Dollar Tree is sprouting in Innisfil.
The American-based discount retail chain, which operates more than 15,000 stores throughout Canada and the United States, will fill the space at 873 Innisfil Beach Rd. left vacant by Larry the Liquidator several months ago.
The familiar green branding and signage for Dollar Tree has been placed on the windows and front of the store. There is also a permit placard posted near the entrance indicating the renovation work being done to the building is for a Dollar Tree "tenant fit-up."
"I don’t have much information to share yet, but I can confirm we are opening a new store," Dollar Tree's communications vice-president Kate Kirkpatrick told InnisfilToday via email. "It is projected to open towards the end of August. We are targeting August 22, but this may be subject to change."
The Dollar Tree Canada website lists 11 stores within 50 kilometres of Innisfil, with multiple sites in Barrie as well as locations in Angus and East Gwillimbury.
“We are currently aggressively opening corporate stores from British Columbia to Ontario,” the company says in the Real Estate section on its website. “Our plan is to seek out great growth opportunities from British Columbia to Ontario. Our growth will continue by back filling existing markets and expanding into new markets.”
In March, InnisfilToday revealed the property manager for 873 Innisfil Beach Rd. told the municipality a new “national tenant” would be moving into the space, which over the years has also served as a Shoppers Drug Mart location, and the temporary home for the Innisfil library’s Lakeshore branch.
Overall interest in Innisfil from entrepreneurs, developers and investors “continues to be strong,” town economic development manager Laura Thompson said recently.
“Many entrepreneurs and business owners are interested in communities like Alcona because it’s so well-situated close to Lake Simcoe, with proximity to Highway 400 and located only an hour north of Toronto,” she said. “Innisfil is growing quickly and the impending nearby development of Orbit makes Alcona an ideal location to raise a family, start a business and serve a growing market.”
In 2022, there were 4,173 businesses registered in town across a range of industries, and the number of jobs climbed to 10,343 in 2022. Innisfil's employment is forecasted to double from 9,980 jobs in 2021 to more than 20,000 in 2051.
Over the next five years alone, employment within the municipality is expected to grow by three per cent.
“The creation of new, attainable and investment-ready commercial space and properties will be important in capturing investment in the coming years,” Thompson said. “Fortunately, we currently have a number of commercial, mixed-use and industrial development applications moving through the development approval process which will increase our inventory of available space.”
