Promenades St-Bruno, the regional mall on Montreal’s South Shore, has announced a $49.5-million(Cdn) redevelopment project aimed at modernizing its dining experience and expanding retail space. The existing lower-level food court will relocate to the current Marché des Promenades location, where it will be transformed into a brighter, more comfortable gathering space while maintaining a similar number of food vendors. Seating capacity will nearly double to approximately 1,100, along with a new outdoor terrace and dedicated exterior entrance. The entrance will support extended hours, takeout, and delivery services. Following the relocation, the former food court will be converted into 20,000 square feet of new retail space, providing opportunities for new retail concepts and strengthening the centre’s merchandising mix. Promenades St-Bruno will remain fully operational during construction, with measures planned to minimize disruption. Construction is scheduled to begin in mid-September 2026. The new food court is expected to open in Fall 2027, while the redeveloped former food court space is targeted to open in November 2028. The centre currently spans more than one million square feet and generates approximately $290 million in annual CRU sales. (Promenades St Bruno – www.lespromenadesstbruno.ca)…………
Urban Reform Immobilier reports that Chris Rundle has joined the company as Partner and Broker, based out of the Montreal offices. He brings over a decade of experience in commercial real estate following a career most recently spent as Vice President with a leading commercial real estate firm, where he specialized in landlord representation. As Partner, he will play an important role in the continued growth of Urban Reform Immobilier, helping expand its landlord representation platform and further strengthen its presence in downtown Montréal and throughout Québec. (Chris Rundle – 514/2451-7730 chrisr@urbanreform.com)………..
The YXSTABY collection, created through a collaboration between IKEA and XBOX, is designed to integrate gaming naturally into everyday home life. Combining XBOX’s 25 years of gaming expertise with IKEA’s extensive knowledge of home living, the collection focuses on flexible, space-saving furniture that works for both gaming and regular activities. Recently unveiled at Gamescom in Cologne, the YXSTABY collection will be available across IKEA Canada and online starting October 1, 2026. The collection includes a rolling TV stand with storage for gaming equipment, a toolbox that organizes controllers and cables while doubling as a laptop stand, a mobile side table with charging space, and a monitor stand with storage and holders for accessories. These products address common challenges faced by people who game in shared or multifunctional spaces.
With Scandinavian-inspired designs in muted white, black, and beige, accented by green storage details, the furniture is intended to blend with existing home décor. (IKEA Canada – www.ikea.com)………
GARAGE, the Montréal-born fashion brand, is continuing its international expansion with a new store at Birmingham’s iconic Bullring, scheduled to open in early 2027. This follows successful UK openings at Bluewater Shopping Centre, Oxford Street in London, and Manchester Arndale, with another location at Trafford Centre planned for this Fall. The Birmingham store reflects GARAGE’s strategy of entering high-profile shopping destinations and strengthening its connection with UK customers and communities. The brand is also expanding its global online presence in response to growing international demand. GARAGE now ships to nine additional countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Spain. This allows more customers worldwide to access its popular off-duty essentials and monthly product drops. Overall, GARAGE’s growing physical and digital presence highlights its strong international momentum and commitment to reaching customers across global markets. (GARAGE – www.garageclothing.com)…………
Home goods and furnishings retailer Wayfair Inc. has announced plans to open its tenth U.S. store in 2028 at Marketplace at Altamonte in Altamonte Springs, north of Orlando, in Florida. The 85,000 square foot, single-level location will expand Wayfair’s growing physical retail presence and strengthen its omnichannel strategy by connecting in-store shopping with its extensive ecommerce platform. The new store will offer customers curated Wayfair Verified products organized by room and style, access to on-site design experts, same-day purchases on select items, and the ability to shop Wayfair’s broader online assortment through its logistics network. According to Wayfair, its stores are helping attract new customers and deepen engagement across shopping channels. Wayfair said the tenth store milestone reflects continued investment in physical retail and provides valuable insights into customer preferences, merchandising, services, and overall experience. The Orlando-area location joins existing stores in Illinois, Georgia, and Ohio, along with upcoming locations in several major U.S. markets. (Wayfair Inc. – www.wayfair.com)………
In late August, Montreal-based real estate firm Leyad acquired the 427,500 square foot The Village shopping centre at 430 Topsail Rd. at Columbus Dr. in St. John’s in Newfoundland. Located in St John’s west end, the two-level mall includes Rossy, No Frills, Home Hardware, Sport Chek, Fit4Less, etc. (Leyad – www.leyad.ca)…………
After recent conversations with a few of retail and shopping centre executives concerning the state and future of the Canadian economy, the consensus is that while the retail economy is showing some signs of weakness, we are likely looking at a year of adjustment rather than a full-fledged recession.
While the rash of store closures suggest otherwise, consumers continued to spend in the first half of the year, even showing modest increases. Full-price retail is feeling the pinch but value-oriented and discount chains as well as grocery sales have remained positive.
Purchasing behaviour, however, is a concern with online sales increasing as consumers continue to source lower prices. Consumers have become more selective about where and what they are buying.
The U.S. tax on about $28-billion worth of Canadian exports and the Canadian countermeasures, however, can and will change consumer thinking and activities. And prolonged ‘6:00 News’ headlines will accelerate these fears.
If cooler heads prevail and trade tensions ease, and if interest rates remain favourable, the retail economy can survive a difficult but manageable period of restructuring. And, as we’ve learned during previous downturns and economic adjustments, this can only happen when the industry operates together. The deals and opportunities are still there but a closed mind will miss them. More than ever, deals and agreement today will have to make sense for both parties…………
Have a great week………..