London Drugs is on the move, but customers won't have to look, or drive, too far to find it.
The drugstore is relocating across St. Albert Trail to the St. Albert Centre this weekend, setting up temporarily inside the main entrance across from FYI doctors, while contruction on its permanent home is underway.
London Drugs is one of several retailers that will occupy the mall’s former Target space once it is renovated next spring.
“The thought-process for moving across the street was the fact that it’s better parking, it’s easier access and it’s easier for customers to find us,” said St. Albert store manager Shelly Nicholson.
The relocation will come with several changes. While the permanent location will be similarly-sized, the store will have a more open concept, improving the shopping experience and allowing for more Learning Labs – workshops for customers on the different products and services available in store, such as cosmetics, iPads and cameras.
There will also be a medical clinic set up within the drugstore. St. Albert will be one of the first stores in Alberta to implement this new business model, said Nicholson, which London Drugs is looking to roll out throughout the province.
“It’s a convenience for our customers,” she said.
Given the space restraints of the temporary location, the store will also be forced to carry a smaller line-up of inventory. An electronics kiosk will be set up elsewhere in the mall to ensure customers’ needs are still met in this area.
London Drugs should be able to move into its permanent space in spring 2017, said Jillian Creech, general manager of the St. Albert Centre.
The plan is to renovate the new portion of the mall in three phases, with Mark’s scheduled to open in the fall and the grand opening anticipated for summer 2017. Floor plans outlining will be made available this summer.
Across the street, Inglewood Square will also be getting a facelift.
Property management company Reed and Company will be redoing the fascia, signage and exterior of the shopping centre this summer.
“There’s really been nothing done with it in the time that London Drugs has been in there. With (the drugstore) moving across the street it’s time to renovate the shopping centre and spruce the place up,” said Joe Perrin, president of Reed and Company Inc.
The move also makes 31,560 square feet of retail available in the “heart of St. Albert”, which Perrin hopes to fill with a specialty food store, such as an ethnic grocer.
“It’s an opportunity to do something new and interesting with the space,” he said. “London Drugs is a great operation, but it’s always nice to see if we can get a service that the community doesn’t currently have.”
London Drugs has been located at the corner of Inglewood and Bellerose drives for the past 20 years. It will start operations within the St. Albert Centre on Saturday.
