Outlet mall near the airport reaping the benefits of a weak dollar
Posted July 28, 2015 8:04 pm.
Last Updated July 29, 2015 11:35 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Don’t be surprised by long queues outside of some stores at the designer outlet mall by YVR.
You’ll see tens of thousands of shoppers especially on weekends and many of them aren’t from here.
Robert Thurlow with McArthurGlen Designer Outlets says 40 per cent of people spending their cash at any one of the 50 stores are tourists and many of them are just a short drive away.
“Reverse cross-border shopping now with Americans coming up here which we did see over the weekend,” he says. “We had quite a few American license plates in our parking lot, which we do keep track of. So I think that will be strong certainly up until Labour Day.”
He points out the low loonie is a huge factor in keeping Canadians shopping locally. “Typically they’ll be going across the border but with the dollar being as weak as it is, it’s not advantageous for them to cross the border.”
Many in Metro Vancouver are making their way to the luxury mall because it’s easy to get to. McArthur says half of local shoppers are taking the Canada Line.