Downtown Bay store to close in Winnipeg

9 posts / 0 new

Wed, 2020-10-07 13:44

Aristotleded24

Quote:
A historic Winnipeg landmark will shut its doors next year, but it might not be at risk of meeting the wrecking ball just yet.

The Hudson's Bay Company confirmed in a statement Friday that its nearly century-old downtown Winnipeg location will close in February 2021.

"With shifting consumer behaviour and changes to how and where customers are shopping, after careful consideration Hudson's Bay has determined it will close its downtown Winnipeg location in February 2021," company spokesperson Tiffany Bourré said in a statement emailed to CBC on Friday.

...

Last November, when HBC appraised all of its 89 properties, the Portage Avenue building was given a market value of $0 by real estate evaluator Cushman & Wakefield — because the costs involved in redevelopment would essentially erase its worth in a sale.

Technically, the building was worth even less than that because of a tax liability of $302,298.

The Bay's other Winnipeg stores, at the Polo Park and St. Vital shopping centres, will remain open.

The article also mentions the demolition of the former Eaton's building, in order to make way for the MTS Centre arena. How ironic now that the pandemic has closed that venue down. Even beforehand, aside from a few large events, for the vast majority of the time the arena was used mainly as part of the covered walkway system to shelter people away from cold weather. I'm not even sure if that walkway is fully open these days. The irony is that had the Eaton's building been saved and been put to use (for example, apartments or condos, maybe a restaurant or bar or some other suitable use in the main floor) that might have stabilized the downtown, brought in even more activity, and provided a more stable customer base for area businesses including the Bay store.

Thu, 2020-10-08 06:16

lagatta4

That is really a shame and a clear example of a lack of urban vision. For shame. If there aren't enough shoppers to fill the building, people could live there. And they could have shops and services on the ground floor.

Thu, 2020-10-08 20:22

laine lowe laine lowe's picture

It is a shame for sure.

I do think the MTS Centre (before the pandemic) did actually have lots of events beyond Jets and Moose hockey and I certainly think that cities that have central sports facilities benefit better (i.e. Montreal Forum) than those that go deep into the suburbs (i.e. Kanata based "Forum" that keeps changing sponsorhip names where the Senators play). Unfortunately, the rest of downtown is still left blighted and a food desert in Winnipeg.

Montreal, at least in the past, always had an amazing mix of housing and businesses throughout it's different downtown and centretown and uptown cores. Winnipeg is a city planning disaster. I used to think Ottawa was bad but it's far better than what Winnipeg has done with it's so-called urban revitalization plans.

I will miss the downtown Hudson Bay Co. I was recently there to pick up a few things as I often do when I am in the area for a health appointment. It just kept shrinking with every visit - so depressing.

Thu, 2020-10-08 20:45

Misfit

I disagree with you on the centralized forum thing. Saskatchewan had two such fiascos, the new Mosaic stadium in Regina and the hockey arena in Moose Jaw. Two very bad decisions.

Thu, 2020-10-08 20:55

laine lowe laine lowe's picture

Misfit, the Senator's stadium is a kind of a graveyard and I don't know how well they are doing with ticket sales for big entertainment events. The MTS Centre has had pretty good success with bringing in performances and ticket sales prior to COVID. I used to have an office on Portage and I was amazed at how many events were on on a weekly basis. The thing is that people drive there and don't use public transportation. So the whole entertainment before and after a game is a bit altered by people avoiding extra parking expenses and too much partying because they are driving.

Fri, 2020-10-09 01:28

Aristotleded24

Still, on the whole, an arena is probably one of the worst urban revitalization projects you can come up with. Even if people did use public transportation (and people from the south end of the city have an incentive to do so now that the rapid transit corridor to the U of M is finished), they are still exiting the area after the event is over. There is also the question of gentrification, as the comfort and security of the middle-class residents the venue is trying to atract often trumps the dignity and respect of the more marginalized folks who live there. That's not to say you can't have a sports and entertainment district, but it needs to be well-planned.

Besides, the issue of tearing down Eaton's was contentious at the time. People who backed Glen Murray, who was Mayor at the time, felt betrayed by that move. The arena and the stadium were out by Polo Park before. I don't know if the move downtown was driven by necessity or a desire for bright and shiny things.

The late Nick Ternette wrote about this at the time:

Quote:

The fact is that the MTS Centre would have been just as successful elsewhere as it is downtown. A new arena was obviously necessary, but it could have replaced the old Winnipeg Arena at the original St. James site.

The suggestion that the Eaton’s building would be empty today had the MTS Centre not been built is nonsense! Save the Eaton’s Coalition had entertained realistic plans for both retail and condominiums in that building, which would have been a step in the right direction for revitalizing the downtown, specifically by building up the business sector in the downtown and consistently bringing people to the area.

Standing outside the MTS Centre during nights that events are put on there, you see thousands of people – in their cars – attending. People eat at the MTS Centre, see the shows, then get back in their cars and get out of the downtown as quickly as possible.

Why? Because people still see the downtown as crime-ridden and full of vagrants and beggars.

The real reason that downtown revitalization has failed is urban sprawl, the lack of people living downtown (13,000 as compared to 45,000 just 15 years ago) and the closing of businesses after 6 p.m. Just look at how empty the area is after business hours.

Fri, 2020-10-09 07:02

lagatta4

Get back in their cars after a few drinks. NOT a good idea.

Fri, 2020-10-09 11:38

(Reply to #7) #8

Misfit

laine lowe wrote:

Misfit, the Senator's stadium is a kind of a graveyard and I don't know how well they are doing with ticket sales for big entertainment events. The MTS Centre has had pretty good success with bringing in performances and ticket sales prior to COVID. I used to have an office on Portage and I was amazed at how many events were on on a weekly basis. The thing is that people drive there and don't use public transportation. So the whole entertainment before and after a game is a bit altered by people avoiding extra parking expenses and too much partying because they are driving.

Ok, and I said that they used the same revitalization line for Regina and Moose Jaw and they were failures. So the same idea did not apply when it came to Regina and Moose Jaw.

Fri, 2020-10-09 19:14

laine lowe laine lowe's picture

The MTS Centre was a done deal by the time I arrived to Winnipeg. I had no idea that the former site that could have been upgraded was at Polo Park. That is certainly not out in the suburbs or farmland (as in the case of the Ottawa Senators). i certainly would have preferred keeping and repurposing the Eaton building than tearing it down for the stadium knowing that there was a reasonable alternative in play.