recently I think there has been these rumours about a new badminton centre that will be opening up in vancouver/richmond somewhere..but..its only what I've HEARD..wondering if anyone else has heard anything similar..
lol trudat, there are too many in richmond...it'd be cool if this supposed new facility was in vancouver
Once I saw your thread, I was shocked. I haven't heard any rumours but it would be great if they could put a facility in vancouver rather than richmond. Richmond has a lot of facilities already. Hmm..madbad would you know anything about this?
Don't think that's gonna happen in Vancouver. It might be possible if said candidate site is in Coquitlam or Surrey. You got lots of players who commute too far to play. I heard that Douglas College's Pinetree drop-in's packed all the time. Someone should try to get in on it and capture that market.
Having a new centre in Vancouver would be great but I somehow doubt that would happen if it's primarily drop-in. Costs in Van are just too high and to find the required space is also pretty difficult. If there were one, I'd place my bet somewhere on Marine..
I think someone looked at opening one in Burnaby before. But it was difficult because of lack of warehouses (to convert to a badminton facility) and higher rental cost.
Parking space can also be a problem if set up in Vancouver or Burnaby. It's harder and more expensive to build a facility than to rent an existing one like those clubs in Richmond. Perhaps there's no interest in creating a new center east of Burnaby due to lack of suitable buildings to convert.
Do I hear potential investors?! Do you have a few extra $50K - $250K looking for a business venture? Talk to me.... Cheers!
Yeah they should put one in Coq XD EVeryoen that wants to bmt always goes to Pinetree and its always full for drop ins =( (have to wait in line for 30 minutes just to make sure u get a spot0 X(
I know of a couple of people who were looking into this about a year ago. They had priced out setup and had a realtor scope out locations in Burnaby, Coquitlam, maybe Vancouver and maybe Surrey. One of the biggest dilemnas is deciding on the location. Both Burnaby and Coquitlam are prime candidates. Even though there seems to be a big population of potential customers in Coquitlam, it may not translate into business. Observe the "asian" shopping areas as an example. There is an abundance of them in Richmond. There was a shortage of this in Coquitlam and Burnaby. When Crystal Mall opened in Burnaby, the market area seemed to be doing fine although the retail portion looks precarious. The Henderson Mall in Coquitlam is a disaster. There are more closed stores than open. With such a large asian population there, why have they suffered? I believe many people are still heading to Richmond all the way from Coquitlam. The badminton start-up cost combined with the duration of the lease is a big gamble. A Henderson repeat would put a big dent in your wallet. Richmond has the lure of a variety of places for the pre and post-badminton activities (eating,shopping).
Well, I think most Douglas drop-ins are regulars who commute far out in the east to play. If they set up a center in Coquitlam, they should do just fine with drop-ins and coaching. The key factor is court size, the more the better since their only competitor would be Pinetree. Of course, there are other smaller groups who rent out school gyms to play. But if given the opportunity to play on proper mat courts, I am sure they wouldn't mind paying a little extra for it. There already are lots of players living in Richmond as I heard that the four centers are often full at peak times. It would be really discouraging for a player from Pitt Meadows or Langley to come out to Richmond to play baddy only to be turned away due to full capacity. Having another decent center out East of Burnaby would take lots of pressure off the centers in Richmond.
To have a private badminton facility in Vancouver would be too cost prohibitive, unless you're in the business of losing money. Have you seen property prices in Vancouver these days? IT'S NUTS!!
lol thats very true, but i think richmond has more than enough....like the others said up there, someone should open a new facility in burnaby or coquitlam