Now more than ever, brands are launching pop-up activations in an effort to create buzz and drive foot traffic. In Canadian cities, lineups are common — such pop-ups utilize a psychological strategy where scarcity creates demand, and the best concepts are also experiential and memorable in order to create positive brand recognition.
Candy brand Skittles is the latest brand to launch such a pop-up, and it will be doing so on Christmas Eve in Toronto for only one hour. The company says that it is doing so to service the ‘last minute procrastinator’, as most stores will be closed at the time (other than 24/7 retailers such as Rabba Fine Foods). Skittles has hosted similar pop-ups in the past and they’ve been hugely successful, and the very limited duration of this pop-up will be a test to see how many people will rush to the space during such a short period of time.
The Skittles ‘Last Minute Gift Shop’ pop-up will be hosted at unit 112, 423 Queen Street West (near the corner of Spadina Avenue). Gift items in the store will be on-brand, including a skittles-covered ukulele and other novel, giftable-items.
The Skittles pop-up on Queen Street West opens at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, December 24, and stays open until 12:59 a.m. on Christmas morning. The one-hour duration of the pop-up is remarkable and we’ll report back in January after evaluating its success. The first 60 guests will receive free Skittles-themed gifts.
For an even shorter duration, the Skittles pop-up shop will launch an e-commerce site (www.SkittlesLastMinute.ca) which will be active for one minute. You read that right. The online store opens to the public at 11:59pm on December 24 and will shut down promptly at 12:00 am on Christmas Day. One of the offers is $2 off selected Skittles products.
As part of the branding initiative, Skittles is also donating $10,000 to the Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada, a charitable partner of Mars Wrigley Confectionary (parent company of Skittles).
Toronto-based pop-up retail facilitator pop-up go, which works with brands seeking temporary activation spaces, coordinated the Queen Street location for Skittles. Marketing agency MediaCom is responsible for executing the brand strategy.
Linda Farha, Founder and ‘Chief Connector’ of pop-up go, explained that her company has access to activation spaces nationwide, and even in Florida. “The requests for pop-up spaces has exploded in Canada over the past couple of years, as brands look to create buzz worthy experiences for a limited period of time.”
The return on investment for pop-up retail can be determined in various ways, including creating brand awareness as well as selling product. Given the extremely limited time span for the Skittles pop-up and e-commerce site next week, it would appear that Skittles’ goal is to create brand buzz as opposed to profit from sales, given the cost to activate versus potential return on investment. In many instances, pop-up retail comes out of a brand’s marketing budget, differentiating them from more traditional retailers that budget annually and look to sales as a primary indicator for return-on-investment.
At the same time, some buzzy pop-ups can generate huge sums for some brands, especially when products ‘drop’ that are of limited quantity and for a limited period of time. One of the most memorable pop-ups in Toronto was musician Kanye West’s three-day pop-up on Toronto’s Ossington Avenue in August of 2016, where thousands lined up to buy ‘Life of Pablo’ merchandise — some of which included stencilled Gildan t-shirts which typically sell for next to nothing, but were priced closer to $100 with the branded ‘Life of Pablo’ stencilled lettering.
Toronto has been on the forefront of pop-up activations in Canada, and lineups and high sales are an indication of their success. Elements of buzz worthy pop-ups can be integrated into long-term retail strategy as well, and it will be a topic of conversation in a feature article in Retail Insider in the New Year.
Lest you’ve been living an idyllic hunter-gatherer lifestyle in the northern reaches of this country, you’ve likely noticed the ascent of Canadian Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions from retailers nationwide over the past few years. The phenomenon, co-opted from the United States where it heralds the beginning of the holiday shopping season on the heels of their Thanksgiving, marks one of the biggest shifts in the retail landscape and consumer behaviour in Canada. According to Google Canada, mobile searches for ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Deals’ have increased 100% over the past two years, a clear sign that this retail revolution has taken hold.
Going Toe-To-Toe With Boxing Day
Though the nascent Canadian rendition of Black Friday lacks the cultural weight of its American counterpart, this hasn’t stopped it from becoming a serious contender to Boxing Day as the time when most Canadians plan to hunt for deals, according to a recent study from the Retail Council of Canada. With 40% of Canadians indicating an intention to shop on Black Friday compared to 35% for Boxing Day, it appears, somewhat unsurprisingly, that pre-Christmas is becoming a more favourable time to shop for many. The report also reveals that 20% of Canadians are starting their holiday shopping earlier this year, suggesting that the allure of the late November deals may be working in kick-starting holiday spending. Of note, however, is that despite the day’s distinctly American roots, 87% of Canadians consider it important to ‘buy Canadian’ regarding their retailers of choice.
