“Surprisingly Intimate” Supercentre Opens July 14
Jul 12, 2010
(News Release) VICTORIA – Uptown welcomes North America’s second-largest Walmart
What: Grand Opening, Uptown Walmart Supercentre
When: Wednesday, July 14
On Hand: Morguard Investments representatives, Walmart Canada senior representatives, Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard
Special events: Ribbon cutting at 7 am, live music, giveaways
The second-largest Walmart in North America – featuring a clever, unobtrusive design – will open its doors on July 14 at Uptown, the region’s most hotly anticipated mixed-use development. The flagship Walmart Supercentre will employ more than 400 local residents and will boast the company’s largest food floor in Canada.
Built into an embankment, the 220,000-square-foot, two-level store appears deceptively small from the exterior. “There’s some wonderful slight of hand behind the design of our new Walmart,” says Uptown General Manager Roberta Ferguson. “It’s an impressive, all-inclusive store. But with its thoughtful architecture, contemporary exterior, and welcoming entry, it fits well into our urban village atmosphere, feels surprisingly intimate, and offers a comfortable and sophisticated shopping experience.”
A long-time tenant of the Town and Country Shopping Centre, Walmart is one of the original occupants of the Uptown site. Opening as Woolworth in 1961, the store expanded and rebranded as Woolco before changing its name to Walmart in 1998. The new store will bring an additional 120 jobs to the Town and Country store’s existing workforce of about 280.
“We’re striving to offer the best possible balance of retailers at Uptown,” says Ferguson. “Along with independent boutiques like SOHO and Sweet Nancy’s, we’re incorporating new-to-the-Island international brands like BCBG Max Azria, established regional stores like Urban Barn, and large retailers like Walmart. Of course, even our anchors won’t be run-of-the-mill: our Future Shop boasts the company’s first musical instrument department in BC; our Shoppers Drug Mart includes the company’s first beauty boutique in the region; and our Walmart will be the company’s flagship store for the Island. Uptown shoppers can linger over a new outfit at a fashion-forward boutique, then nip down Uptown Boulevard to buy an avocado or stock up on diapers. It’s all here.” In its first phase alone, Uptown’s retailers are expected to inject sales of $220 million into the local economy.
Walmart was established in Canada in 1994 with the acquisition of the Woolco division of Woolworth Canada. It now operates more than 300 stores across the country. Each carries approximately 80,000 different products ranging from apparel and home decor to electronics and groceries. Uptown’s Walmart is the 100th Supercentre in the nation.
For more information go to www.shopuptown.ca