Tokyo Smoke Announces National Expansion

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August 23, 2017

Canadian cannabis lifestyle brand Tokyo Smoke will aggressively expand across Western Canada this fall with Calgary the first location in the company’s nationwide rollout.

The Toronto-based company will open at lease six new retail locations over the next two years in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Alan Gertner, founder and CEO of Tokyo Smoke, said the expansion is a significant step in the company’s quest to help shape the future of Canadian cannabis retail.

“We have this opportunity to help define the modern cannabis retail experience and we’re really in this incredible moment right now where Canada is about to become the first developed country in the world to have nationwide legal, adult-use cannabis,” said Gertner. “And as we continue on our journey, and we continue to see more and more countries around the world entertain that idea and moving towards that idea, we believe that somebody is going to define what modern cannabis is like.

“Somebody is going to be the Starbucks of cannabis and when I think about our rollout strategy and I think about our plans, I think about helping and being part of defining the modern cannabis retail experience.”

The western expansion is the first phase in the company’s plans to expand nationally. In late 2017, locations are also expected to open in Toronto near Queen and Broadview and in the city’s downtown core as well as one in downtown Hamilton.

It is also looking at expanding into the U.S. market this year.

Gertner said it was hard for him to give out a specific number of how many stores the company will open in the future.

“We think that there is a lot of potential,” he said.

Tokyo Smoke is a specialty coffee shop that sells Canadian-roasted, crafted coffee along with smoking paraphernalia which is high-end, beautifully-designed and often locally built. It also sells some clothing as well and a few books.

The first store was built in April 2015 and is located on Adelaide Street in Toronto. The company has two other stores in Toronto on College Street and a new one on Queen Street which just opened.

The Calgary store will open in November in the Beltline district.

Tokyo Smoke is partnering with Saskatchewan-based Leo’s Hospitality Management Group, in the Prairie expansion.

The new locations will be designed by DesignAgency, sharing a similar aesthetic to Tokyo Smoke’s Queen Street flagship store, but customized with locally-tailored design that features works by local artists, said the company.

“The stores will have a stylish, approachable and modern aesthetic, featuring an interesting mix of materials, a monochromatic colour palette, beautiful lighting, and a few unexpected touches to infuse each space with individuality,” it said.

Matt Pinch, co-founder and president of Leo’s Group, said Tokyo Smoke is helping to shape the future of cannabis in the country.

*Photos by Kayla Rocca.

Inside Filson’s Newly Opened Toronto Store [Photos]

By

Craig Patterson

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August 22, 2017

Filson Vancouver — Filson 694 Queen Street West (Image: Filson)

Seattle-based heritage brand Filson has opened its second Canadian location in Toronto, following the opening of a location in Vancouver’s Gastown area in the spring of this year.

The 2,300 square foot Toronto store is located at 694 Queen Street West, in the heart of the city’s trendy ‘West Queen West’ retail area. Vogue named West Queen West as the world’s second-hippest district in 2014, and the area has since added a number of unique and remarkable first-to-market international brands.

“We are very pleased with how our first store in Canada has integrated into the West Coast, and are excited to formalize our presence in Toronto,” said Steve Bock, CEO of Filson. “Filson’s product is built on quality and durability, and the tactile experience is important for us to showcase the craftsmanship of every Filson product.”

The rustic looking new Toronto store features custom furniture built from local salvaged wood, iron beams, wooden floors and imagery of Filson in the field dating back to the late 1800’s. Street level windows showcase apparel, bags, and accessories for both men and women.

The 2,800 square foot Vancouver Filson opened earlier this summer at 47 Water Street in the city’s historical and trendy Gastown area. Filson partnered with broker Tony Flanz of Think Retail for its initial Canadian expansion.

Filson operates street-front stores in American cities that include Seattle, New York City, Minneapolis, Portland OR, Dallas, San Francisco, Plano TX, Detroit, Austin and Washington DC, as well as two factory outlets. Canada is the second international market for Filson, which also operates a store in London, UK.

Filson (originally named ‘C.C. Filson’s Pioneer Alaska Clothing and Blanket Manufacturers’) was founded in Seattle in 1897, and is known particularly for its clothing and luggage, as well as its guarantee. The company designs, manufactures and distributes its products, which feature rugged designs with prices in the mid to upper-end range. Quality is paramount to the brand, and it guarantees the lifetime of each item against failure or damage from its intended usage, according to Filson’s website. The company is owned by Bedrock Manufacturing which is led by Tom Kartsotis, who also owns Detroit-based fashion brand Shinola.

