Retailers thriving in Lethbridge

Lowe’s Canada has officially opened the doors to its Lethbridge location.  It is just the ninth location in Western Canada for the home improvement retailer.  And, with over 130 employees, it is now one of the city’s largest retail employers.

“We have a growing economy. We haven’t been affected by the fall in the energy prices as much as the other cities,” said Lethbridge Mayor Chris Spearman.  “Our diversification speaks to our strength, the fact that people continue to invest in Lethbridge, shows that they have confidence in our community.”

The new store represents an approximate local investment of 24 million dollars.  Acting CEO of Economic Development Lethbridge Ranae Barlow studies the ebbs and flows of the local economy, and believes the city is a prime spot for retail outlets for a variety of reasons.

“I think our low cost of doing business, the access to a workforce, and our location. also the trading area that we have are all really good indicators of attracting them here.”

As one new store opens its doors today, the city says many more could soon follow.

“Over the next four years we have almost a billion dollars in new investment happening in our city when you take the public and private investments,” said Spearman, “So I think that speaks well to Lethbridge.”

Today grand opening was also special for Lakeview Elementary School.  Lowe’s donated 10 thousand dollars to the school to be used towards the installation of a new playground.

“We are just in the infantile stages, and this is a huge thing for us, because it kicks us off,” said Principal Chris Gonsalvez with a big grin. “The big cheque that they gave us today is going to go up in my school, so that our community knows that we’re on our way.”