Lions cheerleaders. The uniform was a sharp contrast from their uniforms from 1983-88 in that in 1989 it featured black leggings and a white tank top with the word Bino's on it and it also appeared on the side of their pants as well. You can see a clear picture of their uniforms at the very end of this clip.
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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As mentioned in the other thread, England-based HMV left the Canadian market.

American-based Express clothing stores felt that Canada is not a good market and will be closing all their stores as well.
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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Robbie
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Add Sears Canada to this list.
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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Sir Purrcival
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Stores and restaurants are like rainbows. They show up and then disappear. The retail market has changed and store front retailers need to understand that they better have the product or risk losing the sale. I went to one of the Caps stores a couple of weeks ago for a couple of bike tires and inner tubes. Nothing fancy or unusual and they didn't have em. Said they could order in but it would be 3 days! For a bike tire! Or I could drive out to Maple Ridge to their other store. Of course they wouldn't mention the other bike store 3 times a close. Grudgingly they admitted I could go there and later grudgingly admitted that they didin't have a lot stock right now because they had been bought out and hadn't made the change over to the new owners. I had called them before going down mind you and they didn't say a thing about it. To many times, that kind of thing happens and it angers the customer. If I have to wait three days for something, I might as well order it online and have it come right to my house.
Tell me how long must a fan be strong? Ans. Always.
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Robbie
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Robbie wrote:
Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:36 am
While there's still several Dairy Queen and A&W franchise locations, its format has really changed from 30 years ago. Nowadays, the franchises are located in food courts and they are merged with another parent franchise such as Orange Julius.

Dairy Queen used to be in the form of an ice-cream stand.
Image
While there are still a few around, a long-time Dairy Queen which opened in 1969 still showed their old, iconic Brazier brand logo located E. Hastings St and Lakewood Dr was forced to closed as a result of.....of course....redevelopment into a rental apartments and this trend will continue.

Image

Did you ever go to this location?
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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KnowItAll
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Robbie wrote:
Wed Feb 07, 2018 3:50 pm
Robbie wrote:
Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:36 am
While there's still several Dairy Queen and A&W franchise locations, its format has really changed from 30 years ago. Nowadays, the franchises are located in food courts and they are merged with another parent franchise such as Orange Julius.

Dairy Queen used to be in the form of an ice-cream stand.
Image
While there are still a few around, a long-time Dairy Queen which opened in 1969 still showed their old, iconic Brazier brand logo located E. Hastings St and Lakewood Dr was forced to closed as a result of.....of course....redevelopment into a rental apartments and this trend will continue.

Image

Did you ever go to this location?
pretty sure I did. Used to hang out up and down hastings some in the 70's
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Sir Purrcival
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There was a similar one on Hasting in Burnaby in the 70's . That was somewhere between Rosser and Gilmour . That one pre dated the "Brazier" model. There was also one for years at Clarke Rd on Coq. Burn border . ALL long gone now of course.
Tell me how long must a fan be strong? Ans. Always.
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Robbie
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Sir Purrcival wrote:
Fri Feb 09, 2018 1:30 am
There was a similar one on Hasting in Burnaby in the 70's . That was somewhere between Rosser and Gilmour . That one pre dated the "Brazier" model.
If I really liked a particular franchise, I wouldn't have too much of a problem if the particular business simply upgraded, or perhaps a more accurate word would be downgraded if the physical space became smaller. But the most important thing is that the business is still around and operating in the general area, even if it simply moved a block or two. And regarding that area that you described, there is indeed still a Dairy Queen at 4191 E. Hastings in Burnaby.
Sir Purrcival wrote:
Fri Feb 09, 2018 1:30 am
There was also one for years at Clarke Rd on Coq. Burn border . ALL long gone now of course.
Maybe the owner of that location moved to nearby Lougheed Town Centre. In this case, the downgrade turned from a standalone location to a booth in the food court.

