[Hack&Lube]

I looked and we have threads on new architectural developments, restaurants, and neighborhoods (Kensington) but (unless I'm blind) we don't have a thread on local shopping deals, experiences, etc. or retail developments.

I sense a lot of change is going on, I never really bought into the online shopping is hurting retail but I am noticing it now. Did anybody notice that H&M closed 50% of their stores in Calgary? This was one of those ubiquitous retailers that I thought would be strong no-matter what but suddenly both Market Mall and Sunridge locations closed and some older press releases claimed online shopping was hurting their business. I wonder if Crossiron, Downtown and Chinook might close eventually. Market Mall was supposed to be a stalwart of Canadian shopping by metrics alone. Maybe I'm old-fashioned but I still like physically visiting stores and seeing new things. I'm still disheartened by the collapse and condensing of so many retailers into Wal-Mart, Costco, and Superstore combos and hardly anything else in between.

There's a lot going on at Chinook Mall as well as it looks like Cadillac Fairview has decided the whole early 2000 mall aesthetic has got to go and they are renewing huge segments of the mall - in my memory it feels like we just got the "New" Chinook Mall a few years ago but now I realize its been 20 years.

New Horizon Mall, the new Asian supermall in Balzac opened up in the spring but is anything there yet? I heard rumors there would be a Daiso and other places there. I'm still surprised this thing opened. Is there actually demand in Calgary to sustain such a thing?