It's official - London Drugs is coming to town. The long awaited announcement that the big box store is opening a Squamish location arrived yesterday (March 27). The 30,000-square-foot store will open its doors at the Garibaldi Village Shopping Centre on Highway 99 at Mamquam Road in the summer of 2009. "The residents of Squamish and neighbouring communities on the Sea to Sky Highway have been extremely supportive," said London Drugs president Wynne Powell in a press release."Our customers have been asking us to join this growing community and so we are thrilled to be coming to Squamish."The support the proponents received contrasts the response to their 2005 proposal for a 15,000-square-foot store in Whistler Village, which polarized many in the community and led to a council motion to limit retail stores in the village to a maximum of 5,000 square feet.The motion never passed, but in February 2007, Whistler councillors voted in favour of quashing London Drugs' rezoning application, fearing that one big box store would open the floodgates to other such companies and harm the character of the village. Proponents than turned their attention to Squamish. "We've been receiving letters and phone calls from folks in Whistler and Squamish asking us to come here," Powell told The Chief in September 2007. "Squamish is definitely attractive as a long-term prospect."Wesbild Holdings will develop the new store at the Garibaldi Village Shopping Centre and construction will begin in the fall of 2008. London Drugs will employ more than 50 staff, and provide health care services. It will also feature photo finishing, a pharmacy with individual consulting booths, in-house computer repairs, and a kitchen department. The store will be Squamish's fourth-largest retailer, after Wal-Mart (86,000 square feet), Home Depot (60,000 square feet) and Canadian Tire (41,000 square feet).Founded in 1945, the B.C.-based company currently has 68 stores in more than 35 major markets throughout B.C.
