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Suzi Roher Accessories Prepares to Open First Boutique

By
Megan Harman
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High-end accessories brand Suzi Roher Accessories Inc. is preparing to open its first boutique next month, located in Toronto’s trendy Queen Street West neighbourhood.

A well-established brand that was launched in 1980 by designer Suzi Roher and her husband Michael Day, Suzi Roher Accessories is known for its handmade scarves and belts.

Roher began designing accessories when she was a teenager working in her mother’s fashion boutique, and noticed a lack of unique accessories to complement outfits.

“I saw that there was a niche missing,” says Roher, who is the company’s creative director. “There was nothing great on the market to tie an outfit together, so Suzi Roher accessories was born.”

The brand takes an artistic approach to its accessories, striving to make each item a unique and beautiful piece.

Samantha Day

“Each scarf is an original piece of artwork,” says Samantha Day, director of Suzi Roher Accessories. “It’s really a marriage between fashion and art, because although each one is its own story and its own concept the same way an art piece would be, it’s really dictated by the colours of fashion and all of the trends that you see in the fashion world.”

Roher designs and manufactures each item by hand in her studio located in Toronto’s fashion district. She strives to innovate within her designs continuously, providing customers with a steadily evolving product lineup that adapts to changes in both the art world and fashion trends.

“For me, innovation is really important,” Roher says. “The whole concept was to create fashion tools for women when they get dressed in the morning, so they have these fabulous tools to put together their own creative outfit that will make them feel confident, and make a personal statement.”

The brand’s target market spans all ages, according to Roher. “Our customers are people who love beautiful things, and appreciate artwork and fashion,” she says. “You’re not just buying a scarf – you’re buying a piece of artwork that you can wear – it’s wearable art. That’s what keeps people coming back – it’s the story behind each piece.”

Suzi Roher Accessories distributes its products through other fashion boutiques and department stores throughout Canada, the U.S. and abroad. Stores carrying the brand in Canada include Andrews in Toronto, Ashia Mode and Marilyn’s in Vancouver, and BLU’s in Calgary and Edmonton, among others.

The company decided to open its own store to create a designated space where customers could get to know the brand.

“We thought it was a great time for us to transition and get a space in Toronto and show customers a little bit more of what Suzi Roher is,” says Day. “In the boutique, not only will we have the scarves and belts, but we’ll have Suzi Roher handbags and jewellery and a whole range of other things that we do that the rest of the world doesn’t get to see.”

The large 3,000-square-foot store is located at 870 Queen Street West near Trinity Bellwoods Park. “That atmosphere and energy in that part of downtown Toronto is somewhere we really want to be,” Day says.

The store, which is set for a soft opening in May, was designed by Toronto-based design shop Mason Studio. Day describes the space as “light and airy” and reminiscent of an art gallery, with the scarves and other accessories on display throughout the store.

“We think of it as part gallery, part store,” says Roher. “We’re trying to show our work because we really feel that our work is like art pieces, whether they’re belts, scarves or jewellery – they’re all little art pieces.”

In addition to the retail space on the main floor, the space includes a second floor that will serve as a gallery and event space. Roher anticipates hosting events targeted towards women in that space, featuring high profile female speakers.

Although Suzi Roher Accessories does not have any immediate plans to open additional boutiques, the company might consider further expansion in the future, Day says.

“Buy Good. Feel Good.” Expo Trade Show, Toronto May 11-13

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Image: Buy Good. Feel Good

“Buy Good. Feel Good” has developed into Canada’s largest trade show dedicated to social enterprises.

The venture’s aim is to build a community of people and organizations who believe that business should have a positive impact on the world and it aspires to make ethical consumption the norm, inspiring all businesses to operate for the common good.

The Expo is scheduled again for this year from May 11-13 at the Enercare Centre at Toronto’s Exhibition Place. May 11 is set aside for wholesale/trade only where retailers and buyers from shops across Canada and the U.S. are invited to engage with the businesses at the Expo. The last two days are open for the public to shop and buy products.

“We’re a platform for social enterprises and socially-driven businesses. We support their growth by connecting them with retailers and consumers,” says Rafik Riad, founder of “Buy Good. Feel Good”.

“It’s like your traditional trade show but the focus here is not a particular industry. It’s a trade show dedicated to products and services that have a positive impact on the world.”

Image: Buy Good. Feel Good

He says about 120 businesses will be exhibiting this year with products ranging from organic fair trade foods to ethically-sourced fashion apparel and accessories, home decor and consumer experiences such as travel and volunteering. Also offered are investment opportunities like mutual funds that exclusively invest in organizations with a positive impact around the world.

