MORGAN’S DEPARTMENT STORE AT LE CENTRE BOULEVARD IN MONTREAL. PHOTO: HBC ARCHIVES.
On Friday of last week, the Hudson’s Bay Company closed one of its oldest suburban Hudson’s Bay units at the Le Centre Boulevard shopping centre in Montreal. It marks the end to a chapter in Canadian retail history involving the former Morgan’s department store chain.
The Le Boulevard Hudson’s Bay store opened as Morgan’s in the fall of 1953 and was one of the first suburban department stores in Canada. Increasing suburbanization in the 1950’s saw modern shopping malls open in automobile-dependent locations on the outskirts of major cities, with the expectation that locals would patronize these instead of the massive multi-level department stores which were once staples in most larger Canadian downtown cores.
Prior to opening suburban stores, Montreal-based Morgan’s operated a large single location on downtown Montreal’s Ste-Catherine Street West. In the 1950’s Morgan’s began branching out by opening suburban stores in Montreal and Toronto, with Le Boulevard being the first suburban location for the company.
MAP: CROFTON MOORE
The Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) acquired the Morgan’s chain in 1960 and in 1972, the Quebec stores were converted to ‘The Bay/La Baie’ banner. The flagship downtown Montreal Morgan’s is now a 655,400 square foot Hudson’s Bay flagship.
PHOTO: GOOGLE STREET VIEW
When Morgan’s opened at Le Boulevard, suburban shopping centres were still a new concept in Canada. Developers and department stores were partnering and in some instances, the department stores themselves were the developers. At the Park Royal shopping centre in West Vancouver, for example, Woodward’s opened a store in 1950 and in 1993, that location was converted to a Hudson’s Bay store. Given its age, the Le Boulevard Hudson’s Bay unit was said to have been the second-oldest suburban Bay store in the company prior to its closure last week.
In the 1950’s Montreal residents were becoming increasingly receptive to the suburban department store model and as a result, in 1958, the one-level Morgan’s at Le Boulevard added a second level to keep up with the demand.
MONTREAL STAR NEWSPAPER ADVERTISEMENT FROM SEPTEMBER 28, 1953
Morgan’s eventually opened several stores throughout Quebec and into Ontario. Besides the downtown Montreal flagship and a former Morgan’s unit at Eglinton Square in Toronto (which is now a Hudson’s Bay), all of the original Morgans locations have been either demolished or repurposed into additional mall space. A new breed of larger and glitzier shopping centres have taken hold in many of Canada’s major centres, leaving the future of malls such as Eglinton Square in question.
1958 MORGAN’S ADVERTISEMENT FOR HATS FROM DESIGNER SCHIAPARELLI, PRICED AT $35, WHICH CONVERTS TO ABOUT $310 IN TODAY’S DOLLARS.
Last month, Hudson’s Bay opened its first newly-built store in 15 years at the Carrefour Angrignon Shopping Centre in LaSalle, located about six kilometres south of Montreal’s downtown core. The modern store features an impressive interior that is modern and bright — a stark contrast to some suburban Bay locations which are often dated and disheveled. The new Carrefour Angrignon Bay location is one of 11 Hudson’s Bay stores now operating in the Montreal area. Hudson’s Bay now operates 88 full-line stores coast-to-coast (parent company Hudson’s Bay Company also operates other retailers in Canada including Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks OFF 5TH, and Home Outfitters/Hudson’s Bay Home).
The department store model is becoming less-and-less common in Canada, with Hudson’s Bay remaining as the only traditional department store retailer in Canada. At one time, chains of department stores were found nationwide. Most recently, Sears Canada shuttered its Canadian operations after bankruptcy and other department stores that have shuttered over the years include the likes of Woodward’s in Western Canada (acquired by HBC in 1993), Simpson’s (acquired by HBC in 1978 and shuttered in 1991), and the national Eaton’s chain which shuttered in 2002 after attempts by Sears Canada to revive the brand after Eaton’s bankruptcy in 1999.
POSSIBLE RECONFIGURATION OF THE FORMER HUDSON’S BAY STORE AT LE BOULEVARD IN MONTREAL. RENDERING VIA CROFTON MOORE.
Big changes are in store for the Le Boulevard Shopping Centre, which spans about 400,000 square feet and sees more than 8-million visitors a year. Landlord Crofton Moore was recently marketing the Hudson’s Bay space for re-tenanting, which was profiled on Retail Insider a year ago today. That re-tenanting included a variety of possible configurations that would have involved demising the two-level Hudson’s Bay space for multiple commercial tenants. That vision already appears to be on its way to reality — updated marketing materials from Crofton Moore shows the second level of the mall’s Hudson’s Bay store as leased to fashion retailer Aubainerie, with multiple retail units currently being available as part of a corridor reconfiguration on the former Bay store’s main floor.
*A special thank you to Patrick who suggested the story and assisted with some of the research.
