明报/大多区许多喜欢名牌商品的华人市民，也许都曾参加过前往美国的购物旅行团，专程去纽约水牛城以至纽约市附近的Woodbury Premium Outlet商场“血拼”购买打折名牌。而到了明年8月，“血拼一族”们就不必再劳师远征了，因为届时在奥克维尔(Oakville)附近将建起加拿大第一家优质品牌直销中心，为大家提供打折名牌。
该个昨天动士的“多伦多优质品牌直销中心”(Toronto Premium Outlet)，在其自己的网页上宣称，遍布美国各地的57家名牌直销中心汇聚了全球首屈一指的名师设计及优质品牌，顾客购物时可以享受到25%至65%的折扣优惠，许多商品都是厂价直销，各种优惠更是天天都有。而且商场的布置独树一帜，能够让全家大小尽享开心舒适的购物体验。
以往大多区的名牌追逐者，为了购买折扣商品，往往需要驱车跨过边境前往美国，最近的也要跑到水牛城。但到明年8月，他们可以到Halton Hill的“多伦多优质品牌直销中心”，地点在401公路夹Trafalgar Rd地区。
有喜好购物的市民估算过，1件在普通专卖店售价150元的名牌货，在直销商场首先会打五折，如果再有其它优惠，价格还会降到50元，各项打折算下来，最后变成三折也不出奇。
但也有华人市民表示，加拿大的国情毕竟与美国不同，在美国商场折完又折的情况能否再加拿大这边重现，尚是一个未知数。
多伦多大学罗特曼管理学院(Rotman School of Management)的商科教授索伯曼(David Soberman)也表示，这第一个优质品牌直销中心更多地是在测试，看看美国的购物模式能否在加拿大顺利推广。“这类商场会吸引很多对价格敏感的购物者，沃尔玛连销店在加拿大的成功已经说明了这一点，但在名牌商品的销售上会是什么情况，还需拭目以待。”
合资兴建这间折扣商场的投资商是美国商场发展商“西蒙物业集团”(Simon Property Group)以及安省的一家地产投资公司“科勒威地产投资信托公司”(Calloway Real Estate Investment Trust)。
Construction of outlet mall underway
Construction of outlet mall underway. Representatives from all aspects of the Toronto Premium Outlets project at Trafalgar Road and Highway 401 officially kicked off the project with a groundbreaking Wednesday on site, at Steeles Ave. and Eighth Line. Taking part were (from left) Halton Hills Councillors Joan Robson and Clark Somerville, vice-president, Construction, Premium Outlets Robert Ufland of Simon Property Group, Calloway Real Estate Investment Trust CEO and president Al Mawani, Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette, Simon Property Group president Premium Outlets Development John Klein, Chief Development Officer SmartCentres Mauro Pambianchi, Simon Property Group vice-president Premium Outlets Development Steven Dworkin, Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr and Halton Hills Councillor Bryan Lewis. Ted Brown / Metroland Media Group
Ground was broken for the new Toronto Premium Outlets centre near Milton yesterday morning and construction is set to begin immediately.
Owners of the mall — Calloway REIT and Simon Property Group — are hoping Ontario shoppers who regularly head across the border to shop the U.S. outlet stores will instead make the trek to the new mall slated to open next summer in Halton Hills.
Representatives from Calloway REIT, Simon Property Group, developer partner SmartCentres, local politicians, Town of Halton Hills and Halton Region staff and others working on the project were on hand at the property located at Hwy. 401 and Trafalgar Road for the groundbreaking ceremony.
“This is the first upscale outlet mall to be developed in Ontario, and Canada for that matter,” said Josh Kaufman, vice-president of development for SmartCentres, the developer partner of the mall.
He called the outlet centre a “true collaboration of the greatest development minds within the public and private realm.”
It will allow shoppers to buy direct from a collection of fashion designers and name brand manufacturers. The first phase will be 360,000 sq. ft., housing approximately 100 outlet stores ranging in size from 600 sq. ft. to 25,000 sq. ft. and offering savings of 25 to 65 per cent.
