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Mobeewave Innovates with Contactless Payment Tech for Small Businesses

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Montreal-based Mobeewave is an award-winning company revolutionizing technology, services and solutions in the fintech space.

In an increasingly cashless world, Mobeewave enables people to accept money in person using just their phones. Since its creation in 2011, the fintech has been a pioneering force in the mobile payment space and has created a patented solution to allow anyone to easily and securely accept payment.

Vincent Alimi, Chief Growth Officer of Mobeewave, said the Company is growing rapidly with key deployments in a number of markets around the world as the company works toward a new PIN on Glass product which will be ready for next year. ‘PIN on Glass’ is the ability to accept entry of the cardholder’s PIN value on a “glass-based capture mechanism” such as a touchscreen smartphone or tablet.

“We serve the underserved. Rather than target the end consumer, we target the smaller merchants who can’t really afford to have electronic payment terminals because it’s too costly,” said Alimi.

Mobeewave has the technology to enable merchants to accept money for anything, anywhere and from anyone using a phone. It’s the intersection of where mobile meets money and communication meets commerce.

“We’re revolutionizing the fintech space by making it possible for anyone to accept money using their phone,” said Alimi. “This technology has been approved by Visa and Mastercard and we are currently live in Canada, Australia and Poland.” 

The Company says it is challenging every aspect of the current mobile payment paradigm.

“While developing our patented solution, we knew that security was a major priority for in-person payments. That’s why our technology uses an extremely secure piece of hardware embedded on the phones called the secure element.”

Alimi said the service is currently being used by 200 small businesses in Canada, 300 in Poland and 100 in Australia.

In Canada, the company partners with National Bank and Global Payments. In Australia, it’s with the Commonweatlh Bank of Australia. And in Poland, with PeP, one of the leading payment processors.

“In the short term, we are going to continue our focus on a major way in Canada, Australia, the UK and Poland,” said Alimi.

In June, the company announced its patented in-person contactless payment acceptance platform will be rolled out in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – representing the Company’s first project in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) regions. It will enable merchants to accept payment from a contactless card or mobile wallet using just their phone – essentially turning their smartphone into a payment terminal.

Cadillac Fairview Invests Heavily in Calgary Mall Properties

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Despite a challenging economy in the past three years, Cadillac Fairview remains bullish on the Calgary retail market and its long-term prospects.

So bullish in fact that it has invested close to $180 million in recent years in renovations and upgrades to the real estate company’s jewel shopping centres in Calgary – CF Chinook Centre and CF Market Mall.

“Notwithstanding some economic challenges in Calgary over the last couple of years as well as challenges in the retail sector as a result of technology disruption, we’re still a big believer in retail in Calgary,” said Wayne Barwise, executive vice-president of development for Cadillac Fairview.

“The real proof in the pudding is if you look at the last three years – 2016, 2017 and 2018 – we’ve invested about $177 million into both of those centres. That’s significant . . . All told we’re really big believers in the Calgary market long-term.”

From a retail centre perspective, Cadillac Fairview owns just the two shopping centres in Calgary and CF Market Mall is owned on a 50/50 basis with Ivanhoe Cambridge but Cadillac Fairview is responsible for managing it.

Barwise said the company has invested $101 million at CF Chinook Centre

That includes a $14.5-million pedestrian bridge that connects CF Chinook Centre with an LRT station a few blocks away and crosses over the busy Macleod Trail roadway. Barwise said Cadillac Fairview put in $8 million for the project while public funding covered the rest of the cost.

A $17-million renovation to the food court area has just been completed. The south part of the mall has also been upgraded with new flooring and railings at a cost of $4.5 million.

Also, Cadillac Fairview put $65 million into redeveloping the space left behind by Target to accommodate this year the opening of a new Saks Fifth Avenue store.

Just recently Chinook also saw the opening of a new Louis Vuitton store.

During the same period, Cadillac Fairview has invested about $76 million in CF Market Mall. That includes a redevelopment of the former Target space for $40 million to accommodate a new Sporting Life store, an expanded Zara store and a new HomeSense store.

The company invested $18 million for the expansion of the SportChek store. An outparcel site, formerly housing Staples, was redeveloped for Saks OFF 5TH and a Landmark Theatre coming at a cost of $17.3 million.

“We’re quite excited about the Landmark Theatre that’s going to open a premium movie theatre through the Spring of 2019,” said Barwise.

The company is making the huge investment at a time when there is some “technology disruption” that’s taking place in the retail sector.