YSL Beauty Hotel in Toronto (Image: Craig Patterson)
L’Oreal unveiled its ‘YSL Beauty Hotel’ in downtown Toronto last week, showcasing a unique brand activation which has been in only a handful of cities globally. The marketing initiative also included a retail component for the first time, exemplifying the merger between retail and experience.
The YSL Beauty Hotel involved taking over the trendy 12-room Hotel Ocho at 195 Spadina Avenue for two days, on September 12 and 13, to create an interactive experience for its ‘hotel guests’ that included activities pertaining to the brand. Parent company L’Oreal described the YSL Hotel as being “A celebration of the brand and its new makeup and fragrance launches and innovations.”
The experience was akin to being in a hotel. There was a ‘check-in’ counter with a wall of keys for visitors to choose from, some of which featured prizes. The theme of prizes extended to other parts of the hotel, including a ‘crane game’ where the goal was to grab a box full of YSL beauty products.
YSL branding could be found throughout the hotel building. A powder room showcased YSL lipsticks on the ground floor, for example. Branding continued throughout the space, which included a DJ, wall of speakers, and a ‘selfie bed’ for visitors to take photos to share on social media.
The second floor included a digital pop-up shop, where visitors could test the look of beauty products using a YouCam makeup app which features augmented reality and artificial intelligence technology. After deciding on a look, personalized makeup consultations with YSL beauty experts were made available. The pop-up shop added an element of retail to the hotel activation where guests could buy from an assortment of products on-site through an online portal and have them delivered in less than 72-hours. There was also immediate gratification in the pop-up purchase process with all purchasers receiving a complimentary beauty kit filled with deluxe samples of YSL favourites.
The YSL Beauty Hotel also featured its own ‘nightclub’ where on the evening of September 13, DJs and bands performed for guests. Ultra-violet lights with ‘lashings of black’ filled the room, in an effort to ‘bring a bottle of Black Opium to life’. The Black Opium theme continued upstairs with one of the hotel rooms being dedicated specifically to the fragrance.
The YSL Beauty Hotel was busy throughout its two days of activation, and is an example of brands building customer rapport by creating memorable experiences through a creative use of product placement and promotion. The goal is to “wow the consumer”, according to Carl Morisset, General Manager for L’Oréal Designer Brands in Canada. As consumers continue to seek out experiences at the expense of traditional retail, more brands are likely to activate in unusual ways in order to be rememberable at a time of intense competition amongst retail brands.
And competition remains fierce as more beauty brands enter the market while others expand their offerings. Some brands are expanding their distribution through multi-brand retailers, while others are also opening standalone units with a direct-to-consumer model. In the case of YSL Beauty, it doesn’t currently operate standalone units in Canada, though it has an ever-expanding distribution network through Nordstrom, Holt Renfrew, Hudson’s Bay, Sephora, as well as in Shoppers Drug Mart’s BeautyBOUTIQUE concept which continues to gain traction and grow across the country.
Toronto was the sixth city in the world to see a ‘YSL Beauty Hotel’ activation this year. Other cities included Paris (in January), Tokyo (in April), Shanghai (in June), Seoul (in August) and immediately prior to Toronto, New York City had a YSL Hotel for September 8 and 9. The Toronto YSL Beauty Hotel followed previous activations for the brand in Toronto, including the May 2017 ‘YSL Beauty Club’ which was also a hit with attendees.
On Friday, September 21, Retail Council of Canada is hosting a half-day ‘Cannabis in Retail Forum’ conference that will focus on providing deeper clarity on how Canada’s most recent cannabis legislation will affect the retail workplace. [Register Here]
The event, which is the first-ever cannabis forum for Retail Council of Canada, will provide retail-specific insights and networking from the industry’s most forward thinkers on this topic. On October 17, cannabis will be legalized in Canada, and it’s unclear how much of an impact this will have on the workplace. What is clear, though, is that employers are concerned.
In fact, according to a new report by the Conference Board of Canada, more than half (52%) of Canadian businesses are concerned or “very concerned” with the upcoming legalization of cannabis. Their top concerns include workplace safety, impairment or intoxication at work, increased use of cannabis both inside and outside the workplace and the employer’s duty to accommodate.
Among the topics being discussed:
How to evaluate impairment from cannabis
Best practices in developing a drugs and alcohol policy
How to welcome the changes in a way that balances productivity, safety and human rights obligations
The employer’s obligations vs. the employee’s rights
Determining potential discipline for impairment on the job
The event begins in the morning and will be held at the International Centre in Mississauga. There’s a special room rate available at the Four Points by Sheraton Toronto Airport, 6257 Airport Road, Mississauga.
Canadian Business has released its 2018 Growth 500 list, which is in its 30th year. Several Canadian retailers were among those named top in terms of revenue growth over five years, with Vancouver-based online furniture and home decor retailer Article being far and away the leader with a whopping 56,581% growth over the five year time period. To put that into perspective, the second-fastest growing company in Canada, vehicle financing provider Eden Park saw five year growth of 9,656%.