Taking Advantage Of The Shift
For Canadian furniture retailer The Brick, in particular, who’s brand name has become synonymous with Boxing Day deals, Black Friday has presented a significant opportunity to capitalize on a market newly primed for promotions and to build even further upon their success in the holiday sales space. This is evident in The Brick reaching #7 of the top 10 most searched brands leading up to the Black Friday shopping period, as reported by Google. Moreover, as a Canadian retail icon, The Brick benefits by tapping into the consumer push towards ‘buying Canadian’. “The rise of Black Friday has allowed The Brick to complement its Boxing Day successes and build upon our position as a market leader, all while providing even more value to Canadians leading up to the holiday season,” says Dave Freeman, President of The Brick.
A Uniquely Canadian Perspective
Once a blip on the Canadian retail radar, the proliferation of Black Friday germinated out of consumers’ demand for more pre-holiday sales in tandem with retailers’ attempts to shore up Canadian dollars going across the border to discounted American competition.
With no accompanying holiday or day-off during Black Friday, as is the norm in the U.S., the day has become more of an adoption than a direct carbon copy, with Canadians making it unique in terms of their consumer behaviour. In particular, shopping habits appear to revolve around the Thursday night before, as shoppers eagerly trawl through newly announced or impending deals, and the following Friday work day with shoppers sealing the deal on purchases in the morning, at lunch and then after work.
Of course, all of this on-the-clock buying has to be done online, making e-commerce that much more important to retailers’ promotional strategy. It’s these nuances (lunch breaks be damned) that make it clear Black Friday in this country will never be quite the same as south of the border but that it looks to be definitely here to stay in its own uniquely Canadian form.
Founded in 2008 as Starburst Advertising Inc., FKA is Edmonton’s leading results-focused marketing and communications agency. With offices in Edmonton and Toronto, FKA provides branding, advertising and interactive services to local- and national-level clients like All Weather Windows, The Brick, Canadian Western Bank, the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton and the Edmonton International Film Festival.
Quebec-based Surmesur Custom Menswear creates affordable custom-made clothing with an unwavering focus on customer service. With the recent opening of their new 2,400 square foot store in Ottawa’s Place de Ville (320 Queen Street, next to the future Lyon Station), the company has just upped its game.
“We offer more of a shopping experience,” says Jean-Pierre Lachance, Marketing and Social Media Specialist, Surmesur. “Our personal consultants help the client choose the style and fabric for their new clothing. We provide a comfortable lounge to enjoy espresso or scotch while they shop, and variable lighting so they can see what the fabric will look like in different settings.”
The new location allows Surmesur better access to their target market.
“With the imminent completion of the LRT project, we saw the opportunity to move in with it to be right on the doorstep of both the city’s biggest infrastructure project of the decade and many of our existing clients,” says Vincent Thériault, Surmesur co-founder.
Founded in 2010 by brothers François and Vincent Thériault, Surmesur allows men to create unique clothing, tailor-made to their tastes and offered at off-the-rack or ready-to-wear prices. However, the company is proud to say it still practices traditional tailoring.
“We’ve used technology to help, but we believe humans take the best measurements,” says Lachance. “We also want clients to come in and work with their personal consultant to develop their own clothing style. They can see and touch the fabrics which always helps them make better choices.”
As part of the unique experience, clients can also use in-store touchscreens to see a 3D rendering of what the clothing will look like, and clients can show their consultant a look or style they found online. Surmesur offerings range from custom-made dress shirts, suits, overcoats, to casual shirts and shoes.
In addition to the Ottawa store, Surmesur plans to expand to 25 shops in the next few years. Currently the retailer is in both small and large markets – the first franchisee opened almost a year ago in Vancouver. Their services can also be found in (to name a few) Quebec City, Montreal, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Mexico.
“The thinking in opening outside of Canada was to test the various markets,” explains Thériault. “Pittsburgh is a small market like Quebec City, and our approach is more personalized. Chicago is a large city so we had to market ourselves differently. We wanted to see if the U.S. market was ready for made-to-measure clothing, and it went very well. But at the same time, we have the opportunity to continue to grow in Canada, where our brand is better known.”
For expansion, cities like Calgary, Toronto, Winnipeg and Halifax are being considered.
Like everything it does, flexibility and customer service comes first at Surmesur. Its business model incorporates corporate flagship stores and franchisee opportunities. It also includes Shop In-Shop options for savvy retail owners who realize the value of offering their customers that special custom service; Surmesur offers small kiosks in existing off-the-rack clothing stores.
And with custom-made suits starting at just over $400, Surmesur’s “smart price” offers Made-In-Canada quality products at a great price.
