Popular gourmet California ice cream chain Cauldron Ice Cream is set to open its first Canadian location in Toronto this summer.
Toronto-based franchise holding company W&S Canada Corp. has signed a lease at 502 Queen Street West – located in between Bathurst St. and Spadina Ave. – with plans to open the new location this summer. The company intends to eventually open several other locations in Toronto as well.
Cauldron, which launched in 2015, specializes in liquid nitrogen ice cream – a trendy new way of making small batches of ice cream instantaneously. Cauldron offers a variety of unique flavours such as Earl Grey Lavender, Milk and Cereal, S’mores, H20 Rose, Pineapple Express, and Red Velvet.
Image: Cauldron Ice Cream
Cauldron has gained notoriety for the artistic presentation of its ice cream, which is often served in the shape of roses. The chain is also well known for its “OG Puffle Cone”, an egg-based waffle cone that was inspired by a popular Hong Kong street snack.
“We had been following Cauldron for a while and were interested in finding a way to bring the innovative and exciting concept to Canada,” W&S Canada says in a statement emailed to Retail Insider.
The new Queen Street store will be Cauldron Ice Cream’s first location outside of California. The chain currently operates a handful of locations throughout California, including stores in Santa Ana, Artesia, Glendale and Chino Hills. The company has plans to open more than 10 additional locations, including stores in Orange, San Diego and Santa Clara counties.
Since Toronto has become a hotspot for trendy food items, with consumers willing to wait in lengthy lineups for foods ranging from cheesecake and donuts to tacos and burgers, W&S Canada says the city is an ideal location for Cauldron Ice Cream.
CAULDRON WILL REPLACE THE ‘EPICURE CAFE & GRILL’ AT 502 QUEEN STREET WEST. PHOTO: GOOGLE STREET VIEW.
“The first Cauldron store will be located in Toronto, which is a vibrant city that we love,” says the statement from W&S Canada. “We think Cauldron’s unique flavors and presentation will be a welcome addition to Toronto’s budding food community.”
The franchisees expect that Cauldron will become a destination within the city. “Cauldron will bring more than just ice cream to Canada,” W&S Canada says. “It will bring an experience.”
Upscale fragrance brand Atelier Cologne is expanding further into Canada this spring with its first standalone retail space that is set to be unveiled at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre on Saturday, April 14. It’s a major score for the Toronto mall, considering that the retailer only has 14 stores globally, and only three of them in North America. More locations are in the works, however, as parent company L’Oreal embarks on an aggressive international expansion for the unique fragrance brand.
Christophe Cervasel and Sylvie Ganter
Atelier Cologne was founded in Paris in 2009 by husband-wife team Christophe Cervasel and Sylvie Ganter, who met in New York City in 2006 and turned their true love story into a business. The company is considered to be the first fragrance house entirely dedicated to cologne. According to the company, it has “been reinventing the world of perfume with Cologne Absolue, an entirely new olfactive family of natural, unprecedentedly long-wearing scents”.
The fragrances are “one hundred percent handcrafted in France with the highest quality raw materials from around the world,” with the website going on to say, “each pure perfume focuses on a hero ingredient that invites you to unbottle your story”.
The brand has 14 boutiques globally — three of them are in Paris, two are in London, two are in Hong Kong, three are in China (two in Shanghai and one in Cheng Du) one is in Seoul, and three are in the United States. In the US, Atelier Cologne has two boutiques in New York City (one in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn) as well as in San Francisco. Yorkdale will be the brand’s first mall-based store in North America.
Brooklyn Boutique
Hong Kong Storefront
Paris Boutique
New York Storefront
“This first Canadian Atelier Cologne boutique marks a new chapter in the international expansion of the French Maison de Parfum and sets the tone for a true success story in Canada. We are very proud and excited to have this one-of-a-kind concept boutique for the first time in Canada to showcase and convey a unique brand experience to customers”, said Carl D Morisset, General Manager for L’Oréal Designer Brands, Canada.