Photos are courtesy of Filson via Brix Media Co.

See below for more photos of the new Toronto Filson store.

Good Earth Coffee Embarks on National Expansion

By

Mario Toneguzzi

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August 22, 2017

Calgary-based Good Earth Coffeehouse is setting its sights on further markets in Eastern Canada after opening its first Toronto location earlier this year.

Michael Going, company founder and CEO, told Retail-Insider that it has secured a spot in Montreal and will soon enter the Quebec market as well.

“Earlier this year we opened our first cafe in downtown Toronto and we have our second coming on stream in the early New Year as well,” says Going. The first location is on the corner of Dundas Street East and Jarvis. The second location will be just off Yonge Street and Eglington Avenue.

The first entry into Quebec will be at the CHUM hospital.

“We’re just getting it going quickly. So it will be a scramble to see if we can get it open by the end of this year. If not, it will be very early in 2018,” adds Going.

Good Earth is a network of coffeehouses with 48 locations throughout Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario. The first Good Earth Coffeehouse opened in Calgary in 1991. Going and Nan Eskenazi are the founders.

Several locations across the country will be opening in the near future with more stores set to open in Kelowna, Regina and its first location in Winnipeg.

“Once we enter a market we definitely want to expand in it. We never have numbers in mind. It’s really opportunities of real estate but more importantly opportunities with franchise partners,” says Going.

“We’re looking now for both individual operators who will open one cafe but we’re really interested in looking at groups that would be interested in taking multi-unit locations. Four or five at a time in both the GTA and then outside GTA in southwestern Ontario as well.”

The Good Earth location at the Ottawa airport just over two years ago was the company’s first entry into the Ontario market. The company’s expansion efforts have been aided by Compass Group Canada.

Good Earth has been an extremely successful coffee shop business despite stiff competition from huge brands such as Starbucks and Tim Hortons as well as numerous other smaller coffee establishments springing up everywhere these days.

“We’re very good at what we do and I think consumers are coming around more to who we are and what we have been doing for 26 years,” says Going. “Consumers are becoming more sophisticated and can appreciate very good coffee matched with a better food menu program than most of the international and national chains have.”

Michael Kehoe, a retail real estate specialist with Fairfield Commercial Real Estate based in Calgary and Good Earth’s real estate representative for the Prairie Provinces in Western Canada, says the coffee industry is a very competitive and crowded category but Good Earth has been able to “differentiate its brand from the competition with an earthy, good-time-feel format that seems to appeal to a wide array of consumers in the Canadian market.”

“Customers seem to identify with the Good Earth homegrown concept and the brand’s perception of goodness and value,” explains Kehoe. “Good Earth has recognized that Canadian urban markets have a firmly established coffee culture as competition in the premium beverage range has reached a fever pitch. The coffee business is a Darwinian struggle driven by the rising costs of labour, rents and ingredients and Good Earth has a winning formula that is fueling their expansion across the country.”

Lush Cosmetics Unveils Expanded Vancouver Flagship [Photos]

By

Ritchie Po

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August 22, 2017

Lush Cosmetics will be re-opening its flagship Vancouver Robson Street location to the public this week. After months of renovations, the newly launched shop will be capitalizing on its prominent location in one of the nation’s pre-eminent retail addresses.

Originally founded in 1995 in Dorset, England, the brand opened its first North American location on Vancouver’s Denman Street in the West End in 1996, and eventually expanded to over 250 shops on the continent. The Robson flagship is one of the brand’s seven Vancouver locations. Lush sells all-natural beauty products that are friendly to either vegetarians or vegans (as some products do contain trace amounts of honey and dairy), and are never tested on animals.

CEO Mark Wolverton states, “Since opening our doors, Lush has grown in leaps and bounds and we’re very proud to be reinvesting in a community that has given us so much over the last 20 years”. The location will undoubtedly add to the re-vitalization of Robson Street. “Robson helped bring successful business, employment and a whole load of bubbles to B.C. and we can’t wait to see what this next chapter brings”, says Wolverton.