This is the fifth year for the Expo.

Riad is a firm believer in the power of social enterprises to change the world.

He spent 10 years in the field of international development working on policy design and project implementation, including posts with the UK Department for International Development and the Canadian International Development Agency.

He developed expertise and knowledge in sustainable development and poverty alleviation programs.

Image: Buy Good. Feel Good

But one question ate away at him: How do we create both meaningful and stable positive change?

He found the answer in the increasingly popular field of social enterprise.

“I quickly realized that there were already a lot of fantastic social enterprises in Canada, working hard to produce amazing products and have a positive impact on the world. And then I learned that there wasn’t a platform for social enterprises to gain the exposure they needed. They needed a platform that would help them grow, become sustainable, reach their objectives and ultimately achieve a higher level of impact,” he adds.

“The idea of getting all these social enterprises under one roof, showing consumers and retailers the amazing options we have in terms of buying for positive impact both at home and abroad, eventually evolved into “Buy Good. Feel Good.” 

Buy Good. Feel Good

Riad founded “Buy Good. Feel Good” in 2014 as an annual trade show in Toronto that makes sourcing products from social enterprises easy for both buyers and consumers.

“We believe that businesses are key to creating sustainable solutions for the world’s most pressing social and environmental problems,” he says.

Each year “Buy Good. Feel Good” holds the Young Social Entrepreneur Contest to shed light on youth-leading innovative businesses that change the world.

It also holds a Speakers Series where experts shed light on the newest trends in ethical and impactful living.

Retail buyers can register here to attend “Buy Good. Feel Good”

Inside Decathlon’s First Canadian Store [Photos]

By
Craig Patterson
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Value-priced large-format French sporting goods retail chain Decathlon has opened its first Canadian location at Mail Champlain in Brossard, just outside of Montreal. The store is larger than originally anticipated at an impressive 60,000 square feet, and it’s also a highly experiential space where customers can try out various products. 

Mall entrance on opening day saturday.

The store’s opening weekend was a busy one — there were lineups to get into the store and sales were said to be brisk. Decathlon’s products are priced lower than at many competitors, and quality is said to be exceptional. The store carries about 6,500 private label goods for 65 sports, which differentiates the retailer from local competitors as well as Decathlon’s European stores, which typically also carry other brands. Given its pricing and overall strategy, some are referring to Decathlon as the ‘Ikea’ of sports retailers, while others compare it to efficient private-label dominant German grocery chain Aldi.

The Brossard store is highly experiential, with areas dedicated to testing out different products. Included are aisles to test bikes and skateboards, a climbing wall, badminton court, basketball court, putting green, a gym, and even a pool of water to test fishing rods and lures, as well as a mini-pool to try out paddle boards. Customers are saying that it’s a fun experience. 

Decathlon designs, manufactures and distributes a wide range of sports-related equipment and accessories, with over 20 in-house ‘passion brands’ dedicated to different sports, each with its own design team. The company also utilizes customer feedback as part of its research and development and each year, Decathlon’s ‘SportsLab’ creates more than 2,800 new products. 

Technological innovations can be found throughout. One unique feature is the RFID tags on items, which means cashiers aren’t required to scan bar codes on each item when paying for goods. Another is Valtech’s virtual reality experience that allows shoppers to view a selection of more than 200 tents ‘in the outdoors’ through VR goggles. 

There’s also an in-store café/coffee shop with a coffee bar designed to appear to be housed in a food truck. 

The physical experience is what’s important to Decathlon, which sees its stores as being ‘gathering places’. And while the retailer now has an online presence in Canada, orders must be picked up in-store. 

Decathlon has already announced that it will open its second Canadian store next year in Quebec City. The ‘Ikea of sports retailers’ will locate near the city’s new Ikea store at the intersection of Highways 40 and 540. 

The retailer also entered the US market last month with an 8,300 square foot ‘lab store’ at 735 Market Street in San Francisco’s Union Square area. 

Brokerage Oberfeld Snowcap’s Sylvain Charron represented Decathlon in the lease deal with landlord Cominar REIT and according to the brokerage’s website, Decathlon is seeking retail spaces in the 35,000 square foot to 45,000 square foot range in commercial centres that may include power centres, pad sites as well as standalone locations. 

Founded in France in 1976, Decathlon Group is the world’s largest sporting good retailer with nearly 1,500 stores in 39 countries (about 300 stores are in France). It employs more than 80,000 people and boasts annual revenue in excess of C$15 billion. 

