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Canada Goose Opens Large Montreal Flagship Amid Protests [Photos]

By
Craig Patterson
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PHOTO: CANADA GOOSE

Toronto-based fashion brand Canada Goose, known particularly for its outerwear, has opened its largest store in Canada to date in downtown Montreal. The standalone 8,000 square foot store, located at 1020 Ste-Catherine Street West, saw protests over the weekend from animal rights activists.

The store is Canada Goose’s largest to date in this country, and is located in a former HMV location at the southeast corner of Ste-Catherine West and Peel Street. It features a ‘cold room’ where visitors can test parkas in temperatures as low as -25 degrees Celsius. 

The beautiful looking store features curated artwork throughout, including polar bear sculptures from Canadian artist Jason Carter. The overall feel is contemporary and luxurious — white marble is used throughout including a solid stone cash desk, contrasting with dark accents and wood trim. A glass display case in the store contains the brands first coat design, the ‘Langford parka’ in a VIP seating area. 

JLL Retail Montreal acted on behalf of the landlord Canpro Investments in the lease deal. 

STORE EXTERIOR ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16. PHOTO: MONDO_GROSSO VIAMTLURB.COM
  • PHOTO: CANADA GOOSE
  • PHOTO: CANADA GOOSE

The new Montreal store is the company’s 11th globally, and its fourth in Canada. Canada Goose’s first store in the world opened at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre in October of 2016, spanning about 4,500 square feet. A second Canadian store opened in Calgary, measuring about 4,000 square feet, in the fall of 2017. Earlier this month, Canada Goose opened a 4,018 square foot store at CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver.

Canada Goose also operates international stores in New York City, Chicago, Boston, London UK, Tokyo, Short Hills NJ, and most recently in Hong Kong. The goal is to operate 20 locations internationally by the year 2020. 

This year as well, Canada Goose will open a store in Beijing as it further penetrates the Chinese market with direct-to-consumer stores. Canada Goose also launched an e-commerce presence on Alibaba’s Tmall platform, and will open a regional head office in Shanghai.

COLD-ROOM. PHOTO: CANADA GOOSE

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Bonjour Montréal, notre boutique sur la rue Sainte-Catherine est officiellement ouverte. Venez découvrir et tester nos parkas dans la première Chambre Froide au Canada avec des températures pouvant atteindre jusqu’à -25°C. Venez nous voir et explorez nos exclusivités montréalaises, telles que notre tuque unique à Montréal nos cabines d’essayage uniques et découvrez des œuvres d’art extraordinaires qui mettent en valeur notre patrimoine arctique. . . Bonjour Montréal, our location on rue Sainte-Catherine is officially open. Welcome to the only Canadian store with a Cold Room, where you can experience and test our parkas for yourself in temperatures as low as -25C. Pop in and explore our Montréal exclusives like our Montréal toque, our unique fitting rooms, and discover hand-picked artwork that showcases our Arctic Heritage.

A post shared by Canada Goose (@canadagoose) on

Several more stores are expected to be announced soon, as landlords have confirmed completed deals. One US landlord said that they have secured Canada Goose as a tenant, and that the store will also include a ‘cold room’ as does the Montreal store as well as at its location in Short Hills NJ.

Publicly traded Canada Goose made news earlier this week when it announced that it had acquired footwear manufacturer Baffin Inc. for $32.5-million. The entities will be operated separately, according to Canada Goose.

PHOTO: CANADA GOOSE
CANADA GOOSE’S FIRST PARKA DESIGN ON DISPLAY IN A SITTING AREA IN THE STORE. PHOTO: CANADA GOOSE
IN-STORE ARTWORK. PHOTO: CANADA GOOSE

Canada Goose, which was founded in 1957, was primarily a wholesale brand prior to launching its standalone brick-and-mortar store expansion. Some multi-brand retailers carrying Canada Goose have expressed concerns as the brand goes direct-to-consumer, with some stores offering exclusives as well as a comprehensive brand experience. The Yorkdale store is said to sell more than $60-million annually and if other units come anything close to that in terms of revenue, wholesaling could become secondary as Canada Goose targets consumers directly without a retail ‘middleman’. 