The Robson flagship is one of 30 North American shops Lush has earmarked for renovations over the coming year. The renovated flagship measures 2,340 square feet, expanding from its previous shop by 1,000 square feet. The idea is to provide a tactile customer experience that encourages hands-on interaction with the product. Customer service reps are on-hand to consult at a facial bar, where customers can ask questions about the most ideal product suitable to their skin type.

A vintage barber chair has also been brought in for a consultant to experiment with the best hair product for customers. The experience encourages client participation to foster brand development, in a semi-bespoke fashion.

The Robson location is just one of the first locations earmarked for retro-fitting to expand stores and create an interactive customer experience, a rarity in an age when brands are pouring greater resources into their online businesses.

All newly renovated and expanded Lush locations will be adhering to its trademark aesthetic incorporating environmentally conscious furnishings. From consoles and armoires to faucet handles and door handles, Lush works with local artisans to source vintage pieces to furnish the store and showcase product. Virtually all of the wood in any newly-constructed (and some refurbished) furniture will be made from reclaimed wood and other eco-sustainable materials, lending verisimilitude that informs the décor.

Any packaging used is created with 100% post-consumer recycled materials. Liquid products, such as shower gels, shampoos and conditioners are packaged in partnership with Ocean Legacy Foundation, a BC-based zero-waste solution foundation dedicated to collecting discarded plastic and recycling it for further use. Lush’s Marine Drive corporate headquarters in south Vancouver are now also used by Ocean Legacy to sort plastics collected and re-introduce them into manufacturing for Lush products.

Lush has long been known for its dedication to the community, even on a global basis. Examples of its community-building mindset include that testing is done on human volunteers instead of animals, launching initiatives to assist in the refugee crisis, and producing a limited-edition “GayIsOK” soap as a fundraiser for LGBTQI initiatives. In total, the brand has donated $2.8 million to 219 grassroots organizations in British Columbia alone that share its values. On the occasion of the flagship re-launch, Lush is hosting a community bike ride in August from Vancouver’s Kitsilano Beach to the flagship, where customers can observe compounders making products on-site in a catered environment.

The privately-owned company sells shares on an invitation-only basis, helping ensure tight control over the company’s philosophy to remain cruelty-free. The brand’s passion to community engagement has helped Lush’s revenue grow from $200 million in fiscal 2013 to over $700 million in fiscal 2017. It is evident that the corporate ethos creates a virtuous cycle through community outreach and advocacy for animal rights and vulnerable groups.

Lush will open its renovated Robson Street flagship location on Thursday, August 24, 2017.

See below for more photos of the newly expanded Robson Street Lush flagship.

Sugarfina Secures 1st Standalone Canadian Retail Space

By

Craig Patterson

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August 22, 2017

Los Angeles-based luxury ‘grownup’ candy retailer Sugarfina has secured its first freestanding Canadian retail location, with plans for more as the brand expands with the help of a newly announced $35 million growth equity financing from private equity firm Great Hill Partners.

Sugarfina’s first standalone Canadian location will open at Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby (east of Vancouver) on November 1 of this year. The 1,098 square foot retail space is located on the mall’s ground floor, across from BC’s first UNIQLO store which will also open this fall. Tony Flanz of Think Retail represented Sugarfina in its deal with Metropolis at Metrotown’s landlord Ivanhoé Cambridge. 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.

Metropolis at Metrotown is the largest shopping centre in British Columbia as well as one of the largest and busiest in the country, according to Retail Council of Canada’s Shopping Centre Study. The mall is also one of the country’s most productive, and numbers will be updated this fall when Retail Council of Canada releases its 2017 Canadian Shopping Centre study.

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.

Until now, Sugarfina has been available in a handful of Canadian retailers, including five shop-in-stores inside of Canada’s Nordstrom locations in Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, and Toronto. The first Sugarfina shop-in-store opened at Nordstrom’s CF Pacific Centre flagship in Vancouver in September of 2015.

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.

Small containers of candies are priced starting at under $10, with mix-and-match options including a ‘design your own bento box’ where several smaller candy-filled cubes (between three and eight cubes per ‘bento box’) are assembled into gift packages.

In the summer of 2016, Sugarfina introduced Rosé rose-shaped gummy bears, which were so popular they sold out within two hours while traffic caused the company’s website to crash. The wait list grew to more than 18,000 people.

Sugarfina was founded by husband-wife couple Josh Resnick and Rosie O’Neill, who came up with the concept after watching the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movie together on their third date. Recognizing a niche for grownup candy retail, the couple traveled the world and met with candy makers, eventually opening an online candy shop in August of 2012.