Luxury Retailer ‘Coltons Couture’ Plans More Locations after Tremendous Success

By
Helen Siwak
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Coltons Richmond Centre

In 2012, an online entrepreneur launched an incredible venture in luxury shopping from a 15th-floor penthouse due north of CF Richmond Centre in suburban Vancouver. ‘Colton’s Personal Couture’ was a private shopping club with a $25,000 membership fee and interior design inspired by the Parisian elegance of Dior.

Having made his fortune by strategically creating, building, and selling online luxury merchandise sales hubs, founder Howard Colton was seeking a new challenge: one that was more personal and involved a higher level of customization, than the typical online sale offered.

The penthouse was stocked with a highly curated selection of men’s and women’s luxury brands, a host of additional services and the launch received a swath of media attention by Canada-wide dailies and weeklies. Catering was exquisite, valet parking complimentary, and Showcase Piano’s Manuel Bernaschek loaned the event a white $165,000 F183 Fazioli to accompany Mexican soprano Mariana Valdes and pianist Austin Nash Park. Guests were primarily well-heeled Asians, and the runway show of the season’s hautest looks was devoured.

With a build time of one year and a $3-million investment, the 5,600-square-foot penthouse emerged dripping with chandeliers, $500,000 in luxury brand merchandise, customized private shopping suites, art-filled ‘His and Hers’ washrooms, a 3,000-square-foot continuous exterior greenway with various lounge areas for guests, and limousine service to retrieve and return members as they wished.

While lauded at the time as being ostentatious, it was also before the bloom of private shopping now found everywhere in the city from Holt Renfrew to Top Shop. With rows of Prada, Gucci, Balenciaga, Tom Ford and Etro, Howard Colton was unapologetic and four years later in 2016, his daughter Emanda suggested that they venture into retail.

Vancouver’s Alberni Street ‘Luxury Zone’ was in full bloom and the demand for luxury goods was rising with the west coasts Asian influx. The Lower Mainland had more than enough wealthy inhabitants to take a chance on a one-stop shop that catered to those who had the means, who may not necessarily have the time nor desire, to spend the day shopping downtown. Howard Colton was intrigued by how successful it could be and his instinct told him the time was right.

With the concept of a bricks and mortar location filled with a curated selection of the best-of-the-best of the luxury brands offered in one location, ‘Colton’s Couture’ was launched as a pop-up in Vancouver’s Oakridge Centre. Sales were impressive and soon the ink was dry on a lease. The location was a modest 900-square-feet and with a $500K investment, the boutique was up and running within four months.

At almost double the size of Oakridge, the 1,500-square-foot CF Richmond Centre location followed in October 2017. Heavily inspired by the modern Saint Laurent boutiques, with a six month build time and a $1-million+ investment, the marble and chrome interiors look riche and it is the exclusive Richmond home to the only Canadian based brand represented Canada Goose. Colton relays that the store is the top-performer in the mall, beating out the second place at four times the sales per square-foot. To date, the store has passed $3-million in sales with $7-million being anticipated by year-end. “Shoppers are enjoying the one-stop shop approach where they can see a mix of brands and always find something they like,” says Colton, “and when the merchandise is customized for each store to match the demographics of the community, everyone is happy.”

Colton’s Personal Couture (the original penthouse space) was closed in 2016, but plans to re-launch in time for the 2018 winter holiday season are already underway while the company simultaneously completes design on the largest edition of Colton’s Couture which is slated for late summer in Metropolis at Metrotown.

The 2,100-square-foot Metrotown store will be a mixed modern theme of stainless steel and glass interiors with a contemporary bent. As the exclusive retailer of Canada Goose in Burnaby, the company is re-creating the unique glass display cases feature from the flagship Canada Goose Yorkdale store, but in brushed stainless steel, as the location’s showpiece.

Acknowledging that every retailer cannot possibly sell everything in their stores and with three locations operating by the end of 2018, a 1,500-square-foot McArthurGlen Outlet store is in the works for 2019.

“We are considering expansion in Canada. Thinking Ontario, in particular outside the Toronto metropolitan area. Definitely not Yorkville, Colton’s Couture thrives away from the luxury department stores, possibly Markham’s CF Markville or the CF Sherway Garden area (in Toronto),” explains Colton.

Having made a successful transition from anonymous online luxury brokering to successful in-person sales at bricks and mortar locations, Colton’s Couture anticipates employing 75 people by the end of 2019.

How StyleDemocracy Expanded to Become a Significant Retail Industry Marketing Business

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Toronto-based StyleDemocracy is more than a company that organizes warehouse sales of excess inventory for globally-recognized brands.

It has become a sophisticated, innovative and industry-leading marketing company as well.