CARL D MORISSET
The 625 square foot Yorkdale boutique will be located in the mall’s Nordstrom-anchored wing, across from Uniqlo and Muji stores. Atelier Cologne will feature more than 140 products including a focus on the Maison de Parfum’s best-selling fragrances, including the recently launched Iris Rebelle. Shoppers will have the opportunity to choose among 32 Colognes Absolues as well as the company’s line of soaps, body & hair shower gels, moisturizing body lotions, hand creams and a Home Collection of candles – all of which are produced with traditional French craftsmanship, according to the company.
Mr. Morisset explained that the store will have a variety of price points, ranging from about $34 for a rollerball to $295 for a larger bottle of fragrance. The store will also include candles (priced at about $95) as well as hand cream, shower gels and other products.
Customers will be encouraged to try and buy several fragrances — Mr. Morisset explained how the company encourages a “fragrance wardrobe” depending on one’s mood and activity.
Personalization with a customer-centric vision will be key to the new store location. Atelier Cologne Perfume Artists will provide fragrance consultations, and leather cases in 17 colours can then be personalized with a name, initials or a specific message by an engraving machine available on site. Atelier Cologne candles also include leather tags that can be customized, and the store will also feature a gift wrapping station.
The Yorkdale boutique’s Venetian blue storefront will catch the eye of passers-by, and its interior will feature ample use of wood as well as industrial furniture, vintage lamps and stools discovered by the founders during their travels around the world. As well, small orange tree plants will be found throughout — the orange trees reference the citrus base of some of Atelier Cologne’s fragrances, which have proven to be popular.
Mr. Morisset explained that Yorkdale was chosen as Canada’s first because of its exceptional productivity as well as its base of wealthy shoppers. Yorkdale is Canada’s most productive mall in terms of sales per square foot according to a Retail Council of Canada study and as well, the centre continues to add luxury retailers — that clustering has resulted in Yorkdale becoming a destination for affluent shoppers.
Yorkdale will be the first of several locations for Atelier Cologne in Canada, according to Mr. Morisset. Vancouver is a target for at least one store, he said, and Toronto could see a second boutique. Potential storefronts could be on street-fronts, in malls, and even airports in various markets — travel retail is increasingly becoming more important to retailers, with airports featuring some of the most productive retail spaces in the country. It’s too soon to tell just how many boutiques will open in Canada, and Yorkdale will act as an initial test market prior to a wider expansion.
Atelier Cologne locations are generally intimate in size — its largest store spans about 1,000 square feet over two levels at Covent Garden in London, while one of its two Hong Kong boutiques is about 250 square feet.
Saint Florentin Storefront
One of the reasons Atelier Cologne is rolling out standalone stores is so that the company can showcase its entire collection, in an environment that also reflects its branding and customer service expectations. The company will also remain in its numerous partners in Canada that include Sephora and Nordstrom, with the idea that standalone stores will also help enhance brand awareness at the company’s wholesale accounts.
The Yorkdale Atelier Cologne boutique opens at 10:00 am on Saturday, April 14th, and the first 50 people in line will receive a complimentary 30 ml Citron d’Érable fragrance (worth $90) and a passport gift card worth from $10 to $500. As well, every customer will be entered into a contest to win Atelier Cologne’s ultimate basket with 10 of the Maison’s most iconic products.
The opening will also signal the launch of The Atelier Cologne Journal, a 100% Canadian magazine created to discover “all things fragrance and a few of the Maison’s favourite things”. This luxurious print journal will offer information pertaining to the inspiration behind the house’s scents, tips on how best to build one’s fragrance wardrobe, and related photographs and illustrations.
Last week at Toronto’s Venture Out conference, Dax Dasilva, founder and CEO of Lightspeed, gave a keynote presentation about the importance of diversity in the world of business. Venture Out, which was held at the MaRS Discovery District, saw hundreds of attendees who came together to discuss tech and entrepreneurship in the LGBTQA+ community.
