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CF Toronto Eaton Centre to Restore Facade/Expand Yonge & Queen Heritage Building

By
Craig Patterson
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2 Queen Street West Rendering

Cadillac Fairview has announced that it will expand and restore the facade of the historic 2 Queen Street West building in Toronto, which is connected to CF Toronto Eaton Centre. The building’s facade will be retained and restored, while new commercial space will be added over several levels. 

“A beautifully restored 2 Queen Street West would serve as a gateway from Yonge Street to the south entrance of the CF Toronto Eaton Centre,” said Rory MacLeod, Vice President, Development, Cadillac Fairview. “This project complements our ongoing investment in the CF Toronto Eaton Centre complex, most recently demonstrated by our announcement with BMO to develop an innovative new workspace in the former Sears office space, construction of the new Queen Street pedestrian bridge and the opening of Saks Fifth Avenue at the Hudson’s Bay Queen St. location.”

2 QUEEN STREET WEST – CLICK TO EXPLORE INTERACTIVE GOOGLE MAP
LOOKING EASTWARD ALONG QUEEN STREET WEST FROM THE ENTRANCE OF HUDSON’S BAY/SAKS FIFTH AVENUE TOWARDS 2 QUEEN STREET WEST.

He went on to say, “Cadillac Fairview is absolutely committed to our responsible investment in the heritage properties under our stewardship. Built in 1885, this building’s beautiful façade is currently obscured having undergone several renovations, but today, we are proud to be restoring 2 Queen Street West to its original glory.”

The project will include 22,011 square feet of retail space/storage and 23,150 square feet of office space. The top floor will house a first-in-class restaurant with an exterior terrace, according to Cadillac Fairview. The existing building will see three new floors added. 

RENDERING LOOKING PAST 2 QUEEN STREET WEST TOWARDS THE HUDSON’S BAY BUILDING (AND ITS PEDWAY), TOWARDS THE CN TOWER.

The 2 Queen West building has stood at the northwest corner of Queen Street West and Yonge Street since 1885, and housed a Woolworth’s store from 1913 until 1980. At one time, department store chain Eaton’s operated a flagship store that surrounded 2 Queen Street West — interestingly, Eaton’s never secured the corner space to expand its massive store. Most recently, an Atmosphere sports store occupied the retail component of the existing building with a Goodlife Fitness upstairs. In the 1990’s, the building housed a Tower Records superstore and decades before, changes to the building saw the facade obscured with aluminum panelling. 

The Yonge and Queen corner now includes luxury department store Saks Fifth Avenue, which operates its Canadian flagship in the Hudson’s Bay building that is connected via a stunning new pedway to CF Toronto Eaton Centre. The Hudson’s Bay building once housed the flagship location for the Robert Simpson & Co. department store chain, which Hudson’s Bay discontinued in the early 1990’s. 

AN EARLIER PROPOSAL FOR A 65-STOREY RENTAL TOWER ON THE SITE.

In 2013, Cadillac Fairview proposed adding a 65-storey rental tower to the site, with 2 Queen’s heritage facade being incorporated into a podium at its base. The 475,000 square foot building would have included 580 residential units, as well as retail at its base. 

With more than 50-million annual visitors, CF Toronto Eaton Centre is North America’s busiest shopping centre, according to Retail Council of Canada’s Shopping Centre Study. The centre is also one of the country’s top-selling in terms of sales per square foot, as well as one of the largest with more than 2.1 million square feet of retail space that spans the CF Toronto Eaton Centre retail complex (anchored by Nordstrom) and the Hudson’s Bay building across Queen Street, which houses Canadian flagships for Hudson’s Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue. 

*All renderings are via Cadillac Fairview

Cadillac Fairview Commences Repurposing Sears Spaces

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Image: Sears Canada

Vacant Sears space in the CF Champlain shopping centre in Dieppe, New Brunswick is being transformed into a TD Corporate Office.

The space will house the bank’s new Finance Operations and Business Services Centres.

Cadillac Fairview, which operates the mall, will invest $25 million to transform the current space “into a visually appealing, comfortable, efficient and modern workplace,” it said.

The new office will open January 2019 in the mall which has more than 140 retailers and food vendors.

TD will open regional offices at CF Champlain near Moncton, NB.

The transformation is also an indication of what’s happening across the country as landlords look at creative and different ways to fill the thousands of square feet of empty space created with the collapse of the former retail giant, Sears.

”Today’s top employers are redefining traditional workspaces, building innovative office spaces in amenity-rich environments to meet the evolving demands of their employees,” said Brian Salpeter, Senior Vice President, Development, Cadillac Fairview.

He said TD took up the entire former Sears site of 109,000 square feet on one level.

Cadillac Fairview is a national developer, owner and manager of mixed-use assets, including some of the biggest and most productive shopping centres in Canada.

BMO will open offices above CF Toronto Eaton Centre’s Nordstrom store, in a space that once housed Sears Canada’s flagship.