Grayson Miller, vice-president of digital at StyleDemocracy, said the company tackles the industry in two ways – supporting brands to liquidate their excess inventory, giving them more capital to work with once the inventory has been cleared; and helping brands communicate with their audiences in Canada through digital marketing, promotions, advertising, content creation, storytelling and everything social media.

“Brands are choosing StyleDemocracy because we have a very loyal customer base, a very loyal client base that has been using our services for 10 years . . . and that’s what we’re really trying to push in this day and age, because there are so many opportunities for a consumer to get distracted to buy in a different area, you need a multi-channel situation,” said Miller.

“So you need to hit them online, you need to hit them physically, you need to hit them with content and storytelling to encourage them to buy. And brands that are doing all three of these things effectively are successful in this new retail world and we just want to help brands reach that level that can’t do that by themselves.”

Back in 2006, StyleDemocracy began collecting email addresses at each sale so they could easily notify their customers of their next big event. After a few years, the email list developed into an extremely efficient marketing platform, as these sales would get anywhere from 10,000-25,000 people through the doors each time.

Nearly 8 years ago, Miller was introduced to StyleDemocracy’s founder and president, Michael Berg, and convinced him on the opportunity that the Styledemocracy warehouse sale email list could be utilized by other brands and retailers with their own promotions.

“When you have a captive audience and you don’t communicate with them regularly the audience gets bored . . . My main thing when I came on board is how do we communicate to our customers and continually engage them on a regular basis?” said Miller. “So we decided to launch StyleDemocracy.com the blog which originally started out simply as a way to inform members about upcoming warehouse sales and sample sales. And because the content was so well-received, it kept progressing into different avenues. It kept growing into different forms of content because this is what people were looking for.”

“When you build up a sizeable population with an email list and when you get sizeable traffic, you can then start to leverage that and look for partners to communicate with your audience as well and essentially build that into a marketing platform.”

Today, the company’s email list(s) equate to more than 140,000 people and continually growing.

StyleDemocracy’s marketing platform works in several ways:

●     Email Marketing – Its expertise lies in brand promotion and event marketing. One of the most successful strategies it uses for clients is email marketing with more than 10 years of experience delivering results with custom-targeted email campaigns;

●     Social Media Marketing – With networks that are always growing, its social accounts are one of its biggest assets. Through platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, StyleDemocracy is able to amplify the client’s message to followers and audiences across the nation through the use of high-impact campaigns, keeping audiences engaged with powerful content;

●     Content creation – It creates content that can be shared through a brand’s channels or exclusively through StyleDemocracy. It has worked with the top global brands to create engaging and memorable content – content that encourages and fosters relationships between brands and consumers;

●     Contest Marketing – Whether the goal is to increase social growth, generate brand buzz, or to push sales in-store and / or online, StyleDemocracy helps in those areas. Contests are an effective way to gain brand momentum and engage with customers and audiences in a meaningful way;

●     Event Marketing – The StyleDemocracy team has almost 20 years of experience marketing events in Canada. Although platforms are constantly changing, its proven strategies work in helping bring more customers through the doors;

●     Experiential Marketing – StyleDemocracy-hosted events are a perfect opportunity to expose products to customers.

The company has gone from collecting emails on sheets of paper to utilizing state-of-the-art technology to help grow and manage an overall community which has surpassed 250,000 and keeps growing.

“So at the end of the day, we had this captive audience that we needed to engage with on a regular basis combined with some advertisers who were eager to let our customers know about their own promotions and that’s how the Style Democracy publication was born.”

Once that publication was up and running, the company was able to leverage the views and the readership to advertisers who were interested in communicating with that audience.

Miller said the average lifespan of a StyleDemocracy customer is seven years on the email list. It’s a very loyal subscriber base.

The company is comprised of online content, events and ecommerce. Everything flows together. Potential customers are informed through the content and are enticed to either attend a physical event or to check out the ecommerce site.

“We have set up a strategy to acquire these people at our sales events. So we meet them face to face. These are locked in, fully engaged people that have said they want to receive shopping information,” said Miller.

“The future is all about being bigger. We want to create more content, a bigger marketing platform. And the more people we engage and bring to our platform through content and through storytelling, the bigger our audience gets and that enables us to reach out to larger advertisers and to create more interesting campaigns with bigger and better brands.”

For more information, contact Grayson Miller at: grayson@styledemocracy.com

*Partner Content. To work with Retail Insider, email: craig@retail-insider.com.

BRIEF: Toys R Us Canada Could be Saved, New Luxury Retail Concept Coming to Canada

By
Helen Siwak
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Luxury Gift Boutique ‘Cocoàge’ to Enter Canada with Multiple Locations

Unique luxury gift boutique concept Cocoàge plans to open between three and five boutiques in Canada, and it’s partnered with brokerage Think Retail for the expansion. 

