Nordstrom has announced that it will open a 35,000 square foot Nordstrom Rack location in Ottawa in the fall of 2018. The store will be located at the Ottawa Train Yards retail complex, southeast of the city’s core. It’s the fifth Nordstrom Rack location to be announced for Canada, with the retailer planning to eventually operate about 20 stores nationwide.
The Ottawa Train Yards features over 75 stores and more than 800,000 square feet of retail space. It’s the largest open-air shopping district in Ottawa, featuring tenants such as Marshalls, Winners, Bed Bath & Beyond, SAIL, Golf Town, DSW Designer Shoes, Shepherds Fashions, as well as various other fashion and home furnishings retailers.
“It has been a pleasure getting to know customers in Ottawa since we opened our doors at CF Rideau Centre in 2015,” said Karen McKibbin, president of Nordstrom Canada. “We’re excited to offer customers a new way to shop with Nordstrom and bring them more of the great brands they love at great prices.”
Nordstrom currently operates three full-priced stores in Canada, with two more set to open this fall. A 140,000 square foot location opened at Calgary’s CF Chinook Centre in September of 2014, followed by a 157,000 square foot store at Ottawa’s CF Rideau Centre in March of 2015. A 230,000 square foot flagship followed in September of 2015 at CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver. On September 16 of this year, Nordstrom will enter the Toronto market with a 220,000 square foot flagship at CF Toronto Eaton Centre, followed by the October 21 opening of a 196,000 square foot unit at Yorkdale shopping centre. In the fall of 2017, a 138,000 square foot Nordstrom will open at CF Sherway Gardens in Toronto.
Nordstrom will expand its designer ‘SPACE‘ concept into its next two Canadian stores this fall, following the opening of SPACE at Nordstrom’s Vancouver flagship in September of 2015. What’s remarkable is that Canada will soon be home to three of SPACE’s eight locations company-wide, and that Toronto will be the only city in the world with two of them.
Nordstrom will open SPACE departments in its CF Toronto Eaton Centre store (opening on September 16 of this year) as well as at its Yorkdale Shopping Centre location, opening on October 21.
Nordstrom will also launch SPACE at two American stores this fall, including at its Mall at Green Hills store in Nashville and at The Grove in Los Angeles.
In the fall of 2015, SPACE’s first four locations debuted at Nordstrom’s downtown flagships in Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco and in Vancouver at CF Pacific Centre.
For both of the Toronto Nordstrom store launches, SPACE departments will feature exclusive capsule collections by several Canadian designer brands.
Tickets are still available to Nordstrom’s Toronto store opening charity galas, with 100% of all proceeds going to several prominent charities. The CF Toronto Eaton Centre gala takes place on the evening of Wednesday, September 14, with the Yorkdale store opening gala following on the evening of Wednesday, October 19. For more information and to buy tickets, visit: nordstromrsvp.com/Toronto.
RENDERING OF THE BURNABY URBAN DECAY STORE, PROVIDED BY L'OREAL
L’Oreal-owned, California-based cosmetics brand Urban Decay will open its first freestanding Canadian store next month. The 632 square foot boutique is scheduled to open on September 10 at Ivanhoé Cambridge‘s Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby, BC, serving the greater Vancouver market.
A second Canadian location will open in November of 2016 at Oxford Properties Group‘s Square One in Mississauga, followed by more Canadian stores in 2017, according to the company.
Both locations are marked on the mall floor plans below.
SQUARE ONE SHOPPING CENTRE MALL MAP
Urban Decay (Image: L’Oreal)
The new Burnaby store will feature four makeup stations and products not available elsewhere, an ‘inspiration wall’, a giant digital screen displaying visitors’ photos on a live social feed, 100-inch custom nickel chandelier, and a bigger-than-life dog statue made of chrome — a nod to co-founder Wende Zomnir’s black lab, Marley. The store will be a “sea of purple”, according to L’Oreal, and will also feature reclaimed wood-beam flooring to counterbalance the store’s chrome fixtures, as well as to keep the space inviting.
