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9 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,June 3,2021 w aterloochronicle.ca GetFREEupgrades tomakeyourhome moreenergyefficient Takea fewminutes toapply at: enbridgegas.com/winterproofing There's nothing like homecomfort HomeWinterproofingProgram © 2021 Enbridge Gas Inc. All rights reserved. Free if your income qualifies Draft proofing Goodbye drafts, hello comfort Upgraded insulation Like a warm blanket for your home Smart thermostat Easy to use, saves year round Construction is under- way for a new Pet Valu store in the Waterloo Com- mons at 606 Laurelwood Dr. where the Scotiabank used to be located. Ryan Kaitting, a sales rep and vice president with Cushman & Wakefield Wa- terloo Region, has been overseeing commercial leasing on the site since 2009 and said the Scotia- bank branch, which moved to The Boardwalk, occu- pied more than 5,000 square feet. Pet Valu is taking over about 3,800 square feet on the end cap, Kaitting said, adding that there's a good chance a burrito bar will fill the remaining space be- side it. "What happened was just part of a trend of a lot of financial institutions mov- ing away from end caps in strip plazas and gravitat- ing more towards standa- lone, drive-thru sites," Kaitting said, adding that the same happened in the case of the former Star- bucks, which presented an opportunity for The Java Garden. The Laurelwood Com- mons is located at the cor- ner of Erbsville Road and Laurelwood Drive, across from Sir John A. Macdon- ald Secondary School. It features a Food Basics and Shoppers Drug Mart, among other businesses such as a Dollarama, pizza shop and Chinese restau- rant. Vacancies have shifted in recent years. However, the plaza is now almost ful- ly leased, with the backfill- ing of another unit cur- rently in the works. "Bricks-and-mortar business is forging forward" despite all the orders and lockdowns imposed in re- cent months, Kaitting said. "Rental rates for small format restaurants haven't gone down at all, and in some cases there's a supply and demand issue," he said. "For a guy with my focus (in commercial real estate), you would think that I would be destitute after the last year, but I had a banner year," he said, "the reason being is because we're see- ing exponential growth in certain segments. "Some of my guys local- ly in sales are just crushing it because people have nothing available to them but takeout food, legal can- nabis and pets." An influx of home- buyers from the GTA has also brought with it a whole new group of talent- ed entrepreneurs and pro- spective business owners wanting to set up shop, Kaitting added. Madhu Kathuria is the franchise partner at the new store. She's been a franchise partner with Pet Valu for four years and is also the owner of the Northfield location. In an email, Kathuria said the new store will pro- vide a self-serve double dog wash, grooming, adop- tions, betta fish, raw food and raw food experts. The opening is set for July 2. Based in Markham, Pet Valu Canada's family of stores includes Pet Valu, Paulmac's Pet Food, Bos- ley's, Tisol, and Total Pet. There are currently three Pet Valu locations listed in Waterloo at 582 Weber St. N (Waterloo Cor- porate Campus/Northfield location), 94 Bridgeport Rd. E (Bridgeport Plaza) and 450 Erb St. W (Beech- wood Centre). NEW LEASH ON LIFE AS PET SHOP TAKES OVER FORMER BANK A new Pet Valu will be moving into the Laurelwood Commons where the former Scotiabank was located. Bill Jackson/Metroland BILL JACKSON bjackson@torstar.ca BUSINESS STORE TO INCLUDE SELF-SERVE DOUBLE DOG WASH, GROOMING, ADOPTIONS, RAW FOOD AND RAW FOOD EXPERTS