Discussions

Drove down 18th street this pm and sure that I saw their signage show "this location closing .... "  
 
Not what Brandon needs - less competition in the retail gas market.

If they all have the same price there is no competition.

Agree with hammerhead.. there is no competition in Brandon for gas prices. ALSO.. shell is usually the first to go up in price change and last in price drop.  
 
The other interesting thing about this whole thing is the former motel place has been sold for a while, wonder if their trying to buy out the rest of the land. Which imo won't be a bad thing because that whole block is a eye sore. Wouldn't be surprised...

Getty said "Agree with hammerhead.. there is no competition in Brandon for gas prices. ALSO.. shell is usually the first to go up in price change and last in price drop.     The other interesting thing about this whole thing is the former motel place has been sold for a while, wonder if their trying to buy out the rest of the land. Which imo won't be a bad thing because that whole block is a eye sore. Wouldn't be surprised... "

thing as Getty...have heard rumors (sorry, no links to substantiate) that a hotel is to be built where the former motel was so depending on which hotel, would make sense that they may try to get the entire block to ensure adequate space for the hotel itself plus parking, etc.

To buy up the entire block will then mean buying up Hakim Optical, The Keg and the Physiofirst.

Trevor B said "To buy up the entire block will then mean buying up Hakim Optical, The Keg and the Physiofirst. "

I didn't mean the keg or physiofirst. Just the part that faces 18th, which i:ncludes Hakim and the strip mall. All that has been an eye sore for years.

I also meant just the part of the block that fronts onto 18th Street. My previous post stated the entire block which was not my intent - sorry to confuse.  
 
Edited by Grandmama, 2017-09-26 21:36:58

Getty said "    Trevor B said "To buy up the entire block will then mean buying up Hakim Optical, The Keg and the Physiofirst. " I didn't mean the keg or physiofirst. Just the part that faces 18th, which i:ncludes Hakim and the strip mall. All that has been an eye sore for years. "

the strip mall that's there. The only eye sore is the old motel.  
 
What ever hotel or whoever that want's that land that Hakim and the strip mall is on better give one heck of a financial incentive to relocate from that prime land.

I could see The Keg acquiring the shell and expand their parking lot/restaurant.

I knew 4 of the owners of the FasGas on Richmond. The first wanted out because he was sold a bill of goods that just didn't exist so he put in his notice and they found the next guy. I was talking to the next guy after he took over and 2 months in he was looking for a way out. He was there just over a year waiting for someone to take over his franchise. Then the new guy started and immediately knew this was going no where and he put his notice in when the 4th guy started I moved my account to the Co-op. The margins are extremely brutal with gas stations and especially those little wee gas stations. You get to keep about 2 cents/litre regardless of the fuel cost. You have to make your money selling candy and coffee. You make very little on lotto, cigarettes...they're all just to get people in the door. No matter how much or how little you sell the "Company" always collects their 5%-10% royalties plus rent or whatever other costs come with different franchises. You try to find a way to make money on the side, then the rep comes by and says "what's this? where's our 10%?". All it takes is one employee to skim a couple hundred bucks off the till and your done.

I noticed the sign with the Oct 9 date and was sorry to see a business close. Thoughts in this situation always go to jobs effected, hopefully folks can be accommodated at other locations.  
 
Important to make the distinction between a business closing because of profitability reasons and a business potentially closing because it got an offer it can't refuse... both of which you'd have to think are possible. Have to preface this with the fact I have zero info that would say this will happen, but have to admit that The Keg idea above makes a lot of sense. I understand from others in the restaurant business that visibility is key. Not that The Keg has all of a sudden become less visible over night, but comparatively speaking they're about to be down a notch in that department with what's going on in the Mall parking lot. Either way it'll be interesting to see what happens. I'd like to say that land that prime won't stay inactive for long, the the Western Motel shows that things don't always happen overnight!

Married to someone in the business, I can share some news . There''s talk of a Holiday Inn Express being built where that Old crappy hotel is on 18th next to Physio and The Keg. (the western I think) and the hotel chain is trying to purchase that little strip mall (for hotel parking) behind it where the arcade used to be. I think it''s a Game Cafe now and maybe a flea market store.  
 