“Our view is that the good retailers and the good retail properties will continue to thrive, although depending on which retail category you pick you might see online sales in the eight per cent or so range. Some of them are a bit higher. Some of them are a bit lower . . . What that means is 90 per cent of product is still bought in a physical store and the retailers who are really successful are those retailers who have a combined platform. What we call an omni-channel platform. They have a bricks and mortar presence. They have an online presence. They have a mobile presence – your phone, your app. And we find that by the time people do an in-store purchase over 80 per cent of them have already researched or checked the product out either on their phone or online. So the retailers who do really well combine all of that together in an omni-channel platform,” said Barwise.

“People when they come to the mall what they really look for is the experience. They want to touch and feel things. They want to interact with people. They often want to get some entertainment and have some lunch. So experience at our retail centres is something we’re going to be continuing to invest in. We’re also in the retail side investing in technology as well.”

The opening of some of the new stores in CF Chinook Centre and CF Market Mall is a significant trend, said Barwise, because they are aspirational or luxury which really speaks to the confidence of retailing but also to the confidence of Calgary.

And Cadillac Fairview isn’t done yet with investing in Chinook Centre.

Barwise said Cadillac Fairview has city approval for more than one million square feet of extra density on the site.

“When the market conditions are right we will be expanding that to include some more retail, some residential, some office, some hotel and entertainment. We see Chinook Centre becoming a real mixed-use, live/work/play environment,” said Barwise.

“With the LRT being just down the block, we think the long-term growth potential and evolution of Chinook Centre is terrific. We’re working on plans right now. And at such time that the market is right for any of those asset classes . . . we’ll be bringing them forward.”

CF Market Mall is basically capped out on the density for the property but there is an application in place currently for a minor addition to the existing property.

“We will just continue to re-merchandise the property as we do with all our properties possibly looking for new-to-market retailers. We’re looking for retailers who are currently in the property and doing well and look to expand. It’s a constant evolution for us and we’ll continue that at both these properties as we do with the balance of our portfolio,” said Barwise.

Cadillac Fairview is one of the largest owners, operators and developers of best-in-class office, retail and mixed-use properties in North America. The Cadillac Fairview portfolio is owned by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, a diversified global investor which administers the pensions of more than 300,000 active and retired school teachers. The real estate portfolio also includes investments in retail, mixed-use and industrial real estate in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.

The portfolio is valued at more than $29 billion and includes over 37 million square feet of leasable space at 67 properties in Canada, including landmark developments, such as Toronto-Dominion Centre, CF Toronto Eaton Centre, CF Pacific Centre, Deloitte Tower and CF Carrefour Laval.

‘Focals by North’ Unveils 1st Canadian Wearable Tech Retail Space

By
Craig Patterson
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Waterloo, Ontario-based tech company North, formerly known as Thalmic labs, has chosen two of the world’s trendiest locations to open its first-ever ‘smart glasses’ retail stores for its patented ‘Focals by North’ wearable tech. Last month a store opened in the Cobble Hill area of Brooklyn, New York, and this week, a second showroom opened at 113 Ossington Avenue in Toronto.

The concept was hush-hush for months as retail insiders speculated what was planned by then Thalmic Labs, which secured a retail space from landlord Hullmark. CBRE Toronto’s Urban Retail Team negotiated the Ossington Avenue deal (as well as other deals in Hullmark’s 109 Ossington complex) under the guidance of Jackson Turner and team Arlin Markowitz, Alex Edmison, and Teddy Taggart.

North’s showroom occupies the last vacant retail space in Hullmark’s 109 Oz complex and is directly south of women’s retailer The Latest Scoop and just north of Fresh City Farms, both of which were recently profiled in Retail Insider.

Thalmic Labs, which rebranded as ‘North’ in October, was founded in 2012 by three graduates of the University of Waterloo’s mechatronics engineering program — Stephen Lake, Matthew Bailey, and Aaron Grant. The company has grown substantially and now boasts a world-class team of engineers, researchers, designers and creators, according to the company. To date, North has raised more than US$135-million from investors such as the Amazon Alexa Fund and Intel Capital.

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North has succeeded where Google Glass did not, by creating a wearable tech device that also looks good on the enduser. North recently secured a patent for its latest product, Focals, which are custom-built glasses with a transparent, holographic display only the wearer can see. Focals allow wearers to seamlessly and immediately see texts, get turn-by-turn directions, check the weather, request an Uber and talk to Amazon Alexa, for example. North says that these tasks are “minimalist, glanceable interactions that quickly connect you to what matters most, without pulling you away from what’s in front of you.”

Focals by North aren’t cheap, however — prices are $1,299 in Canada and US$999 south of the border. Focals are custom-built to the exact measurements of the wearer using a unique sizing process, with two styles and three colours to choose from. Appointments can be made online or alternatively, customers can drop by for walk-in visits to the 113 Ossington Avenue showroom. At the moment, Focals by North are only available in the two retail stores.

