BT Edmonton Blogs

So what’s the big deal about Victoria Secret?  Canada’s first VS opens this week in Edmonton.  But maybe you aren’t into slinky panties and lacy bras that look amazing on supermodels but iffy on you. Maybe your marriage has matured and your kid’s soccer game has a higher priority than a new set of purple undies. I think the arrival of the bra business speaks more about the city than what’s under our clothes.

Victoria Secret Model, Candice Swanepoel, on BT promoting the opening of the new store in WEM

Forgive the grammar, but Edmonton gets good stores.  And we get them before other places in Canada.  Before Toronto.  Before Calgary.  Victoria Secret chose Edmonton over Montreal.  Remember H & M?  They are everywhere now, but once upon a time in 2008, they chose Edmonton to put their first Western Canadian store. 

Melting Pot in south Edmonton

There’s the Melting Pot, a fondue place in south Edmonton.  You can dip meat into boiling oil all over the U.S….but if you want to do it in Canada you will have to come here to Edmonton.  There is the Red Brick Oven (also on the south side), and Tommy Hilfiger chose Edmonton to launch one of his first three Tommy stores in the world.

Being an avid shopper and a proud Edmontian I still wonder why us? Why Edmonton?  Tommy Hilfiger says it was the right fit for it’s younger, hipper store, “people’s style and sense of humour there is wonderful and very complementary to the Tommy collection.”  Adam Finn, marketing professor from the U of A says it’s also because of our diversity.  Also, the 18 to 49 age group has a lot of spending power. Why not bigger cities? Finn says “Some of the older cities like  Vancouver it’s harder to around in if you have just one location.”

Love or hate West Edmonton Mall, it obviously opened up our market to international retailers.  More are coming too. In 2011, there’s Cabela’s (a giant outdoorsy store) and Michael Kors is opening later this month. We are lucky.  Gotta go now, gotta beat the line up at Victoria Secret.