Several other retail brands made it onto the list as well, including Toronto-based mattress-in-a-box brand Endy which ranked as the top retailer in the 2018 Startup 50 list. With two-year revenue growth of 2,956% between 2015 and 2017, sales are on track to exceed $50 million in 2018.
Vancouver-based Saje Natural Wellness came in at number 48 on the 2018 Growth 500 list with five-year growth of 1,488% — the company was founded in 1992 and it began to rapidly open stores across the country several years ago, and also recently expanded into the United States.
Several other retailers made Canadian Business’s lists. With five-year growth of 541%, supplement retailer Supplement King ranked 156 in the 2018 Growth 500 list. Organic baby & kids clothing retailer Mini Mioche ranked 169 with growth of 485%, and organic food delivery company Mama Earth Organics ranked 185 with 415% growth over five years.
The 2018 Startup 50 list includes several other retailers including ‘doughnut cone’ ice cream concept Eva’s Original Chimneys, which ranked 13th and saw growth of 1,249% over the past two years. Toronto-based ‘semi-permanent’ tattoo retailer Inkbox ranked 17 in the top 50 list with two-year revenue growth of 928%.
“The companies on the 2018 Growth 500 are truly remarkable. Demonstrating foresight, innovation and smart management, their stories serve as a primer for how to build a successful entrepreneurial business today,” says Deborah Aarts, Growth 500 program manager. “As we celebrate 30 years of the Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies program, it’s encouraging to see that entrepreneurship is healthier than ever in this country.”
Vancouver-based Article was founded in 2011 by Aamir Baig, twin brothers Andy and Sam Prochazka, and Fraser Hall, and the company launched its first website in 2013. In 2017, Article did $100 million USD in sales and it intends to just about double revenue again this year, according to an interview earlier this year with Mr. Baig.
Article is known to offer high-quality home furnishing products at low prices and it employs more than 230 people across North America. The company has been profitable since 2015 without operating a single showroom. Article, which unveiled a new corporate headquarters earlier this year that is 20x their previous offices, also expanded its combined warehouse capacity to more than 900,000 square feet in order to accommodate its explosive growth. More than 200,000 orders have been shopped to the US and Canada to date.
Toronto-based mattress-in-a-box brand Endy, as well, is a Canadian success story with rapid year-over-year growth of about 300%. Growth has been so rapid that the company recently announced that it is opening a distribution centre in Western Canada to keep up with the demand. Endy was founded in 2015 and the company is in line to do $50-million in sales this year. CEO Mike Gettis explained that Canada is Endy’s target market and remarkably, the company’s revenue is now about 10% of that of Sleep Country Canada, which is the largest bedding retailer in the country with more than 250 brick-and-mortar stores as well as e-commerce.
The Growth 500 list is considered to be Canada’s most respectable and influential ranking of entrepreneurial achievement, ranking Canada’s fastest-growing companies by five-year revenue growth (it was formerly known as the PROFIT 500). Winners are profiled in a special Growth 500 print issue of Canadian Business (packaged with the October issue of Maclean’s magazine) and online at Growth500.ca and CanadianBusiness.com.
Iconic Canadian footwear and fashion brand Sorel, headquartered in London, Ontario, has opened its first standalone retail store in downtown Toronto. The store’s launch coincides with the opening of the Toronto International Film Festival, and it’s already seeing crowds that are congregating in the area. Sorel is the latest brand to attempt to expand its brand awareness by adding retail to its operational mix, and its King Street location will be open until mid-January of 2019.
The Sorel store opened last week at 356 King Street West, and is part of the podium of the TIFF Bell Lightbox complex which also includes theatres and restaurant venues that are frequented during the film festival which began last week. The location certainly makes sense, given that Sorel is the official footwear brand for the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.
“The opening of a dedicated retail space in Canada is an exciting moment for Sorel. This gives us a strong platform to celebrate our Brand and allow consumers to see our full selection of year-round, function-first fashion footwear,” said David Brulé, General Manager, Sorel Canada. “Through our partnership with the Toronto International Film Festival we are able to bring this unique and unexpected shopping experience to the market. Combining Sorel’s heritage and the buzz that surrounds TIFF, this partnership is a natural fit between two outstanding brands that will generate energy and excitement for the season.”
The store spans almost 1,000 square feet and features an expanse of glass facing onto busy King Street West proving exceptional exposure. Sorel is known particularly for its winter boots though it also manufactures footwear for all seasons. The new store, launched during a heat wave in the city, showcases “an elevated assortment of function-first fashion footwear. From booties and sneakers, to wedges and block heels, SOREL has everything you need to carry you from day to night in any season,” according to the company.
The Toronto International Film Festival is considered to be one of the world’s leading festivals and as such, some of the world’s biggest stars are in attendance. The Sorel store’s location is front and centre and when we visited, it was packed with shoppers that were looking and buying — there were also several black Sorel shopping bags noticed on the street, speaking to the power of pop-up retail.