But overall though, it's still not as bad as completely and permanently closing the franchise altogether. In the Dairy Queen that was originally mentioned on E. Hastings St and Lakewood Dr, that is indeed a permanent closure.

On a similar note, the A&W also close to E. Hastings St and Lakewood Dr, it used to be those traditional drive-ins. As the times went by, it became a standalone building. But let's see how long that A&W will survive altogether.
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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Robbie
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Robbie wrote:
Sun Aug 31, 2008 9:36 pm
DEPARTMENT STORES

Eaton's - Went bankrupt in 1999. Perhaps it was because their prices were too high.

Woodward's - On the contrary, with its low prices like the $1.49 days, maybe they afford their lease anymore with too little revenue and were bought out by the Bay in 1993.

Marks & Spencer - That British retailer felt Canada was no longer a profitable country to do business with and closed their 38 stores in Canada.
Responding to this older thread in light of the fact that Nordstrom has decided to close all 13 stores in Canada including 2 stores in Greater Vancouver resulting in 643 job losses, it looks like American retail expansion to Canada simply doesn't work with the recent closure of these three large American retail stores in Canada:

1. Target Corporation
2. Bed Bath & Beyond
3. Nordstrom

Will Walmart follow?
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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Toppy Vann
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Robbie wrote:
Sat Mar 04, 2023 4:20 pm
Robbie wrote:
Sun Aug 31, 2008 9:36 pm
DEPARTMENT STORES

Eaton's - Went bankrupt in 1999. Perhaps it was because their prices were too high.

Woodward's - On the contrary, with its low prices like the $1.49 days, maybe they afford their lease anymore with too little revenue and were bought out by the Bay in 1993.

Marks & Spencer - That British retailer felt Canada was no longer a profitable country to do business with and closed their 38 stores in Canada.
Responding to this older thread in light of the fact that Nordstrom has decided to close all 13 stores in Canada including 2 stores in Greater Vancouver resulting in 643 job losses, it looks like American retail expansion to Canada simply doesn't work with the recent closure of these three large American retail stores in Canada:

1. Target Corporation
2. Bed Bath & Beyond
3. Nordstrom

Will Walmart follow?
It's not rocket science to see why the latest two firms are leaving Canada.

Walmart is different I think to the 2 and 3 on your list. I've not read anything on them, but to me they'd not be a loss in Canada.

What I gather in the food space is that the margins are very low so they all add the higher profit margin items that are more profitable.
Right now these firms in Canada like Loblaws are breaking profit levels while blaming it on suppliers' price increases which in a major way are affected by global issues (wheat from Ukraine etc).

What blows my mind as I'm doing most of the grocery shopping is this:
A bag of carrots continues to the cheapest product.

Yet Superstore has pushed the frozen peas and carrots that were marked"always $4" to $5.99 IIRC. There's no way that product rose exactly those prices.
How come bananas are still .69 lb? Costco similarly has cheap bananas.

When it goes up exactly a dollar, it seems odd.

Having said that the grocery folks are going before a Parliamentary Committee this week or next. No doubt nothing will come of it.
Excess profits taxes like wage and price controls won't work.

It's too bad that there are not more food and other product Co-ops.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
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Sir Purrcival
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This thread is a little like a franchise busisiness. It started, went down, came back. You get the idea. And just like the fiery phoenix, it looks like Zellers is about to raise itself from the ashes once again. I think this will be the third time in my life that they have existed, not existed, existed again, not existed again and now are coming back again.