Hosted by John Moore, Morning Show host at Newstalk 1010 Radio, the Q and A discussed Lightspeed including the benefits of diversity in the workplace, and how different points of view can enrich business. Mr. Dasilva described how Lightspeed was founded on diversity, and how it continues to see strength from its team members who come from a variety of backgrounds. Inclusiveness was the message of the day, with a message to attendees that success is possible with hard work and perseverance.
Mr. Dasilva would know — he founded Lightspeed more than a decade ago, growing the company that now boasts the most powerful cloud-based commerce solution for independent retail and restaurants, and is one of the fastest-growing tech companies in Canada. Lightspeed has been working with independent retailers and restaurants and the company’s aim is to support these businesses, which are integral to our economy and to communities. The diversity of the retail industry further lends itself to a uniqueness sometimes not found in larger, more ‘mainstream’ retail chains.
The fireside chat also highlighted Mr. Dasilva’s involvement in the community through Never Apart, his not-for-profit organization that aims to ignite positive social change and spiritual awareness through cultural programming
In the discussion, Mr. Dasilva described the benefits to being in Montreal, which is considered to be one of the world’s most progressive and inclusive cities. Montreal is also seeing a tech boom that is providing opportunities to individuals from all walks of life. Lightspeed’s gorgeous new headquarter offices are located in a restored heritage hotel in Old Montreal, featuring a mix of modern design and century-old materials.
Lightspeed supports independent businesses and their respective communities — for every dollar spent at an independent retailer, it’s estimated that between $5 and $14 is created in value to the local community. Supporting the local economy builds confidence in the community while enabling local businesses to prosper and grow, while the site claims that for every dollar spent at a national chain store, about 80% of the money “leaves town immediately”.
PHOTO: VENTURE OUT
“The time is now for independents,” said Mr. Dasilva, going on to describe the advantage to being an independent retailer. “Small and medium-size retailers are more nimble — they have the ability to set up shop almost overnight and can easily navigate a transition from a solo brick-and-mortar presence, to an ecommerce and omnichannel platform. Omnichannel POS solutions like Lightspeed democratize the access for multiple sales channels, and smart independents are often the first to adopt new technology quickly,” he said.
More than 50,000 retailers and restaurateurs processing over $15 billion in transactions annually use Lightspeed to grow and manage their business. Founded in 2005 with offices in Canada, USA, and Europe, Lightspeed is backed by Accel Partners, iNovia Capital, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and Investissement Québec (IQ). Lightspeed has evolved from four employees working in a small Montreal apartment to over 500, spread over 8 offices around the world, and according to Mr. Dasilva, it’s preparing for an IPO that is expected for some time next year.
LIGHTSPEED’S IMPRESSIVE OLD MONTREAL HEAD OFFICE
Venture Out is Canada’s first conference for LGBTQA+ students and young professionals interested in careers in tech and entrepreneurship. Every year, they gather together with startups, speakers, and thought leaders from across Canada at MaRS Discovery District for workshops, receptions, panels, and networking opportunities.
Loma Ammar, a clinical geriatric pharmacist, has a passion for helping people lead healthier lifestyles.
It’s that passion that led her to establish CycleBar Windermere in Edmonton – the brand’s first upscale indoor cycling studio in Western Canada.
The Edmonton location, in about 3,000 square feet, will open March 26.
Ammar said the studio will have 51 stationary bikes in the cycle theatre.
“Essentially what we offer is high intensity, interval training on a stationary bike in the environment that is very similar to a nightclub. It’s dark. Loud music. There’s lights in there and it’s essentially a different way to get a workout in,” says Ammar.
“The benefits of cycling is that number one it’s excellent for cardiovascular activity. Very, very low impact . . . And on top of it all, it’s fun. The music. The fact that there’s 50 people in a room sweating it out together, feels like you’re in a concert then you’re done. Essentially it brings together all these different elements that working out in a regular gym or working out on your own you don’t typically get. There’s something about group fitness. You feed off the energy of those around you.”