In November of 2013, Sugarfina’s first boutique opened on Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills. The 1,400 square foot store was referred to as “the Tiffany & Co.” of candy” by online culinary publication Eater, referencing both the white-and-blue colour scheme as well as the store’s high-end offerings.

The Sugarfina concept has grown rapidly, now boasting 29 boutiques in the United States with three of those being located in Nordstrom stores.

District Managers, are there Lineups in Front of your Stores in the Morning? Why Not?

By

Retail Insider

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August 21, 2017

San Francisco, USA - May 23, 2013: Huge Queue at UniQlo Store, San Francisco. People waiting in line to enter popular clothing store.

By Eric Nykamp CEO of Raange, Inc., Guest Columnist

Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a lineup of customers at your door each morning, eagerly waiting for you to open for business?

Some great brands experience this every day; does yours?

As District Managers, HQ holds you responsible for a lot of key deliverables: staffing, inventory, sales and more. You can be rewarded for hitting sales targets or punished for failure.

What is the secret sauce used by successful brands that require them to schedule extra staff in the mornings?

After speaking with many brands in Fashion and Automotive, communication always comes up. They work for well-known brands, with great products at competitive prices that everyone seems to want.

So why do your stores only need one part-time staffer to unlock your doors? – They can even show up late, and no one would notice.

Is the brand (Marketing) listening to your customers? You know, the people who spend their hard-earned money on your goods. The people who wear or drive your products and share comments and posts with their community. The people who refer friends to your business.

Yes, Social/Digital Marketing is fantastic. One can reach millions of people with a simple click. But is your audience listening to your unique offer or are they simply grouping you with all of the competing offers and noise on their newsfeed?

For the past two years, we’ve found that SMS has been extremely successful in getting shoppers to line up at our merchants’ front doors.

SMS is completely Ubiquitous. Doesn’t matter what phone or software you have. No App needed. 100% open rate.

You can experience the old Black Friday lineups almost every week.

Is this a problem you wish to have more often?

Eric Nykamp is CEO of Raange, Inc., Founder at Mamoth-Group, TAARGA, RAANGE and Mamoth-Labs! Internet Strategist, Entrepreneur, Inventor, Investor, Husband, Father, Insomniac

My goal is to elevate traditional brick & mortar retailers to quickly and easily transition to the latest marketing concepts and communication channels, to rebuild trusted dialogue with their past, present, and future customers.

I want to hear about your business. Email Me @: Contact_Me@raange.com; Text Me @: (514) 613-3324 with Keyword ‘Lineup’

More ideas & rants found here: Retail Innovation News.

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

Ardene Launches Large Format Retail Concept [Photos]

By

Mario Toneguzzi

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August 21, 2017

Affordable, fast-fashion retailer Ardene has launched a new era of experiential retail in Canada with the first in a series of new large-format stores it says will reinvigorate its retail footprint while elevating the in-store shopping experience for its core ‘Generation Z’ consumer.

The first new concept 15,000-square-foot store is located at the Carrefour du Nord shopping mall in Saint-Jérôme, Québec.

“Ardene’s new concept store design has been over a year in the making – with countless hours of R&D, planning and construction,” said the retailer in a statement to Retail-Insider. “Given the shopping habits of our core Generation Z consumer, we wanted to create a space that was the ‘ultimate hangout’ – a destination for our highly-visual customers to immerse themselves and interact with rich, vibrant brand content.

“The store features brand-new fixtures and dedicated product zones that make our merchandise displays more engaging than before. For example, there are giant LED screens; phone charging stations; a social hangout section; Instagrammable moments; and a social media photo booth.”The Saint-Jérôme store, which opened this month, is the first in a series of new concept stores that were designed to elevate the in-store shopping experience.

The retailer said all new concept stores will have an open-concept design, and greater square footage than previous stores. For example, the previous store at Carrefour du Nord was 4,770 square feet.

The company said three more new concept stores – Terrebonne, Québec; St. Albert, Alberta and Grande Prairie, Alberta – are scheduled to open this year with more planned for 2018.

“We believe that there is a future for brick and mortar retail in Canada and internationally, which is why we are investing to ensure that our physical stores blend seamlessly with our digital platforms – now and going forward,” said Ardene.