Sorel is the latest brand to open its own stores, and the trend of brands expanding into retail is more pronounced now than ever. Numerous Canadian brands are also opening their own stores, including competitors such as Montreal-based Pajar which, last week, also opened its first retail stores with a location at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre as well as at Premium Outlets Montreal in Mirabel. Outerwear brands are another example of brands getting into retail with companies such as Canada Goose, Moose Knuckles and Mackage all expanding their operations by opening standalone retail stores in Canada as well as internationally.
While some multi-brand retailers have expressed concerns about brands branching off by opening their own stores, brands such as Sorel are showcasing their wares in dedicated environments that allow them to showcase their wares with dedicated staff. The idea is to increase overall brand awareness while still driving traffic to a brand’s wholesalers, as well as any dedicated boutiques and e-commerce sites. In the case of Sorel, there are currently no plans to open other locations at this time, as the company tests the waters with its new downtown Toronto concept store.
New York City-based men’s casual brand UNTUCKit, known particularly for its shirts that are meant to be work untucked, opened its first Canadian location on Wednesday of this week at Toronto’s CF Sherway Gardens. The company has announced that professional hockey legend Wayne Gretzky is an investor in the company, and he was in Toronto on Monday to meet with the press prior to the store’s opening. UNTUCKit’s CEO says that the company is expected to expand aggressively across the country as it gains brand awareness.
The 1,565-square-foot CF Sherway Gardens store carries the full line of UNTUCKit men’s apparel, including shirts, sweaters, pants, outerwear and other categories. The store is located in the mall’s expansion wing which debuted in 2015 and is anchored by Harry Rosen, Sporting Life and an elevated food court.
UNTUCKit has also launched an e-commerce platform for the Canadian market and has announced that it has a product fulfilment centre that is based in Toronto. The fact that the company is launching online retail in Canada is impressive, considering many international retailers don’t when they enter Canada, and in some instances, still haven’t to this day.
Brokerage Oberfeld Snowcap represented UNTUCKit in the lease deal with landlord Cadillac Fairview, and Jessica Millett at Oberfeld Snowcap is also representing the retailer moving forward as part of its Canadian store expansion. Future locations are expected to generally measure between 1,500 square feet and 2,000 square feet, similar to that of its US stores.
“This is an exciting milestone for UNTUCKit! Since we began opening stores in the U.S., having a space in Canada has always been a goal of ours—we couldn’t think of a more fitting place than fashion-centric Toronto for our first location. Our Canadian customers have been shopping with us for years online, so we’re looking forward to offering them another way to experience UNTUCKit, this time up close and in-person,” said UNTUCKit Founder Chris Riccobono.
Wayne Gretzky is an investor, as revealed by the company for the first time last week. According to the company, the partnership kicked off after Mr. Gretzky became a fan of the brand. His wife had visited a store in St. Louis where she bought her husband a shirt, and he liked it so much that he sent a signed bottle of Wayne Gretzky Whiskey to add to the store’s collection. When founder Chris Riccobono reached out to Mr. Gretzky, a partnership evolved that “sits at the intersection of investment and brand ambassadorship,” according to the company.
Gretzky, who hails from Brantford, Ontario, is quoted as saying, ”I’m excited to be working with UNTUCKit—especially as they open in a place so close to home. Their incredible product drew me to the brand, and, after learning about their rapid growth, I knew I wanted to be involved with them in a meaningful way. Investing in such a growing brand has given me the opportunity to grow as an entrepreneur, and I’m looking forward to serving as a brand ambassador, since everything they offer aligns so well with my lifestyle.”
Chris Riccobono and Wayne Gretzky at Sherway Garden location opening.
As a part of the ongoing brand partnership, Mr. Gretzky will appear in UNTUCKit marketing campaigns in stores and across digital and print platforms in both the United States as well as in Canada.
Gretzky’s involvement in the brand comes at an opportune time — UNTUCKit is one of the fastest-growing retail brands in the United States, and it’s taking that growth trajectory to the Canadian market with plans for several stores in Canada.
In an interview on Monday of this week, Mr. Riccobono said that he expects to open several UNTUCKit locations in Canada in the near future, as the company expands aggressively by seeking out space in some of the country’s top malls. Leading malls in the Toronto area will be targets and the pace of expansion will be determined based on data collected from the CF Sherway Gardens store in the first few weeks of operations. Other Canadian markets such as Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton are all in line for stores at some point, though there isn’t yet a timeline or projection as to the number of stores that it might open here just yet.
Mr. Riccobono noted that in the United States, UNTUCKit operates a mix of standalone and shopping centre-based stores. Canada might see a similar mix.
The company has 39 stores in the United States and impressively, it plans to open 15 more stores in 2018, including its expansion into Canada where it is confirmed to be opening the one store so far.
