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This isn't specific to just WEM.

Location, location: Why Edmonton is preferred by U.S. chains making their Canadian debut

West Edmonton Mall, which opened in 1981 and was once North America's largest mall, also plays a role in attracting businesses to Edmonton, said Craig Patterson, a retail analyst at the University of Alberta.

"It's a very unique centre. You don't get some stuff in Calgary that you'll get in Edmonton just because Edmonton has West Edmonton Mall. So it's pretty interesting how that works," he said.

The mall is home to Canada's sole locations of Sarah Jessica Parker's SJP shoe store and the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant.
 
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Gronk! said:
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Had they gone ahead with all those plans to add new phases like office towers, condos, hotels, never mind the long planned third floor to WEM we'd have recovered the title but malls are a dying breed even amongst the so-called Supermalls! WEM, MOA, Xanadu aka American Nightmare aka American "Dream" mall... The ironic naming of the last one isn't lost on me even as a I obsess over its success and failure from the shadows of WEM itself... I still love the idea of a destination tourism/shopping centre more than ever TBH but with all that's going on in the world their enclosed status quickly goes from the major draw to its fatal flaw... Again ironically I have a feeling if American Dream de-malled and yet kept its footprint it would be MUCH more successful even in the shitty weather the meadowlands is known for... Foggy, marshy and smelly in the case of suburban oil-soaked New Jersey...
 
If you thought Triple Five went through the PR wringer over WEM and its shady mid 90's refinancing... HOLD MY BEER...
 
And yet it's so starkly modernist beautiful in the way Rogers Place is. In fact I am sure they used the same architecture firm and probably materials to re-kit the interior anyway since the old owner is the one that basically turned over a 75-80% complete project at the time of purchase... And only SOME corridors had been fully blinged out in the old Trumpian design of marble and gold... Before it was stripped for WEM Phase III neo-futurism..
 
Honestly I'd have thought a few Canadian companies who are always testing American expansion WOULD have used the opportunity to take a gamble on a Dream Mall location but clearly that's not the case and even amongst those who signed up, they aren't open or don't have plans to anytime soon. Frankly if I was a rich Canadian in that area I'd theme the mall as CANADIAN DREAM MALL just to mess with them... Open as many Canuck themed chains in there as possible... Tim Horton's Swiss Chalet Reitman's Jacob Le Chateau (relaunched) American Apparel by Gildan... Simons... The Bay... Holt Renfrew... Time for a little reverse cultural imperialism! Or at least tapping into the existing Canadian diaspora around the region which as we know is HUGE HUGE HUGE in LA and NYC... They are often described as or third and 4th largest cities because of how large and largely blended Canadians are with America... To quote The Simpsons.. "We've learned to IMITOOT YOU EXARCTLY!"
 
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