[wopchop]

Ya it stuck me odd as well. Although the Lowe's side was big footprint and bigger markets, in a lot of departments the two lines were essentially competing with each other.

In the smaller markets, you need a solid relationship with the trades and have a credit/payment system that can accommodate their cash flow. I don't know about Lowe's but I know HD has struggled with this. Around here, Rona seems to have a decent presence on jobsites although not as prominent as Home Hardware Building Centres. In other small markets, they are also up against TimberMart which, in a lot of cases, are built on long-standing local private lumber yards.

Prices are basically the same, so you need to compete on service. The small players are just better at this than the big dogs.
For Home Depot or Lowes, I am not sure what percentage of their business that contractor services represents, but my guess is that for the other yards, it makes up a much higher percentage. In bigger markets like the GTA, there are still many players that have that same playbook but more or less cater to this market 100% (i.e. Central Fairbank, Cooksville Lumber, Hanford Lumber, Royal, Tamarack, etc.). So in those markets, the competition for the big box in the contractor market is fierce.

 

[lenaitch]

Prices are basically the same, so you need to compete on service. The small players are just better at this than the big dogs.
For Home Depot or Lowes, I am not sure what percentage of their business that contractor services represents, but my guess is that for the other yards, it makes up a much higher percentage. In bigger markets like the GTA, there are still many players that have that same playbook but more or less cater to this market 100% (i.e. Central Fairbank, Cooksville Lumber, Hanford Lumber, Royal, Tamarack, etc.). So in those markets, the competition for the big box in the contractor market is fierce.

You're probably right. It would be interesting to know what percentage of contractors use the big box stores for supplies and materials. I do see what, for all the world, look like contractors in our local HD but it may be a matter of 'crap, we need this now and I can't be bothered to order it through our regular yard', or the customer is adamant that they want 'this' Hampton Bay fan.

In terms of lumber and sheet goods (plywood, etc.), I actually do find enough difference in prices that if it more than couple of pieces I will shop it around. The local yards are also usually more amenable (and helpful) in picking through the pile. I also find that the in-store selection of sheet goods at HD to be fairly limited, but our local store is one of the smaller footprint ones.

 

[wopchop]

In terms of lumber and sheet goods (plywood, etc.), I actually do find enough difference in prices that if it more than couple of pieces I will shop it around. The local yards are also usually more amenable (and helpful) in picking through the pile. I also find that the in-store selection of sheet goods at HD to be fairly limited, but our local store is one of the smaller footprint ones.

Just to clarify, when I say prices are the same, I basically mean the prices that the lumber yards will quote you, not the shelf price at the big box.

 

[Northern Light]

I can confirm 2 location closures for Lowes/RONA

1) The Shopper's World Danforth location of Lowes will be closing in January

2) The RONA location at Comstock/Warden (immediately south of a Lowes) will be closing as well. The Lowes facing Eglinton will remain.

* From talking to staff, expect a large number of closures early in the new year, after Christmas sales are done. Note, if buying, the closing stores are already adopting an All Sales are Final take on purchases, so be mindful.

 

[Admiral Beez]

I can confirm 2 location closures for Lowes/RONA

1) The Shopper's World Danforth location of Lowes will be closing in January

2) The RONA location at Comstock/Warden (immediately south of a Lowes) will be closing as well. The Lowes facing Eglinton will remain.

* From talking to staff, expect a large number of closures early in the new year, after Christmas sales are done. Note, if buying, the closing stores are already adopting an All Sales are Final take on purchases, so be mindful.

Shoppers World has been a dump of a mall and its parking lot a huge waste of potential residential space since the before the 1990s. I’d tear the whole place down and build residential with ground level retail, and limited surface parking.

 

[Northern Light]

Shoppers World has been a dump of a mall and its parking lot a huge waste of potential residential space since the before the 1990s. I’d tear the whole place down and build residential with ground level retail, and limited surface parking.

Its coming; Riocan is lobbying the City as we speak, LOL

That said, the mall is actually a good financial performer, and that Metro makes mint; so it will surely be a phased proposal when it comes.

 

[Bureaucromancer]

Its coming; Riocan is lobbying the City as we speak, LOL

That said, the mall is actually a good financial performer, and that Metro makes mint; so it will surely be a phased proposal when it comes.

TBH I'd think expectation should be managed on this. I'd guess the large units aren't that likely to be redeveloped at all. There's lot of parking behind the buildings, and plenty of room for an internal road fronting the existing building. I suspect we'll see towers in the existing parking lot with some structured parking for thew new stuff, and a reorganization of the parking unless Metro is truly desperate for a new unit fronting the intersection.

 

[Northern Light]

TBH I'd think expectation should be managed on this. I'd guess the large units aren't that likely to be redeveloped at all. There's lot of parking behind the buildings, and plenty of room for an internal road fronting the existing building. I suspect we'll see towers in the existing parking lot with some structured parking for thew new stuff, and a reorganization of the parking unless Metro is truly desperate for a new unit fronting the intersection.

Insufficient room at the south/rear of the mall for a road and new buildings, you're under 40M, and even at that you would impair loading for the retail. 40M is standard depth for a typical condo, less can be done, but if you need a street in front, inclusive of sidewalks etc, you have to take out ~14M. Allow another 8M for loading..........

The partial take opportunities are the parking lot beside Lowe's and the restaurant pad featuring the Burger King et al.

Much beyond that you have to demo some portion of the established property.

Given that Lows is gone, I think they'll be challenged to find another 'box' for that space. I would rate Metro as the gold star tenant; with Shoppers a close second, along with Dollarama. After that most of it isn't that big a loss, particularly if they go purpose-built rental here, which I think is increasingly likely. We shall see.

 

[Bureaucromancer]

The partial take opportunities are the parking lot beside Lowe's and the restaurant pad featuring the Burger King et al.

It's the restaurant pad I was looking at. If you ignore that building, there's a 100 m deep site on the order of 1.3 ha to work with, and a set of tenants over on the western side that would be better suited for a podium than the Metro.

Plenty of discussion about what could be open up with the western wing once that happens, but my thought in saying 'manage expectations' is that I suspect it's pretty likly that the proposal will be for a pretty standard building at the actual corner, a second stage doing the same on the Lowes side eventually, and retention of quite a bit of surface parking on the railway side of the site, and very possible in front of Metro.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Its coming; Riocan is lobbying the City as we speak, LOL

That said, the mall is actually a good financial performer, and that Metro makes mint; so it will surely be a phased proposal when it comes.

Good stuff. This eastern end of Danforth is in desperate need of some controlled gentrification.