Surmesur isn’t currently represented by a broker and the store design is done in-house. The retailer’s ideal location is standalone stores close to where their clients are found and where there is a lot of foot traffic – downtown or inner city. Their current stores range from 1600 – 3000 square feet.
A US-based rowing-based boutique fitness concept called Row House is looking to enter the market and is searching for retail space. The company has retained brokerage Aurora Realty Consultants to assist with finding locations.
Stationary rowing is becoming popular as a full-body workout for aerobic endurance, muscle gain, and weight loss. Known to be one of the most effective workouts of its kind, rowing is said to engage 85% of the body’s muscles with low risk of injury that maximizes calorie burn while activating one’s core, at the same time strengthening and lengthening the body to ultimately improve posture.
The Row House concept is designed around high-energy, low-impact rowing workouts. Being inclusive and ‘community-based’, it caters to a wide range of user-types. Sessions are typically 45-minutes in duration, utilizing state-of-the-art Concept2 rowing equipment along with instructor audio-video synching for work out coordination. Team members workout in a group similar to water based row training.
The synchronized group fitness experience involves participants rowing on the same stroke, and moving as a unit — though one can row at their own intensity if desired.
Locations also feature a selection of athletic-related products for purchase, which is more common than ever at boutique fitness studios as well as larger fitness concepts such as Equinox.
Row House was founded in New York City in 2014 by husband/wife team Eric Von Frohlich and Debra Strougo, and currently operates three locations, two of which are in New York City and one in Tustin, California. Irvine California-based Xponential Fitness acquired Row House in early 2018, recognizing room for significant growth. The Row House is a sister company to Club Pilates, CycleBar, StretchLab, AKT and Yoga Six geared to the fast growing boutique rowing workout.
The fitness concept is growing quickly — there are plans to open several more Row House locations in various parts of the United States, with plans to operate more than 100 Row House locations by the year 2022. To facilitate growth, Row House is utilizing a franchise model under corporate name Row House Franchise LLC.
For its Canadian expansion, Row House has retained Aurora Realty Consultants to assist with bringing the fitness concept to Canada, and Don Gregor is the point of contact at the brokerage. Row House is looking at the Toronto market initially and has its eyes on three upscale neighbourhoods — Yorkville, The Annex, and Forest Hill to start. According to Aurora Realty Consultants, locations will ideally be located in urban neighbourhood shopping areas and will be between 1,800 square feet and 2,500 square feet, with a minimum 30-foot width and ceiling heights ideally exceeding nine feet. Locations will ideally be rectangular and have a clear span with a 60-foot minimum depth. This facilitates an occupancy load of 20-25 students and one instructor, with classes from early morning though to evenings.
Boutique fitness concepts are expanding rapidly in Canada and are taking market share away from traditional large-format gyms. Concepts such as F45 Training and Orangetheory are expanding rapidly throughout the country with plans for hundreds of locations. Cycle studios such as SoulCycle,Ride Cycle Club and Spinco are making inroads in the country, and bootcamp-themed Barry’s Bootcamp will have three Canadian locations open by the end of 2019 (two in Toronto and one in Vancouver). Kickboxing concept 9round is utilizing a franchise model as it expands rapidly in Canada, UFC Gym is in expansion mode, and France-based Keep Cool entered Canada last year with its first location — and there are plenty of other examples of chain and independent fitness studios popping up across the country.
Given the low-impact nature of the workouts at Row House, the concept could gain traction quickly in Canada. For landlords/landlord-representing brokers interested in Row House (initially in the Yorkville, Annex and Forest Hill areas of Toronto), contact Don Gregor at Aurora Realty Consultants at: dgregor@auroraconsultants.com.
Unique home furnishings retailer Thirty Six Knots has unveiled a 6,000 square foot showroom in Toronto’s Summerhill area which features high-quality rugs at a wide range of prices. The unique retailer carries a range of decor, also at various price points, and also includes a coffee shop carrying local food and beverage offerings.
Thirty Six Knots is located at 1212 Yonge Street, just north of the Summerhill LCBO store, at the epicentre of one of Canada’s wealthiest areas. Neighbourhoods such as Rosedale, South Hill and Forest Hill are only a short distance away, housing some of the countries most prominent families. The area is also known for its high-end home decor retailers (Thirty Six Knots replaced Decorum which formerly occupied the building).
The name ‘Thirty Six Knots’ is a tribute to the artistry, culture and tradition of rugs, according to the company, signifying 36 symmetrical knots per square centimetre. A wide selection of premium rugs are available throughout the store in a wide range of prices — a smaller machine-woven design might cost into the hundreds of dollars, while some customized hand-crafted 8’x10’ designs can cost in excess of $50,000 (and can take months to create).