Urban Decay was founded in Newport Beach, California, in 1996 by Pat Holmes, Sandy Lerner, Wende Zomnir and David Soward. Ms. Zomnir is the company’s co-CEO, along with Tim Warner. After multiple ownerships (including LVMH Group), L’Oreal purchased Urban Decay in 2013 for an estimated $350 million. The line prides itself for being ‘cruelty free’ by not testing on animals. The brand’s ‘Naked Collection’ is considered to be among one of the highest-quality cosmetics brands available, and the company has collaborated with celebrities such as Gwen Stafani on initiatives, including female empowerment. The brand has only a handful of freestanding US locations.
Paris based beauty retailer Sephora (operating under the LVMH corporate umbrella) has opened Canada’s first ‘Beauty TIP Workshop store’ at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The new store is only the fourth in North America to feature the new concept.
Sephora describes the next-generation ‘Teach, Inspire, Play’ concept as being “where digital technology and services fuse, culminating in a truly revolutionary shopping experience for modern day beauty enthusiasts of all ages to beauty together”. The new concept store also includes “a customized array of one-of-a-kind services and tutorials.”
The expanded Yorkdale Sephora is now one of Canada’s largest, spanning 9,146 square feet. It recently expanded from 5,725 square feet, gaining a corner presence in the mall’s expansion leading towards a new 196,000 square foot Nordstrom store which opens to the public on October 21. Other Sephora locations featuring the new TIP concept include San Francisco (33 Powell Street), Boston (Prudential Center) and, opening this week, a flagship at 605 North Michigan Avenue in Chicago.
The ‘Beauty Tip Workshop’ consists of an area for up to 10 clients to learn via group beauty classes led by Sephora experts, gain self-guided access to tutorials using iPad stations, or to gather inspiration from The Beauty Board — Sephora’s shop-able gallery that showcases user-generated content via a large digital screen. Each station is equipped with its own product, iPad, USB port and wifi, so clients can play, browse and share looks on the digital screen and online, right from their seat.
The Yorkdale store also features an expanded Beauty Studio offering complimentary makeovers with larger stations than before. The new set-up includes 12 beauty studio seats, and Sephora + Pantone Colour IQ touchscreens, with updated IQ technology including foundation, lip colour and concealer for a scientifically precise match to complement one’s skintone from Sephora’s selection of 1,900+ foundations, 400 concealers and 3,500 lip shades.
The store also features ‘Fragrance IQ’ — an innovative touch-screen technology that allows users to shop a variety of different scents with the tap of a finger. As well, a four-seat Benefit Brow Bar has opened in the store, which also features brighter lighting, mobile POS stations and a dedicated gift wrap station.
In September, Yorkdale’s Sephora will launch ‘The Skincare Studio’, offering one-on-one skincare consultations, with a sink station and four well-lit seating areas to facilitate the new Mini Facial service. Incorporated into The Skincare Studio will be a touchscreen that offers instant access to Sephora’s exclusive Skincare IQ diagnostic, helping clients determine the best products based on their skin concerns and demystifying the wide range of skincare solutions Sephora offers.
This week, Montreal is hosting the Festival Mode & Design (FMD) fashion festival. Located in the heart of Quartier des Spectacles, the event is separated in 3 parts: a conference, runway fashion shows, and pop up boutiques as well as fashion trucks.
This year, FMD welcomes prestigious fashion designers including Hervé Leger, Max Abadian, Antoine Roset (of Ligne Roset) and several others.
I had the opportunity to assist at the Antoine Roset presentation. Antoine is the great-great-grandson of Ligne Roset, who founded his namesake company in 1860. For over 150 years, Ligne Roset has been one of the world’s leading contemporary furniture manufacturers. Antoine Roset is now the Senior Vice President of Roset USA, which continues to manufacture all of its products in France. Though the method of work is the same as for luxury brands such as Hermes and Louis Vuitton, the Roset family’s goal is to keep its products accessible.
The other part of FMD is the fashion pop up store, and fashion truck. I’ll show you my favourites, though many others on the site definitely deserve a visit. My top 5 favourite pop-up shops/fashion trucks include the following:
1. CreatiVal Bijoux
Since 2014, CreatiVal Bijou‘s Valerie Forgues has designed and manufactured magnificent jewelry, all with the goal of offering unique and original products to its clients. Designs are inspired by nature, stone, leather and metal. Her creations are available in more than 30 points of sale in Canada and in the United States. Entirely made in Quebec in the Laurentides, everything is made by hand and there is something to suit everyone’s tastes. Instagram: @creativalbijoux, Web: creativalbijoux.com.