Canada is UNTUCKit’s first international expansion market, and the company confirms that it began looking at retail spaces in the summer of 2017, both in malls as well as street front locations. Ultimately, CF Sherway Gardens won out in securing Canada’s first UNTUCKit location — the enclosed mall, located near the Mississauga border, boasts an exceptionally high productivity as well as an affluent base of shoppers for its stores that include the likes of Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Tiffany & Co., De Beers and Tory Burch. CF Sherway Gardens is also seeing other first-to-market retailers open in the centre — in the spring, mattress-in-a-box brand Casper opened its first permanent physical store in the shopping centre.
Since launching in 2011, UNTUCKit has grown to 13 product categories that range from T-shirts and polos to sports jackets and performance wear. The brand has also introduced lines for women and children, offering “perfectly contoured hemlines” and more than 50 tailored fit options.
UNTUCKit says it chose Canada for an expansion because the country already has plenty of online customers. Toronto, specifically, is one of UNTUCKit’s top e-commerce markets and so a store in the city just made sense.
We’ll be following up with UNTUCKit as it continues with its expansion plans in Canada into 2019 and beyond.
SEAFOOD CITY AT HEARTLAND TOWN CENTRE, MISSISSAUGA. PHOTO: SEAFOOD CITY
California-based Filipino grocery chain Seafood City sees huge market potential in Canada as it plans its upcoming expansion across the country in conjunction with fast food phenom Jollibee.
Eucliff Cheng, marketing manager for the company based in Ponoma, said Seafood City is an Asian, Filipino format catering to mostly Filipino customers.
“Now it’s become a one-stop shopping and dining destination and also a retail hub that caters to the Asian and Filipino lifestyle in the U.S. and now in Canada,” said Cheng.
“Definitely, we hope to be able to serve all the Filipino communities and there’s quite a few that are in Canada. I understand that Filipino immigrants are the second largest ethnic group immigrating to Canada. So opportunities abound.”
SEAFOOD CITY RENDERING, IMAGE: SEAFOOD CITY
SEAFOOD CITY, IMAGE: SEAFOOD CITY
According to the 2016 census, there were 837,130 Filipinos in Canada.
Seafood City started in 1989 in the San Diego area. Today, there are 26 stores in the United States and the sole Canadian store is at the Heartland Towne Centre in Mississauga, Ontario.
The Canadian store opened in September 2017 in 50,000 square feet of space. It has a full-service supermarket, fresh seafood, meat and produce departments, groceries with dry goods. It also has a food service group of fast food restaurants that include Grill City, Noodle Street, CrispyTown and Jollibee, which opened in August.
“It’s pretty much a one-stop shop for Filipinos to get all they need and all they like to eat,” said Cheng.
He said a new store is currently being developed in Winnipeg with the plan to have it ready by 2019. The store is in the Garden City Shopping Centre in space vacated by Sears. The Winnipeg Seafood City supermarket will also have a Jollibee in place.
Greg Rabin of brokerage Paracom Realty negotiated the Mississauga and Winnipeg deals, and represents the brand in its continued Canadian expansion.
“Definitely after Winnipeg we are looking into other locations with a healthy percentage of Filipino residents,” said Cheng.
Going forward, the Seafood City locations in Canada would also include Jollibee restaurants.
Recently the popular fast food chain said the company is planning to open 100 locations in Canada in the next five years. Currently, there is a store in Scarborough, one in Mississauga and two in Winnipeg.
The Scarborough store opened in April. The first Winnipeg store opened in December 2016 with the second store opening at the end of November 2017.
When asked if future expansion of Seafood City in Canada would include Jollibees in each location, Cheng replied: “We are in a very close partnership. They are in all of our locations. I don’t see any reason why not.”
He said Seafood City offers Canadian consumers something very unique.
“We have fresh seafood that you don’t typically see in a mainstream store. We are mostly typically smaller size fish and our meat cuts are also generally cut for Asian, Filipino dishes. That being said, produce as well. We offer Asian produce and it being a hub for the Asian, Filipino population,” said Cheng.
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“It’s really different when you walk in from a mainstream supermarket. We do carry mainstream items as part of our selection but the main difference would be the items that we have for our target audience.”
On its website, the company says it has become a cultural icon to both Filipinos here and abroad.
“To Filipino-American households, the supermarket has become part of the weekly schedule, a regular stop for groceries and flavorful Pinoy meals. To their relatives in the Philippines, the brand name is a familiar one, often heard about from lolos and lolas talking about their lives in the US during visits home,” it says.
“To the local American community, Seafood City Supermarket is known as a company that provides opportunities to Filipino-Americans and other communities alike. And through its prominent work with various non-profit groups and charities, Seafood City Supermarket also proves that the value of kawanggawa is indelible to the Filipino wherever he may be.
“Seafood City Supermarket has come a long way from its humble beginnings in 1989 to establishing itself as the premier Filipino supermarket chain in North America. But it has grown into something more than that.
Now, the words “Seafood City” are spoken of among Filipino-Americans in the same breath as words such as “community”. Above all, the most meaningful reason that people come to Seafood City is simply that: it’s good to be home.”
