18 replies to this topic

[martini]

http://www.timescolo...3700/story.html

Pet store chain Petcetera, once named one of Canada's hottest startups, has filed for creditor protection, the Richmond-based company announced yesterday.

"In light of the recession's impact on the Canadian retail industry, we have to take drastic measures in the short term to ensure that Petcetera continues to be viable long after the downturn is over," president and founder Dan Urbani said in a release.

Urbani opened the first store in Vancouver in 1997 and grew the limited partnership into Canada's leading pet superstore chain with 1,600 employees and 49 locations in Canada, from British Columbia to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Trouble was first sounded last May when a group of former employees filed a complaint with the British Columbia Labour Relations Board alleging the company terminated almost half its workforce in an attempt to bust a union drive. But the company said it had to lay off staff because it wasn't doing well.

[Bernard]

Hopefully they will close the store at Tillicum, the existing store detracts from the mall

[VicHockeyFan]

Hopefully they will close the store at Tillicum, the existing store detracts from the mall

Hey, that place fills a need, a need of armed robbers that is.

http://www.saanichpo...dia/06_238.html

On Wednesday, January 04, 2006 at 7:45 am Saanich Police officers responded to Petcetera at Tillicum Shopping Centre for a report of an armed robbery. According to store employees the suspect managed to enter the store by posing as a delivery person.

The same Petcetera was robbed in November 2005. The description of the suspect in that robbery is different from today’s robbery.

[rjag]

Hey, that place fills a need, a need of armed robbers that is.

http://www.saanichpo...dia/06_238.html

We did a shredding job for them last August and we've been chasing them to pay the $150 bill for months. Now I see why. Ah well you win a few and you lose a few. Not going to shed any tears over this.

[Newlywednotnearlydead]

Wow, tough times for Tillicum Mall with Linens n Things also having closed.

[spanky123]

The Linens n Things space has been leased to Bed, Bath and Beyond.

No surprise with Petcetera, I have seen more than 10 customers in the store at one time in about 5 years!

[G-Man]

^ I agree it was just a matter of time.

[RPPB]

Yes, it was inevitable... The Tillicum store is poorly lit and disorganized, the staff generally unmotivated and the pet food prices no better than many supermarkets. The PetSmart in Langford is not much cheaper but is a much better shopping atmosphere.

Also, I think it's Home Outfitters moving into the old Linens 'n Things store - two HBC stores at the same mall...

[Holden West]

The signs outside say everything 15% off but I don't know what I'd do with a three-legged cat.



Sorry for old joke.

[AnonAnnie2]

The signs outside say everything 15% off but I don't know what I'd do with a three-legged cat.



Sorry for old joke.

soooooooooooooo baaaaad.

lol

[weirdie]

Yes, it was inevitable... The Tillicum store is poorly lit and disorganized, the staff generally unmotivated and the pet food prices no better than many supermarkets.

Not to mention that they routinely sell sick animals. I had a guinea pig die within three days of bringing it home. I have seen dead hamsters in their cages on more than one occasion. Then there was my aquarium: Before I realized what the cause was, every time I would introduce a fish from Petcetera, my healthy fish would get sick, shortly followed by the PC fish going belly up. I had better luck with fish from the pet section of Walmart for crying out loud.

[spanky123]

Yes, it was inevitable... The Tillicum store is poorly lit and disorganized, the staff generally unmotivated and the pet food prices no better than many supermarkets. The PetSmart in Langford is not much cheaper but is a much better shopping atmosphere.

Also, I think it's Home Outfitters moving into the old Linens 'n Things store - two HBC stores at the same mall...

Sorry you are correct regarding Home Outfitters.

[Bernard]

Yes, it was inevitable... The Tillicum store is poorly lit and disorganized, the staff generally unmotivated and the pet food prices no better than many supermarkets. The PetSmart in Langford is not much cheaper but is a much better shopping atmosphere.

Also, I think it's Home Outfitters moving into the old Linens 'n Things store - two HBC stores at the same mall...

Home Outfitters took over many of the Linen and Things sites, including the Tillicum location.

Tillicum has seen some positives lately - the replacement of the Brass Duck, the new Fabricland under the Old Navy, new stores in the old Fabricland location, the library and the TD Bank. On the other hand they lost the realtor and another store next to the realtor.

[Holden West]

Wow, tough times for Tillicum Mall with Linens n Things also having closed.

The fact that that store (that closed due to external problems) was replaced almost immediately with another respected retailer, along with what Bernard says, speaks volumes for the health of the mall.

If you want an example of a failing mall check out Landsdowne mall in Richmond. For years this massive mall loomed over its poor cousin, Richmond Centre but now the roles are reversed, with Landsdowne filled with vacant and third-rate no-name retailers.

[gumgum]

Can anyone say Tinseltown?

[Holden West]

^What do I do when someone mentions something I know nothing about? I look it up.

[Savannah]

Yes, it was inevitable... The Tillicum store is poorly lit and disorganized, the staff generally unmotivated and the pet food prices no better than many supermarkets. The PetSmart in Langford is not much cheaper but is a much better shopping atmosphere.

I totally agree. We stopped at Petcetera once or twice when our dog was still a puppy, but never went back. My general impression remains of the store being very dark and disorganised, and we couldn't even get decent refills for our poo-bag dispenser. At least Petsmart is bright and friendly, and Clover always gets a cookie when we visit. (And pictures with Santa at Christmas? Brilliant!) I am not the least bit surprised about the news of Petcetera's woes.

[Phil McAvity]

^What do I do when someone mentions something I know nothing about? I look it up.

Yeah, but what do you do when someone has no idea what they are talking about? I've been to Tinseltown and Tillicum Mall and they are nothing alike. Compared to Tinseltown, Tillicum Mall is like Grand Central Station. dumdum, have you been to both?

[aastra]

I think you might have missed a turn there. Holden was talking about the vicissitudes that shopping centres can enjoy and/or suffer over time, and gumgum offered the example of Tinseltown.

Indeed, Landsdowne, Tillicum, and Tinseltown/International Village have much in common in this regard.

I suppose you could argue that International Village was broken from the start, but in my opinion it looked promising when it first opened.

Tillicum started with a bang ("Tillicum Maul") but eventually turned into a lame duck, before it revised itself into what it is now. The place is 30 years old and yet it's had several rather distinct identities in that short time.