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We were on the scene at Whistler ICSC this week, and hope to see our name in Guinness, as there was record attendance—2,400. Western Canada's premiere retail industry event didn't disappoint.  Tommy Guns booth offered up men's haircuts and straight razor shaves. (While we like old-fashioned swag, we admit beer koozies could never provide this close a shave.) Bisnow caught up with the planning committee co-chairs—Colliers VP James Smerdon and Omicron VP George Sawatzky—during the two-day event (now in its 25th year) at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler Resort. “Whistler ICSC is about face-to-face business,” James says, “negotiating deals over dinner and then sharing photos of your kids and dogs because nobody is rushing home after.”  A hot topic among the 86 exhibitors: the evolution of shopping centres, and the challenges of finding space in existing centres. Large tenants wait for other large tenants to depart, or get in line for the lengthy municipal development or redevelopment processes. “The words, ‘there are no easy deals any more' should be printed on t-shirts and handed out at registration to save people from having to say it all the time,” James adds.  George was paying close attention to US retailers like Nordstrom, Crate & Barrel, and Marshalls expanding into Canada. E-commerce was also a hot topic. “Retailers are not only thinking about their online offering but also how they need to re-envision their customer experience in their bricks and mortar locations,” George says. Snapped is an ice sculpture at the welcome reception. |
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Green Is Good Moments before the makeshift puppet show that appears to be taking place in this photo, Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson (centre) was on hand to laud The Exchange tower as the latest initiative in making Vancouver “the greenest city in the world.” But still, the $200M, 31-storey office tower in the city's financial district has a significant heritage component attached to it (the 85-year-old Old Stock Exchange), making those sustainability targets challenging. The Exchange, developed by European investment bank Credit Suisse, will be the second tallest office tower in Canada to achieve LEED Platinum.  Iredale Group is working with renowned Swiss architect Harry Gugger on the project. Iredale architect Peter Hildebrand confirms this is the first LEED Platinum project with the inclusion of a heritage building that's been undertaken in Canada. Heritage and LEED "are not always pulling in the same direction," he adds.  Heritage aims to maintain the original intention of buildings; LEED requires the incorporation of new and efficient technologies. “A big part of pursuing LEED Platinum certification is to retain large parts of the existing building, keeping materials out of the landfill,” he adds. A good example of balancing both worlds is with the windows—the existing units retain the character of the original building but are not nearly as effective as the latest triple-glazed windows on the market, Peter says. |
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Rosewood Named
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Most ExpensiveBurrard Street is No. 2 on the list of most expensive streets in Canada when it comes to office rents in 2013, according to the third annual Jones Lang LaSalle report. (Or is we call it: the worst place to realize you forgot your wallet.) Bay Street was No. 1 at $73.54/SF, while Burrard came in at $65.91/SF. Third was 2nd St SW in Calgary, at $59.72. As JLL president Brett Miller notes, more and more in Canada, as the market continues to strengthen, and companies are willing to pay higher rental rates to be in prestigious locations. The most expensive streets fall into financial, retail, or government hubs that are highly prominent. Burrard finished third in 2012. |
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