Lethbridge trading area identified

The Lethbridge business community now knows just how many people are coming from out of town to shop in the city.

An Environics Research study commissioned by Economic Development Lethbridge and its partners, finds people from the catchment area surrounding the city are spending $437 million in Lethbridge. That catchment area has a population of 249,380 people, not including Lethbridge’s population of 91,800.
 
The catchment area extends to Medicine Hat in the east, Kimberley, B.C. in the west, the U.S. border to the south, and Brooks and Nanton to the north.
 
“That’s pretty significant for businesses that operate here, knowing that they’ve got this larger market that they serve and potentially they can target to grow their business,” CEO Trevor Lewington said.
 
“The most interesting for me was the fact that groceries and restaurants account for the top two categories of spend. So a lot of people are coming here to do grocery shopping, or they’re coming here for a meal,” he said.
 
The study also found more than 17,700 people are commuting to Lethbridge to work, which pushes the city’s daytime population over the 100,000 mark.
 
Lewington said the maps included in the study should help guide decisions by companies looking to locate in Lethbridge.
 
Anyone who has questions about the study is invited to a presentation by Environics Research Nov. 16. People will need to RSVP for the event by Nov. 10.