Landlords interested in Seafood City may contact Greg Rabin of brokerage Paracom Realty
Sephora Partners with Charlotte Tilbury Makeup Brand in Canada: Popular makeup brand Charlotte Tilbury, known as the ‘makeup artist to the stars,’ has partnered with beauty behemoth Sephora on an expansion that will see 40 Sephora stores in North America carry the brand, as well as on Sephora’s e-commerce site (Sephora.ca). The line will launch on the e-commerce site on Thursday, September 13 and in stores a day later on Friday.
Prior to the Sephora partnership, the Charlotte Tilbury brand was carried exclusively in Canada at Holt Renfrew and Nordstrom.
The four Canadian Sephora stores to carry Charlotte Tilbury include CF Toronto Eaton Centre in Toronto, 1045 Robson Street in Vancouver, West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton and at CF Chinook Centre in Calgary. The 36 US stores are spread out coast-to-coast.
For the month of September, select Charlotte Tilbury looks will be offered as a complimentary service at the Sephora Beauty Studio in stores that carry Charlotte Tilbury products, according to the company. As well, until October 11, Tilbury’s new ‘Bar of Gold Palette’ line will be featured only at Sephora before it is distributed elsewhere.
Charlotte Tilbury’s ‘Pro Artist’ team will be traveling across North America in September and Toronto is the first stop — the CF Toronto Eaton Centre store will see the activation on September 15.
Sephora is being aggressive in terms of its brand partnerships as it expands its business in the face of increasing competition. Last month we reported that Sephora had partnered with US skin care brand Kiehl’s for the first time, with the brand now being carried in several Sephora stores.
UK-based makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury has been active for more than 25 years and has a substantial following globally. She founded her line in 2013, and it has won more than 150 awards to date. Her first product to knock it out of the park was ‘Charlotte’s Magic Cream’ and her latest collections and products include the likes of Filmstar Bronze & Glow and Pillow Talk Lip Cheat and Matte Revolution Lipstick. The company says, perhaps ironically, that “through the transformative power of makeup every woman can enhance her natural beauty, boost her confidence and change her life.”
Sephora is said to be wildly popular in Toronto, with several stores exceeding $20-million annually in sales. In 2016 Sephora launched a ‘takeover’ initiative where it added new stores and expanded other locations. The CF Toronto Eaton Centre is one of its highest-selling stores, according to the company.
LVMH-owned Sephora, which operates stores globally, continues to open stores in Canada. Most recently, it opened its 70th Canadian store in Kamloops, BC. Until recently, Calvin McDonald was the company’s CEO but he recently left to run Vancouver-based Lululemon.
Opening Soon! Mary Brown’s Announces 19 New Locations across Canada: Mary Brown’s Inc., since opening its first St. John’s location in 1969, has been and is continuing to implement an aggressive growth strategy and brand refresh. Recently announced is the signing of 19 new locations in 2018, which are set to be opened over the next 18 months. This is the next phase as Mary Brown’s applies its corporate and franchisee growth strategy across Canada.
The ‘chicken and taters’ fast food purveyor is moving into the last quarter of 2018 with the aim to identify ideal drive through, end cap, and inline locations within high performing centres, in addition to stand-alone sites on busy thoroughfares, ranging from 1,500 to 2,500-square-feet.
Alipay and WeChat Pay are mobile-based payment platforms that are widely used by the Chinese populace. West Edmonton Mall has teamed up with Alpha Pay, an Alipay and WeChat pay service provider, to allow consumers to purchase admission to parks, pay for their stay at Fantasyland Hotel, or purchase WEM gift cards at Guest Services which can be used to make purchases within the Mall.
Several merchants in West Edmonton Mall have also begun using Alipay and WeChat pay at their point-of-sale. All retailers should consider it — Alipay has a “discover” function which allows travellers to locate merchants in the Mall that accept this form of payment. This solution also enables merchants to reduce friction in the check-out process, offer seamless payment experiences anywhere in the store, and engage consumers in new and innovative ways. The “Outbound Chinese Tourism and Consumption Trend: 2017 Survey” found that Chinese tourists use mobile payment overseas far more frequently than their non-Chinese counterparts, and over 90% Chinese tourists would use mobile payment overseas given the option.
Chinese tourists are big spenders, and good for business. The number of Chinese citizens traveling overseas has been steadily increasing year by year. According to statistics from the China National Tourism Administration, Chinese tourists travelled overseas on 131 million occasions in 2017, an increase of 7% from the previous year. Statistics from the International Tourism Association shows that the overseas spending by Chinese tourists last year was as high as $341 billion (CAD) in 2016, increasing 4.5% over the same period (year-on-year) and was ranked first among all tourists worldwide. With this growing trend, West Edmonton Mall believes that offering Chinese specific mobile payment options will deliver a superior customer experience for the changing behavior of today’s Chinese consumers.
