COMING SOON: 600 NEW JOBS
No. 1
(FIRST OF ITS KIND) Centre will introduce whole new design to North America
Robert Thurlow is general manager of McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Vancouver Airport, which he says “isn’t anything like the North American market has seen before.” Following a pattern established by developers McArthurGlen in 20 similar, open-air designer outlets in the U.K., France, Italy, Germany and Belgium, Thurlow says“it will be like walking down cobbled streets opening up into an open-air piazza where you can sit at a café and have coffee.”He says the centre will have a“very different atmosphere than your typical what I’d call ‘shopping mall.’ ”
30 to 70
PER CENT Outlet stores yet to be named but will offer deep discounts
While the centre may have a very European-style atmosphere with pedestrian-friendly walkways and tree-lined streets, the savings of 30 to 70 per cent offered by its outlet stores will be what will really differentiate it from other shopping centres. “We offer value to our customers year round,” says Thurlow, who pointed to another variation from competitors. “Our brand lineup will be different,” he says. While the lineup of stores is being held back until an opening expected later this spring, Thurlow said “there’s going to be brands that people haven’t previously had access to.”
240,000
SQUARE FEET That’s Phase 1 with another 140,000 square feet to come
Phase 1 of McArthurGlen, which is a joint venture with Vancouver International Airport, will have 240,000 square feet of shopping and services. Phase 2 will come along in approximately 18 to 24 months after the centre opens and is expected to offer a further 140,000 square feet. The result will be 80 stores offering international and North American items in luxury, premium and lifestyle fashion.
600
JOBS Fair at River Rock Casino for those looking at employment
To staff all those shops, Phase 1 will require 600 people, so McArthurGlen is hosting a job fair at the River Rock Casino from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. The jobs available will include retail management, operations and sales, with both full- and parttime positions. But it will be the brands offering the jobs, not McArthurGlen.
2.4
MILLION Canada Line stop provides easy access for shoppers
With McArthurGlen just a few minutes walk from the Templeton stop on the Canada Line, the closest shoppers to the new centre will be those arriving and departing from YVR. But there are 2.4 million shoppers within 60 minutes of the centre, with downtown Vancouver just a 30-minute drive away and even closer by SkyTrain. While many shoppers are expected to take the train, there’s also 2,000 parking spots.