Ground has been broken on an expansion of the Welland Canadian Tire store — putting it on its way to becoming the chain’s third-largest store in the country.
A store in Edmonton is the largest in Canada, followed by one in Ottawa that will open next year.
Located in north Welland on Primeway Drive, near Woodlawn Road next to Walmart and Rona, the revamped Canadian Tire store will grow to about 10,220 square metres (110,000 square feet) from 6,040 square metres (65,000 square feet) in retail space, said general manager Kevin Ryder.
A large warehouse and a 465-square-metre (5,000-square-foot) area designed to accommodate curbside pickup are part of the plans.
Canadian Tire vice-president of visual merchandising Jason Kane said the company will not disclose the cost of the expansion.
“It’s definitely a fantastic, big step forward and a big investment in the community of Welland,” said Kane during a teleconference Wednesday.
In recent years, the City of Welland has broken records when it comes to residential development permits.
By the end of 2020, the Rose City had hit a new residential development record of 519 units for the year, following previous single-year records of 474 units in 2019 and 401 units in 2018.
Over the next two decades, the city’s population of about 54,000 is expected to climb nearly a third, adding 18,640 residents, according to projections from city hall.
Kane said this has played a role in the expansion, which the company started planning in 2018.
“Absolutely, the growth in Welland is a key driver for this investment,” he said.
When plans started, online shopping was a form of commerce Canadian Tire knew it wanted to focus on across the chain.
The COVID-19 pandemic increased this focus, especially with plans for the new Welland store.
“One of our strategic priorities back then was really looking to enhance our overall capabilities on e-commerce,” said Kane, referring to in-store pickup and orders being delivered to homes.
“Over the past year, we’ve definitely seen rapid growth in our e-commerce business. We know that’s an experience that customers are going to want to continue to engage in with us,” he said.
Ryder said the separate pickup area of the store will make shopping “as easy and convenient as possible.”
Kane said it will be ideal for customers buying in bulk, as well as for those purchasing larger items such as a barbecue. They would be sent to this section of the store in their vehicles to finalize their transactions.
This will be a step taken to “adapt to the way people’s shopping habits have changed,” he said.
The store sits in a part of the city that is welcoming new industry, as well as an 80-room Holiday Inn Express, the largest hotel in the city, slightly north of the new store adjacent to Highway 406.
A new LCBO store opened earlier this year across from the Canadian Tire store parking lot.
New subdivisions sprouting up all over the city.
“We’re looking forward to the boom that’s going on here,” said Ryder.
The store opened in November 2008 after relocating from Niagara Street across from Seaway Mall.
Ryder said all the necessary approvals from the city have been given for the expansion project. He also said more information will be available closer to the completion related to whether it will create new jobs.
The new space has a targeted unveiling of fall 2022.
Earth started being moved Monday and the installation of sewers to service the build are on of the first steps in its construction, said Ryder.
