Your business opportunity awaits

Where people with an entrepreneurial spirit can thrive

What’s needed?
We’ve got a few ideas, but it’s not an exhaustive list! Prince Rupert is a thriving, growing community, and growth brings opportunity. New residents, new investment, new visitors and new spending are creating demand for fresh businesses, services, experiences and ideas. There is room here to try something different, fill a gap, serve a growing market and build something that is uniquely your own. If you’ve got creativity and drive, we’re here to help breathe colour into your idea.
How to start a business

Airport food service

If you take off today at Prince Rupert’s airport, you’re eating from a vending machine. Did we mention it’s on an island, where you can’t pop out to Timmy’s for a sandwich? This is a clear market gap. And for you, that means an obvious opportunity for an entrepreneur to bring a café, grab-and-go concept or other convenient food and beverage option to the terminal. With a steady flow of passengers and a captive customer base, the right business could meet an existing need and make an immediate impact (on traveler’s experiences and their stomachs).

Learn more about YPR Airport

Automotive retail

There is currently a single car dealership in Prince Rupert – which doesn’t leave a lot of choice for locals looking to swap their whips. This leaves open an opportunity for those looking to open an another dealership, and you’d be best off selling vehicles appropriate to Northern conditions (think Ford, Subaru, Toyota, or Kia). A car dealership would be a welcome addition to any of our the M1 or M2 Light Industrial Zones – right next to the existing automall cluster of similar retail and maintenance shops.

Click here for market data

Tourism

We’re not quite the ‘Great White North’ but we’re a pitstop on the way there. As a destination on the way to Alaska, cruise ship and travelling vessels love to pop in to refuel, restock, and take in Prince Rupert’s natural assets. Cruise traffic, specifically, has been steadily increasing year over year. In addition, as a BC Ferries stop, we receive frequent visitors regionally here as a final destination or stopover on the way to Haida Gwaii. People are looking for things to do here, and we’re sure you’ve got ideas.

Learn about our growing visitor economy

Child Care

We have some child care, and more is on the way, but like other communities in BC, it’s not enough. For a young family looking for ways to spend more time with your own kids at home, a home-based daycare could be a great fit here. Or if you’re a child at heart and love programming for kids, the Rec Centre is always looking for new program instructions and camps in summer/pro-D days fill up quick.

See current child care options in the community

Property development

Prince Rupert is growing, and the demand for housing is growing with it. New investment, major projects and a growing workforce are increasing demand for quality homes across the community. (If it’s working, this website is, too!) This creates opportunities for developers and investors to bring new housing to market – from purpose-built rental and family housing to condominiums, townhomes and innovative smaller-scale developments.

Browse City-held properties for sale

Retail, retail, retail!

With all the ‘clickbait’ shopping we can do these days, there’s a real longing for an authentic retail experience. A larger and more diverse customer base is creating demand for new retail experiences. For investors and entrepreneurs ready to claim a share of this growing market, Rupert Square Mall and Ocean Centre Mall are two established locations with strong potential. Come take advantage of our small town welcome. Because when you’re good to Rupert, Rupert’s good to you.

View commercial properties for sale
We’re here to help you do your own research
Explore our community profile. Learn more about what we have, where it’s located, our workforce, our market advantages, and more – based on economic data collected in the most recent census.
Check out our business resource portal