Red Mile puts Calgary businesses back in the black as profits soar
The Battle of Alberta is a part of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in over 30 years, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for local businesses that struggled through the COVID-19 pandemic.
After an incredible start to Round 2, which saw the Calgary Flames rout the Edmonton Oilers by a score of 9-6, it appears the entire city is buzzing with excitement.
Ernie Tsu, who owns Trolley 5 Brew Pub on 17th Avenue, says his sales are up and the atmosphere is electric.
"There are so many Oilers and Flames fans that are at the same table, so it's been so great," he said. "Everyone’s been having so much fun for the Battle of Alberta."
"I had restaurants in 2004 on the Red mile and it was a flashback; this is thousands of people on the street, lots of Oilers jerseys, a majority Flames jerseys (obviously), but the C of Red with the Red Mile was definitely back in in play."
Puck drop for Game 2 is 8:30 p.m. on Friday at Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome, and several bar and restaurant owners are hoping spending trends are similar to what they saw in the first round of the playoffs.
According to Moneris, Canada’s largest payment provider, the first round of the playoffs in Calgary saw a double-digit growth in spending for bars and restaurants across the city during home games.
Data from Game 1 versus the Dallas Stars saw an overall increase in food and drink spending of 32 per cent at businesses near the Saddledome, and an increase of 13 per cent for the rest of the city.
Purchases of pints of beer saw a 65 per cent increase at businesses near the arena, as well for Game 1 of the first round alone.
Game 7 in particular was a huge win with food and drink spending overall up 40 per cent near the arena and almost 20 per cent for the rest of the city. Bars saw the largest increase, up 68 per cent in spending near the arena, while restaurants were up 38 per cent.
JERSEY SALES SPIKING AMID FLAMES PLAYOFF RUN
Flames fans aren’t just spending their money on food and drinks, they’re also using it to upgrade their wardrobe.
Die-hard Flames supporters like Stevie Dougherty can’t wait to attend the game in style.
Dougherty was so inspired by the performance of Flames defenceman Nikita Zadorov that he decided to purchase his number 16 jersey at FanAttic.
"The Flames wear the retro jersey and I have the old one and I don’t see anyone wearing a Zadorov jersey, so I thought this would be a good purchase," he said.
Brent Gibbs, director of retail with Calgary Sports & Entertainment, says he’s never seen such a surge in sales.
"The excitement of the city has been unbelievable, and we’re seeing such an overwhelming response; our sales have been just fantastic since we started the playoffs," he said.
"Our staff have been working extremely hard to make sure that our stores are stocked up and ready to go, it’s been a lot of really long days and we love to be a part of this."
Gibbs adds that supply chain issues are still a problem for his staff which is working to obtain new Flames products on a daily basis to keep up the demand.
"Some items we just can’t keep up on those shelves fast enough."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
MPs agree Canadian gov't should improve new disability benefit
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
New charges for Ont. woman who previously admitted to defrauding doulas
The Brantford, Ont. woman who was previously sentenced to house arrest after admitting to deceiving doulas has been charged again in connection to a new victim.