As well, we’re told that several luxury retailers are expected to be moving into West Edmonton Mall in 2019, stay tuned for some big announcements.
Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncake Popup Pairs Holt’s Colette and Soirette: A delicious new collaboration between French-inspired Colette Grand Café Vancouver and local specialty bakery Soirette will have shoppers craving the exclusive creations at the mooncake pop-up in Holt Renfrew in celebration of Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.
Each delectable mooncake is delicately crafted with a macaron in the centre in place of the traditional egg yolk. Mooncakes are not only beautiful but an integral part of celebrations, as they are gifted to family and friends as a symbol of reunion and unity.
Soirette is already well-known in Vancouver for annually creating an elegant collection of mooncakes for the festival. Colette Grand Café is welcoming this tradition to further connect with guests and continue to provide experiential retail to Holt Renfrew clientele with a sophisticated pop-up.
The unique mooncake collection ($68 for a set of 4) will be available exclusively at the Colette x Soirette pop-up at Holt Renfrew Vancouver on the main floor next to Concierge from 12 pm to 5 pm daily.
IKEA Launches 330,000-Square-Foot Distribution Centre in Richmond: Across from Harvest Compost and next to a stream and lush farmland, IKEA has launched its newest Customer Distribution Centre in suburban Vancouver. The 330,000-square-foot location created approximately 100 new IKEA jobs (including 17 former employees of closed Acklands-Grainger facility) and will fulfill orders for the four existing BC and Alberta stores, as well as e-commerce purchases. This will be the third IKEA distribution centre in Canada.
On hand at the opening were CEO and President of IKEA Group Jesper Brodin, IKEA Canada President Marsha Smith, and Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie, who welcomed everyone to the shiny new sustainable and eco-friendly location. Following the raucous ribbon cutting ceremony (thanks to high-sugar pastries, coffee, and unlimited access to thundersticks), Retail Insider was treated to a tour of the facility via golf cart. We zipped from the staff basketball court (soon to have foosball and other tabletop games) to the no Styrofoam-peanut packing area to the laser re-boxing area (for damaged packaging), swooshed by aisle after aisle of racking with floor-to-ceiling end fire retardant baffles, and through 73 shipping bays.
Additionally impressive are the energy saving measures incorporated into the massive structure. In the warehouse, all aisles are lit by sensor and if no movement is detected after 5-minutes, the aisle goes dark. This was especially amusing during the launch ceremony as a staff member could be heard driving up and down the aisles ensuring the lighting stayed on while speeches were being given. The staff locker room also has a dual-detector for sound and motion.
The facility also includes a 20-person open office area, resources area for job searches and computer use, a quiet room, and lunchroom with (soon to be subsidized) healthy meals options via vending machines, and a view of the countryside where deer, beaver, eagles, gulls, and numerous other species are visible through windows and from the outdoor seating area which features bright orange Adirondack chairs.
Love them or hate them (for those darned Allen keys!), IKEA has been providing inspirational home solutions, excellent Swedish value, and tasty meals, to customers in Richmond for 39 years, longer than any other IKEA market in Canada.
Montreal’s Startup Fashion Week Expands to Include Toronto: Marking its fifth year cultivating a unique platform to support fashion and tech start-ups by expanding from Toronto into Montreal earlier this year, Startup Fashion Week(SFW) is the first fashion week to run in two of the nation’s most prominent fashion capitals. The three-day sold-out event in Montreal positioned SFW as the leading national platforms for strengthening the Canadian fashion landscape.
The Toronto event runs from October 16th to October 19th and is designed to stimulate networking, professional dialogues and showcase opportunities, which will include great events such as an invite-only Designer Dinner followed by a Media Launch/Opening Party, Business of Fashion Conference, Gender and Fashion Forum, and Runway Show hosted by Toronto’s Television Host & Radio Personality Devo Brown.
SFW is the first of its kind, representing the intersection between fashion, business, and technology created in 2014 by Jodi Goodfellow, a fashion-tech start-up innovator who saw an opportunity to connect early-stage entrepreneurs with industry stakeholders. Since its launch, SFW has brought awareness to 42 designers, 31 fashion-tech start-ups, and more than 160 emerging models.
Nordstrom Rack Opens at Mississauga’s Heartland: Nordstrom’s Off-price concept Nordstrom Rack opened its fourth Canadian location last week at Heartland Town Centre in Mississauga. It’s the third GTA location for Nordstrom Rack, which also operates stores at Vaughan Mills north of Toronto, at 1 Bloor Street East in downtown Toronto, and at Deerfoot Meadows in Calgary.
Two more Nordstrom Rack stores will be opening in Canada this fall. On October 11, Nordstrom Rack will open at The Ottawa Train Yards in Ottawa. On October 25, Nordstrom Rack will open its Edmonton location at South Edmonton Common in Edmonton, which will become the second Nordstrom Rack location in Alberta.
