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VIDEO: Largest Canadian Tire store in B.C. attracts crowd of curious in Chilliwack

Soft opening of Canadian Tire Chilliwack saw doors open at 7 a.m. Thursday to wow customers
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The new Canadian Tire store in Chilliwack held its soft opening in the Cottonwood Centre, Oct. 20, 2022. (Cottonwood Centre)

The largest Canadian Tire store in B.C. threw open its doors for a soft opening at the Cottonwood Centre in Chilliwack early Thursday morning.

Owner Marcel Nadeau was extremely excited to show off the new store which measures a whopping 170,000-square feet.

“The first thing people were saying as they were coming in this morning was ‘Wow!’”

The cavernous floor space makes it the largest single-floor Canadian Tire in the country, showcasing more than 70,000 products. There are larger stores out there, but not on a single floor.

Video tour shared on the Cottonwood Centre Facebook page:

Locally owned by Marcel and Stella Nadeau, the brand-new Canadian Tire store replaces the one they first built on Vedder Road in 1998, and opened in 1999, which underwent several expansions.

The new store is three times the size of the old one.

“We needed a much larger surface to provide the expanded level of service required in Chilliwack,” Nadeau said.

The iconic national chain is celebrating a century of Canadian retail in fall 2022, so the timing of the opening was ideal.

They worked hard to design the customer pickup location for e-comm orders, and ensured the new automotive service centre would have drive-in ability.

“We are thrilled to show our 100th anniversary spectacular store to our customers in Chilliwack and beyond,” Nadeau said.

From unique product presentation, colour and selection, to wide aisles and attractive lighting, all these components put together make it really special, the owner said.

The long-awaited opening at 7 a.m. on Thursday brought out a crowd of the curious, including Chilliwack resident Shauna Martens Jimmie.

“Bring your roller skates!” Jimmie posted on Facebook after checking out the huge store space. “I’m going to be here for a while.”

The old store closed down as of last Sunday, Oct. 16, and the brand-new store re-opened in the old Sears location in Cottonwood Mall on Oct. 20. Plans are underway for a grand opening celebration in May.

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Jennifer Feinberg

About the Author: Jennifer Feinberg

I have been a Chilliwack Progress reporter for 20+ years, covering the arts, city hall, as well as Indigenous, and climate change stories.
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