The company said this is not the first time it is introducing an innovative office component to one of its shopping centres. It said it is leading a trend to transform some retail locations into highly sought-after office uses with similar, successful transformations across its portfolio.

It recently announced BMO’s Urban Campus will open in CF Toronto Eaton Centre’s former Sears space. Also, CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver saw the former Sears building transformed into a unique office space for Sony Image Works, Microsoft and Miller Thomson.

The trend of converting former Sears space into office use simply makes sense. Shopping centres offer great amenities from retail outlets to personal services to parking.

“We looked at all our properties and decided what is the best mix for everything,” said Salpeter. “It’s not going to be the same for every single property but this is one where CF Champlain really is in the Maritimes the premier shopping destination and it’s part of a strategy in our retail centres to bringing in different uses and different uses that are going to have great synergies.

“This is a great office space. It serves two purposes. One it serves to help transform the centre into more a mixed-use destination so it’s still focused on the best-in-class retailers with a large retail component, food and beverage component. But this also now brings in a great modern workplace with TD as a great employer who wants to create a great space to attract top talent and this is really going to be a great office presence for them and they’ll be a nice complement to CF Champlain and all of our retailers there. So it’s a really nice mix.”

The former Sears store at CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver now houses Nordstrom, several smaller retailers, as well as offices for microsoft and Miller Thomson.
ONE OF SEVERAL EXAMPLES: SEARS’ FORMER SPACE AT CF FAIRVIEW IN TORONTO WILL SEE NEW TENANTS IN A REDEVELOPMENT THIS YEAR. PHOTO: GOOGLE STREET VIEW

Other former Sears space in the Cadillac Fairview portfolio is being looked at on an individual basis and the same strategy that was pursued at CF Champlain may not be the case for other shopping centres.

“What we’re seeing now is a trend towards companies who are seeing what a modern workplace is. And there’s a need for everything. Employees want a mix of everything. So that’s why they want collaborative work space and that’s why this space (CF Champlain) is really nice because of the shape of it and how it’s going to be built out – creates a really collaborative work space for the employees and in a hub,” said Salpeter.

“Employees do want that convenience to be located next to all those amenities . . . but also public transportation. Our shopping centres are often hubs of public transportation as well and CF Champlain is no different. It’s a major bus hub as well.”

Retail Council of Canada Announces 2018 Excellence in Retailing Awards Lifetime Achievement Recipient

By
Retail Insider
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Retail Council of Canada has announced that Lee Valley’s Robin Lee and the Lee Family will be awarded with the 2018 Retail Council of Canada Excellence in Retailing Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. The award will be given at this year’s Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala, taking place during the evening of Tuesday, May 29. [Register to attend the gala].

The Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala is part of the two-day Retail Council of Canada Store 2018 Conference, taking place May 29-30 at the Toronto Congress Centre. Registration is now open. 

Retail Council of Canada’s Excellence in Retailing Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a family or an individual in retail who has demonstrated outstanding business success and community service throughout their career, and who has left an indelible mark on the industry through innovation and commitment to customers and employees. 

For the past 40 years, Lee Valley has been selecting hard-to-find quality tools that help people do what they love. Its unique products, a “customer-first” philosophy and a commitment to integrity, fairness and respect for all has helped Lee Valley grow the brand. In the 15 years since Robin Lee took over as President and CEO, Lee Valley has expanded from being recognized for high-quality woodworking and gardening tools, to now include new lines of products for outdoor, home, kitchen, leather working, cabinet hardware and power tools. Today, Lee Valley has more than 1,000 employees who serve a growing brick-and-mortar presence, as well as a substantial, highly engaged online community.

“Retail Council of Canada is honoured to recognize Robin Lee and his family with this Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Diane J. Brisebois, President & CEO, Retail Council of Canada. “Lee Valley has kept a visionary approach to retail for more than 40 years. Like his father Leonard, Robin has upheld the tradition of personally approving the highest-quality products and investing significantly in staff to ensure they are highly knowledgeable, supportive and able to create life-long loyal customers. This commitment is evident in Lee Valley’s continued success.”  

Robin Lee joins a distinguished list of past recipients from across Canada, such as Founders of Roots Canada, Michael Budman and Don Green; Founder of The Brick Warehouse Corporation, Dr. William H. Comrie; Founders of Canadian Tire Corporation, the Billes Family; and most recently, former Vice-Chairman of the Hudson’s Bay Company, Bonnie Brooks.

The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Robin Lee at Retail Council of Canada’s Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala on May 29, 2018 at the Toronto Congress Centre, from 5:30pm to 8:30pm ET. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.retailawards.ca/tickets.

The Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala will close the first day of Canada’s biggest retail conference, STORE 2018, which will feature more than 80 speakers and attract more than 2,500 retail leaders from across North America. Media are also invited to attend STORE 2018, from May 29 to May 30, 2018. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.storeconference.ca/register.

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.

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