2. Maison 630
This relatively young design house is already well known. As mentioned recently in GQ UK, Maison 630 innovates with articles made with a combination of Horween Leather and exotic wood. It was founded in 2013 with a line of minimalist wallets, and has since expanded to include bracelets and cellphone cases, all crafted to perfection. You can find them in two points of sale: Boutique Duo and Swellfellow. Instagram: @maison630 and Web: maison630.com.
3. Stylunic/Fashion Truck
The Stylunic brand is only three months old, and is present both in a fashion truck as well as in its online store. Being mobile, they can come to your home or office, no matter where you are in Quebec. With seven Quebec-based designers and more to come, the brand is also gaining attention for being unisex as well as made entirely in Quebec. Instagram: @stylunic and Web: stylunic.com.
4. Neck Breakers
A passionate entrepreneur leads this young start-up women’s fashion company. Currently, Neck Breakers is concentrating on importing Californian and Australian fashion brands, but the company is also currently developing its own brand, made in Montreal. Keep an eye on this contemporary brand as it continues to grow. Instagram: @neckbreakersshop and Web: neckbreakersshop.com.
5. Nomad Boutique/Fashion Truck
With limited distribution at public or private events (graduations, birthdays, etc.), Nomad Boutique stands out with its extraordinarily wide variety of designer clothing and accessories. The vast majority of products are made in Canada, and its fashion truck is worth discovering. Follow them on Instagram to know where to find them next. Instagram: @nomadboutiquemobile and Web: nomadboutiquemobile.com.
There are many more designers to discover, and I invite you to come and see them all. FMD continues until August 20.
12 Ossington Avenue (PHOTO: BEN RAHN OF A FRAME STUDIO)
Sometimes controversial recording artist/songwriter/record producer/fashion designer/entrepreneur/Kim Kardashian‘s husband Kanye West is opening a temporary store location in Toronto today. Mr. West’s ‘Life of Pablo‘ fashion collection will be carried in the pop-up, which will be at the multi-purpose Rally event space at 12 Ossington Avenue, just north of ultra-hip West Queen Street West.
The store will open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. It’s being run by thisopenspace, which works with leaseholders, landlords, and commercial real-estate brokers to rent out under-utilized space while managing short-term bookings.
Kanye West Tweeted earlier this week that he was opening 21 temporary store locations globally on Friday, August 19. No details were provided, other than a website with a map showing what cities would see his store locations. Besides Toronto, Kanye West’s temporary Life of Pablo stores will open today in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Houston, Portland, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Cape Town, Singapore, Sydney and Melbourne. Each city will receive its own customized shirts with its name written in Cali Thornhill DeWitt’s gothic script.
PHOTO: KANYE WEST
A similar New York City pop-up this spring reportedly saw sales in excess of $1 million.
Some of the international locations opening today are remarkably unusual. The Boston pop-up, for example, is at an urban Trader Joe’s grocery store in the city’s affluent Back Bay area. Other international locations are in galleries, event spaces and stores.
Pop-up retail is becoming big business, including in Canada. Hype surrounding some temporary store openings can be infectious, evidenced recently by Justin Bieber and Michael Jordan pop-ups in Toronto. The Michael Jordan location will become permanent when it re-opens this month, however. Companies such as Toronto-based pop-up go are facilitating companies and brokers seeking temporary spaces, and some retail experts see various benefits to pop-ups, as discussed in a recent Retail-Insider article on the topic.
Ottawa-based discount retailer Giant Tiger has launched three new children’s clothing lines in anticipation of a busy back to school shopping season. The retailer also recently launched two womenswear lines as part of an effort to enhance the shopping experience for busy Canadians seeking out bargains. Giant Tiger’s growth strategy will see the retailer open between 10 and 15 stores per year, and adding exclusive fashion lines will help it continue to gain consumer loyalty.
