NSBIA - Opportunities

Business Opportunities

Airport | McArthur Island | Tranquille

Thinking of relocating to beautiful Kamloops B.C.? Curious to know more about our city, and specifically about the opportunities on the North Shore? Download the latest copy of the North Shore Advantage directly from this site, and explore the possibilities.

Kamloops North Shore offers many opportunities for prospective businesses; the two key opportunities are location and timing.

The North Shore has 46% of the Kamloops’ population, has affordable housing and relatively inexpensive commercial space. There are retail opportunities in niche markets.

Most North American cities, including Kamloops, have had their commercial areas impacted by the rise of the Big Box stores. The development of a regional big box cluster in one quadrant of our city has resulted in a concentration of shopping in one area and a dearth of shopping in other areas. With almost half of the city’s population feeling under-serviced on the North Shore, there are substantial opportunities for speciality shops to thrive by offering a distinct product mix along with personalised service.

The North Shore Business Improvement Association (NSBIA) is continuing its work towards rejuvenating our Tranquille Market into a "Boutique Row" of speciality shoppes, studios, galleries and bistros. In time, this market will resemble other vibrant shopping areas such as Vancouver’s Granville Island and West Fourth Avenue.

The three drivers for this transition are the growing local consumer base such as the Bachelor Heights housing development (the largest in the city), the invigorated merchants who are investing in their businesses and the increased traffic flows stemming from the facilities on McArthur Island Park.

The NSBIA is proactive in efforts to accelerate our Market’s evolution by actively participating in such activities as the expansion and marketing of the McArthur Island facilities and by sponsoring our annual Festival of Banners, our 5 year Mural program,our building facade Makeovers and our annual Golf Tournament. We also work closely with City Council and senior staff, plus other partners, on various initiatives for beautification projects, land use planning, design charrettes and other marketing activities.

Our Objectives are to manage the growth and development of our area to achieve an investment balance where residents can shop, work and play close to home. This balance will be struck with the business community and because we are in the early days of this evolution, the buy-in costs are relatively low compared to other jurisdictions and compared to what they will be in the future.

The North Shore locations are affordable for both commercial and residential properties and the timing is good because we will be a "best kept secret" for only so long; demand is on the rise.