Boston Pizza expected in December, numerous other developments on horizon
July 11, 2007
The Sault Star
Written by: Frank Dobrovnik
That sound you may or may not hear above the din of construction equipment is of chops being licked across Sault Ste. Marie. Boston Pizza is coming.
Construction began several weeks ago on Great Northern Road beside Soo Mill for a 6,000 square foot outlet of the North American restaurant and sports bar. Some 80 to 100 part- and full-time employees are expected to be hired for a tentative December opening, confirmed director of marketing Wendy Hendry Wednesday.
"We're really excited that we're going to be part of the Sault Ste. Marie community," said Hendry from Mississauga.
Boston Pizza, which bills itself as Canada's fastest growing casual dining brand, has a strategy to open 50 to 75 new restaurants east of Manitoba in the next five years, including the rest of Northern Ontario.
It's already a presence in Thunder Bay, Kenora, and Sudbury, with North Bay set to open between October and November. Timmins is planned further down the road, Hendry said.
Meanwhile, work continues on a second retail strip mall in the shadow of the Future Shop-Home Depot-Wal Mart complex across the street.
Moores Clothing for Men will move to a larger location from its Pim Street outlet sometime after Shindico Developments complete construction of a 9,500 sq. ft. space by the end of August.
Moores will take up 4,600 sq. ft., and in addition to being larger will be a "new prototype layout," said Shindico broker/development manager John Pearson from Winnipeg.
He estimated the new outlet could open between Oct. 1 and 15.
Shindico is "in negotiations on the balance" of the space, he said. He said the other half of the building will likely house two more retailers.
He shot down rumours a Chapters outlet will be one of them.
Shindico brought Payless ShoeSource to town in its first strip mall last spring. Three other retailers operate out of that space: Reitman's, Addition-Elle and Warehouse.
The Sault's so-called Golden Mile continues to expand just north of that development. A 31,000 sq. ft. Incredible Country Hardware Store will open the west side of Great Northern sometime this fall.
Operating in Canada for just over 40 years, the retailer supplies products for "country and farm home improvement, working the land and outdoor hobbies," according to the company's website.
The city is in something of a construction frenzy these days, with other projects including a 7,300 sq. ft. Canadian Tire PartSource outlet at Churchill Plaza, a youth detention facility on Second Line and an Ontario Provincial Police forensics building behind the local detachment.
Just halfway into the year, accumulated construction values are set to overtake totals for the entire 12 months last year. As of last month, the city planning department reported the commercial sector had $9.13 million worth of overall activity, a $4.31 increase from the same time last year, including eight new construction permits valued at $4.88 million — an increase of five permits and $980,000.
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