“As a proud Canadian retailer, we have developed our three new brands to meet the needs of Canadian kids and families,” explains Brian Hession, Vice President Softgoods & Footwear Buying, Giant Tiger Stores Limited. “These fashionable collections are designed to be versatile and stand up to the wear that naturally occurs with kids clothing. From our $4 mix and match separates program to our $8 durable denim program, we have worked to create on-trend items at price points that are in keeping with Giant Tiger’s low price philosophy.”
The new children’s lines include: Monkey Bars for girls and boys sizes 2-6X; Bella & Birdie for girls sizes 7–14; and Survival Gear for boys sizes 8-16.
The three brands have their own unique personalities, each reflected in the styling and assortment. Monkey Bars is “energetic and fun, perfect for playdates to preschool”, while Bella & Birdie “is all about confident and cool girls who are ready to explore their inner fashionista”, according to Giant Tiger. The “Survival Gear boy is fun, fearless and always up for adventure” the retailer says, all featuring quality fabrication, stylish designs and affordable prices.
The 2016 back to school shopping season is expected to be a busy one, with sales anticipated to be 4.5% higher than last year.
Retail expert Farla Efros, President of leading consultancy HRC Advisory, explained how Giant Tiger is a Canadian icon that appeals to a broad demographic, particularly families with children. She said that given the economic volatility and uncertainty in this country, Canadians are becoming more price conscious and that the launch of these value-priced fashion lines is timely, given the imminent back-to-school season. With busy parents filling their lists, Giant Tiger will continue to offer a “one stop shop” for parents seeking out value-priced clothing that kids will quickly grow out of. Ms Efros thinks that the new fashion lines deserve an “A+” grade, and that they will help further build momentum for an already wildly successful retailer.
Last month, Giant Tiger’s vice president of Marketing, Karen Sterling, said that the retailer will continue with plans to open between 10 and 15 Canadian stores annually, doing so primarily with a franchise model that sees partnerships with successful retail merchants who can aspire to become franchisees in their communities. Franchisees are already a part of the community, allowing Giant Tiger to operate as a “living, breathing part of the community” which includes investing in the local community both with fundraising and sponsorships, she explained.
Giant Tiger has also been rolling out an updated store concept to enhance the shopping experience, as well as provide convenience for time-starved consumers. The core client is a 25 to 50 year old female, partnered and possibly with children, seeking out both value as well as time savings in a ‘one-stop’ shopping experience with an optimal value proposition.
This spring, Giant Tiger expanded operations by launching three value-priced women’s fashion lines — Lily Morgan™, myStyle™ and the updated ACX Active™. The company also launched its first TV/print/online ad campaign as part of the initiative, which includes a body-positive image for its female shoppers. The fashion lines are already proving to be very popular, according to Giant Tiger, further expanding its already loyal customer following.
Giant Tiger was founded in 1961 in Ottawa’s Byward Market area, and has since grown to operate 218 Canadian stores and employs over 7,000 employees, or ‘team members’. Stores carry categories such as family fashions, footwear, groceries, confectionary, pet food, cleaning supplies, housewares, stationery, toys, and health/beauty products. The company’s strategy involves striving to lower prices through continued improvements to efficiency while maximizing buying power through economies of scale, as well as increasing market share in existing markets by modifying stores and assortment, based on local needs. The company continues to seek out new markets to further increase revenues via well-researched and planned expansion that involves opening new store locations.
New York City-based sleep brand Casper has launched a series of pop-up locations to build engagement with consumers, following its runaway online success of sales in excess of $100 million last year.
Casper launched in 2014 as a direct-to-consumer online mattress retailer, with a twist — the award-winning sleep surface is delivered in a “how did they do that?” sized box. Casper’s memory foam mattress comes in a variety of sizes, beginning at $725 (Canadian). Recently, the company has expanded its product assortment to include a “perfect pillow” pillow-in-a-pillow and soft, breathable sheets. Casper keeps its prices reasonable by eliminating commission-driven wholesale channels and related costs, including retail space. The company’s phenomenal growth saw it being declared one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies in the World” and in 2015, Casper won the title of TIME Magazine’s “Best Inventions of 2015”.
