McArthurGlen Vancouver Airport Outlet Centre’s next expansion is now within sight.
Last week, a Government of Canada registry posted a notice indicating that based on the Vancouver Airport Authority’s assessment, a forthcoming expansion of the outdoor shopping mall at Sea Island will not have a major environmental impact.
This is deemed to be the third phase of the mall, which has long been planned under the master plan for developing the shopping centre more than a decade ago.
According to the master plan, unless more expansion options are identified on adjacent parcels, this is expected to be the final phase of the mall.
The third phase will be built on a vacant gravel parcel on the northeast corner of the property, between the mall’s children’s playground and next to Arthur Laing Bridge. According to the federal registry, the new buildings will have 66,000 sq ft of additional retail floor area.
When the mall was first built in 2015, it opened with 240,000 sq ft of retail space.
“The assessments are part of early consultation and planning of which we are still in. We expect to have more updates to share in coming months on McArthurGlen‘s continued growth, following an exceptional year at the centre,” McArthurGlen told Daily Hive Urbanized upon inquiry this week.
Phase 3 footprint of McArthurGlen Vancouver Airport Outlet Centre. (Google Maps/Daily Hive)
McArthurGlen Vancouver Airport Outlet Centre. (McArthurGlen)
In August 2019, McArthurGlen Vancouver Airport Outlet Centre opened its second phase, built at the southeast corner of the property with 84,000 sq ft of retail space.
Last year, the fiscal report for the European-based chain of upscale outlet malls stated that the expansion of their forthcoming Vancouver property will introduce 27 new luxury and premium stores, with a targeted opening in Summer 2025. Over the previous fiscal year, the company’s total revenues increased by 14% compared to 2022, with growth driven by an 11% increase in visitation and a 3% increase in average spend per visitor. McArthurGlen has 25 outlet malls across eight countries.
It was also noted that in 2023, the company introduced 70 new brands to its various locations, and enhanced its food and beverage offerings, such as new additions by Eataly, Bollicine & Co., Aix & terra, MyBurgenland, California Bakery, and Angelina. Based on the company’s insights, visitors who dine out at a food and beverage business at their malls visit 10% more each year, spend 30% longer in a mall, and spend 19% more and visit in larger groups compared to those who do not engage with food and beverage businesses.
McArthurGlen Vancouver Airport Outlet Centre is a 50/50 partnership between the company and Vancouver Airport Authority.
According to the airport authority’s financial statements for the 2023 fiscal year, its stake in the mall recorded income of $1.5 million — up from $1.2 million in 2022. In late 2022, the partnership received a loan of up to $50 million. Over the course of 2022, the airport authority saw a distribution of $9.2 million from the partnership.
McArthurGlen Vancouver Airport Outlet Centre. (lenic/Shutterstock)
Net revenues from the airport authority’s stake in the mall go towards supporting the costs of operating, improving, and expanding Vancouver International Airport (YVR) as a form of ancillary revenue to reduce upward pressure on increasing fees on passengers and airlines. It is also an amenity, just a short SkyTrain ride away, for visiting air passengers who may have short layovers.
Over the longer term, McArthurGlen Vancouver Airport Outlet Centre could face some competition across the river from the major development of the Richmond Night Market site into an entertainment centre with significant luxury retail.
In April 2024, Daily Hive Urbanized also reported on a new assessment’s findings that concluded Canada Post’s proposed nearby significant expansion of its Pacific Processing Centre at YVR will not result in major environmental impacts, based on a notice in the federal registry.
Both the McArthurGlen and Canada Post expansions are expected to further increase ridership at Templeton Station on the Canada Line SkyTrain. The station is located within close walking distance of the mall, and Canada Post operates a free shuttle bus service between the station and the processing centre throughout the day.
According to TransLink statistics, Templeton Station recorded 1.269 million boardings in 2023, with averages of 3,350 per weekday, 3,690 per Saturday, and 3,770 per Sunday/holiday. It is the 37th busiest station on the SkyTrain network of 53 stations.
This represents a slight decrease from the pre-pandemic 2019 tally of 1.316 million boardings, but it exceeds 2022’s tally of 1.05 million and 2018’s tally of 1.185 million. Ridership at the station has greatly increased ever since the opening of the mall; in 2016, during the first full year of operations for the mall, the station saw 889,000 boardings, climbing to 979,000 in 2019.
Part of the ridership increase can also be attributed to the relocation of YVR’s Long-Term parking lot to a new facility next to the station.
Templeton Station on SkyTrain Canada Line. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)