Dario Balca, Centretown News
The former Zellers building at 156 Sparks St. is seen closed and undergoing renovations . A Winners store will soon open at the location as part of the Spark Street BIA’s plan to revamp the area by introducing new businesses. A new Winners location is expected to open on Sparks Street this fall. Business experts say it should have a positive impact on the revitalization of the street, but more could still be done.
Michael Mulvey, an assistant professor at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa, says the new discount retail store should do well on Sparks Street.“It is prime real estate for daytime success,” he says.
If the Winners were located in a strip mall location, people would be driving there and making it a destination. But on Sparks Street there are already a lot of people working and living in the area, he says.
Kevin McHale, the program and events co-ordinator for the Sparks Street BIA, says Winners should help in the revitalization of the street, as it is a major retailer with a huge fan base.
“It should generate a lot of foot traffic,” he says.
“People tend to cluster their chores together,” says Mulvey. “If Winners is an anchor destination there will be positive spill-over effects” for the other businesses on the street.
The new store will be located at 156 Sparks Street where Zellers used to be. According to Ian Lee, an assistant professor at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, Zellers used to generate a lot of traffic, so the Winners should do well in this location.
Lee says Sparks Street has become a bit of a “wasteland” over the years. Especially in the evenings, “after 5 p.m. you could shoot a cannon down the street and hardly hit anybody.”
“You need to have reason for people to go to Sparks Street,” says Lee.
“You need more people stores.” By people stores, Lee doesn’t just mean more restaurants. He says there should be a mix of retail.
People who work around Sparks Street, Wellington Street and Queen Street don’t have a lot of options when it comes to modestly-priced clothing. Rideau Centre is close by, but it doesn’t give people enough time to shop and eat if they only have a 45-minute lunch break, which is typical in a government job, says Lee.
Winners offers brand name products at a discount and should fill a gap in the marketplace, according to Lee.
Mulvey says the biggest thing that could help revitalize Sparks Street is a larger residential community. New developments in the area could boost population, which in return could benefit the street, as more people walk to the stores from their homes.
He also says the mall should have more complimentary offerings in terms of stores.
“Nowadays it is hard to find a big retail bookstore without a coffee shop attached to it,” he says. Sparks Street should have more of this type of offering. Businesses like movie theatres, comedy clubs or more restaurants, would give people other options between shopping.
McHale says there have been a number of new establishments that have opened up on Sparks Street recently, including Bier Markt and Nate’s Deli.
“I think that bringing Winners there is a step in the right direction,” says Lee.