Cocoàge is a very unique concept that is sure to be a hit amongst affluent gift-givers. The company retails preserved flowers in luxurious paper boxes as well as clear acrylic square boxes, which are ideal for displaying. Flowers are packed ‘by the dozen’ with selections ranging from 12 to 48 — prices for a dried bouquet range between $200 and $500. 

The preserved flowers can be paired with Cocoàge’s exclusive collection of exquisite products including gold-infused Belgian milk chocolate bars, toffees, truffles, chocolate covered nuts, gourmet popcorn, and more.

Designs for the store interiors reflect warmth, with colours and lighting to set a calm, romantic mood. Shoppers will be greeted by concierge-style staff, sat in comfortable armchairs and be presented flowers, treats, gift options, and offered taste tests.

With the initial focus being Toronto, ideal spaces are in the 700 to 1,000-square-foot range in super regional shopping centres. Interested landlords may contact broker Tony Flanz at Think Retail.

Sugarfina Sweetens Up on Oakridge Centre for 2nd Canadian Store

Think Retail’s Tony Flanz has been busy in Vancouver – Los Angeles-based luxury ‘grownup’ candy retailer Sugarfina, which opened its first Canadian store at Metropolis at Metrotown east of Vancouver in November of 2017, will open its second Lower Mainland boutique at Oakridge Centre in the spring. 

The 450-square-foot boutique will be located next to Swarovski and across from the mall’s Aritzia and Gap stores, near the mall’s food court. Oakridge Centre, which is Canada’s second-most productive mall in terms of sales per-square-foot, is about to undergo a spectacular overhaul that will see it become the heart of a new mixed-use community in Vancouver, unlike anything seen in Canada to date.

Sugarfina confirms that the company intends on operating standalone stores in Vancouver as well as in the Toronto market, with as many as 10 locations in Canada in the coming years. According to Think Retail’s website, Sugarfina is seeking retail space in major malls, ideally in the 600-square-foot to 1,000-square -foot range.

Sugarfina stores feature premium items made from high-quality ingredients, sourced directly from artisan candy makers around the globe. Products include gourmet chocolates, caramels, gummies, malt balls, licorice and other delicious confections. Champagne-infused gummies and maple bourbon caramels have been popular, with celebrity endorsements helping grow brand awareness. The Sugarfina concept has grown rapidly, now boasting over 30 boutiques in the United States with three of those being located in Nordstrom stores.

Miele Announces New Flagship in Yorkdale

Miele has announced that it will open a new flagship in the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto. Slated to open in summer 2018, the 2,200-square-foot location will be the first for the brand in a highly frequented premium shopping mall which attracts 18 million visitors per year.

Besides having their headquarters in Vaughn, Ontario, since 1989, this new endeavour also demonstrates the commitment of Miele to the Canadian market where demand for its world-leading, premium appliances continues to grow.

Since 2004, the brand has opened four Miele Experience Centers – located in Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. The new Yorkdale location will reinforce the Miele brand image characterized by quality, design, innovation and sustainability.

Yorkdale Shopping Centre is Canada’s leading shopping destination and most successful shopping centre with a diverse mix of more than 270 shops and services.

Luxury Home & Design Show Ready to Transform BC Place

Vancouver’s Luxury Home & Design Show is back June 21st-24th, with its largest four-day presentation which will see BC Place transformed by exhibitors into an 80,000-square-foot “Italian piazza.”

With ticket prices ranging from $50 for a Professional Day pass to $1,000 Tea Pavilion experience, visitors to LHDS will be able to shop the latest in luxury and elegance through artwork, home décor, and other bespoke items.

This edition will showcase many international designers, artisans and exhibitors plus many locally available luxury lifestyle brands such as Bentley Home, Fendi Casa, Versace Home, Paramount Home & Design, Roche Bobois, and M. Zanatta Homes & Design.

The founder of the LHDS and Editor-in-Chief of Taste of Life magazine, Wendy Guo, has put together a luxury home event which has gathered unique and artisanal crafted items from the far corners of the globe that will be available for sale, and showcases the latest in technology and innovations, trends in luxury home and design, and sustainable and healthy living.

Charitable partners – Arts Umbrella and BC Cancer Foundation – will benefit from the Opening Night Debut & Charity Fundraiser sponsored by the Italian Chamber of Commerce.

Fairfax Could Acquire Toys R Us Canada

The Globe & Mail [paywall] reports that Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. has entered into a confidentiality agreement with the Canadian unit of Toys R Us Inc. which could result in a $300 million deal that would allow Toys R Us to separate from its US-based parent and exit bankruptcy protection. 