Edited by burkejan, 2017-09-27 14:12:08

Also just to be clear re some speculation, I'm told that nobody has approached PhysioFirst ... i.e. no relocation in the works there.

I saw something posted on my mom's apartment building a month back - a City notice so I'm sure you can find some details on the City site.

Below is a link to some info from the cities website on the proposed hotel development on 18th street. Doesn't go into detail much and there's no indication of what hotel chain it will be, it also only i:ncludes the land that the former Western Motel sits in the development plan.  
 
http://brandon.ca/what-is-happening-in-your-neighbourhood/active-applications/1306-conditional-use-1148-18th-street-c-13-17-b-ward-5

Well let the speculation start on what will be replacing the gas station.

The Shell site will need a substantial cleanup. When I worked there, tanks were brutally old (12 years ago). They leaked. The car wash was polluted. The lot in brutal shape.  
 
IF Shell sold the land, whoever bought it will pay 'dearly' for cleanup.  
 
Maybe Shell has other plans (new site)???

Somebody not wasting time with demolition (pic added)

Khakz said "The Shell site will need a substantial cleanup. When I worked there, tanks were brutally old (12 years ago). They leaked. The car wash was polluted. The lot in brutal shape.     IF Shell sold the land, whoever bought it will pay 'dearly' for cleanup.     Maybe Shell has other plans (new site)??? "

Shell is responsible for the clean up.

Yes, in tbe real world, Shell would be responsible for the cleanup. However, if someone really, really wants that land, don't think for a minute Shell won't make cleanup responsibility part of the purchase. Its what they did with 18th and Rosser. Its what Imperial intended to do with 4th and Rosser AND 3rd and Rosser. Its what Parkland will likely do with Richmond near 13th. Its what Imperial is Doing with 20th and Vic. Its what was done when Shoppers bought 18th and College. Its what was done when Robins bought 26th and Vic...  
 
...in the end, Shell would rathet leave it vacant than to clean it up. If Shell must clean it up, then odds are they will just put up another Shell station to avoid a full scale cleanup.

Crew now done their work in the site (pic added). No sign of any “for sale” sign

Khakz said "Yes, in tbe real world, Shell would be responsible for the cleanup. However, if someone really, really wants that land, don't think for a minute Shell won't make cleanup responsibility part of the purchase. Its what they did with 18th and Rosser. Its what Imperial intended to do with 4th and Rosser AND 3rd and Rosser. Its what Parkland will likely do with Richmond near 13th. Its what Imperial is Doing with 20th and Vic. Its what was done when Shoppers bought 18th and College. Its what was done when Robins bought 26th and Vic...     ...in the end, Shell would rathet leave it vacant than to clean it up. If Shell must clean it up, then odds are they will just put up another Shell station to avoid a full scale cleanup. "

So can you please explain what is not cleaned up? Tanks are gone, dirt was dug out and I saw the excavator was dug down to the top of the cab so I know they went deep. I really don't see contamination resulting from the store.

Fishin Guy said "    Khakz said "Yes, in tbe real world, Shell would be responsible for the cleanup. However, if someone really, really wants that land, don't think for a minute Shell won't make cleanup responsibility part of the purchase. Its what they did with 18th and Rosser. Its what Imperial intended to do with 4th and Rosser AND 3rd and Rosser. Its what Parkland will likely do with Richmond near 13th. Its what Imperial is Doing with 20th and Vic. Its what was done when Shoppers bought 18th and College. Its what was done when Robins bought 26th and Vic...     ...in the end, Shell would rathet leave it vacant than to clean it up. If Shell must clean it up, then odds are they will just put up another Shell station to avoid a full scale cleanup. " So can you please explain what is not cleaned up? Tanks are gone, dirt was dug out and I saw the excavator was dug down to the top of the cab so I know they went deep. I really don't see contamination resulting from the store. "

Did they dig around the car wash? Did they dig right to Brandon Ave where the edge of the tanks were?  
 
Also, who said Shell actually did the cleanup themselves? If Shell did the cleanup themselves, they would have i:ncluded the cost in the sale price to whoever (may have) bought the land.