Custom designs involve a collaboration between the customer and one of the retailer’s in-house interior and graphic designers. Once a decision is made by the buyer, the retailer sends the designs to experienced weavers who have perfected the craft. Thirty Six Knots says that you can “share a story, word, colour, or feeling, and we’ll interpret it into a design for you, or make your idea a reality.”
The store’s open-concept design includes a series of rooms showcasing various rugs as well as home furnishings from a range of local and international names. Thirty Six Knots collaborates with interior designers, artists and creators from around the world — each piece is said to be carefully hand selected and unique. The history and culture of the tapestry and textiles featured are meant to be viewed not just as rugs, but as works of art, according to the company.
The showroom is curated as a ‘visual narrative’ through vignettes that artfully blend a diverse range of textures, colours and features. The space is structured as a ‘lifestyle’, making it easy for guests to visualize items in their own homes and immerse themselves in the products.
Rooms in the store feature selected textiles accented with furnishings, accessories, and ‘must have’ objets d’art. The store also features an in-store café which offers food and beverages that are geared towards a “healthy lifestyle by bringing more sustainable and nutritious food to guests”. The store is positioned as a local gathering place where visitors can even pop in for a pastry, coffee or specialty tea on the way to work.
The impressive show-space required several months of construction, which was handled by Mississauga-based BUILD IT. The space was entirely demolished before construction, and new features were added. Flooring is a mix of laminate durable flooring and Valmenco natural tiles. Custom track lighting was used for most of the space to illuminate the products contained within, and custom pendants were created and installed over the coffee bar area at the centre of the store. Coffee bar shelves were installed with LED lighting. BUILD IT has built some of Canada’s leading retailers and restaurant spaces, and was recently named by BlogTO as one of Toronto’s top 10 general contractors.
Thirty Six Knots’ Yonge Street store is part showroom, part cafe, and part gallery. The store targets locals as well as design enthusiasts, collectors and the interior design community. The store has plans to expand on their current website and launch a fully e-commerce site that features their rugs and accessories in the near future.
No further Thirty Six Knots retail locations are planned, though the retailer says that it would like to eventually take the brand across Canada and North America within the next few years.
As the holiday shopping season heats up for Christmas, one thing is becoming abundantly clear when it comes to the behaviour of Canadian shoppers.
They are not abandoning bricks and mortar stores in any way.
A national survey conducted for the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada) association indicated that 46 per cent of respondents plan to spend the largest part of their holiday gift budget in store. Another 16 per cent indicate they will spend the most online, while one third think they will spend roughly the same amount in store and online. The remaining six per cent don’t know.
CPA CANADA SURVEY
Also, the Holiday Shopping in Canada Survey 2018, by the Retail Council of Canada, found that physical stores will experience the largest share of holiday spending with 74 per cent of people surveyed saying they will be shopping in store and 20 per cent online with computers and/or tablets and six per cent online with mobile devices.
“We all hear about the death of bricks and mortar and I think maybe it’s a little bit like Mark Twain. You know ‘the rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated’. We’re really seeing quite clearly that people are spending, according to our survey, primarily in stores rather than online with almost half expecting to do most of their shopping in stores and only 16 per cent who expect to do it mostly online,” said Doretta Thompson, director of corporate citizenship for CPA Canada.
“That’s really good news for retailers. I think consumers, especially around holiday time and buying gifts for others, really value that touch and feel of the merchandise. They want to be very sure about what they’re getting. And that human connection with customer service. I also wonder the extent to which delivery times and shipping costs play into people’s decision around gift-giving. Not to mention, I think for a lot of people it’s just part of what the holidays mean. That kind of excitement around the physical looking at gifts.”
The CPA survey was conducted prior to the rotating Canada Post strikes but it had been talked about at the time as a possibility.
“I do think that may well have been a factor as well and remember you also have a percentage of people that do their shopping last-minute and those people are always going to be doing bricks and mortar,” added Thompson.
CPA Canada’s 2018 Holiday Spending Study also found:
84 per cent of those surveyed said they plan to spend less than $1,000 on gifts, including five per cent who will spend nothing;
13 per cent anticipate spending more than $1,000 on seasonal presents;
64 per cent plan on spending less than $200 on travel and 76 per cent expect to spend less than $400 on entertaining;
64 per cent do not save throughout the year for holiday gifts;
67 per cent do not believe they will overspend this year, but if they do it will be for their immediate family and 69 per cent indicated they would be likely to go over budget for their children or significant others;
52 per cent indicated they will plan out their spending and 46 per cent said they will not, with two per cent unsure;
11 per cent plan to leave holiday shopping until the last minute; and
58 per cent belong to at least one retail loyalty program specifically to save money while shopping.