Animal rights protesters gathered outside the store on Friday morning for much of the day, and they were back Saturday. Maxime Frechette said that there were over 100 protesters shouting ‘shame on you’ to customers entering an exiting the store on Saturday afternoon, delaying his visit. Some claim that Canada Goose uses suppliers that are cruel to animals, though the company disputes this. 

SCREEN SHOT OF A GOOGLE REVIEW OF THE NEW MONTREAL STORE.

Some complained about the lineups during the opening and that included some online negative reviews. Canada Goose only allows so many people in its stores at once in order to control crowds, and there’s no doubt a concern that protestors could become an issue if they get in as well. Lineups are common in part, as well, because some make it their business to re-sell Canada Goose jackets overseas and because of this, Canada Goose has limited jacket purchases to five per day. Some resellers are said to pay others in line to make purchases for them in order to surpass their daily quota limit. 

Ruth’s Chris Steak House Expands into Downtown Markham

By
Craig Patterson
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Ruth’s Chris Steak House Markham

Popular restaurant concept Ruth’s Chris Steak House, known for the slogan ‘if it doesn’t sizzle, send it back’, has opened an impressive new space in downtown Markham, just north of Toronto. The restaurant has been expanding its operations with success following the relocation of its Mississauga location last year.

Ruth’s Chris has been in the Canadian market for 23 years and it now operates six locations nationally in the GTA as well as in Niagara Falls, Edmonton and Calgary. The restaurant concept was founded by Ruth Fertel 53 years ago, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and now boasts 155 locations globally. The company is known for its 500-degree sizzling plates that sizzle with a helping of butter.

CO-FRANCHISEES LANA DUKE AND R. DAVID DUKE MARKED THE GRAND OPENING OF THEIR THIRD RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE IN THE GTA, LOCATED IN THE MARRIOTT MARKHAM HOTEL AT 170 ENTERPRISE BLVD IN ‘DOWNTOWN MARKHAM. JOINING IN THE RIBBON CUTTING FESTIVITIES (RIGHT TO LEFT) RUTH’S CHRIS-MARKHAM GENERAL MANAGER MIKE BERLANGUET, R. DAVID DUKE, LORI DUKE, LANA DUKE, DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING SARA WILDE, EXECUTIVE CHEF IBRAHIM HODROJ AND TORONTO MARRIOTT MARKHAM GENERAL MANAGER HIREN PRABHAKAR. (PHOTO: DARRELL HEIN)

Co-Franchisee Lana Duke’s voice may be familiar to many Torontonians — she’s a regular on radio ads on stations such as 680 News. Ms. Duke said, “We’ve been part of the Greater Toronto Area restaurant scene since 1995 where we opened the first Ruth’s Chris in Canada at our downtown location in the Hilton Toronto on Adelaide St. W.  Almost a year ago to the day, we moved our Mississauga restaurant to 970 Dixon Rd., across from Pearson Airport.  All our venues reinforce the Ruth Fertel New Orleans tradition of sizzling steaks, fine wines and exceptional service.”

Executive Vice President and Co-Franchisee R. David Duke described the new restaurant location, explaining how, “The revolving door entry leads guests into a curved, soft, welcoming space that cradles the reception desk. From there, the wine display hints at what lies beyond, which is an extensive lounge area where a floating bar is surrounded by comfortable seating. The dramatic bold-red, curved 15-foot-high ceiling terminates in significant glazing. During the day, the glass façade that surrounds two sides of the restaurant brings in natural light, and in the evening, emanates light to the outside, animating street life and exposing passers-by to the dining opportunities inside. For diners who enjoy being in the hub of activity, this space is perfect.”