Casper (Image: RYAN EMBERLEY)
On Wednesday, August 17, Casper announced that it was launching a line of dog beds, in three sizes, also available for order in Canada.
Canadians have been particularly receptive to the Casper brand, prompting the company to engage consumers face-to-face with a series of pop-up initiatives. In the spring of 2016, Casper launched a “Canadian Nap Tour”, bringing its “Napmobile” to Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto for consumers to try products in-person. This month, Casper is continuing the pop-up trend with the launch of its “Snooze Rooms” in Toronto — last week, Casper touched down at 602 King Street West. Between August 19 and 21, Casper will be present in Liberty Village (80 Lynn Williams Street), followed by two Yorkville pop-ups between August 23 and 25 at the corners of Yonge and Bloor and Bloor and Bay Streets.
CASPER’S ‘NAPMOBILE’ TOURED CANADA IN THE SPRING. PHOTO: CASPER
Casper co-founder and CEO Philip Krim explained how Casper’s pop-ups are marrying its e-commerce business model with experiential marketing, allowing for interaction as well as consumer product testing. Casper is targeting both existing customers and new ones, with face-to-face interaction also providing consumers the opportunity to provide realtime feedback with their product experiences. It’s not about selling at the pop-ups, he explained — Casper is looking more to engage and educate customers while gaining valuable feedback, without high-pressure sales common at some brick-and-mortar retailers.
Casper’s pop-up initiative could also be the first step for the company to eventually open permanent brick-and-mortar locations in Canada as well, Mr. Krim said, though nothing is specifically planned at this time. The brand will continue to engage Canadians with temporary retail spaces, as it continues to expand its online sales channel both in this country, as well as internationally.
It’s less than a month until Nordstrom enters the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) with the first of three confirmed store locations. In anticipation of the opening of its first location at CF Toronto Eaton Centre on Friday, September 16, Nordstrom is hosting a number of initiatives, including an event where attendees can see the Eaton Centre flagship a full week before it officially opens to the public.
This week, Nordstrom launched the ‘Nordstrom Traveling Jamvan‘, with timing and locations changing each week. The van features live video on the exterior, a photobooth GIF experience, and local artist Diana Lynn VanderMeulen on site customizing complimentary tote bags. It will be driving throughout the city during the week and will be parked at large-scale, community events on weekends between August 13 and October 1. Follow @NordstromEaton and @NordstromYKD on Twitter, as Nordstrom will be live tweeting on location each weekend.
NORDSTROM’S ‘JAM VAN’
CF Toronto Eaton Centre Opening Events:
On Friday, September 9 and Saturday, September 10 between 11:00 am and 7:00 pm, Nordstrom will be hosting its ‘Nordstrom BFF (Beauty + Fragrance + Friends)’ event. Attendees will get to see the 220,000 square foot CF Toronto Eaton Centre Nordstrom flagship a full week before the store’s September 16 grand opening. Makeup artists will be on hand, and attendees can take a master class and explore some of the special services the beauty department has to offer, experiencing beauty brands including Dior, Fresh, MAC, Charlotte Tilbury, Estee Lauder, NARS, Trish McEvoy, La Mer and Jo Malone. To schedule an appointment, sign up for a class or for more information, you may call 1 (800) 967-0592.
For those athletically-inclined, Nordstrom is hosting its ‘Camp Nordstrom’ on Saturday, September 10 at Sherbourne Common at 61 Dockside Drive. A 45-minute Nordstrom boot camp class will be hosted by local fitness influencer Sasha Exeter and instructor Mackenzie White. The workout will be both fun and challenging, complete with onsite DJ and dance crew, DLM Entertainment. After the class, you can enjoy refreshments and hop into Nordstrom’s mobile social photo booth. There are two classes: Registration is at 9:00 am and 12:00 pm on September 10, with classes being held at 10:00 am and 1:00 pm that day. The first 50 people to arrive at each class will receive a Nordstrom tote with workout necessities, including a complimentary pair of Nordstrom exclusive Zella leggings (one per customer; while supplies last).