“The really big takeaway is that most Canadians don’t anticipate overspending on the holidays. That’s really indicative and pretty consistent with our past research this year with summer spending that people are becoming more cautious. That there’s in general a rise in the (cost of) basics and that’s affecting people’s plans,” said Thompson.
The summer research indicated that the costs of food, energy and transportation were pushing down people’s spending plans.
“When you see those kinds of increases on the basics, people become more cautious which is a good thing . . . that they’re recognizing this. We’re seeing it with the number of people who are budgeting . . . People do have a sense of reasonableness.”
The Retail Council of Canada holiday spending survey found that the average intended spend for the 2018 Christmas season will be $675 with 66 per cent of people spending the same as the year before 11 per cent spending more and 19 per cent spending less.
Although 65 per cent of Canadians plan to have a firm budget for spending during the 2018 holiday season, nearly one in three (28 per cent) ended up spending more than they planned last year during the 2017 holiday season.
Thompson said the CPA survey also showed that there’s a really sizeable percentage of Canadians who belong to loyalty programs.
“That use of loyalty cards really kind of cements relationship. And relationships become important especially around holiday time,” said Thompson.
“People like the idea of benefiting from places that they normally shop at. I think that’s very attractive to people. I think also the use of the new apps that are emerging where you can actually carry all of your loyalty cards on your phone in a single app is really attractive to people as well. The use of apps is likely increasing not just sign-ups for loyalty but use for loyalty.”
OPM Sales, a well established warehouse sale facilitator in Newmarket, is reflecting on this year’s successes as it focuses ahead to 2019. OPM Sales has been working with vendors and major brands by hosting warehouse liquidation sales at its 60,000 square foot facility, just north of Toronto.
The company hosted several large successful events this year, and dates are scheduled for eight premium five-day warehouse sales to be hosted in 2019.
OPM Sales would like to thank their participating 2018 vendors; Wolverine Worldwide, SaleEvent.ca, The Levy Group, Mario Serrani, The Picture Depot and Beka Castings. In addition to their current vendors, OPM Sales will focus on building new, valuable relationships with all types of vendors, and expanding the variety of products offered to their consumers. Their goal is to establish a win-win situation for all; from vendor to consumer, value is key to every member of the channel.
OPM Sales provides an easy turnkey solution to vendors looking to liquidate merchandise, as they thoroughly prepare, actively manage, and effectively advertise for each sale event. OPM Sales has a full-time management team, fully trained staff, full-time cashiers, sales associates, floor supervisors and a full-time merchandiser on staff to help facilitate their sale events.
To finish off 2018, OPM Sales is hosting its Annual Holiday Sale this week, December 19-23. This sale will feature golf equipment from TaylorMade, coat arrivals from the Levy Group, as well as health, beauty and home care products from SaleEvent.ca. Also included in this sale, you will find name brands such as Adidas, Reebok, Puma, New Balance, Vans, Converse, Saucony, Asics, Jansport, Parkland, New Era and more!
December Sale Event Dates:
Wednesday, December 19 to Friday, December 21 from 10:00am to 8:00pm, and Saturday, December 22 and Sunday, December 23 from 10:00am to 6:00pm.
Holiday shopping season is the busiest time of the year for retailers, and an ideal time to invest in modern security systems to ensure you are levelled up with the latest technological advances.
With more customers, comes more opportunities for theft as sales associates are distracted by more people on the shop floor. At the same time, an influx of customers can also be a form of security, allowing for more eyes on the ground and less attempts to shoplift. Either way, the best way to monitor increased numbers of shoppers is to have an appropriately designed security system that is primed to prevent theft before it happens, rather than just record it for evidentiary purposes later.
While virtually every retail operation has a video system, it’s possible to go beyond passive reactive mode to make security and surveillance more intelligent and relevant to your everyday business. Modernizing the surveillance system with smart cameras not only protects the business against losses, but the data gleaned from new analytical tools can yield actionable insights to improve the in-store experience, smooth operational processes, and grow sales volume. This data offers insight into how your business works through, automating queue line management, monitoring shelf stocking, and analyzing traffic patterns within the store. Notifications can be sent automatically to managers and staff, alerting them to rapidly emptying shelves with high margin items, and facial recognition software can identify notorious serial shoplifters, and, in combination with transaction records, expose fraudulent returns.
Identifying return fraud
One of the most active times for criminal activity is after the holiday shopping period is over, when people pour into shops with merchandise for returns or refunds. This is when the rubber hits the road, in terms of the synchronicity between the security system and the transaction history. If working perfectly, the returns desk can be a locus for crime detection by linking people of interest via facial recognition with transaction history of items that were stolen. For instance, if someone approaches the return desk and is identified as working in a crime ring, more attention will be paid to the transaction about to take place. If they do not have the appropriate receipts, or try to insist on a refund without one, it could be a flag for the return.
