S
SD2
Guest
Wal-Mart's aesthetic evolution
Oct. 11, 2006. 01:00 AM
TONY WONG
BUSINESS REPORTER
You don't typically head to a Wal-Mart store because of the soothing architecture. But that might change.
Stung by criticism that its massive stores are eyesores that don't blend well with the communities in which they are located, Wal-Mart is unveiling a new look that foreshadows a significant shift for Canada's largest retailer.
A groundbreaking in Thornhill for its $80 million Bathurst Centre project in the affluent suburb north of Toronto is scheduled for today. But the Toronto Star got a first peek at Wal-Mart's new vision.
Looking more upscale than the average big-box retail store, the new 135,000-square-foot building has an exterior — if not for its sheer frontage — that might be mistaken for a condo, constructed with tasteful beige and brown brick and surrounded by tree-lined streets. Decorative paving, benches and pedestrian lighting give the area a neighbourhood feel.
"This is a first-rate design that is unlike any other Wal-Mart store in Canada," Wal-Mart Canada Corp. spokesperson Kevin Groh said. "We are making sure the stores we build are appropriate to their surroundings and architecturally relevant."
Banished is the monster battleship grey exterior, including the bright red Wal-Mart sign. Gone too is the unsightly Tire and Lube Express, and all shipping and receiving areas will be enclosed when the centre opens in the summer of 2007.
Of the 272 Wal-Mart stores in Canada, this will be the most distinctive project, said developer Mitch Goldhar, CEO of SmartCentres Inc., the largest builder of unenclosed shopping malls in Canada.
Goldhar, who brought the first Wal-Mart store to Canada in Barrie in 1994, says it was time for the look of the stores to evolve to better reflect communities.
"We have to be able to do this. The world expects us to have more in our repertoire, and this is an example of striking a balance between giving consumers value and aesthetics," Goldhar said.
"This is the most fully conceptualized vision we have had, where the architectural language between Wal-Mart and the rest of the centre is fully integrated,"
However, both Goldhar and Groh stressed that not all Wal-Mart stores will look like Bathurst Centre in the future.
"It's not a question of redefining the stores; we are building what we call stores of the community. In different communities it might mean refining or embellishing some of the architectural elements," Groh said.
With a growth rate of 20 plus stores per year, Wal-Mart's 100,000-square-foot-plus outlets have made a major impact on the architectural footprint of Canadian cities.
But since the retailer first arrived in Canada, it has been a source of controversy and protest from local municipalities and residents leery of cookie-cutter design, traffic congestion and impact on the urban environment.
In Guelph for example, SmartCentres has had a decade-long battle with residents who did not want a Wal-Mart in their neighbourhood. After a costly legal battle, Wal-Mart and developer Goldhar won. Last year Ontario Divisional Court ruled the Ontario Municipal Board had not erred in approving a retail store for the community.
It didn't help that documentaries such as Wal-Mart: The High Cost Of Low Price, which accused the U.S. corporation of using hardball tactics against towns that opposed Wal-Mart projects, tended to undermine the good neighbour image the retailer was trying to project.
But good architecture may be a key step in improving relations.
"This is a win-win situation for the community and for business," Vaughan Mayor Michael Di Biase said in an interview. "They have really outdone themselves with this project."
Di Biase said there was concern from residents at the Bathurst and Centre Street neighbourhoods where the mall is slated that the project would be out of character.
"However, the zoning had been approved long ago," Di Biase said. "We could have taken this to the Ontario Municipal Board, but it would have cost both the taxpayers and the developer money to fight it."
Instead, the mayor met with developer Goldhar to come up with a solution. Goldhar credits Di Biase and local Councillor Sandra Racco for fighting for a different vision.
"To be honest, at the beginning, I wasn't convinced. But then the more I learned, the more I became convinced this was the right thing to do."
Goldhar said Wal-Mart management was receptive to the project, but they wanted to make sure it was cost-effective.
"We had to make sure this was ultimately affordable to the consumer," Goldhar said.
Di Biase said he requested the project fit in with the community and the developer delivered, "in spades."