Retail doesn't look at all like it did in my younger days. Malls were fun places to go. A place to hang, look at the shops, catch a movie maybe etc. There was an never ending up the stakes game going on. Make them bigger, more stores, more eateries, more amusement etc. etc. Bigger, glitzier sounded better. But in the end it wasn't self sustaining. A variation on a theme that got old. Malls are there you part you from your money. Having more ways to do it isn't actually all that exciting if you are paying the bills. What's more, people often don't have the time to go for leisurely strolls while shopping nor do they want to walk around for miles between shops to get to the things they want They want to get in, get what they want and get out in time to pick up the kids from school, make dinner, start your shift, whatever. Not to mention, the enormous costs of maintaining a store front inside a mall. As a business you have to be busy every day to make that proposition financially stable. And then there is the issues of staffing. We have all heard about them. I have been pleasantly surprise more recently to actually see new "younger" staff at some of the local eateries. Been awhile since I have been at a place where it looked like there were more people under 30 than over. Even at the traditional places like MacDonalds.

Also people's wants and likes have changed too. I believe that shoppers of today aren't as tied into big chains. They are looking for more of the one off, more organic experience. That little secret place that only you and a few thousand other luckies know about and feel some connection to. Where you recognize staff and they recognize you. And if not that, then they are looking for convenience. Hence the rise of the online shopping market.

Now malls, in response, aren't just shopping venues, they are billing themselves "Town Centres". In other words, they are trying to create communities that will help sustain them by densifying the population around them. Coquitlam Centre, Lougheed, Brentwood, Metrotown have been in lockstep with high-rise development. Which is great if you live in walking distance, but not great if you are driving to and dealing with traffic and parking.

So we will see what Franchises will continue to come and go. Frankly, I am amazed that the Bay continues to survive from that old Dept. store model when so many others have shuttered in the last 30 years.
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Toppy Vann
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Sir Purcival:

Now malls, in response, aren't just shopping venues, they are billing themselves "Town Centres". In other words, they are trying to create communities that will help sustain them by densifying the population around them. Coquitlam Centre, Lougheed, Brentwood, Metrotown have been in lockstep with high-rise development. Which is great if you live in walking distance, but not great if you are driving to and dealing with traffic and parking.
Not to mention, the enormous costs of maintaining a store front inside a mall.
The one thing about Coquitlam Centre near us is that unlike the stores on streets nearby, you can still find a space to park and their food court seems to be busy all hours of the day as lots of teens and older people seem to hang there. Stores like Gap moved to where Future Shop or Best Buy used to be to cut their costs. A mall type place that gets their customers there as everyone is driving.


I don't grasp why the City of Coquitlam hurts little businesses with the on street parking pay system. For me, it's not the money as much as the annoyance as it's not like Vancouver streets where it's a major cash cow. I'll drive to Port Moody or Poco just to avoid the hassle as both are close.

The Bay at Coquitlam a year or two back got closed by the landlord for not paying the rent.

Online shopping is huge and destructive but there's too much storefront now with hybrid workers.

City centres with hybrid or full out work at home are no doubt feeling the pinch.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
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Robbie
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While not a franchise retail store in the Lower Mainland, it falls in the same category of longtime businesses in light of the fact two longtime radio stations will be silenced very soon - BNN Bloomberg Radio 1410 and Funny 1040.

I'm sure you all must have tuned into AM 1040 and AM 1410 one time or another.

And if you were a BC Lions fan in the 1980's and 1990's, then you definitely would have dialed into 14 CFUN on AM 1410 to listen to BC Lions radio broadcasts. And you probably got one of those round stickers that 14 CFUN would hand out, along with another sticker from another popular station which is also now extinct - CKLG AM 730 (LG73).

Those two stickers were often seen stuck on vehicle rear windows because apparently, there was some kind of promotion that would award prizes if they spotted that sticker. Did any of you ever put one or both stickers on your vehicle and did you ever win any apparent prizes?

Image
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放,首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事,由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
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Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2003 11:48 am
Location: Comox Valley

Ya, I remember when both those stations were pop radio stations. But then again, radio was a much bigger part of life in those days. Before , CDs, USB, streaming services. Etc. Fading in the shadow of technology, just like newspapers etc.
Tell me how long must a fan be strong? Ans. Always.
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