In October, it was Chances Maple Ridge gaming centre opening on Lougheed Highway. In November, U.S. giant Target opens its doors on the main drag in downtown Maple Ridge, on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
The Maple Ridge Target, just more than 111,000 sq. feet, is one of 33 stores opening across Canada, completing the change over from Zellers, as the U.S. company moves north of the border.
The new store is helping downtown turn into a “vibrant and lively” place, said Ineke Boekhorst, with the Downtown Maple Ridge Business Improvement Association.
Like most Targets, the Maple Ridge location will have a Starbucks coffee shop.
It will also receive gold certification under the green building energy-efficiency rating system known as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Sixty-eight Targets in Canada already have that certification.
Some of the features that will save energy include bike racks, to encourage cyclists, use of paints and sealants with low emissions of volatile organic compounds, while materials used inside also are low-emitting materials intended to foster healthy interior spaces.
Washrooms will use low-flow devices to reduce water consumption, while the store itself is a renovation and expansion of the old Zeller’s building, which further reduces the environmental footprint when compared with putting up an entirely new building.
About 115 people will work at the new store, with another 20 brought in for the Christmas season.
The store opening coincides with the start of interior renovations at Haney Place Mall. That entails replacing floors, and installing new ceilings and lighting, and modernizing store fronts.
Target spokesman Lisa Gibson says the company has addressed earlier criticism of merchandise shortages during the first round of store openings in Canada.
“This wave of stores is in a much better in-stock position than our first waves and we continue to be focused on effectively replenishing the store,” Gibson said in an e-mail.
“Opening 124 stores in one year is unprecedented and the stores get better and better with each wave of openings as we understand how our guests shop our stores, build a historical database for better forecasting and as we continue to fine tune our processes. “
Target also says it can compete on prices and will be “in line with the lowest price leader.”
Thirty-one store locations are scheduled to open on Nov. 13, and the remaining two locations will open on Nov. 22, completing Target’s Canadian store openings for 2013.
The Maple Ridge store is one of 124 opening in 2013.