The ‘invisible’ store clerk
Audio is a tool that retailers can use to welcome shoppers into areas of the store, particularly those that are prone to theft. A smart camera can detect someone entering an aisle and queue an audio greeting like: “Welcome to Cosmetics. We have a special discount on all lipstick products this week.” This does the dual job of greeting a shopper and telling them about any special offers, while also letting them know they have been noticed in case they were planning to shoplift. Audio can also be deployed in the check-out area to calm frayed nerves by telling shoppers their patience is appreciated and that a new check-out counter will be opening, or other store announcements that might pertain to the enhancing the customer experience.
Machine learning and AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) will vastly change and improve the shopping experience as well, learning to tell the difference between what a normal shopping routine and an odd routine might look like. Smart cameras could learn to discern between normal behaviour, i.e. someone browsing shelves, and another who is potentially preparing to steal an item. For instance, if a shopper is picking up several of one item, loitering for too long, or returning to the same spot repeatedly, it could trigger an alarm so that security personnel can further investigate.
Preventing long queues
Line-ups at check-out counters are a pet peeve of customers, and a retailer’s worst nightmare. Smart cameras can count people in a given space and once over a certain threshold can trigger an alert. As Stephen O’Keefe, retail expert in loss prevention, notes: “Dwell times at the last point of contact is critical. If your culture is ‘Three in a line is not fine’, just imagine a device that monitors the line and at three customers sends a text to a backup cashier to proceed to the front and take over an unused register. That customer who might potentially be number four or five, and ready to complain, is now number one.”
Understanding sales is another side benefit of a well-designed security system. “The capability of CCTV to count people isn’t always used to its fullest potential. If the software can tell you how many people were in your store on a given day, and you compare that number to the transaction count from the POS system, suddenly you have a difference between shoppers and paying customers. Using conversion rate information to schedule staff when they are needed by the customer will greatly improve sales and works to reduce shrink.”
Inventory control
Another feature of smart surveillance is the ability to let staff know when items are running low on shelves and it’s time to restock. Not only does this help boost sales, but if a given luxury item is suddenly cleaned out a restock alert could become a theft alert, triggering an alarm and a security presence.
With all the advances in security technologies, there’s no better time to take stock of existing systems. Analog cameras can be affordably upgraded and converted using a digital encoder. Analytics can bring a plethora of options into the mix, changing the game when it comes to retail security, delivering insights into in-store sales, and improving the customer experience, giving bricks and mortar stores a position of advantage.
The 4,660-square-foot store, located between White House/Black Market and across from Sephora and MAC Cosmetics, carries the full range of makeup colours and brushes that have given the brand a cult following.
Morphe was founded in 2008 by artists and influencers, and The brand is popular partly because its price-points are kept reasonable. Known for its eyeshadow palettes (a vast variety, most priced below $50) as well as its brushes that are used by makeup artists globally. It also offers beauty tools such as brush cleaners, beauty sponges, makeup removers and tweezers, among other items.
Morphe is expanding rapidly and plans to open several stores in the US as well as in the UK in the near future. More Canadian stores are on the way as well, and we’ll be interviewing the company soon to get more details (an interview couldn’t be coordinated prior to press time).
Square One is becoming something of a beauty destination with other retailers such as Urban Decay, Deciem, Kiehl’s, NYX, The Face Shop, Yves Rocher operating standalone units in the mall, as well as anchors Holt Renfrew and Hudson’s Bay that both feature large beauty halls. Not to mention the mall’s Walmart and Shoppers Drug Mart stores also feature an offering of beauty items.
O bag Opens 1st Canadian store in Montreal
Popular Italian bag brand O bag has opened its first Canadian store at the Centre Rockland in Montreal. A second location will open at CF Carrefour Laval in suburban Montreal in the spring of 2019.
The brand is popular because of its simple, stylish and practical bags that can be personalized through customization options. The bodies of the bags are made from a lightweight foam called XL Extralight®, which is soft and warm to touch, waterproof, strong, flexible and anti-microbial. Retail Insider recently profiled the brand and its Canadian expansion.
Carmine Di Fruscia, who is also president of Mr. Pretzels in Canada, is rolling-out the O bag retail expansion with plans for about 50 stores in Canada over the next five years. For any landlords interested in having O bag as a tenant, contact Carmine Di Fruscia at: 514-349-3911 or email: carmine@ptg.ca.
Mackage Opens Montreal Flagship, More Stores Planned for 2019
Upscale Montreal-based fashion brand Mackage has opened an impressive multi-level flagship located at 1300 Sainte-Catherine Street West. It replaces a 3,000-square-foot BCBG store which formerly occupied the space (BCBG closed all of its Canadian stores last year). Jeff Berkowitz of Aurora Realty Consultants represented Mackage in this deal (and other deals), and Manon Parisien of Aurora Realty Consultants acted on behalf of the landlord.
