Lhe honorary professor of marketing at the University of Quebec in Outaouais (UQO), Normand Bourgault, does not go all the way when asked about “SmartCentres” type mega-centers, whose popularity seems to have wavered for several years. years.
According to the expert, there is “a kind of feeling of weariness” in the face of this “typically American” model.
“I never believed it too much, even though I know that a place like Quartier DIX30 (in Brossard) was incredibly successful at the start. The idea of entering a store and then leaving and going to another, among other things when it’s -20 and it’s snowing, there are many inconveniences due in particular to the seasonality. We often have to return to the car to bring back objects. Summer is a little more interesting, but winter is irrelevant. When it’s new, we forget the flaws a bit, but once it’s part of our daily lives, we see more of the drawbacks. In addition, it is not very ecological nor very accessible for pedestrians and the stores are distant because of the parking lots, ”he says.
Mr. Bourgault underlines that in any case, from a strictly business point of view, there is no economy of scale to be made for the owners since they must maintain a building with four exterior walls rather than ” a single room in traditional shopping centers, which, he adds, have had a revival
popularity.
“Les Promenades Gatineau, for example, has had a makeover. It balances out, ”he said, reiterating that the enthusiasm for the concept of megacentres has leveled off.
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