The Globe & Mail also reports that other interested investors will have until Monday to bid on the Canadian arm of Toys R Us, which has 82 stores, 22 of which are owned and are appraised at about $220 million. 

Toys R Us Canada is said to be profitable, representing about 7% of the company’s worldwide sales and operating relatively independently with its own purchasing systems and merchandising. 

There’s more to come with this story, so stay tuned. The original Globe & Mail article that we are referencing has more information and background on the topic, and can be read here — but it’s only available behind a paywall to ‘Unlimited’ subscribers. 

*As an extra teaser, next week we’ll be ‘briefly’ discussing SSENSE‘s new five-level Montreal flagship, scheduled to open in May. 

How Loblaw Can Improve Customer Experience of its New PC Optimum Program

By
Retail Insider
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Loblaw Companies Limited (“Loblaw”) purchased Shoppers Drug Mart in a deal worth $CDN 12.4-billion back in July 2015. Both companies had strong loyalty programs under the PC Plus (8 million members) and Shoppers Optimum (11 million members) branding. Loblaw decided to merge these two popular programs into a one called PC Optimum on February 1, 2018. Once all the members fully enroll into this new program, it is expected that membership total would exceed 11 million.

In anticipation, Loblaw increased the loyalty liability (the estimated liability from the outstanding points available for redemption under the new program) by CDN $189 million to CDN $413 million as at December 31, 2017.

Account Merge Challenges

From the start, it was widely reported that both existing program members encountered many challenges with the merger process. Instead of using the PC Plus or Shoppers Optimum platform as the foundation, members from both programs were invited to supply new information and sync up all their loyalty points data separately into the new PC Optimum platform. All the new account creation and data transfer overwhelmed the systems and resulted in system outages.  There are other reported cases where customers noted their loyalty point data was inaccurately merged and had to frustratingly contact the helplines to resolve their issues.

Two Months In

While the majority of account merger related issues are largely behind the new loyalty program, there is a new set of challenges on how promotions are communicated and managed. Previously, PC Plus and Shoppers Optimum operated under two different principles when it comes to earning points:

PC Plus – Points can be earned from purchasing targeted items at Loblaw and its affiliates and through the use of PC Financial MasterCard.  

Shoppers Optimum – All purchased transactions (except for selective items such as bus tickets, lottery tickets, prescriptions and gift cards) will earn base points. Additional bonuses could be collected by purchasing specially marked products or promoted products found in the mobile application.

With PC Optimum, both methods of earning points are employed. While there is a Frequently Asked Question section available in the PC Optimum’s website, many members of the new program are very confused as to when and how they can earn and redeem points.  For example, while you can still earn base points at Shoppers Drug Mart, you cannot do so at any Loblaw branded supermarkets.

On a weekly basis, members are asked to check their inbox for an email from the program with the new promotions. As the add all button does not always work, members would have to spend time to individually add product or points promotions online or in the mobile application. They also have to check regularly for other random daily promotions. It can be a tedious process over a longer period of time. Additionally, affiliates like Joe Fresh are not included in any weekly promotions thus reducing potential online or foot traffic to the store.

The program makes it difficult for the members to track and use all the promotions added to their accounts. They do not receive timely notifications to remind them which promotional items are about to expire or ones that have been redeemed.

In a recent informal Twitter survey conducted by Retail Insider at the end of March 2018, a majority of the responders (61%) polled found that it was too time consuming to individually add promotional items onto their profile, while 32% wanted a money spent method of earning points and 7% did not mind loading only the items they wanted. 

Lack of Redemption Opportunities

PC Plus had a straight forward policy for points redemption.  Each 10,000 points can be redeemed for CDN $10 off with a minimum redemption of 20,000 points. Shoppers Optimum used a tier scale which reward members saving their points for mega redemption events (e.g. 95,000 points for CDN $200).

The new program uses the older PC Plus method but eliminated the 20,000 points minimum requirement. While it seems like the straight forward method is easier to manage, this type of  redemption only equals to a 0.1% return per point instead of up to 0.21% under the Shoppers Optimum method.  While Loblaw allows members to earn points with PC Travel, they are not able to redeem points for their vacation.

Five Quick Improvements to Maximize Potential of PC Optimum Program

Retail Insider came up with five quick improvements for the program to improve customers satisfaction and loyalty:

1.    Create a video to show how members can earn and redeem points. Instead of reading the complicated frequently asked questions, the PC Optimum team can create a video on the ways and how easily any member can earn and redeem points. This would reduce time required for customer service agents at the store, on the phone and online to respond to questions.