CELEBRATING THE GRAND OPENING OF RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE – MARKHAM, REGIONAL COUNCILLOR JIM JONES (SECOND FROM LEFT) AND WARD 8 COUNCILLOR ALEX CHIU (THIRD FROM LEFT) BROUGHT GREETINGS ON BEHALF OF MAYOR FRANK SCARPITTI AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL. LOCATED AT 170 ENTERPRISE BLVD IN MARKHAM, SHOWN (L-R ) ARE RUTH’S CHRIS – MARKHAM GENERAL MANAGER MIKE BERLANGUET, COUNCILLORS JONES AND CHIU, WITH CO-FRANCHISEES LANA DUKE AND R. DAVID DUKE, WHO NOW HAVE THREE RESTAURANTS IN THE GREATER TORONTO AREA. (PHOTO: DARRELL HEIN)

The Markham restaurant, located at the Marriott Markham Hotel at 170 Enterprise Blvd in ‘Downtown Markham, spans 7,632 square feet. The architect and interior designer of the space is HCA Architecture of Toronto.

Harry Christakis, a principal at HCA Architecture, worked on the project with interior designer Andy Gearing. Mr. Christakis said, “Our vision was to offer a variety of choices for diners, depending on their moods and needs. The bold colour and sense of space in this restaurant begin to make an iconic statement of the brand on this street in Downtown Markham. There is a continual sense of delight and surprise as people pass through this narrative.”

He went on to say, “Proceeding through the restaurant, the next space features intimate banquet-style seating for more private, intimate dinners and conversations among parties of two to four. Then there is a series of private dining rooms for larger groups of friends and family or corporate functions. At the end of the sequence is the grand dining hall space with its curves, antique mirrors and hanging light fixtures reminiscent of chandeliers of the great halls of the past for a more transitional ambience.”

RETAIL INSIDER’S YANA BRIKKER WITH LANA DUKE AND DAVID EISENSTADT, AT THE TORONTO HILTON, IN FRONT OF A BRONZED COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE MARKING THE 5TH ANNIVERSARY OF RUTH’S CHRIS IN TORONTO

A red hue is prominent throughout the new space, tying in to the Ruth’s Chris brand identity. “We used a similar deep red in the carpet with a grayish tone, and we loved the carpet so much that we had the pattern custom-made into the vinyl installed on the wall where the banquettes are located,” Mr. Christakis added.

R. David Duke divides his time between three Ruth’s Chris locations in San Antonio, Texas, and the three in the Greater Toronto Area.

Toronto Premium Outlets Opens Luxury-Focused Expansion Wing [Photos]

By
Craig Patterson
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Landlords Simon and SmartCentres have officially opened the 144,000 square foot expansion of the Toronto Premium Outlets centre in Halton Hills, which now features several first-to-Canada luxury outlet stores.

The centre, which opened to the public a bit over five years ago, is now more in line with some of the best outlet centres internationally, including those that feature a roster of luxury brands. 

The expansion brings the busy outdoor centre to just over 500,000 square feet of retail space, which opened in August of 2013 and has been adding new retailers ever since. The expansion was made possible by adding a wing on the north side of the centre. In December of 2017 in anticipation of the expansion, the centre opened a five-level parking garage with the best garage trench drain system that features red light/green light technology so that motorists can find spaces with relative ease

CLICK IMAGE FOR INTERACTIVE FLOOR PLAN

About 40 retailers have been added to Toronto Premium Outlets with the new expansion, which includes a mix of fashion/accessory as well as fast-casual food offerings. There are also family-friendly amenities as well as a new guest services centre with pedway access to the multi-level parking facility, as well as new high-speed WiFi. 

At the grand opening of the centre’s expansion wing on November 15, the landlords revealed that the centre is one of the “top five or six centres in the country” in terms of sales per square foot — that means the centre’s productivity is well over $1,000 per square foot annually, which should see a spike with the addition of new super brands such as Gucci. 

The impressively large Gucci store had the longest lineups by far on opening day, and there were lineups at the cash desk as discounts of 30%-50% were seen throughout the store. The Gucci outlet features a full range of ready-to-wear, footwear and accessories for both men and women, and it even included a range of evening gowns found typically in larger full-priced Gucci locations. 

Several other luxury brands have either opened stores in the centre, or will be doing so within the next few weeks. Saint Laurent was a surprising addition — the luxury brand’s outlet wasn’t open yet as of November 15, but the store appears to be almost ready. A large Prada outlet store also wasn’t open yet and when it does, it appears that it will be nearly as large as Gucci. Prada and Saint Laurent’s outlets are both the first for the brands in Canada. 