On Wednesday, September 14, Nordstrom will be hosting its CF Toronto Eaton Centre opening charity gala between 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm (we’ll be there). The evening will include fashion, shopping, cocktails, gourmet fare and live entertainment. Attendees will see the latest collections from the top designers live during two tented runway shows in Dundas Square at 8 and 9 p.m. Celebrity DJ Jazzy Jeff, along with local DJ Grand Theft, will be spinning tunes, and there will be performances by local supergroup Dwayne Gretzky, featuring members of July Talk, Born Ruffians and more of Toronto’s top bands. Canadian designers, Wing Yau of celebrity-favourite jewelry line WWAKE and 19-year-old fashion wunderkind (and LVMH prize finalist), Vejas Kruszewski, will make special appearances. There will also be a champagne bar, and you may create a shareable GIF in Nordstrom’s social photo booth. Tickets are $150 per person and 100% of tickets proceeds will benefit Covenant House Toronto, Humber River Hospital Foundation, Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO), SickKids Foundation, St. Michael’s Foundation and Women’s College Hospital Foundation. Complimentary valet parking will be provided. To purchase tickets or for more information, please visit nordstromrsvp.com/Toronto.
On Friday, September 16, between 7:00 am to 10:00 am (prior to the store’s official public grand opening at 10:00 am) Nordstrom will be hosting its Opening Day Beauty Bash where you’ll get the inside scoop on new products from the top names in beauty, learn the latest tips and enjoy free consultations. Plus, the first 2,000 customers to sign up for a beauty consultation will receive an exclusive Nordstrom Beauty Bash tote (one per customer; while supplies last). Nordstrom is proud to partner with Rethink Breast Cancer on this event and to support their work on behalf of young people affected with a $5,000 donation.
YORKDALE STORE RENDERING VIA NORDSTROM
Nordstrom Yorkdale Shopping Centre Opening Events
Nordstrom’s 196,000 square foot Yorkdale Shopping Centre store officially opens to the public on Friday, October 21, and the retailer will be hosting some pre-opening events as with the CF Toronto Eaton Centre flagship, as mentioned above.
On Friday, October 14 & Saturday, October 15, Nordstrom will be hosting its Yorkdale ‘BFF (Beauty + Fragrance + Friends)’ event between 11:00 am and 7:00 pm. Attendees will get to see Yorkdale’s Nordstrom location a full week before the store opens to the general public. At the beauty and fragrance event, you can get your makeup done by an artist, take a master class and explore some of the special services the beauty department has to offer. To schedule an appointment, sign up for a class or for more information, you may call 1 (800) 967-0592.
On Wednesday, October 19 between 7:00pm and 10:00 pm, Nordstrom is hosting its Yorkdale opening gala (we’ll also be at this event). The gala happens in-store and will feature celebrity DJs Russell Peters, Hannah Bronfman and Brendan Fallis as well as DJs, DJ JazzyJeff and Sophie Jones. Attendees will also be treated to cocktails, gourmet bites, desserts, shopping and a performance by Sean Jones. There will be an immersive in-store fashion show highlighting resort collections from top designers. Canadian designers Aurora James of Brother Vellies and Steven Tai, representing his eponymous line of progressive, luxe sportswear, will also make special appearances. Attendees may also test the latest mixology trends at the store’s drinks lab, or create a mini video GIF in a 360° photo booth. Tickets are $150 per person and 100% of tickets proceeds will benefit Covenant House Toronto, Humber River Hospital Foundation, Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO), SickKids Foundation, St. Michael’s Foundation and Women’s College Hospital Foundation. Complimentary valet parking will be provided. To purchase tickets or for more information, please visit nordstromrsvp.com/Toronto.
Immediately prior to the 10:00 am public grand opening on Friday, October 21, Nordstrom is hosting an opening Beauty Bash between 8:00 am and 10:00 am. Attendees will get the inside scoop on new products from the top names in beauty, learn the latest tips and enjoy free consultations. The first 2,000 customers to sign up for a beauty consultation will receive an exclusive Nordstrom Beauty Bash tote (one per customer; while supplies last). Nordstrom is proud to partner with Rethink Breast Cancer on this event and to support their work on behalf of young people affected with a $5,000 donation.