Award-winning San Francisco-based architectural firm Envelope A+D, created the new Ossington Avenue  showroom in what it described as being a marriage of “simple design-language with an unprecedented level of engineering, for an experience that keeps the customer at the center and technology in the background.”

North says that it will focus on its first two retail locations before expanding the concept elsewhere.

Holt Renfrew Unveils Updated Flagship Footwear Hall in Toronto [Photos]

By
Craig Patterson
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Holt Renfrew’s Bloor Street flagship store in Toronto recently unveiled an impressive new footwear hall on its mezzanine level, which features a vast offering of luxury brands including impressive shop-in-stores. It’s all part of a renovation to the 50 Bloor Street West flagship that will be completed in 2020, at a time of unprecedented competition amongst luxury retailers in Canada.

The Bloor Street Holt’s footwear hall relocated downstairs for several months while the store’s mezzanine level was renovated. Last week, Holt’s unveiled a new 7,800 square foot footwear hall which was designed by creative agency Kramer Design Group and master architects Gensler. Terrazzo floors and fixtures and white oak tables contrast with glass pedestals and warm bronze accents, and there’s a dedicated sneaker area with smoked glass and plush felt fixtures. The new shoe space is about 60% larger than the previous department and the new footwear floor includes a ‘luxury personal shopping suite’ as well as an expansive assortment of handbags — something new for a Holt Renfrew shoe department.

About 40 leading designer brands are featured in the new Bloor Street footwear hall, with names such as Gianvito Rossi, Manolo Blahnik, Miu Miu, The Row and many others. Several branded areas highlight designs by luxury labels such as Balenciaga, Celine, Valentino and Prada.

The footwear floor also features three luxury brand hard-shops — Gucci and Christian Louboutin are now open, and boutiques for Roger Vivier and Dior are under construction and will open in the spring of 2019. 

The Gucci boutique reflect’s the brand’s most updated store design, which is now being rolled-out at Gucci stores internationally. The Christian Louboutin boutique joins women’s Louboutin shops at Holt’s in Vancouver, Montreal, and at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre location (Louboutin also operates a standalone flagship on nearby Yorkville Avenue in Toronto, as well as inside Nordstrom in Vancouver). Roger Vivier, considered to be one of the world’s most prestigious footwear and accessory designers, is a major score as very few stores feature dedicated Vivier areas. The Dior shop will be the first dedicated footwear shop-in-store for the brand in Canada.

Yorkdale was a prototype for Holt’s when it unveiled its new 10,000 square foot women’s footwear hall in early 2014. That store became the first to feature ‘hard shop’ shop-in-stores for top brands. When Holt’s opened its relocated store at Square One in Mississauga in the summer of 2016, it unveiled several luxury boutiques as part of the women’s footwear area. The highly-productive Vancouver Holt Renfrew store unveiled its new 8,500 square foot women’s footwear hall in early 2017, featuring a boutique area for Christian Louboutin, an adjacent Ladurée salon, as well as branded walls with shelves displaying designs from some of the world’s top shoe brands. 

Holt Renfrew will continue enhancing its footwear offerings into next year and onwards when it opens an expanded ‘Holt Renfrew Ogilvy’ store in Montreal. The 250,000 square foot large-format luxury store is being created by expanding the existing Ogilvy department store building on Ste-Catherine Street West and when finished, the current Holt Renfrew store on Sherbrooke Street West will close. Holt’s hasn’t provided details of the new Holt Renfrew Ogilvy footwear hall, though it’s worthy to note that Christian Louboutin opened a boutique inside of Holt’s in Montreal this spring. 

This is a time of unprecedented competition as luxury brands seek out Canadian shoppers, and Holt Renfrew continues to stand out by offering a wide assortment of luxury branded designers as well as shop-in-store boutiques. Holt’s main department store competition comes from the likes of Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom — both chains operate stores in Canada that include an array of luxury brands. Saks Fifth Avenue’s Toronto and Calgary stores include a range of luxury labels, though in slightly more conservative environments than Holt’s, and without the individually branded shop-in-stores. Nordstrom’s Canadian flagships in Toronto and Vancouver also carry an impressive roster of brands, many of which are also found at Holt’s. Only Nordstrom’s Vancouver store features a shop-in-store boutique in Canada, housing a Christian Louboutin on the store’s main level adjacent to the ‘Salon Shoes’ department. 

Holt Renfrew is also competing with upscale footwear concept stores in Canada — Toronto-based Davids Footwear plans to eventually operate stores across the country, and it features several of the top brands also carried at Holt’s. Browns Shoes and Jean-Paul Fortin are also expanding, and both carry some upscale lines. At the same time, some more mid-market shoe brands have exited Canada, or are about to — earlier this year the Nine West and Rockport brands closed their Canadian stores, and DSW recently announced that it was shuttering its Town Shoes chain.