Ardene currently has 351 stores in Canada, and 13 internationally. Here is the breakdown by province of its Canadian stores: Alberta, 40; British Columbia, 38; Manitoba, 16; New Brunswick, 10; Newfoundland & Labrador, seven; Nova Scotia, eight; Ontario, 118; Prince Edward Island, two; Québec, 99; and Saskatchewan, 13.

“We want to offer a fresh and elevated shopping experience that engages our customer. In today’s rapidly evolving retail landscape, with brands struggling to stay relevant and authentic, it’s been important to listen to our customers,” said Ardene. “That’s why one of our redesign priorities was to focus on Gen Z – our fastest growing customer segment – while remaining loyal to our broader customer base. We’re still the Ardene that people know and love; our prices are affordable, we receive a vast assortment of new arrivals every week, and our customers can dress themselves from head-to-toe in one visit.

“We’re also evolving with the expectations of an increasingly digital world. What the redesign has pushed us to do is modernize. The result has been a space that’s experiential and customer-centric – it’s a whole new way for customers to shop with us.”

See below for more photos, courtesy of Ardene.

Calgary Malls Seeing New Retailers Amid Renewed Optimism

By

Mario Toneguzzi

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August 21, 2017

Two of Canada’s most popular malls – CF Chinook Centre and CF Market Mall in Calgary – are undergoing major changes as the city embarks on a modest economic recovery following two years of a recession.

The two Cadillac Fairview properties’ performance will be very strong in Retail Council of Canada’s 2017 Shopping Centre Study. The second annual study is set to be released this fall.

“I think we’re seeing some positive steps in retail right now,” says Darren Milne, general manager of CF Market Mall. “Sales are getting a little bit better. We’re starting to see sales growth happening in Calgary.

“The struggle still remains that while we’re starting to see sales stabilize in Calgary you certainly are still seeing some more space coming onto the market . . . While we’re really finally starting to see some positive signs, I think retailers are still quite cautious about how things are going to be moving forward in Alberta.”

He says the redevelopment of the vacated Target space in the shopping centre has been a major project.

HomeSense has moved from a standalone building on the mall’s site to the second level of the former Target space in about 30,000 square feet. The lower level of the space will include a 40,000-square-foot Sporting Life store with its second location in Calgary which is scheduled to open in early October.

The balance of the vacated Target space is a 30,000-square-foot Zara store, spanning two floors and scheduled to open in early October as well.

Another major project there includes an expansion of the existing Sport Chek store where a two-level, 25,000-square-foot building is being added to the back of the current store.

“That project is going to be quite a ways out from being complete because they’re doing a full store reno at the same time,” says Milne. “You’ll start to see changes happening here slowly over the next six months for sure.”

CF MARKET MALL. PHOTO: CADILLAC FAIRVIEW

CF MARKET MALL, WITH SPORTING LIFE HIGHLIGHTED IN BLUE. CLICK FOR AN INTERACTIVE CF MARKET MALL FLOOR PLAN

The underground parkade is also being expanded to add about 100 extra stalls, bringing the total to about 770. That will be completed in about a month.

A standalone building on the west side of the mall, which has housed HomeSense and Staples for a number of years, will also face a major redevelopment.

Milne says construction will start in late September with part of the site becoming a Saks OFF FIFTH store scheduled to open in late 2018. The other half of that site will be a new retail venture that has not been announced yet. The current Staples store will be closing towards the end of September.

“Certainly we’ve added a lot of new tenants to CF Market Mall over the last four years and we still have a few more to go,” says Milne. “Levi’s is going to open here next month.”

Paige O’Neill, general manager at CF Chinook Centre, says foot traffic at the mall has dipped a little but it’s still averaging more than one million visitors per month.

She says the mall is experiencing a lot of movement with retailers and it is looking at specialty leasing opportunities with independents or specialty retailers to fill some vacated spaces due to company bankruptcies.

And CF Chinook is “working diligently to backfill them with permanent lease deals,” she adds.

Canada Goose recently announced it would be opening a store at CF Chinook. Nepresso will also be moving into a permanent location. Naturalizer shoes will be moving to a new space. And NYX Cosmetics will open a store at CF Chinook. Marble Slab Creamery is also relocating. La Vie en Rose will be moving into the former space occupied by Pink, which has moved to a location within the Victoria’s Secret store.

“Victoria’s Secret completely renovated their store to its newest concept,” says O’Neill.

