Walmart has officially announced today that it will be opening up a location in Prince Rupert. The announcement was for the purchase of 39 Zellers stores across Canada from Target, which owns the stores. The only new location to go in British Columbia will be here in Prince Rupert.
[quote=“TheNewsman”]Walmart has officially announced today that it will be opening up a location in Prince Rupert. The announcement was for the purchase of 39 Zellers stores across Canada from Target, which owns the stores. The only new location to go in British Columbia will be here in Prince Rupert.
bclocalnews.com/bc_north/the … 46273.html[/quote]
“Walmart has been criticized for many years for decimating locally-owned stores when it moves into a small community. The chain’s purchasing-power allows them to get goods for less and can undercut the prices charged by local stores which can force them out of business. With residents already willing to travel over 100 kilometres just to go to Walmart already, how this will impact small businesses here remains to be seen.”
Don’t see that as a problem here, the locally owned stores were self decimated years ago.
Updated: Info from Walmart corporate about new location.
booo
And to give credit where credit is due.
http://forum.hackingthemainframe.com/t/ajaye-prediction-wal-mart-comeing-to-prince-rupert/13863/8
And I have been led to believe that the renovations in the Extra Foods site for Shoppers has already started.
What’s up with that!
Ajaye knows alot of people in this town. Sometimes, he’s full of crap, but it’s just to get all of you stirred up. It works too. And other times, what he says is actually true. He’s more in the know than most of you give him credit for.
Ok whatever glad you’re on Team Ajaye, but really even a blind squirrel will find a nut from time to time.
[quote=“Smurfette”]
Ok whatever glad you’re on Team Ajaye, but really even a blind squirrel will find a nut from time to time.[/quote]
I have an old clock that hasnt worked in years, and even that clock is right twice a day.
Good news. Now the people of Prince Rupert don’t have to spend $40 of gas just to purchase a crap load of $5 items.
Now I wonder what happens if IKEA decides to set up an outlet there. Hmmm… just imagine the traffic from Terrace and Kitimat.
I really don’t think having a Walmart here is going to put a dent into Rupertites heading east for a day trip to Terrace. Probably most of us go to get out of here for a bit, shake off the fog !. Walmart just happens to be there ! Besides if the new store is a small as Zellers is now, then it will just be the same crap with a different store name on it! I hope most of the employees are offered jobs, they’ve known this was coming for almost a year now anyway ! Maybe
"ajaye" is related to someone on the “inside” !
Conisidering how empty the mall is, they should relocate all the upstairs stores to the main floor and make upstairs all wallmart
and ruperites will still complain the store in Terrace has cheaper prices then the Rupert store 
This is exactly what they are discussing … negotiations will take awhile because of the large floor plan they are asking for. Shoppers Drug Mart wants the Extra Foods spot… that would be nice…
Apparently Reitmans and Workwear will be moved downstairs with WalMart extending into those spaces. Shoppers has not yet signed on the dotted line. There is some asbestos removal, rumour has it, to be done to the old Extra Foods area. Shoppers is only interested in taking about half of the space, with renovations starting sometime in the first quarter of the new year.
That would be great if Walmart takes over the entire top floor, that is a realistic size for a Walmart… Whether it’s large or small,
Walmart will bring life back into a dieing mall, it is dead down there on Saturday… In a way Target would of been nice, something different, but I am just glad someone wants to revitalize retail in Prince Rupert… Walmart will not cause anything to close as there is not much left anyway already… I had heard that the shoppers deal is still in works… I also agree that it won’t make a huge dent in people traveling to Terrace, however many people don’t have the option so I am glad Walmart is coming… Small business will either have to shape up or further ship out!
It will happen.
A couple years back a city counsellor bought computers for a local volunteer group in Prince George because the RadioShack there was obviously cheaper than the RadioShack here. My ears had the misfortune of hearing the owner’s response when she tried to bring them into his store and demand warranty service.
Beware of these promises.
We read how we’re getting a flagship Subway in our paper. Now they’re negotiating for a tiny rathole in an existing building. Someone finally bought the Zoo and we were all ready to cheer the bulldozers. Aw gee, zoning, restrictions, etc. They’re going to remodel the existing crackerjack box that isn’t worth the price of the gas to make a Molotov.
Six months ago. NOTHING is happening.
The new mine was going to make it’s head office here, local people got preference in hiring. So they sold to another mining outfit. The head office is gonna be on Fort St. John. The subdivision got bought in one parcel - now you buy a company house, can’t build your own.
The only new thing in this dump is the 3 four-plexes built for the mine management to rent. That completely blocks the view from our place. No shit, we used to see the park, the beach, the lake and marina and old Church. Now we see vinyl and shingles and the very top of the mountain.
We’d move but the mine is coming. Everyone wants $300,000 for the house they couldn’t unload last year for $89,000
I know some folks are questioning the timing of this announcement, Election Time? Will all those zoning restrictions, building permits, labor issues etc. that “herbie” mentioned happen here after the new/old Mayor and Council are elected. The Zellers employees have known about the possibility of this happening for almost a year and a half, is it odd it is announced now? Need we be that skeptical?
I noticed in today’s papers an article to check who’s getting a Target. Rupert was on the list but Prince George wasn’t.
They announced ages ago that PG was turning into Target, it does’t make sense they’d change their mind for a market 10X the size of Rupert.
PG sucks the blood from everything out to Smithers, Mackenzie, Quesnel …
Target did not want this Rupert store, thus they have sold it to walmart…
The announcement was from Walmart on Friday that they are coming, and I doubt it has anything to do with the coming election.
My hope is city council keeps their noses out of it… Thanks to them there has been no real retail in this town for twenty years…
Walmart will bring some life back to the Rupert Square…
I also heard tonight from a Shoppers Worker that the deal has been worked out for the Extra Foods Site… I think the new manager of the mall is a sensible sort that seems to work well with these large companies, past management of the mall plus a council that hated competiton in Rupert sure have taken a toll.
Walmart will do very well … I am glad about the new Shoppers but find them expensive … Target Date for the Shoppers is May/June 2012 opening.
let real north amercian commerce take place up.on podunk…
a note to business:
if you didnt screw consumers over the years…kudos to you…If you have…let the wrath of wal mart take ahold upon you.
if you have a specialty shop…you will continue to keep your head above water…
Maybe the port should sub contract out to wal mart to run cruise ship operations…they seem to have a fair bit of success in the operation of business.
OR bend over like ketchikan and let the cruise ships run cruise ship activity. i can only think of west coast launch as a legitimate business that could fend of a major cruise line.
i welcome wal mart…