How have local malls coped a year after Target said it was leaving Canada?
Posted January 22, 2016 11:33 am.
Last Updated January 22, 2016 3:08 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
MAPLE RIDGE (NEWS 1130) – Just more than a year ago, Target broke the news that its Canadian adventure would be coming to an end. There’s no question that at the time of the announcement it was a major blow for those working at the location at Haney Place Mall in Maple Ridge.
But Ineke Boekhorst, with the Downtown Maple Ridge Business Improvement Association, says Walmart’s arrival last month has revitalized the area and surrounding businesses are benefitting.
“With Walmart moving in, we finally had a regular department store where people can buy their socks and underwear,” explains Boekhorst. “We didn’t have a shop like that for a while, and that was taking a lot of shoppers out of Maple Ridge. Now, people can get their regular department store items at Walmart, and [they’re] staying in Maple Ridge to do their other shopping as well.”
That, in part, comes down to the fact the location has a small parking lot, meaning people park in the surrounding area and often stop by other shops before or after popping in to Walmart.
“At which time they see all kinds of shops they’ve never seen before,” says Boekhorst. “Our downtown small stores have found that there’s quite an impact on their sales. They’ve all had large increases over 2014.”
Boekhurst says local businesses reported an increase in sales of up to 40 per cent this past holiday season, compared with last, with many feeling Walmart’s arrival was a factor.
The last days of Target Canada
Canadian Business has published a behind-the-scenes look on why things went so badly for Target in our country.
Author Joe Costaldo says a collection of small errors, and trying to do too much too quickly, contributed to the company’s problems.
“New technology, not enough time to figure out how to use it, not enough training for the people using it, and just all of the havoc that wreaked.”
He adds early stocking problems and other tech issues left a bad first impression with consumers — discouraging many people from coming back.
Hear Costaldo’s live interview on NEWS 1130:
