Best Practices Supplement - November 2021 - 9_SUPP

BEST PRACTICES 2021
9
unanticipated vacancies, " she said.
Spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic,
changing consumer habits
have shifted the commercial-property
landscape, paving the way to more
partnerships with nontraditional tenants
such as dealerships, said Michael
Kehoe, a broker and owner of Calgarybased
Fairfield
Commercial Real
Estate Inc.
" The synerBudhwani:
" Organically,
we
kept on
growing,
but [West
Edmonton
Mall] is a
better solution
because
everything
is under one
roof. "
PHOTO:
PERRY LEFKO
gistic traffic benefits
between a car
dealership and a
mall are perfectly
aligned, " he said.
" The service visit
is a minimum of
three hours, so that
provides great shopping
opportunity
for the mall, " Kehoe
said. " There's great
cross-shopping
potential there.
" Where a luxury
brand like Porsche
aligns with an
upscale mall like
CF Markville, that's
the ideal partnership. "
Pfaff
Automotive Partners' new
Porsche store is within walking distance
of the CF Markville Mall, which
attracts about 12 million shoppers a
year.
The dealership is connected directly
to the mall's parking structures and
features pedestrian access. It became
the first car dealership in Canada fully
integrated with a regional shopping
centre and has a full-service dealership
with new- and pre-owned vehicle sales,
parts and service, Pfaff said.
Prestige Auto Group's new Toyota store in the West Edmonton Mall faces
shoppers and there's also access from the parking lot. The opening
is planned for September. ILLUSTRATION: PRESTIGE AUTO GROUP
'CHECKED ALL THE BOXES'
Michael Talmage, executive
vice-president of Pfaff Automotive
Partners, declined to provide leasing
details but said the mall's location,
" checked all the boxes. "
" You're on a busy corner, and we
have the luxury of parking lot space for
customers, " Talmage said. " It's tough
to find dealership land anywhere in the
Greater Toronto Area. You're really up
against that something could be turned
into a residential piece, whether it's
an apartment building or a condominium. "
The
new address gives Porsche
access to a built-in customer base..
" Instead of customers waiting for
their cars to be serviced inside the dealership,
it's a two-minute walk through
the parking lot to get into the mall and
use the time wisely ... and maybe the
other way, too. Instead of just walking
to the mall, it's an easy walk to come
right over to the dealership.
" I think that's the way Cadillac
Fairview views it, too, trying to find different
ways to attract and retain customers. "
Michael
Peiser, director of development
at Cadillac Fairview, which owns
19 malls including CF Markville, said
Pfaff approached his company about
the site, which underwent " a very
high-level zoning public process. ... And
the good thing is Markham was very
supportive of this. "
'INNOVATIVE ADVANCEMENT'
portive.
Automakers also appear to be sup " At
the heart of the brand-new
Destination Porsche corporate identity
is the desire to foster a sense of community, "
said Marc Ouayoun, CEO
of Porsche Cars Canada Ltd. " With
a central location to
Markham, combined
with a high traffic and
high visibility that
CF Markville offers,
it represents a convenient
location for end
customers and brand
enthusiasts alike. "
At Toyota Canada,
Cyril Dimitris,
dealership
land
anywhere in
the Greater
Toronto
Area. "
SUPPLIED
PHOTO
vice-president of sales
and marketing, called
the Mayfield dealership's
decision to relocate
to West Edmonton
Mall " innovative. "
" Toyota Canada
is excited about this
unique opportunity
Talmage:
" It's tough
to find
" Instead of customers waiting for their cars to be serviced inside the
dealership, it's a two-minute walk through the parking lot to get into the mall
and use the time wisely ... and maybe the other way, too, " said Pfaff's
Michael Talmage. PFAFF AUTOMOTIVE PARTNERS
for our dealer as they look outside the
box to further enhance customer convenience, "
Dimitris wrote in an email.
" We applaud this innovative advancement
of the customer experience. "
Prestige will occupy a space vacated
by Sears that will be visible from the
street. It will include a 117,000-squarefoot
(11,000-square-metre) showroom
and sales and service departments,
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
Best Practices Supplement - November 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Best Practices Supplement - November 2021
