Grey Cup could help boost Black Friday sales in Winnipeg

Grey Cup fans, combined with a low Canadian dollar deterring shoppers from crossing the border into the U.S., could mean more cash rolling into Winnipeg malls for Black Friday.

Deborah Green, the general manager atPolo Park mall, saidshe's already seeing an increase in the number of people, including tourists, at the mall.

TheGrey Cup game isn't until Sunday evening but football fans have been arriving inthe city allweek and arelooking for things to do. The malls are hoping to tap into that, especially with Friday's big bargains.

Black Friday has become the second busiest day of the year for Polo Parkafter Boxing Day, Green said,and the influx of visitorscould carry those kind of numbers through the weekend.

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"There's just lots going on.I think there's a whole buzz in the city, which is nice to see," Greensaid. "The weather's going to be great, you know the [Grey Cup and Santa]parades, shopping it's like the perfect weekend for everyone."

Grant Park Shopping Centre is trying to get the jump on that buzz by once again holding its big sales on Thursday instead. The event, Black and White Thursday Night, is billed as"a more civilized" alternative to the Friday frenzy.

There will be free refreshments and free cake as well asprizes andmusical entertainment.

"Grant Park is a very different kind of shopping centre compared to some of the other major shopping centre centres in the city," said marketing managerCorey Quintaine.

"We have a lot of local, independent retailers, a lot of services, and we decided we wanted to do something completely different and strike out on our own. So it's more of a great shopping experience as opposed to, you know, to a crazy find-all-the-sales shopping trip."

This will be the mall's third year for Black and White Thursday Night but this one should benefit from the Grey Cup, Quintaine said.

"I definitely think we'll see an uptick in retail sales," he said.

"Winnipeg is going to be a busy, busy place this weekend. It will be awfully exciting to be shopping, to be going to a game, to be doing anything this weekend in Winnipeg it's going to be a lot of fun."