Last week, Holt Renfrew hosted a private shopping event in partnership with Toronto Life. Retail Insider social correspondent Yana Brikker was there, and she said that she was impressed with the space and selection, not to mention the guest list. Ms. Brikker provided some of the photos in this article. 

Holt Renfrew’s Bloor Street store will see renovations conclude in the year 2020, and is part of an announced $400-million investment in the chain’s network of stores. Holt’s Bloor Street Store will see more changes — menswear will move back into the 50 Bloor mothership after locating in a standalone 16,500 square foot building at 100 Bloor Street West in 2014, for example, with the new men’s department expected to span about 25,000 square feet. The store’s cosmetics offerings will be expanded over two levels (much will locate on the concourse level, according to staff in the store) , and the store will get a new facade to replace the current white marble storefront. The store’s ground level is also seeing a renovation that will create something of a ‘luxury mall’ — Saint Laurent opened there several months ago and new boutiques for Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Dior and others will be opening, and we’ll report on these with regular updates.

The new 2,650 square foot Louis Vuitton boutique is under wraps and it opens to the public on Friday of this week.

Yves Rocher Kicks Off Store Expansion in Expanded Markets

By
Patricia Viscount
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CF TORONTO EATON CENTRE YVES ROCHER LOCATION. PHOTO: CRAIG PATTERSON

Building on their success in Quebec, Yves Rocher is continuing to expand into Ontario, specifically, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). And they’re seeking very specific locations. Yves Rocher’s brand experience is focused around customized service for the individual customer; they offer skin analysis and recommend beauty routines and specific products based on their analysis. Because they value this personal connection, they are sourcing smaller stores, with a more familiar atmosphere.

“We’re looking at small stores, which is pretty unusual for the Canadian market,” says Nathalia Del Moral Fleury, General Manager of Yves Rocher North America. “With a total of about 500 square feet, we want 300 of that to be sales floor. It’s very small but we’re looking for that cosy feeling, to be close to the client and serving them at our best, one at a time.”

Yves Rocher already has ten stores in Ontario but plan to open at a rate of three to five stores per year. They want to be located in convenient areas, like malls (their CF Toronto Eaton Centre location was recently renovated), to be easily accessible to as many people as possible. Not just in physical location but also online.

In order to reach all of their Ontario market, they’re investing a lot to boost their digital platforms to improve service to online shoppers. The company’s lack of sophistication online has been a source of frustration for customers since the explosion of e-commerce in Canada.

“We have a large group of loyal customers who have been with us for many years,” says Nathalia. “But we also have new consumers who are more comfortable buying online. We’re in the process of developing our digital tools so they are at the level of service our (customers) are expecting.”

Accessibility also matters in the cost of the product.

Affordability was one of the key elements of Yves Rocher’s vision when he began the company in 1959. And that has continued now that his grandson, Bris, is at the helm. They strive to keep the lowest price possible, where the quality and price ratio is optimum.

“This often plays against us, because they see the price and question the quality,” says Nathalia. “But Yves Rocher really wanted to keep it accessible to everyone.”

You can credit the affordable price to the fact they’ve been developing natural beauty products for 60 years, so they know how to do it more efficiently than most. But another reason is the Rocher Group is in charge of the whole value chain process – from planting the seeds to delivering the cream to their 30 million customers worldwide.

As botanist, harvester, manufacturer and distributor, Yves Rocher is the only global cosmetics brand to control the entire life cycle of its products. Thirty-three per cent of their products’ ingredients are grown in La Gacilly, France. Carefully vetted suppliers grow their exotic ingredients (aloe vera, alphoia and shea butter, for example) in tropical parts of the world. The ingredients are shipped to the factory in La Gacilly for production.

This control allows them to lower their environmental impact and offer every woman quality products at an affordable price.

As the creator of the first botanical beauty brand, Yves Rocher was a visionary who was inspired by nature. He believed natural ingredients were essential components of his products and because of that, he also felt a need to protect and safeguard the land it came from.

Over the last 5 years, with the plethora of natural products entering the beauty market, Yves Rocher needed to differentiate themselves from their competition. They’ve spent much of that time refocusing on their brand and have released two new product lines this year – a 100% hydration line and a detox/anti-aging line.

“The reason I do this job – I work at a place where we’re changing things one transaction at a time,” says Nathalia. “Every one of our products is created to be responsible and respectful of the planet and for women. I want more Canadian women to buy Yves Rocher products because of that. I believe I’m making a difference.”