Link to article
Oct. 11, 2006. 01:00 AM
TONY WONG
BUSINESS REPORTER
You don't typically head to a Wal-Mart store because of the soothing architecture. But that might change.
Stung by criticism that its massive stores are eyesores that don't blend well with the communities in which they are located, Wal-Mart is unveiling a new look that foreshadows a significant shift for Canada's largest retailer.
A groundbreaking in Thornhill for its $80 million Bathurst Centre project in the affluent suburb north of Toronto is scheduled for today. But the Toronto Star got a first peek at Wal-Mart's new vision.
Looking more upscale than the average big-box retail store, the new 135,000-square-foot building has an exterior — if not for its sheer frontage — that might be mistaken for a condo, constructed with tasteful beige and brown brick and surrounded by tree-lined streets. Decorative paving, benches and pedestrian lighting give the area a neighbourhood feel.
"This is a first-rate design that is unlike any other Wal-Mart store in Canada," Wal-Mart Canada Corp. spokesperson Kevin Groh said. "We are making sure the stores we build are appropriate to their surroundings and architecturally relevant."
Banished is the monster battleship grey exterior, including the bright red Wal-Mart sign. Gone too is the unsightly Tire and Lube Express, and all shipping and receiving areas will be enclosed when the centre opens in the summer of 2007.
Of the 272 Wal-Mart stores in Canada, this will be the most distinctive project, said developer Mitch Goldhar, CEO of SmartCentres Inc., the largest builder of unenclosed shopping malls in Canada.
Goldhar, who brought the first Wal-Mart store to Canada in Barrie in 1994, says it was time for the look of the stores to evolve to better reflect communities.
"We have to be able to do this. The world expects us to have more in our repertoire, and this is an example of striking a balance between giving consumers value and aesthetics," Goldhar said.
"This is the most fully conceptualized vision we have had, where the architectural language between Wal-Mart and the rest of the centre is fully integrated,"
However, both Goldhar and Groh stressed that not all Wal-Mart stores will look like Bathurst Centre in the future.
"It's not a question of redefining the stores; we are building what we call stores of the community. In different communities it might mean refining or embellishing some of the architectural elements," Groh said.
With a growth rate of 20 plus stores per year, Wal-Mart's 100,000-square-foot-plus outlets have made a major impact on the architectural footprint of Canadian cities.
But since the retailer first arrived in Canada, it has been a source of controversy and protest from local municipalities and residents leery of cookie-cutter design, traffic congestion and impact on the urban environment.
In Guelph for example, SmartCentres has had a decade-long battle with residents who did not want a Wal-Mart in their neighbourhood. After a costly legal battle, Wal-Mart and developer Goldhar won. Last year Ontario Divisional Court ruled the Ontario Municipal Board had not erred in approving a retail store for the community.
It didn't help that documentaries such as Wal-Mart: The High Cost Of Low Price, which accused the U.S. corporation of using hardball tactics against towns that opposed Wal-Mart projects, tended to undermine the good neighbour image the retailer was trying to project.
But good architecture may be a key step in improving relations.
"This is a win-win situation for the community and for business," Vaughan Mayor Michael Di Biase said in an interview. "They have really outdone themselves with this project."
Di Biase said there was concern from residents at the Bathurst and Centre Street neighbourhoods where the mall is slated that the project would be out of character.
"However, the zoning had been approved long ago," Di Biase said. "We could have taken this to the Ontario Municipal Board, but it would have cost both the taxpayers and the developer money to fight it."
Instead, the mayor met with developer Goldhar to come up with a solution. Goldhar credits Di Biase and local Councillor Sandra Racco for fighting for a different vision.
"To be honest, at the beginning, I wasn't convinced. But then the more I learned, the more I became convinced this was the right thing to do."
Goldhar said Wal-Mart management was receptive to the project, but they wanted to make sure it was cost-effective.
"We had to make sure this was ultimately affordable to the consumer," Goldhar said.
Di Biase said he requested the project fit in with the community and the developer delivered, "in spades."
Link to article