A Versace outlet was also busy though with considerably shorter lines than Gucci. Both Italian brands are hot right now and are doing billions in sales globally. 

Other new luxury brands now open at the centre include Montblanc and Max Mara. They join other luxury brands such as Burberry, Hugo Boss (relocating in the centre), Jimmy Choo, Movado and Ports 1961.

No other outlet centre in Canada has as many luxury brands on offer as Toronto Premium Outlets (though centres in Montreal and Vancouver could if they continue to add luxury retailers). The Toronto centre, smartly enough, promotes Chinese tourism and is seeing an influx of bargain-seeking consumers. 

Other notable new stores at Toronto Premium Outlets include Aritzia (very first outlet), Matt & Nat, Mackage, Arc’Teryx, Zadig & Voltaire, Call it Spring, L’Occitane, Old Navy, Peoples Jewellers, Scotch & Soda, and several others. Some are first-to-Canada outlets. 

Toronto Premium Outlets’ first full-service restaurant, Madisons Restaurant and Bar, is located on the northwest side of the property across from Starbucks.  There are also new fast casual and grab-and-go offerings including Cultures, Cacao 70, A&W, Real Fruit Bubble Tea and DAVIDsTEA.

Toronto Premium Outlets now boasts more than 130 retailers and more than 3,000 parking spaces. The centre attracts millions of visitors annually and employs more than 900 full-time staff. The Centre is Halton Hills’ largest property taxpayer, and the Mayor and several councillors were also present to celebrate the grand opening on Thursday. 

The luxury brands added to Toronto Premium Outlets puts it more in line with some of the premium outlet centres found in the United States, such as the Desert Hills Premium Outlets in Cabezon California, Fashion Outlets Chicago, or Woodbury Common Premium Outlets near New York City. There’s room for several other retailers in the centre and retailers such as Maje are also expected to open in the centre within a few months time. 

Saks Fifth Avenue Appoints New Canadian Flagship General Manager as it Looks to the Future

By
Craig Patterson
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GREGORY BOGGAN

Saks Fifth Avenue’s Canadian flagship at the CF Toronto Eaton Centre has a new VP General Manager, Gregory Boggan, and he has a vision for the store that includes enhanced customer service as well as an attempt to secure new brands as shoppers request them. He says that the downtown Toronto store is one of Saks’ top performers and that it has continued to gain market share after opening in early 2016.

Prior to moving to Toronto in October, Mr. Boggan most recently operated the 200,000 square foot Saks flagship at the Houston Galleria in Houston and before that, he worked with luxury chain Neiman Marcus at its Dallas (NorthPark) and Denver stores. Toronto is a change of scenery, though Mr. Boggan said that he’s a fan of cold weather and is also a fan of historical architecture such as the building where Saks is located in downtown Toronto.

The 170,000 square foot flagship Saks Fifth Avenue store opened in February of 2016, occupying four floors at the eastern end of the massive Hudson’s Bay Queen Street building at the CF Toronto Eaton Centre. The top three levels are more of a typical Saks offering, while the basement level houses a 23,000 square foot food hall operated by Pusateri’s Fine Foods.

Saks Toronto Eaton Centre

Customers have been drawn to Saks’ extensive assortment of luxury brands on the store’s three fashion levels, which include a comprehensive offering from brands such as Saint Laurent, Valentino, Stella McCartney and Balenciaga, among others. Saks’ ‘Fifth Avenue Club’ personal shopping suites on the store’s third floor are popular amongst a segment of consumers that are seeking out a more private one-on-one experience that also includes large dressing rooms and even catering. The mobile ‘Saks at Your Service’ van also visits customers’ residences upon request, and both are gaining a following in the city.