There will be a mix of product categories including apparel and shoes, fashion accessories, leather goods, home furnishings and specialty items.
“The Ontario shopper now has a reason to keep its outlet mall shopping dollars on this side of the border,” said Kaufman. “It will include the best U.S. and Canadian fashion apparel brands offered and, in some cases, for the first time in Canada.”
The names of centre retailers weren’t released except for one.
John Klein, president of Toronto Premium Outlets, said Hudson Bay Trading Co. owned by NRDC, will be opening a Bay outlet in the centre— it’s first “designer outlet prototype in the country.”
The unenclosed centre with entrances off Trafalgar and Steeles Avenue will have a single-level village-style setting with outdoor pedestrian courtyards that will provide sufficient coverage for all-weather shopping. It will be a racetrack design, meaning the stores will be in the centre surrounded by parking and feature several landscaping and natural elements and a centrally located food court.
In total, there will be four entrances to the mall— a right turn only from Trafalgar, a right turn only for eastbound Steeles traffic and two full access entrances from Steeles, one at Eighth Line and another just west of Eighth Line. Both those entrances will be controlled by traffic lights.
Preliminary work has already begun on widening Steeles.
The centre is expected to provide 500 construction jobs and, once opened, 800 to 1,000 permanent full and part-time jobs.
A job fair will be held in Halton Hills, said the town’s Mayor Rick Bonnette.
“The economic benefits will be felt throughout Halton Hills, Halton and the GTA,” he said. “Shoppers will have that option of buying brand names at factory outlet prices without having to go to the line-ups (at the border) and keeping the Canadian dollars here in Canada.”
Calloway CEO and President Al Mawani thanked Bonnette, Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr and Town and Region staff for working hard to make the centre possible.
“Premium Outlets are more than just key spots for bargain hunters, they represent destinations for people who appreciate fashion and those who want a taste of luxury without the traditional luxury price tags,” said Mawani. “At Calloway we’re excited to see this come to fruition.”
Carr said the taxes paid by the mall will be put to good use.
“We’re going to do all we can to make you successful,” said Carr.
Klein said Premium Outlet Centres are “known to thousands of Canadians” as there are 57 of them in the U.S., and others in Japan, Mexico, Korea, Puerto Rico and Malaysia.
He said the facility will draw shoppers, not just from the GTA, but from all over Canada and international tourists.
Bonnette called it an “exciting day” and thanked Town staff for their hard work.
He said it has been an 18-month process to bring the outlet mall to fruition.
http://www.insidehalton.com/news/article/1343738–construction-of-outlet-mall-underway
Construction begins on U.S.-style outlet mall
ctvtoronto.ca
Date: Wednesday Apr. 25, 2012 7:03 PM ET
CEOs and investors broke ground on Canada’s first designer outlet mall on Wednesday.
Toronto Premium Outlets will be built near Highway 401 and Trafalgar Road in Halton Hills, just north of Oakville, Ont.
Consumers will be able to save 30 to 70 per cent off designer name-brand merchandise at the 100 outlet stores at the centre.
The centre is a joint project by U.S. outlet mall developer Simon Property Group Inc. and Ontario-based Calloway Real Estate Investment Trust.
The hope is that nearby residents will visit the centre to avoid a trip to the U.S., said Calloway CEO Al Mowani.
“There’s a population base of over six million people within an hour’s drive,” Mowani said.
The outlet mall will bring “jobs, tourism, and growth to the area,” said Simon Property Group co-president John Klein.
“It will be a real opportunity for people to have positions in good companies,” he said. “These companies are oftentimes nationally or internationally known firms that sell their goods here.”
Halton Hills mayor Rick Bonnette said there will be a job fair in the town so that residents can have the first pick of jobs at the outlet mall.
The mall is expected to add 500 full- and part-time jobs to the area, as well as temporary construction jobs for the next 16 months.
Similar Premium Outlets in the U.S. house tenants that include Michael Kors, J.Crew and Hugo Boss Factory Store.
With a report from CTV Toronto’s Zuraidah Alman
http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20120425/outlet-mall-construction-halton-hills-120425/20120425/?hub=TorontoNewHome