2.    Allow members to earn points everywhere without having to use the PC Financial Mastercard. As of right now, there is less to no incentive for a former Shoppers Optimum member to make all their purchases in Loblaw and its brand of supermarkets because they can double dip on earning points at Shoppers Drug Mart (including groceries and household goods).

3.    Improve delivery of promotions – Not everyone will find the weekly email or want to check the mobile application regularly for promotions. Any promotional items added to the member’s profile should be tracked and communication (email or notification) should be sent reminding members of start or expiry dates. The latter is important so that members can plan their purchases accordingly.

4.    Introduce a “select all” button inside the mobile application and on the desktop version of PC Optimum’s website. Point collectors have a “fear of missing out” mentality. They would always want an option to add all available promotions to their profile to maximize earning opportunities.

5.    Introduce promotions for other affiliated brands. This could introduce and drive traffic to stores customers may not know about. The PC Optimum mobile application and website should also highlight these brands to maximize awareness.

While a loyalty program can drive customers into the stores, they can also drive them away if it has not implemented a perceived ease of use and a good value proposition built-in. Loblaw’s new PC Optimum program started its journey two months ago with great fan fare and also challenges. There is room for improvement to make the program more competitive and challenge the leaders LoyaltyOne’s Air Miles or AMIMA’s Aeroplan programs in the lifestyle space.

Pop-ups: The Experiment Zone

By
Retail Insider
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It’s no secret that the temporary nature of pop-ups is what makes them so successful. It’s a tried and true method of leveraging consumers’ FOMO (fear of missing out).

From a strategy perspective, this lack of permanency is what lays the foundation for, what we call, the experiment zone.

When you’ve got an established brand, it can be hard to step outside your business norms. With more permanent endeavours, the goal is usually sustainability, which means there is pressure to play it safe.

With pop-ups, you have more freedom to experiment because impact becomes more important than sustainability. The buzz you build, the curiosity you pique, and the novelties you exploit are what matters most for short-term colossal success.

Next time you plan a pop-up, lean into the idea that this is your chance to work outside the box. Use the experiment zone to:

Offer a limited time product or service

Do you have a really cool idea that just doesn’t make sense for your business model? Use your pop-up to bring it to life, no strings attached. Chances are, you’ll impress your consumers with something your competitors haven’t even thought of.

Tailor your brand to the local market

Don’t miss out on leveraging local insights, just because it doesn’t perfectly align with your long-term brand goals. Tailor your pop-up to the local market to create an “in” for your brand. It’s only temporary, so you can strategically introduce your brand to the market without losing focus on your long-term goals.

Test new retail design concepts

As you execute your pop-up, assess your sales metrics and feedback daily to see what strategies are working. Maybe your unexpected best seller needs to be moved to the front of the store. Use your experimental mindset and this instantaneous feedback loop to adapt your pop-up in real time. 

The pop-up experiment zone is a powerful tool for brands to test new waters. In a fast-paced industry, using every opportunity to evolve your business could mean the difference between success and failure. So, embrace the provisional.

Cineplex Announces Significant Entertainment Centres Expansion

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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exc-5ad7d2b9352f533511f78396

Cineplex, one of Canada’s leading entertainment and media companies, is launching a theatre concept expansion in the country and will continue to add to its national footprint including the potential of moving into vacant shopping mall space.

Sarah Van Lange, director of communications of Cineplex, said diversification is one of the company’s key strategies in building growth across the country.

“We’re starting to look at our real estate portfolio and we’ll assess whether we need to look at new locations but as our leases come up as well we’ll be looking at the demographics of the community,” she said, adding that the company would then determine what concept best suits a particular community’s needs.

Cineplex, which has 164 theatres in Canada, has diversified its portfolio in recent years to include concepts such as The Rec Room, Playdium and Topgolf.

“The retail landscape is changing. Absolutely. The anchor tenants like department stores, and particular fashion outlets, many from a real estate perspective or from a retail perspective they’ve had some more challenging times. So landlords, we’re finding, are looking for ways to increase dwell times in their complexes and they’re turning a lot to look at food options as well as entertainment options,” says Van Lange.

“I think they’re looking for ways to get guests to stay longer. Entertainment is definitely one of the ways that they’re doing that. On the Cineplex side, we’re finding that Canadians are also looking for more options in that way as well . . . People are looking for a place to congregate and there’s definitely a business opportunity through that.”

Cineplex is opening a new Playdium location in Brampton, Ontario. Converting and reimagining the space currently being utilized by Cineplex Odeon Orion Gate Cinemas, the 45,000-square-foot entertainment complex will be specially designed for teens, their friends and family who are looking for an affordable entertainment choice for everyday play, casual dining or to celebrate special occasions.

