The LCBO has opened a new store that its CEO vows will bring "an entirely different shopping experience to Aurora."
"We’re very pleased to bring this new store and an entirely different shopping experience to Aurora,” George Soleas, LCBO president and CEO said at the grand opening today. “This is an important market to us and we look forward to serving approximately 30,000 people in this area.”
The new location in the Metro plaza at Yonge Street and Henderson Drive offers more parking and a bigger, better space that an the previous store at Brookland Avenue and Yonge.
A lot of research went in to choosing the location, Soleas said.
The new store is more than 8,000 square feet with 5,460 of retail space. There is a large cold room stocked with chilled, ready-to-drink beverages. It also has an open concept and improved checkout process.
The location in a retail plaza was also an important draw for the company with a Metro and Pet Valu alongside it.
"They can pick up a treat for their pet next door and then come here to pick up a treat for themselves or their friends,” Soleas said.
The biggest improvement is parking.
"The parking is a big deal for us, too, because (at) the old store, we didn’t have a lot of parking, so it really limited the amount of customers that came in” district manager Mike Thornington.
Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas, who attended the opening agreed and said there were a lot of challenges at the former downtown LCBO store "from a parking perspective, trying to get in. A lot of times people were driving the wrong way in and it did cause some problems."
He offered his congratulations to the LCBO on behalf of Aurora council.
"I think that this was a great move, great for our community. It adds more valuable jobs to our community, as well,” he said.
Thornington said at the LCBO, they don't do ribbon cuttings and instead pop corks of sparkling wine or crack open a can of craft beer, so Soleas, Mrakas, store manager Cassandra Machado, and Rafik Louli, vice-president of retail operations, all did that to celebrate the official opening of this new location.
The LCBO will be open from Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
