BY JOSEPH QUESNEL
The opening of Wal-Mart and other big box stores in Fort Frances has added to the flow of outside traffic to the city.
“It’s good in that it draws people who would normally shop in the Thunder Bay, Dryden, Kenora and Winnipeg areas to Fort Frances because we have the Wal-Mart here now,” says Russ Ling, chair of the Fort Frances Business Improvement Association.
To address any challenges big box stores may pose to small retailers, local businesses have banded together to take advantage of the influx by cross-promoting one another’s products, and through other strategies.
Geoff Gillon is the regional economic planner with the Rainy River Future Development Corp. He has seen businesses in the region come and go and he
believes that on balance the competition presented by Wal-Mart and other potential big box developments can be good for the city’s business climate.
He already notices a sizable increase in traffic and activity in the city.
Opportunities can be either taken up or squandered, depending on the response of the city and area businesses.
