(photo credit to Shaun Penner)

By Shaun Penner

Retail

Unique retail market continues boom in Grande Prairie

Jul 15, 2019 | 6:11 AM

A retail market analysis commissioned by the City of Grande Prairie shows that the city continues to serve as the retail capital of the north.

The report shows that retail spending in the Swan City in 2018 was totalled at $4.7 billion, something the city describes as unheard of for a city of 69,000 people.

Senior Economic Development Officer with the City Rebecca Leigh says that high number comes from the sheer amount of people it serves in the surrounding area.

“If you look at the population of the City itself, in relation to the amount of retail that we currently have, the numbers don’t necessarily make sense,” said Leigh. “We have a very strong retail offering, but that really supports a much larger population than just the people living within the City, or the County proper.”

Grande Prairie’s retail trade area spans northeastern BC, northwestern Alberta and the Northwest Territories, an area encompassing just under 289,000 people. That is an increase from the 2016 analysis, which had that population at 280,000.

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That large dollar figure outperforms similar municipalities across Alberta, like Fort McMurray or Medicine Hat, simply because of the draw from a very large area.

“Anybody who has been to a Costco on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, isn’t surprised to hear that we are serving people from much farther away,” said Leigh. “You see license plates there from B.C, Northwest Territories, Yukon. People driving up to 12 hours to come to Grande Prairie to take advantage of our retail offering.”

That draw has led to large scale development in the retail sector over the last couple of years. Recently, Windsor Ford opened the largest Ford Dealership in Canada in Trader Ridge. Canadian Tire also decided to go big in the Swan City, developing the largest single floor store in Canada.

That adds to an already vast selection of shops and services the City offers, but the consumer survey portion of the analysis shows that shoppers still want to see more come to the Swan City.

“No surprise for most people, we continue to see a lot of demand for the Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Ikea,” said Leigh. “We’re also finding there is an increasing demand for full-service restaurants, that sort of higher-end dining experience. There also continues to be a demand for clothing and footwear, as well as toys and general entertainment.”

The full report can be found on the City’s website.