Because of their fairly aggressive growth plans, which are coupled with their specific need to find small spaces, Yves Rocher has partnered with Manon Parisien, a Real Estate Broker with Aurora Realty Consultants Inc., based in Montreal. The store design is done in Paris by Rocher Group.

Lightspeed Welcomes 4 New Board Members

By
Craig Patterson
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Photo: Lightspeed

Montreal-based Lightspeed, the powerful cloud point-of-sale system for independent retailers and restaurants, has announced that is has appointed four new board members. They will contribute to the company’s global expansion with their diverse perspectives from a wealth of industry experience. 

The new board members include; Patrick Pichette, Marie-Josée Lamothe, Rob Williams and Paul McFeeters. 

“We’re thrilled to welcome Patrick, Marie-Josée, Rob and Paul, and their vast sets of expertise to Lightspeed’s board of directors,” says Dax Dasilva, Founder and CEO of Lightspeed. “Following our funding announcement in October 2017, we set out to diversify our board with executives who have the specific skill sets that will help guide us forward as we make ambitious plans for the future.”

Lightspeed is used by independent retailers and restauranteurs in more than 100 countries. The company has more than 650 employees with offices in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Australia. The company continues to grow rapidly.

The following is some information on each of Lightspeed’s new Directors: 

Patrick Pichette is formerly the Chief Financial Officer of Google and brings to Lightspeed a wealth of experience building and scaling global companies. Mr. Pichette currently holds the role of General Partner at iNovia Captial. “As a Montreal-native, I am truly delighted to join Lightspeed, a true Canadian global tech success story. I look forward to contributing among the group of distinguished board members and advising the company on fueling its ambitious growth agenda,” he said.

Marie-Josée Lamothe is from Google Canada where she served as Managing Director of Consumer Products, Government and Entertainment and also Managing Director of Quebec. Ms. Lamothe is the Founder and President of Tandem International, an advisory firm specialized in omnichannel retailing and branding. She is also Professor of Practice at McGill University’s Bensadoun School of Retail Management and is an active member with various associations in the field. “It is a privilege to join the board of a POS company that is revolutionizing the way independent businesses work. With my background in retail and product marketing, I plan to support Lightspeed’s unique vision to ignite city streets and maintain a competitive advantage in the international cloud POS space,” she said.

Rob Williams has over 20 years in eCommerce and retail experience working in leadership positions for both high-end specialty and big-box retail. Mr. Williams comes to Lightspeed from Amazon, where he led Tier 1 Vendor relationships globally. In his decade at Amazon, Rob was promoted and rotated to five leadership positions on both the Seller and Retail teams. He currently consults worldwide on Disruptive Innovation and eCommerce and is a notable speaker on those topics. “As a true champion of independent businesses, Lightspeed perfectly aligns with my values on empowering entrepreneurs. As a former Amazon employee, I look forward to leveraging my experience with this customercentric approach and data-driven leadership team,” said Mr. Williams.

Paul McFeeters brings Lightspeed a proven track record of leading internationally-recognized companies. He was formerly the Chief Financial Officer of OpenText, and he joins the board with more than 30 years of experience in financial services and the software industry. He has served on several boards throughout his career including Hootsuite, Constellation Software and Blueprint Software Systems. He said, “With Lightspeed’s beautifully designed user interface, it is clear they have a commitment to providing independent businesses with an easy-to-use cloud POS that improves customer experiences. I am thrilled to join a team that is both ahead of the curve in POS technology and continues to operate with such a rich culture.”

Lightspeed recently unveiled its Retail Success Index and joined forces with fellow Apple Mobility Partners: Intuit QuickBooks Online, Planday and Deputy to improve the business management experience for its independent retail and restaurant customers around the world. The Retail Success Index is an industry-validated questionnaire that independent retailers can utilize to determine a score for their business that will reveal new insights and opportunities for advancement.

The Retail Success Index allows independents to delve deeper into the current state of their businesses — that includes measuring their stance among competitors by identifying their strengths and granting them knowledge on areas their company can improve. Information gained is useful to retailers, no matter how long they have been in business. The five-minute questionnaire provides valuable information on the spot, and retailers can take the test every few months in order to monitor their growth.

Lightspeed has identified five critical areas that contribute to a strong retail model. These Retail Success Index Categories include:

  • Inventory Management

  • Employee Management

  • Marketing and Customer Relationship Management

  • Data Intelligence

  • Sales Sophistication

A retailer’s Retail Success Index is calculated using an algorithm that assigns points to questionnaire answers in the five categories above, and averages out points while altering the weight of each based on the information provided. Using the accumulated score, Lightspeed then provides detailed results for each category as well as actionable tips to help independents grow and ultimately become more successful.

