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While additional precautions will be in place during this year’s holiday shopping season, Richmond malls have worked hard to maintain a festive atmosphere for locals.

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Malls facing unpredictable holiday shopping season

By Hannah Scott, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Published 10:26 PST, Tue December 8, 2020

Last Updated: 2:13 PDT, Wed May 12, 2021

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While December is normally a busy time of year for the retail sector, this year is a little more unpredictable. Major Richmond malls are gearing up for the holiday season with new plans in place—and the same festive decorations.

“The prediction for retail is that people are starting their shopping earlier in the year, which we’re seeing,” says Lansdowne Centre marketing manager Bronwyn Bailey. “People are consolidating their shopping trips, so rather than browsing for a while before making a purchase or going to multiple locations for multiple purchases, they’ll consolidate it to one larger shopping trip which is great.”

While the usual surge in shoppers is less predictable this year, all four malls surveyed—Lansdowne Centre, Aberdeen Centre, CF Richmond Centre and McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Vancouver Airport—expect customer numbers to increase in December.

According to Statistics Canada, in December 2019 BC saw over $7.2 billion in sales. In April, at the height of pandemic restrictions, this number dropped to $5.6 billion, reflecting a nation-wide decrease in sales. Retail sales have been steadily rising since May, but the latest numbers from Statistics Canada’s September 2020 report indicate that while most industries are seeing increased sales compared to the same time last year, clothing and accessory stores have seen a sharp decrease in sales (12.5 per cent less than September 2019).

“Traffic is definitely lower than it was (in previous years),” Bailey adds.

And with the government advising people to stay home and not gather, the Aberdeen Centre team is not too sure what kind of customer volume they’ll see this month, says Tiffany Ho, senior vice-president and senior general manager of Fairchild Developments, which operates the mall.

For people wanting to shop locally but not inside a mall, curbside pick-up programs are also available. At Lansdowne, the program has been ongoing since the spring, but larger stores have their own separate pick-up programs. CF Richmond Centre also has pick-up stations, and at Aberdeen Centre a similar program is in development. At McArthurGlen, many individual stores offer virtual shopping including video appointments and digital catalogues.

Malls are also offering customers new ways to plan their visits. Through CF Richmond Centre’s app, you can prepare for your visit including making appointments at some retailers to avoid waiting in line. McArthurGlen’s website has recommendations for quieter times to visit, and Lansdowne Centre has a ‘gift with purchase’ promotion throughout the month of December. Anyone who spends more than $250 in a single day at three or more stores will receive a $20 gift card.

At some malls, shoppers may also notice photo sets where they are invited to stop and take photos with their families.

“On site we have socially distanced safe decor, where people can come with their families and take their own photographs safely and cleanly,” says Bailey.

McArthurGlen marketing manager Ally Day describes the decorations as “a socially distant outdoor wonderland.”

“Instagrammable decor will be set up throughout the centre where consumers are encouraged to take socially distant photos while enjoying an open-air shopping experience,” she adds.

While Santa won’t be visiting any malls live this year, he is still available for online visits. At Lansdowne Centre, Santa and Mrs. Claus are hosting live story time events on social media. CF Richmond Centre is offering free one-on-one Santa Claus visits via video chat. (Author's note: as of Dec. 9, all Santa visits are booked.)

At Aberdeen Centre, rather than offering live performances from school choirs and other community groups, the fountain has been turned into a ‘winter wonderland’ stage on a frozen lake.

“This year unfortunately we can’t operate the water fountain because of the pandemic, so we drained out all the water and built the stage, and all the decorations are inside the water fountain,” explains Ho. “On the stage we have some lighting, similar to a reflection on a frozen lake, and then a Christmas tree, reindeer and snowflakes—all the decorations are on the stage inside the water fountain. Although we can’t do most of the (usual) activities, we can still have some celebration.”