“We’re just gearing up for some more moves and some more renos.”

CLICK FOR INTERACTIVE CF CHINOOK CENTRE MALL MAP

The full luxury Saks Fifth Avenue store is expected to open in early February 2018 in the 115,000 square feet of space, on two levels, vacated by Target a few years ago.

“They will have a full-service restaurant in their store and a salon,” says O’Neill. It will be the third Saks Fifth Avenue store in Canada and the first outside of Toronto.

Despite its success over the years, CF Chinook Centre has always undergone changes in its retail mix.

“For the past 15 to 20 years, the owners continue to re-invest in the property because it is such a powerhouse and it’s still a huge testament to City of Calgary and even in poorer economic conditions in Alberta there’s still this want to re-invent CF Chinook Centre. It’s such an amazing property,” says O’Neill.
“There’s always ways to improve the property whether it be through our retail mix or whether it be through building the pedestrian bridge (over Macleod Trail), updating tile, updating food court, updating everything.”

The Countdown is on for IRDC New Orleans, September 5-8

By

Retail Insider

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August 21, 2017

The countdown is on for those looking to attend this year’s International Retail Design Conference (IRDC), taking place in New Orleans on September 5-8. You can still buy tickets here.

Retail-Insider readers receive a $250 USD savings off the full-conference rate just by using the discount code RETAIL2017 during the registration process. This promo code is effective through September 5th.

Presented annually by VMSD (Visual Merchandising + Store Design) magazine, this one-of-a-kind conference is three days of design dialogue centred on best practices, evolving trends and fresh strategies for engaging shoppers and maximizing resources, and is recognized as the premier educational and networking event for the store design and visual merchandising community.

(PHOTO: NEW ORLEANS CONVENTION & VISITOR’S BUREAU)

There will be more than 400 attendees from around the world, and Canadians are encouraged to come down to New Orleans to attend the IRDC event. Book a flight and visit the city, affectionately known as ‘The Big Easy’, that offers a unique mix of African, Native American, Spanish and French cultures that are reflected through its people, music, art and food, and makes for a destination filled with energy and inspiration. It also has terrific architecture, unlike any other place in the United States.

Canadians have provided kudos for past IRDC events, including:

“As a retailer attending for the first time, I found the educational sessions very worthwhile and definitely left me with lots of great ideas. The opportunity to network with movers and shakers in the industry was hugely beneficial and I made some great connections.”– RBC Royal Bank, and

“IRDC was an excellent opportunity to meet with other retailers and share what we’re all working on, what challenges we’re having and where we’re having success. The large variety of seminars was excellent, as it gave everyone the option of choosing what was more pertinent to them.”- Kit & Ace

The 2017 conference program also features sessions on such timely topics as designing the brand experience; creating experiential spaces; selling innovation through the organization; designing for a sustainable future; international retail design; and many more cutting-edge issues. Additionally, this year’s event will feature more interactivity, including more panel discussions, more engagement with IRDC presenters, and added networking opportunities to connect with retail design peers.

Speakers at IRDC 2017 include retail design leaders from Hudson Jeans, Cadillac, REI, Whole Foods Market, Capital One, CB2, The Kroger Co., SoulCycle, Hallmark, Indochino, The Source, Vino Volo, Ariat, and more. IRDC Speakers will share perspectives and strategies for creating disruptively good brick-and-mortar experiences.

To REGISTER, as well as for more information on speakers, sessions, networking events, sponsors and the conference hotel (The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans), visit: www.IRDConline.com and remember, Retail-Insider readers receive a $250 USD savings off the full-conference rate just by using the discount code RETAIL2017 during the registration process. This promo code is effective through September 5th.

[Sponsored. To work with Retail Insider, email: craig@retail-insider.com]

Cadillac Fairview Prepares to Unveil CF Sherway Gardens Nordstrom Expansion Wing [Photos]

By

Craig Patterson

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August 18, 2017

attachment-5995fac0d7bdcebb90c06f78 — exc-5995fac0d7bdcebb90c06f78

Cadillac Fairview will soon unveil its new 250,000 square foot Nordstrom-anchored expansion wing at Toronto’s CF Sherway Gardens. This week, we toured the space ahead of its August 29 official public grand opening. The dramatic expansion will feature a roster of impressive retailers, which will be joined by Nordstrom when it opens its third Toronto location in the mall on September 16.