Lightspeed continues to innovate and last year it introduced Lightspeed Analytics, which is geared towards independent retailers and is designed to provide retailers with insights and recommendations into their sales, inventory, employee performance and customer behaviours, with an aim of providing retailers a competitive edge in their industry. We profiled Lightspeed Analytics at length in a previous article.

Ermenegildo Zegna Unveils Impressive Updated Vancouver Store [Photos]

By
Craig Patterson
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Italian luxury brand Ermenegildo Zegna has re-opened its store at CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver, revealing the brand’s most updated retail design. The Vancouver opening marks the first of two Zegna stores to open in Canada this month, with a standalone store on Toronto’s Bloor Street West set to open within days.

Both stores are being operated by upscale multi-brand menswear retailer Harry Rosen, which has had a partnership with Zegna for decades. CEO Larry Rosen in an earlier interview said, “My father was the first retailer to introduce Ermenegildo Zegna to North America in the early 1970s. He recognized the inherent quality and craftsmanship that the Zegna family offered. Our families have been in business ever since.” 

The 4,730 square foot Vancouver Zegna boutique, located across from Harry Rosen’s CF Pacific Centre flagship and next to a recently opened Links of London store, has operated in the space for more than a decade and it recently closed temporarily for an overhaul. The store’s interior is based on a design concept by internationally-acclaimed architect Peter Marino, who has designed some of the world’s most spectacular stores. 

Rich colours, materials and fabrics are used throughout the new space, which is masculine yet warm with a mix of Italian marble flooring and rich wood tones. Luxury is the theme throughout the store, which carries Zegna’s expansive line of fashions for men as well as accessories, leather goods, footwear, and fragrances. 

The Vancouver store’s facade has also been revamped with a new exterior that also reflects Zegna’s updated branding. 

This month, Zegna will unveil a 3,000 square foot store at 100 Bloor Street West in Toronto, which will be located next to the Hermès flagship which opened in November of 2017. CBRE Toronto negotiated the Toronto Zegna deal under the direction of Arlin Markowitz, and we’ll profile the space in a separate article when it opens. 

In an earlier interview, Harry Rosen’s CEO Larry Rosen explained that the company was opening standalone Zegna stores to create a “pure” Zegna experience that is in line with the world’s major cities — the brand has fans around the world who will visit Zegna stores during their travels. Zegna, which is considered to be one of the world’s leading luxury brands for men, is also the top-selling brand at Harry Rosen’s stores nationally. 

More standalone Zegna boutiques could open in Canada, according to Mr. Rosen, though nothing is confirmed as of yet. Harry Rosen is also considering opening standalone boutiques for some of its other leading brands (including Dutch custom menswear brand Atelier Munro). Harry Rosen is considered to be one of the world’s top multi-brand menswear stores. 

We’ll follow up this article with photos of the new Toronto store once it is open. 

How OPM Sales Facilitates Premium Warehouse Sale Events

By
Retail Insider
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By Retail Insider Custom Content

OPM Sales, a well established warehouse sale facilitator in Newmarket continues to work with vendors and major brands by hosting warehouse liquidation sales at its massive facility north of Toronto. The company hosts several large events each year, including its next 5-day sale, taking place November 14-18, 2018.

OPM Sales has been in business for nearly 10 years, and it has been the choice of a wide range of businesses to liquidate their product.

OPM Sales facilitates these sale events by being able to provide a turnkey solution. Businesses are drawn to OPM Sales events, as they have a full-time management team and fully trained, reputable staff at each sale. This includes full-time cashiers, sales associates and floor supervisors. They also employ, a full-time merchandiser, who has over 20 years of experience in retail to help you effectively display your product through merchandising and signage. The OPM Sales team works with you to liquidate your product effectively and efficiently, as they are quick to replenish stock at these sale events.

Marketing is key to getting the word out about these sales. Their marketing team works diligently to spread the word, getting the maximum amount of exposure. From being active on social media, to digital and traditional print advertising, to holding contests, and in-store email sign ups, they do it all! OPM Sales’ email database includes more than 50,000 and the company has more than 10,800 Facebook subscribers. The marketing is working — their parking lot is often full at OPM Sales’ events, as the company boasts a loyal following of returning customers.

The next event, taking place November 14-18, will include a wide range of product categories from well-known brand names such as Adidas, Puma, Vans, Converse, New Balance, Asics, Saucony, Oakley, Jansport and more. Being, that the winter season is upon us, the sale will include a vast array of winter coats from designer brands.

Once again, OPM Sales has also partnered with SaleEvent.ca this November to carry an array of brand name health, beauty and home care products as well.