It’s going to be an exciting autumn for Toronto Nordstrom fans. That will continue in the fall of 2017, when Nordstrom opens its third Toronto store at CF Sherway Gardens, measuring about 138,000 square feet.
Tom & Sawyer at 1247 Queen Street East, Toronto (Image: Tom & Sawyer)
Toronto-based fresh prepared pet meals company Tom&Sawyer plans to open locations Canada-wide, after considerable success with its first flagship retail location, online retail store and subscription-based personalized delivery service (available Toronto wide). The company already has its concept and branding in place and given its uniqueness, it plans to expand with locations across Canada and into core US markets, to better meet consumer demand to feed real food to their beloved pets while the pet market evolves to meet human food handling requirements.
Peter Zakarow and Kristin Matthews
The retail concept was founded by husband-wife team Peter Zakarow and Kristin Matthews. When their Yorkie-poo, Sawyer, refused to eat commercially made pet food, Ms. Matthews began preparing home cooked meals for their puppy and envisioned an offering for pet owners that was more professional, transparent and quality-driven than anything else on the market. The idea turned into a business when the couple realized that there were limited opportunities to buy food for dogs and cats that actually included fresh, high-quality ingredients, although most product marketing made people think they were. Ms. Matthews, formerly a forensic accountant, joined Mr. Zakarow in a venture to open a retail concept unlike any other in North America, and created a new product offering called “pet meals” to differentiate from the traditionally sub-par offerings served as dog and cat food.
In May of 2016, they launched both their online retail store www.tomandsawyer.com and the company’s first flagship retail location at 1247 Queen Street East in Toronto’s Leslieville area, following a year of extensive research and development. The retail space was formerly a radiator shop and the co-founders saw the opportunity to turn it into an innovative retail space (with the help of Avison Young‘s Hilary Kellar-Parsons, who was Tom&Sawyer’s commercial real estate representative). After considerable renovations, the modern bricks and mortar store opened, featuring a visually stunning and transparent commercial kitchen at its centre, with a lounge area for people and pets — as well as a variety of carefully curated pet accessories and toys, all unique with a Canadian-made focus. Humans may consume coffee and other food/drinks on the premises, though pets are the stars of the show at Tom&Sawyer.
Tom & Sawyer at 1247 Queen Street East, Toronto (Image: Tom & Sawyer)Tom & Sawyer at 1247 Queen Street East, Toronto (Image: Tom & Sawyer)
Pet meal preparation is done on-site with the kitchen open to view to the public, creating a transparency unavailable with traditional pet food retailers. The co-founders brought in a team of pet experts to ensure optimum quality, including vets, food scientists, animal nutrition consultants, and a culinary team led by accomplished Toronto chef Trish Donnelly. Ingredients used are fresh and healthy, real food ingredients, including quality meats and vegetables, as well as vitamins and healthy oils, to create meals nutritionally balanced for dogs or cats. Everything they sell can be eaten by humans, the founders explained, though it could use a bit of salt for taste and you may not like flavour combinations that dogs love.
Tom & Sawyer at 1247 Queen Street East, Toronto (Image: Tom & Sawyer)Tom & Sawyer at 1247 Queen Street East, Toronto (Image: Tom & Sawyer)
For those too busy to regularly visit the Leslieville store, Tom&Sawyer also offers a personalized subscription-based delivery service all done through their website, where your food is delivered to your home by a delivery specialist and their dog.
Not long after opening, local pet owners raved about the concept and with numerous national media outlets having written about their innovative business, people from all parts of Toronto come to Leslieville specifically to visit Tom&Sawyer. “Pets are increasingly part of the family, and people are finally questioning why we have been feeding dogs and cats by-products, not fit for human consumption, that are even lower quality than fast food” says Ms. Matthews. “We needed a way to compete with large marketing budgets that mislead consumers, so we decided to focus on transparency in how we make our pet meals” says Mr. Zakarow. Recognizing the loyalty to the brand and opportunity, Mr. Zakarow and Ms. Matthews plan to eventually open approximately 20 Tom&Sawyer locations in Canada over the next five years, to further transform the pet lifestyle experience in local communities. As the concept takes off, they say that they will expand into the United States as operations continue to grow, and they are contacted weekly by interested customers across Europe and Asia.
