U.S. retail chains are eyeing up Langley as the place they want to do business, according to Wesgroup Properties, which is giving the Langley City Square mall on Langley Bypass a fresh new look.
The popular U.S. chain restaurant Chipotle has reserved its spot, with hungry patrons able to fill up on burritos as soon as September, when it is expected to open.
Chipotle is just one of the new tenants slated for the refurbished Langley City Square, located at 19860 Langley Bypass.
Bed, Bath & Beyond and buybuy Baby are also planning to open in the mall. The two popular retailers will be located inside a brand new 50,000 square foot building currently under construction. They’re scheduled to open in the fall.
Starbucks will be sharing building space with the new Chipotle restaurant (which fronts the Langley Bypass).
They are located where the Enterprise rental car building stood. That was knocked down to build the Chipotle and Starbucks, which have worked together in other commercial spaces before.
This is the third Chipotle to open in B.C., with one recently opening in Surrey and another in Vancouver.
The Langley City Square once housed a mix of storefronts, with the Salvation Army thrift store and K&D Furniture occupying the space for years.
It’s a prime retail location in the core of the Willowbrook shopping district at Langley Bypass and 200 Street, across from Willowbrook Shopping Centre.
This fall, this outdoor mall will have a whole new look, with Skechers already open and Starbucks set to begin pouring coffee by the end of July.
The announcement of City Square’s rebranding with the opening of Bed, Bath and Beyond comes on the heels of Willowbrook Shopping Centre’s announcement that it will undergo major renovations and 140,000 square feet in new retail space to keep up with demand of the growing community.
The amount of new home construction, especially in Willoughby, has exploded in Langley, with so many people choosing this community to live and shop in, said Rob Eyers, director of leasing for Wesgroup Properties, who bought the City Square mall around six years ago.
“The big retailers have identified Langley as the place they want to be,” said Eyers.
“The City Square is a prime corner and a very busy intersection at 200 Street and the Bypass for retailers to be seen and brand their product. Big box retail wants to come into Langley because they know this is one of the fastest-growing communities, and with affordability, the population is moving east, away from Vancouver and into the suburbs.”
Eyers said when they bought the mall, it was a mix of semi-industrial and retail.
“We felt is was undervalued for what it could be. We wanted it to be full retail,” he said.
They made the difficult decision to terminate some leases to make way for new retail to breathe new life into the mall.
“That part is always a challenge. But with tenants like Toy Traders and Princess Auto who drive so much traffic to our location, we wanted to accommodate them and get them into long-term leases.”
Toy Traders, with its huge following of loyal customers from all over the Lower Mainland, moved to a bigger, fully renovated space beside Jordan’s furniture. And Princess Auto got an upgrade and signed a long-term lease. Both those stores are located beside Nature’s Fare Markets.
Skechers outlet retailer opened during construction.
“It was tough for them because of the construction, but they’ve outdone expectations,” said Eyers. “They’ve been really busy.”
There is still retail space available at City Square.
Eyers said they are hoping to make some more announcements soon about some new tenants that will be filling some of those spaces.
Overall, it is giving Langley residents lots of shopping options, he said.