For those seeking to experience one of OPM Sales’ premium warehouse events themselves, the November event takes place from Wednesday, November 14 to Friday, November 16 from 10:00am to 8:00pm, and Saturday, November 17 and Sunday, November 18 from 10:00am to 6:00pm. For directions and a map, click here

OPM Sales’ General Manager Matthew is a point of contact and can be emailed at: matthew@opmsales.com. For more information, please visit: opmsales.com.

*Sponsored content. To work with Retail Insider, email Craig Patterson at: craig@retail-insider.com.

In-Depth Study Explores Canadian Holiday Shopping Habits

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Canadians are starting their holiday shopping much earlier these days and retailers need to be ready for the onslaught both in their stores and online.

“Now is the time to make sure that everything’s perfect at retail,” said Jeff Doucette, General Manager of Field Agent Canada, a company that uses its mobile platform to do shopper research for the retail industry.

“When you look at how people are shopping, yes there is an online influence and online is going to be important, but there’s still a big bricks and mortar component to what we will see this Christmas. Holiday shoppers are still going to go to stores to buy stuff . . . Christmas is still about being in the stores, although ecommerce is definitely growing. Overall it seems Canadians are in a robust mood. When you look at the overall dollars spent year-over-year there’s lots of people who are going to be spending more. There’s more people spending more than there are people spending less.”

Those are some of the key findings of a new report by Field Agent: A Very Canadian, Omnichannel Christmas 2018 Holiday Insights: https://canadianmysteryshopper.ca/2018-holiday-shopping-plans-and-expectations-insights-report

The report said November is still, for many in Canada, the kickoff to holiday shopping. In the survey, 44 per cent said they will most likely begin their 2018 gift shopping on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or even earlier in November. Only four per cent said they will wait until mid-December or later to start. Interestingly enough, only 18 per cent said they expect to finish their shopping prior to December.

“Online shopping is on the advance — we’ve seen that the last several years. But the majority of holiday spending still transpires inside stores,” said the report, explaining that 98 per cent of shoppers expect to visit more than one store this year.

In fact, 29 per cent intend to visit six to 10 physical stores and seven per cent 11 stores.

“People like being in the mall at Christmas time. People love being there. There’s no parking and the mall is crowded because people love being there,” said Doucette.

“What likely is happening too is there’s still that showrooming effect. You might see people who go to Hudson’s Bay to shop for kitchen wares. They might not actually buy it at Hudson’s Bay. They might go and buy it on Amazon and have it delivered to their house. But that’s part of the process. It sounds crazy but you can’t visit Santa Claus online. You can’t get your kids’ picture taken with Santa Claus online. You still have to go to the mall. There’s some things there that online will never be able to replicate because that physical experience is what it is – the music, the lights, all that stuff.”

Doucette said the big rush for holiday shopping is coming up as Canada has sort of Americanized our shopping routine around Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

“You’re going to have a huge wave of people coming into the stores especially after Remembrance Day. I think Canadians still to a certain extent respect that Remembrance Day line in the sand. And once it’s the 12th it’s the beginning of the Holiday season at retail in general,” he said.

Where are people likely to be found spending most of their holiday dollars? Amazon took top spot in the report as the retailer where 31% of Canadians will spend the biggest part of their budgets, followed by Walmart (23 per cent), Costco (10 per cent), Winners/HomeSense (seven per cent), and Toys R Us (four per cent).

“What we’ve seen in general is not polarization of shoppers but polarization of shopping missions. So people are really keen to go to Walmart or go to Costco to save a bunch of money or shop on Amazon to save a bunch of money. But then they’re also going to the Coach boutique to buy a $400 purse,” said Doucette. “It’s really a mix of consumers shopping in different ways depending on what they’re looking for.”

The good news for retailers this year is that people are looking to spend more money, according to the report. Holiday shoppers are feeling spend-happy entering the 2018 holiday-shopping season with 39 per cent expecting to spend more than last year in groceries for meals, 31 per cent spending more for holiday decorations, 31 per cent spending more on electronics, 40 per cent more on toys and 42 per cent more on gifts in general.

The survey also found that 51 per cent said they’re completely likely to buy gifts online / in-app this holiday season.

“Online shopping is no longer the new kid on the block; it’s more entrenched behaviour now. Indeed, only a measly eight per cent said they’re not very or not at all likely to buy gifts online in 2018,” said the Field Agent report.

In Field Agent’s survey, Amazon was the undisputed king of online holiday-shopping, with about seven-in-10 saying they’ll spend most of their digital dollars with the ecommerce giant.

And how likely are shoppers to use store pickup to retrieve gifts from digital shopping – 12 per cent completely likely, 17 per cent very likely and 31 per cent moderately likely.

Also, 43 per cent of Canadians surveyed reported being either completely or very likely to use a mobile app to plan for, shop for, and/or buy gifts this year. Only 30 per cent said they’re not very or not at all likely. And Amazon and Walmart lead the way there.