When the South Edmonton Common store opens, it will be the last announced Nordstrom Rack location to date. Nordstrom has said that it plans to eventually operate 12-15 Nordstrom Rack stores in Canada. Any guesses where the others might open? Feel free to comment in the section at the bottom of this page.
A 40,000 square foot food market has opened at Upper Canada Mall in Newmarket, just north of Toronto, featuring 20 best-in-class local merchants and first-to-market eateries that enhance the overall shopping centre experience. The food market is called ‘Market & Co.’ and it’s the first of several planned large-format multi-vendor food and beverage centres by landlord Oxford Properties.
It’s also the first such market in a premium shopping centre in Canada, according to Oxford Properties. “Market & Co. at Upper Canada Mall in Newmarket, represents Oxford Properties’ ongoing investment and commitment to delivering innovative retail, entertainment and food experiences at our shopping centres,” said Bradley Jones, Head of Retail, Oxford Properties.
The expansive food market’s square footage was made possible by taking some of the former space that was once occupied by Target in the mall (Target exited Canada in 2015). Included is a diverse culinary experience with a mix of food vendors and eateries, including full-service restaurants. Local vendors are part of the mix and some of them have opened their very first retail locations at Market & Co.
BRI-ANN STUART GENERAL MANAGER AND DIRECTOR UPPER CANADA AT MARKET & CO. GRAND OPENING BREAK BREAD CEREMONY
A unique concept called First Batch, which is a collaboration between BRIKA and FoodiePages launched its pop-up collective featuring pantry essentials, table and barware and unique hostess gifts, all crafted by more than 60 emerging and independent makers.
“The atmosphere at Market & Co. combines the nostalgia of traditional outdoor food markets and the bustling vibe of an inviting, premium shopping centre environment,” said Bri-Ann Stuart, Director & General Manager, Upper Canada. “We invite the community to explore Market & Co. with its 20 premium food brands and merchants.”
Giannone Petricone Associates Inc. Architects designed the innovative new space. Ralph Giannone, Principal at the firm, expressed his enthusiasm for the project which is a cross between restaurant and retail, as the lines blur between the two. Amano Kitchen, for example, also sells pasta while Union Chicken retails some of its own products for visitors to take home. Mr. Giannone said that he thinks food markets like Market & Co. will become an anchor-like component to many of Canada’s leading malls in the future, and Giannone Petricone Associates is already working with Oxford Properties on two other projects, not to mention the highly anticipated Eataly that will be opening at Toronto’s Manulife Centre early next year.
MIDICI PIZZA AS CREATED BY ‘BUILD IT’.
Mississauga-based BUILD IT was responsible for building-out the MidiCi space, which is particularly unique in terms of its overall design and filtering. Gold penny tiles were installed on the Italian pizza ovens, for example, and the colour gold carries throughout the space with expanses of gold wallpaper tile installed around columns (lit with LED lights) as well as a feature wall of gold tiles. A front counter is made of fibreglass featuring an LED baseboard, and there’s a white custom curved stone countertop. One of the most unique features, notes BUILD IT , is a large tree that sits in the centre of the restaurant.
One of Market & Co.’s highlights is ’Kitchen & Co.’, a built-in demonstration kitchen that can host regular events, pop-ups and workshops that will educate visitors as well as inform them about local market merchants.
Upper Canada Mall houses more than 200 stores in an enclosed centre which spans nearly a million square feet. Many popular national and international brands can be found in the mall, which is anchored by Hudson’s Bay. The centre includes nearly 5,000 parking spaces and sees more than eight million visitors annually, and is one of the country’s most productive shopping centres in terms of annual sales per square foot, according to Retail Council of Canada.
Landlords are ultimately using food and beverage offerings to drive traffic to properties — consumers are increasingly seeking-out ‘experiences’ and a diverse food market, with the right tenants (including ‘Instagramable moments’) will keep customers coming back. The theory is that repeat visits to a food destination will also translate into increased foot traffic from visitors that might shop at other retail in the same area as well.
The Leaders in Retail Breakfast Series provides an exclusive and unique opportunity for vendors and suppliers of goods and services to hear directly from senior leaders of Canada’s biggest retail brands – with none of their fellow retailer competitors or media in the room.
Jeff Kinnaird is responsible for the sales and operations of 182 stores and approximately 30,000 associates. He joined The Home Depot in 1996 as a lumber associate and has held positions of increasing responsibility, including department supervisor, assistant store manager, store manager, district manager, regional vice president of Canada West, then regional vice president of Canada East, Canadian operations and asset protection.
Most recently, Mr. Kinnaird served as merchandising vice president of Canada where he was responsible for merchandising strategy and operations, the Canadian Merchandising Execution Team organization, global sourcing for the division and growth of private label brands across 182 stores and e-commerce at homedepot.ca. He has over 25 years of Home Improvement retail experience. Prior to joining The Home Depot, he worked at Windsor Plywood. Jeff has an Executive MBA from Queen’s University.
Again, please note, this event is only open to the retail supplier/vendor community.