The new wing is the latest development for CF Sherway Gardens, which over the past several years has seen over $550 million in expansion and renovation. Sherway’s redevelopment commenced in early 2013 when it was announced that the centre would see a new 210,000 square foot expansion to the north, which opened in September of 2015. Following that, the centre’s former 225,000 square foot Sears space also saw a redevelopment, adding an impressive 143,200 square foot Saks Fifth Avenue store that opened in February of 2016, and an 80,000 square foot Sport Chek flagship that opened in July of 2016.

The new Nordstrom-anchored wing, which will be unveiled to the public on August 29, includes the re-merchandising of 90,000 square feet of existing retail space. Soaring ceiling heights will allow for dramatic 30-foot facades, and the removal of a former stairway and elevator has resulted in clear sight-lines to Nordstrom at the end of the wing.

Housed in the new wing will be 12 best-in-class retailers. The largest of these (excluding Nordstrom) is Zara, which spans almost 30,000 square feet over two levels, making it one of Canada’s largest. Other retailers in the new wing include Saje Natural Wellness (relocation), Loding (relocation into a larger space), Squish Candies, Nike, BonLook (the Montreal-based optical retailer is expanding), L’Intervalle (Montreal-based footwear brand that is also expanding) and the Danish Pastry House. Toronto-based luxury jeweller European Boutique, as well, will see an overhaul that will be discussed in a separate article.

“Along with a revitalized merchandise mix, CF Sherway Gardens is demonstrating an intensified commitment to delivering a unique shopping experience,” said Finley McEwen, Cadillac Fairview’s Senior Vice President of Development. “We started with interior enhancements, introduced new lighting and public amenities, and are now providing a range of upscale dining options and new digital offerings – delivering on our commitment to providing guests with an immersive, premium shopping environment.”

CF Sherway’s iconic white tent roof structure (designed by Eb Zeidler, also responsible for the ‘sails’ at Vancouver’s Canada Place) has been restored, providing ample light into the new wing.

General Manager Andy Traynor explained that Cadillac Fairview is the only Canadian shopping mall operator with three properties housing both Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue stores (CF Toronto Eaton Centre and, next year, CF Chinook Centre in Calgary). “CF is very proud of the partnerships we have nurtured with these high-end global brands and we’re delighted to welcome them to CF Sherway Gardens,” he said. CF Sherway Gardens is also one of the country’s most productive, according to Retail Council of Canada’s Shopping Centre Study, which will be updated with a new study this fall.

“Beyond the physical expansion and upgrades, our revitalization is about adjusting our retail mix to mirror the expectations of our shoppers. This means building on our roster of best-in-class brands, which includes much sought-after premium and luxury retailers,” he said.

Norstrom opens to the public on Friday, September 15 and two days prior, on the evening of Wednesday, September 13, Nordstrom will host a charity gala that is 100% underwritten by the company. Nordstrom will span about 140,000 square feet over two levels, and will be the third Nordstrom in the city of Toronto, and the sixth for all of Canada. Nordstrom’s coffee concept Ebar will have its own mall entrance in the new wing, not unlike at Nordstrom’s CF Toronto Eaton Centre location.

Following the wing’s grand opening on August 29 and extending to September 19, CF Sherway Gardens will be featuring activities that will include a rotating exhibit of specially curated art pieces, a refreshing juice bar and “a highly immersive and share-worthy carousel experience”. We plan to be at the opening of the new wing, and will be reporting on it as well as Nordstrom’s gala and grand opening next month.

*The top rendering via Cadillac Fairview has since been modified.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: August 18, 2017

Retail InsiderCanada's Most-Read Online Retail Industry Publication.

Tokyo Smoke Announces National Expansion

Inside Filson’s Newly Opened Toronto Store [Photos]

See below for more photos of the new Toronto Filson store.

Good Earth Coffee Embarks on National Expansion

Lush Cosmetics Unveils Expanded Vancouver Flagship [Photos]

Sugarfina Secures 1st Standalone Canadian Retail Space

District Managers, are there Lineups in Front of your Stores in the Morning? Why Not?

Ardene Launches Large Format Retail Concept [Photos]

Calgary Malls Seeing New Retailers Amid Renewed Optimism

The Countdown is on for IRDC New Orleans, September 5-8

Cadillac Fairview Prepares to Unveil CF Sherway Gardens Nordstrom Expansion Wing [Photos]

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