CycleBar has more than 150 locations in North America.
“They’ve branched out into areas even overseas, Dubai and Great Britain, and we are number two in Canada. The first location was in Toronto and that opened last year,” says Ammar.
[BLOOR STREET ENTRANCE/FACADE ON SUNDAY, MARCH 18]
Paris-based luxury brand Saint Laurent (formerly ‘Yves Saint Laurent’) has opened a street-level boutique on Toronto’s Bloor Street West ’Mink Mile’. The shop is technically a concession within the Holt Renfrew complex at 50 Bloor Street West, though it functions as a standalone boutique and carries the company’s entire collections for men and women.
The boutique features both a street-facing entrance onto Bloor Street, as well as access and a marble facade from within Holt Renfrew’s cosmetics department. Marble and metal are the themes throughout Saint Laurent’s new store — flooring and walls are primarily marble clad, and mirrors make the space appear even larger than it is.
Unlike the Toronto Yorkdale Shopping Centre Saint Laurent that opened in November of 2016, the Bloor Street Saint Laurent is divided into separate areas that include menswear, women’s ready-to-wear, footwear and accessories. Handbags proliferate at the front of the store facing Bloor Street along with a selection of pricey women’s fashion from the Spring/Summer 2018 collection, and men’s is further to the back.
[CLICK FOR INTERACTIVE GOOGLE MAP]
[ACCESSORY AREA IN THE FRONT OF THE STORE]
Saint Laurent is the latest renovated area of the 50 Bloor Street West Holt Renfrew store, which is seeing piecemeal renovations to selected departments. Sources in the company say that a bigger renovation is planned with details to follow. What’s interesting, as well, is that the Saint Laurent boutique at 50 Bloor carries menswear, and that it wasn’t included in the current standalone 16,500 square foot men’s store at 100 Bloor Street West.
The new Saint Laurent boutique actually takes part of the former men’s floor at the 50 Bloor Holt Renfrew store. All of the 50 Bloor menswear was moved to the 100 Bloor Street West men’s store last year. Holt Renfrew has been making changes to its 50 Bloor Street premises and last summer, it reduced the store’s size by about 3,800 square feet when it gave up ground level space that is technically part of the adjacent 60 Bloor Street West office tower. That space remains vacant.
[WOMEN’S READY-TO-WEAR AT THE FRONT OF THE STORE]
[SAINT LAURENT OCCUPIES THE WEST SIDE OF HOLT’S GROUND FLOOR, BEING ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE OF THIS PHOTO]
[THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN FROM WITHIN HOLT RENFREW’S GROUND FLOOR COSMETICS HALL, SHOWING THE ENTRANCE TO THE NEW SAINT LAURENT. MEN’S SHOES CAN BE SEEN IN THE PHOTO]
In some respects, Holt Renfrew is taking a page from its past by offering Saint Laurent street-level space with its own entrance. In the 1990’s, Giorgio Armani had street-facing boutiques at Holt’s in Toronto and Montreal and more recently, Chanel opened a 5,000 square foot street-level concession at Holt Renfrew in Vancouver that faces onto Dunsmuir Street — though it is only accessed from within Holt’s.
[WOMEN’S SHOES. PHOTO: DAVID IAN GRAY]
[LOOKING INTO THE STORE FROM HOLT’S COSMETICS DEPARTMENT. MEN’S READY-TO-WEAR IS AT THE BACK OF THE PHOTO]
The new Saint Laurent gives Bloor Street a luxury boost — the stretch near Holt’s is for the most part more mid-market, featuring locations for retailers such as The Gap, Aritzia and H&M. That will change towards the end of this year when an overhauled Birks jewellery store flagship will be unveiled, housing street-front entrances for pricey shop-in-stores including Van Cleef & Arpels and Breitling.