The downtown Toronto store is now among Saks’ top five locations in North America in terms of annual sales. The 611,000 square foot New York City flagship is the company’s top performer, generating a substantial percentage of sales for the roughly 40-store chain. The Beverly Hills store ranks second and Atlanta and Boston follow, while the Toronto flagship and the Houston flagship are neck-and-neck in terms of sales to rank at fifth place. That means that the Toronto Saks store is doing higher sales than downtown locations in markets such as San Francisco and Chicago, both considered to be retail powerhouses in the United States.

At the downtown Toronto Saks store, handbags and shoes are both very strong in terms of overall sales. The store’s ground floor features a series of luxury brand boutiques with shop-in-stores for brands such as Bottega Veneta, Chloé, Saint Laurent, Valentino and Stella McCartney, and accessory concessions for Prada, Dior and Louis Vuitton are also on the main floor. Upstairs, the women’s 8,500 square foot footwear department dubbed ‘10022-SHOE’ carries a range of leading brands such as Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, Gucci and Dior.

GROUND FLOOR LUXURY ACCESSORY BOUTIQUES. PHOTO: MICHAEL MURAZ
WOMEN’S DESIGNER ON 3, FACING TOWARDS THE NEW DIOR READY-TO-WEAR CONCESSION. PHOTO: BILL WALDORF

On the second floor, the spiral central footwear department is a major draw for men who are also shopping for leading luxury brands such as Fendi, Givenchy and Dolce & Gabbana, amongst others. A trendier shoe offering is popular with a younger, affluent male consumer that is also buying some of the trendier ready-to-wear and accessory offerings on the men’s floor.

Saks’ third floor is a mix of luxury brands and contemporary labels. Luxury brands occupy much of the eastern end of the floor that also features the Fifth Avenue Club private shopping area, while contemporary brands are located further west with an entrance into the adjacent Hudson’s Bay flagship store.

One of the benefits to being connected to Hudson’s Bay, according to Mr. Boggan, is the opportunity for some cross-shopping of brands. Hudson’s Bay’s third level also features a contemporary assortment of fashions as well as ‘The Room’, which is a roughly 20,000 square foot department featuring an assortment of luxury brands, some of which are also carried over at Saks. Both stores also carry a range of designers not carried in the other, and personal shoppers have the opportunity to sell product from both stores, depending on what the shopper wants.

‘FIFTH AVENUE CLUB’ PERSONAL SHOPPING SUITES ON 3. PHOTO: BILL WALDORF

Mr. Boggan said that one of his intentions is to motivate staff in the store to further create relationships with shoppers in an effort to provide the best customer service possible. Given that most of the products sold at Saks aren’t ‘necessities’, creating a curated experience is key to attracting and retaining customers. Not to mention, the Nordstrom store at the opposite end of CF Toronto Eaton Centre carries a range of luxury labels for women and men, and homegrown Holt Renfrew operates a 190,000 square foot store about two kilometers north on Bloor Street West.

Moving forward, Saks is looking to carry some new brands that the Toronto flagship currently lacks, and it has the opportunity to use its larger US connections to secure these brands. Gucci is a requested brand that is currently not carried at Toronto’s Saks, though some stores in the United States feature the brand, often in shop-in-stores. Saks Fifth Avenue is one of the top two luxury department store chains in the US and that weight makes it possible for it to work with new brands that make sense.

The CF Toronto Eaton Centre Saks Fifth Avenue flagship is one of three standalone locations for the brand in Canada at the moment. A week after the downtown Toronto flagship opened to the public, Saks unveiled a 143,200 square foot three-level store at Toronto’s CF Sherway Gardens, which also features a food hall operated by Pusateri’s Fine Foods. Mr. Boggan explained that the fashion mix at the CF Sherway Gardens Saks might not be quite as trendy as some of the offerings downtown, though the store has loyal clients and there is some cross-shopping of brands.

In February of 2018, Saks Fifth Avenue also opened a 115,000 square foot store at CF Chinook Centre in Calgary, which was its first in Canada outside of Toronto. A previously announced 200,000 square foot Montreal Saks flagship is on hold for now, according to sources. And while no Vancouver store announcements have been made, Mr. Boggan said it “makes sense” to have a store in such an “amazing city”.

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.

CLICK FOR INTERACTIVE GOOGLE MAP

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.

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