The bottom line? Expect to see lots of people at the malls and lots of brown boxes on doorsteps across the country over the next few weeks.

Want to learn more? Download the FREE 28 PAGE REPORT HERE

BonLook Targets Western Canada as it Continues National Expansion

By
Megan Harman
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PHOTO: BONLOOK FACEBOOK

Fashionable Montreal-based eyewear retailer BonLook is continuing to aggressively expand its store network, just two years after the company first branched out of the e-commerce realm into the bricks and mortar space.

BonLook now operates 27 stores in Canada, including two new locations that have opened in the past two weeks—one in Market Mall in Calgary and one in Guildford Town Centre in Surrey, B.C.—and several more are set to open in the months to come.

The retailer aims to have between 45 and 50 stores operating across the country by 2020, according to the retailer’s co-founder and CEO, Sophie Boulanger.

“We’re on fire,” says Boulanger. “Our goal is to be coast to coast across Canada by 2020.”

PHOTO: BONLOOK FACEBOOK
PHOTO: BONLOOK WEBSITE/BLOG

BonLook launched in 2011 as an e-commerce brand specializing in trendy and affordable prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses. The company designs and manufactures all of the frames it sells, with new styles released every three to four weeks.

“We make sure to always keep it fun and exciting,” Boulanger says. “We try to push the envelope with new styles.”

The company began experimenting with physical stores to complement its online sales channel in 2015 and 2016, primarily to cater to customers who prefer to try on frames before making a purchase. The physical retail strategy quickly took off, leading to more than two-dozen store openings in the past two years.

“Up until two years ago, we were just an online retailer. So we’re really learning physical retail – it’s brand new for us,” says Boulanger. “It’s just about listening to what the clients want. I think that’s what’s made our success over the years – we adapt quickly.”

Boulanger launched BonLook in partnership with her brother, Louis-Félix Boulanger, in an effort to create a more customer friendly eyewear shopping experience.

“The traditional experience of shopping for eyewear is kind of broken and it’s not a very good experience for most people,” Sophie Boulanger says. For example, she notes that prescription glasses tend to be very expensive, and there’s often a lack of transparency surrounding the price of the lenses. In addition, many of the frames in stores are often locked up or have bulky security tags attached to them, making them difficult to try on.

BonLook strives to create a comfortable environment for trying on frames, provides an omni-channel experience that enables customers to choose the transaction method they prefer, aims to offer glasses at an affordable price point and aspires to be completely transparent with pricing.

“It’s meant to be very open and inviting, and we want people to come in and feel free to touch the product, try it on—try on 50 frames if they want. Then they can go home and buy it at home if they prefer that,” Boulanger says. “We want the experience to be very stress-free, very easy.”

PHOTO: BONLOOK FACEBOOK

The company works hard to create a consistent customer experience, regardless of the channel the customer is using. A vast majority of BonLook’s customers interact with the retailer both online and in-store, Boulanger says, so ensuring customers have a seamless experience across all channels is essential.

“It’s very fluid between the two channels,” she says. “I think to be winning in this new game of retail in the 21st century, that’s what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to be very consistent.”

BonLook’s stores are an average of 800 square feet in size and are all located in shopping centres, with a focus on centrally located, high-traffic enclosed malls. The stores are designed to be bright, well-lit and open concept. They feature furniture and accessories by various Canadians designers, including modern lighting fixtures provided by Montreal-based Lambert & Fils.

Having established a large network of stores in Quebec and Ontario, BonLook is now focused on expanding into Canada’s western provinces. Thanks to the retailer’s digital presence, it already has strong brand recognition in Alberta and B.C., according to Christine Boivin, director of marketing and communications with BonLook.

“We know there’s potential in those provinces, so it’s something we want to capitalize on,” she says.

CONSTRUCTION SIGNAGE AT CF PACIFIC CENTRE. PHOTO: LEE RIVETT
FUTURE PLANNED LOCATIONS INCLUDE WEST EDMONTON MALL, CF POLO PARK (WINNIPEG) AND CF PACIFIC CENTRE (VANCOUVER)

By December 15th, BonLook plans to open three more locations: one in Vancouver’s CF Pacific Centre, one in West Edmonton Mall and one in CF Polo Park in Winnipeg.

Once BonLook has established a physical retail presence in all of the major markets across Canada, the retailer will consider expanding internationally, including possibly into the U.S. market. Currently, however, there are no firm plans in place.

“We have big dreams,” says Boulanger. “Right now we’re focused on Canada, but we won’t stop there for sure.”

BonLook’s site selection is being handled by Kathleen McGuigan at Oberfeld Snowcap Inc.

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