Playdium is a tech-infused place to play that offers the best games and attractions for everyone.  The new Brampton location will feature a selection of classic and new-to-market video and redemption games, as well as unique interactive experiences like virtual reality, bowling, rope courses and laser tag.  Young movie-lovers in the area will also be able to look forward to watching films at Playdium, as Cineplex plans to retain one of the existing auditoriums from Cineplex Odeon Orion Gate Cinemas at the new space.

Van Lange said the company will open 10 to 15 Playdium locations in the coming years.

The Rec Room concept is a large entertainment destination.

“They’re social playgrounds for adults,” said Van Lange. “The locations of The Rec Room really leverage the expertise that we’ve built through Cineplex in things like food service, operations. Entertaining people is what we do best at Cineplex and that skill is really transferred over to The Rec Room.”

Currently, there are four Rec Room locations – one in South Edmonton, one in West Edmonton Mall, one in Deerfoot City in Calgary and one in downtown Toronto. Another location is opening at the end of April in London. It has also announced plans for complexes in Mississauga, Vancouver and St. John’s.  

“We’ll be opening 10 to 15 over the coming years,” said Van Lange.

The Rec Room is typically between 35,000 to 60,000 square feet and half of that space is dedicated to live entertainment and food with the other half dedicated to gaming and fun. It’s targeted to a Millennial audience as well as Boomers with children.

Cineplex has also entered into an exclusive partnership with global sports entertainment leader Topgolf which will bring Topgolf’s sports entertainment experience to Canada. The joint venture will see the opening of multiple Topgolf venues in markets across the country during the next several years.

Structube Launches National ‘Megastore’ Expansion

By
Craig Patterson
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[HAMILTON/ANCASTER STORE. PHOTO: STRUCTUBE VIA BICOM]

Montreal-based, affordably-priced contemporary/modern home furnishings/ accessory retailer Structube is expanding its ‘megastore’ concept nationwide after seeing success with its first location in suburban Montreal last fall. Structube has opened a second large-format store in suburban Hamilton, Ontario, and more are in the works, according to Matthew Fischel, Director of Product Development and Sourcing at Structube. 

The new Hamilton store spans 18,000 square feet and is located at the Meadowlands Power Centre at 14 Martindale Crescent in Ancaster. The suburban complex houses several other big-box stores. In the fall of 2017, Structube unveiled a 50,000 square foot megastore in suburban Montreal, which is considerably larger than the retailer’s typical 3,000 to 10,000 square foot locations. 

The overwhelming success of the suburban Montreal megastore has prompted Structube to launch a national expansion for the large-format concept, which is better able to feature Structube’s entire product offering on display. The stores include a large customer pick-up area, self-serve kiosks and digital signage. “The new store concept will epitomize our recent pivot to low, low prices by creating a new, large and inviting store experience for modern, contemporary furniture at the lowest possible prices,” said Tony Trew, Structube’s Marketing Director, in a previous interview.

The success of the Montreal megastore will hopefully be replicated in suburban Quebec City, where Structube plans to open another large format store, which Mr. Fischelexplained will be larger than the Hamilton location. “The response has been overwhelming,” he said, noting how consumers have been very receptive to the expansive selection in the larger store. New large-format stores may be in the 20,000 to 30,000 square foot range, he noted, depending on location and opportunity. 

Hamilton Structube Mega-Store

Mr. Fischelnoted that the large format Structube stores will likely open in suburban locations, while urban Structube locations will typically be smaller. Urban stores are more likely to carry products geared towards those living in higher-density areas and therefore don’t carry some of the larger furniture items to be carried in suburban locations. 

Structube currently has 62 stores in Canada and it is growing its network of stores rapidly. So far in 2018, the retailer has opened five stores and it plans to open at least six more before the end of the year. The company’s network of stores spans coast-to-coast from British Columbia to the Maritimes, with a mix of downtown and suburban stores depending on the market. 

Family-owned Structube was founded in 1974. The company originally specialized in tubular retail clothing racks, hence its name ‘Structube’, being derived from an abbreviation of the French term “structures tubulaires”. Its first home furnishings store location opened in Montreal in 1980, expanding into multiple Quebec locations before entering the Ontario market, followed by Alberta, Manitoba and Nova Scotia.

Structube’s contemporary style furniture ranges from rustic wood and mid-century to sleek lacquer and glass, with both pre-assembled and easy-to-assemble products. The company caters to young professionals, condominium dwellers and even small businesses.

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