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B.C. malls lead in sales per foot

Microsoft Corp. is the latest in a long line of U.S. retailers to open stores in B.C., where mall sales per square foot are substantially higher than they are in both the U.S. and elsewhere in Canada.

Microsoft Corp. is the latest in a long line of U.S. retailers to open stores in B.C., where mall sales per square foot are substantially higher than they are in both the U.S. and elsewhere in Canada.

A 2011 study from the International Council of Shopping Centers found that B.C. malls post average per-square-foot sales of US$657, compared with US$584 for Canada and a U.S. average of US$418 per square foot.

Microsoft opened pop-up stores in Metropolis at Metrotown and in Oakridge Centre on October 26 and is rumoured to be considering opening a permanent retail location in Metro Vancouver in 2013.

Much fanfare greeted Nordstrom Inc.'s September announcement that it plans to open outlets in Vancouver. Anticipation is also building for Target Corp.'s rollout next year of at least 125 Canadian locations that will each employ up to 200 staff.

Less coverage greeted the arrival of Williams Sonoma-owned homeware store West Elm, which opened on September 13 on South Granville in the site that Shoppers Drug Mart vacated last year for new digs across the street.

Other U.S. retailers that opened their first B.C. stores earlier this year include home furnisher Crate & Barrel's sibling CB2, which opened in mid-February at the revamped Pacific Palisades on Robson Street, clothing store J. Crew, which opened at the former Tommy Hilfiger location on Robson Street in April, and fashion retailer Express, Inc., which opened in Pacific Centre in July. TJX Companies Inc. opened its first Marshalls fashion store location, in B.C., in 2011. It has since opened another six stores in Ontario.


from Western Investor December 2012