The new Mackage space is at a very prominent corner in Montreal. Located at the intersection of Sainte-Catherine Street West and Rue de la Montagne, Mackage will be across the street from the new ‘Holt Renfrew Ogilvy’ building, which is in the process of a renovation and expansion that will see it become the epicentre of luxury retail for the city centre.
Mackage opened its first freestanding Canadian store in October of 2015 at CF Carrefour Laval, near Montreal. In the fall of 2016, two Toronto locations opened at CF Toronto Eaton Centre and at Yorkdale Shopping Centre. Most recently, Mackage opened at CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver and Oakridge Centre in Vancouver. Next year, a Calgary store will open at CF Chinook Centre. In the United States, Mackage operates two stores in New York City, one in the Mall at Short Hills (near NYC) and in Chicago (on prestigious Oak Street).
CF Galeries d’Anjou Seeks to Answer the ‘What to do with Empty Sears Spaces’
Adjacent to the largest shopping centre in Montreal’s East End, at the junction of two major highways, sits an empty Sears Canada box — not unlike the others sitting empty across the country. Landlords have been trying to figure out what to do with the empty space, and CF Galeries d’Anjou is offering the area up for offices.
The south wing is a prime location, available with areas ranging from 20,000-square-feet to 127,230-square-feet over two floors. This upscale corporate environment is preserved thanks to the dedicated entrance to the office section, vast and free parking, and direct access to the mall.
Other key features of the space at 7999 Galeries d’Anjou is the unrivalled access to all imaginable amenities, signage options with prominent visibility from the boulevard, 24/7 security, fibre optics, and elevator access.
MARCELO LEONE, LEFT AND CESARE FAZARI, RIGHT, AT THE NEW STORE. PHOTO: CESARE FAZARI
Respect Your Universe (RYU) Apparel Opens at CF Sherway Gardens
Vancouver-based urban athletic apparel brand RYU Apparel Inc. has opened its second Toronto retail location at CF Sherway Gardens. The impressive store is located in the mall’s expansion wing that is anchored by Sporting Life and Harry Rosen, and is near recently opened locations for Tesla, Sandro and Maje.
The attractive new store features the full assortment of RYU’s fashions and accessories, in a bright space that appears similar to the brand’s other retail stores.
RYU Apparel’s first Toronto store opened at 361 Queen Street West in the fall of 2017. The company also operates four stores in the Vancouver area — its first opened at 1745 W. 4th Avenue in early 2015, followed by stores at 805 Thurlow Street (near Robson Street) in Vancouver, at Park Royal in West Vancouver, and at Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby. RYU opened its first store in the United States in August of this year in Venice Beach, California, and a second US store opened in the Williamsburg neighbourhood of Brooklyn NY in September. Next up is a store at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, California, and the company plans to open five units per year between 2019 and 2022 when it anticipates operating 29 stores.
“We are delighted to announce this important second step in the growth of RYU in the biggest Canadian city,” said Marcello Leone, CEO and President of RYU. “Our brand is growing constantly and the response we received in our first location in Queen Street West, in combination with the RYU Underground, our Gym located downstairs, has been incredible: we felt the need to work harder to please the local community with a second location and we didn’t miss he chance to secure such a prestigious location”.
Originally founded in Portland, Oregon, RYU or ‘Respect Your Universe’, is an athletic tech-style apparel brand engineered for the fitness, training, and performance of the multi-discipline athlete. Marcello Leone, son of the founders of Vancouver-based multi-brand luxury retailer Leone, took the company over in 2014 and spearheaded an overhaul which saw its headquarters moved from the United States to Canada, choosing his hometown of Vancouver to be its new corporate address. RYU’s intention is to become the world’s top multi-discipline performance training and fitness brand, according to Mr. Leone. Jeri Brodie of Aurora Realty Consultants represents RYU as broker in Canada.
Cadillac Fairview Partners with Rideshare Provider Lyft
Landlord Cadillac Fairview and transportation company Lyft have partnered to create a dedicated Lyft drop-off zone at the CF Toronto Eaton Centre.
It’s the first partnership of its kind for both parties, and will provide access to the downtown Toronto centre which is said to be the busiest in North America with more than 50-million annual visitors. The centre is accessible by transit, though getting to the centre and finding parking can be a challenge — and many people in Toronto are choosing not to drive their own cars.
The Lyft pick-up zone will be on James Street at Albert’s Way, located outside of Aritzia at CF Toronto Eaton Centre’s west exit. An enhanced app experience allows riders to better select where they want to be dropped off and picked up based on what restaurant, office or retailer they are visiting and special offers will also be available shortly after the launch of the program.
