South Edmonton Common
South Edmonton Common keeps it fresh with continuous improvements
After winning Edmonton’s best shopping centre for the second year in a row, South Edmonton Common isn’t resting on its Readers’ Choice Awards laurels.
“We’re grateful to win again, but we are still continually looking for improvements that benefit our shoppers and tenants,” says Harold Pacheco, marketing manager for Cameron Corporation, which owns and operates South Edmonton Common. “We’re always looking to bring in new and exciting choices and selections for customers.”
As one of Canada’s largest open-air shopping centres, South Edmonton Common houses 170 stores and businesses on 320 acres (130 hectares) and contains more than 2.3 million square feet of dining, shopping and entertainment space. The site includes Canada’s largest two-storey Canadian Tire, Edmonton’s only IKEA and Nordstrom Rack stores, and Edmonton’s first The Rec Room. Selection, along with discounted prices — from outlets with entry level offerings to those featuring highend designer labels — are the trademarks of the diverse array of shopping opportunities assembled, including some 40 dining and recreation facilities.
“One of our newest additions is Copper Branch – a vegan restaurant from Montreal,” says Pacheco. “It meets a growing demand for plantbased eating and is an example of our commitment to offering stores and options to meet current trends and consumer preferences.”
He points to the holiday shuttle they trialed last year and which proved so popular that they’ve decided to bring it back this holiday season, on an even bigger scale.
“We do a ‘best practices tour’ every couple of years to other leading sites in the US, which is where we saw the idea of operating a shuttle for shoppers,” says Pacheco. “So, after trying it during last year’s holiday season, we’re looking to increase mobility on the site, in addition to the numerous ETS stops that we have.”
With the shuttle becoming a fixture, the holiday season will receive several new features. “The shuttle will take visitors to and from popular stores, as well as our new holiday experience centre,” says Pacheco. “This centre will offer shoppers the chance to get their gifts wrapped by donation, with proceeds supporting Autism Edmonton.”
Additional details on the holiday experience centre, shuttle, as well as holiday deals and promotions, can be found on the shopping centre’s social media accounts. “We’re on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and these channels serve as an online ‘information booth,’” says Pacheco. “We answer people’s questions and concerns, host contests, and post updates on new and existing retailers.”
They’ve also made things easier for consumers with the creation of the ‘Fashion District’ that gathers clothing stores in the same area. Shoppers can walk from store to store, rather than repeatedly driving and parking at each individual store. “With the walkable Fashion District, you can easily get your little one’s new shoes just a few steps away from an outfit for your holiday party or performance wear for the gym,” says Pacheco. “Whatever you need, it’s all here.”
Thus, while South Edmonton Common is one of Canada’s largest open-air outlet malls, it can also be considered the most innovative.
“When we opened in 1998, collections of open-air outlets were new, and we were at the forefront,” says Pacheco. “Home Depot was our initial ‘big box’ store, and then Walmart,
and we’ve since added many others —including some retailers first or largest stores in Canada. We’ve made a habit of leading the way.”
Parent company Cameron Corporation’s policy is to work with tenants to help differentiate their appearance.
“Typically, big box stores aren’t the most visually appealing,” says Pacheco. “But our in-house design team works with our tenants and we also lead the construction. We use higher quality building materials, such as stone — and the result translates into a higher calibre of aesthetics and a more visually-appealing shopping experience.”
Examples of improvements from the past year include an exterior upgrade of the Ashley Home Store, along with an H&M store renovation. Those updates also include a focus on sustainable development. “We build things to stand the test of time,” says Pacheco. “We develop projects that will last a hundred years and that we are proud to put the company name on.”
Sustainable developments continue, with greater integration of solar panels, like on IKEA’S roof. As well, more electric vehicle plug-ins are in place, and the site has been converting to LED lighting.
“We’re striving to grow and meet the changing needs and concerns of our shoppers,” says Pacheco. “At the same time, we also want to build on the retail experience and made a significant investment in LED holiday lights a few years ago. You can see these on the pylon signs along Gateway Boulevard starting in December.”
And that means Edmontonians and visitors will easily be able to find the city’s most popular outdoor shopping centre.