CF Toronto Eaton Centre was the proud winner of a 2018 Lyftie Award, celebrating North America’s most-visited destinations, in the ‘Only in Toronto’ category earlier this month. New Lyft users are invited to partake in the celebration and are eligible to receive $5 off their first four rides until January 31, 2019 with a Special Rider Code: RIDE2SHOP.
An automated pizza concept has launched in Canada and it plans to disrupt the industry as it grows rapidly. The first ‘flagship’ location in North America for ‘PizzaForno’ was unveiled last week in Toronto’s Bloor-Yorkville neighbourhood, and its goal is to expand to as many as 200 locations by the end of 2019.
The concept is similar to a vending machine that makes pizzas on the spot, which can be purchased cooked or frozen to heat at home. It was tested recently in Toronto’s Entertainment District prior to securing permanent locations.
The PizzaForno food tech innovation was created in France, producing fresh artisan pizzas that are ready in under three minutes. Customers can choose from four selections on a digital screen (including Chèvre-miel, BBQ Chicken, Pepperoni, and Mozzarella) with more options to be introduced next year.
PHOTO: THE PIZZA FORNO FACEBOOK
CLICK FOR INTERACTIVE GOOGLE MAP
The 12-inch pizzas are made by hand with an ‘authentic Italian approach’ that includes a romana crust, locally sourced ingredients that are said to be natural and fresh, as well as quality cream-based and tomato sauces. Prices range from $11 to $14 for each pizza, including HST.
“PizzaForno will cause a pizzaruption in Canada because it’s the height of food tech and convenience offering uncompromising, authentic pizzeria quality 24/7 – with no tipping required,” said Les Tomlin, President of PFX Canada Inc.
Each PizzaForno location holds 70 12-inch pizzas, which are crated using hand-stretched crusts made from Italian Caputo flour. The pizzas are freshly topped and stored in the refrigerated section of the PizzaForno. After a customer orders from the 32-inch interactive screen, a robotic arm takes their selection from the refrigerated section, conveys in to a patented oven where it is baked, placed in a box and delivered to the customer. Below is a video showing how it all works.
PizzaForno partnered with Regina-based FrontRunner Technologies for the new Bay Street location. FrontRunner is responsible for immersive digital content on the 20-feet of windows fronting onto Bay Street. We recently featured FrontRunner Technologies in Retail Insider, as the innovative company has been animating vacant store windows on urban street fronts in cities such as Vancouver and Toronto, with further expansion ongoing.
The Bloor-Yorkville PizzaForno is located just north of the Calii Love restaurant at 1235 Bay Street (between Cumberland Street and Yorkville Avenue), occupying a relatively small amount of real estate in the front part of a retail space formerly occupied by a Persian rug retailer. The busy neighbourhood includes a mix of locals and visitors. Rapidly growing Bloor-Yorkville will see thousands of new residential units added over the next five years, and it is already a significant employment node for the city, as well as a popular (and in some cases high-end) shopping district.
There are also other food options in the immediate area, including pizza restaurants such as Pi Co. which is located directly across the street. The PizzaForno’s value proposition includes speed as well as 24/7 availability, and it could take some market share away from competitors.
PHOTO: THE PIZZA FORNO FACEBOOK
PizzaForno’s rapid expansion continues this week with the Monday opening at the Dixie Outlet Mall in Mississauga. The location will be PizzaForno’s first in North America in a mall, located in the food court area. The expansion will continue into January by opening in 20 PenguinPickUp retail locations, as well as additional retail and office locations in the Greater Toronto Area.
Mr. Tomlin said that he will first focus on the Toronto area initially before expanding the concept into other parts of Canada. The goal is to have about 200 PizzaForno locations in the country before the end of 2019. PizzaForno is working with Suzanne Cayley, Vice President of Speciality Leasing at Aurora Realty Consultants on the expansion. Ms. Cayley explained via email to Retail Insider that PizzaForno is able to accommodate short and long-term locations on street-fronts, in enclosed malls, mixed-use buildings and residential buildings. Required square footage is generally only between 65 and 100-square-feet.
PizzaForno was first on our radar when we attended the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC) Toronto Convention in October of this year. The technology was demonstrated and free pizzas were given away as samples, and the exhibit was very popular. Mr. Tomlin explained that Aurora Realty Consultants had been retained for PizzaForno’s expansion about a week before the Toronto conference.
Entrepreneurs Les Tomlin and William Moyer are responsible for introducing PizzaForno to Canada. The concept is based on technology from SAS Adial (based in Liseux, France). TFI Food Equipment Solutions from Brampton is the exclusive distributor partner in North America for Adial.
