The south expansion wing at Richmond Hill’s Hillcrest Mall opens today (Thursday October 20). The expansion adds a 44,000 square foot Sporting Life and a 21,000 square foot H&M location to the 110 store shopping centre.
Hillcrest Mall’s manager and co-owner Oxford Properties has invested about $90-million dollars into the Richmond Hill property, and has been responsible for attracting and securing big brand tenants such as Sephora, DAVIDsTEA, Sunglass Hut and Chatime, all of which opened in the first half of 2016. More retailers are signed on to open at Hillcrest, including Aritzia, Pandora, Starbucks Coffee, and Rockport.
Hillcrest Mall has been refocusing its retail strategy in what general manager Brian Marentette calls the “small mall renaissance”. “The renaissance of the small mall means that Hillcrest offers the big brands shoppers want in a comfortable local environment. We’ve completely re-set our anchor stores to offer top-tier lifestyle brands, with the service they have come to know from Hillcrest”, he said.
There’s a trend in the Greater Toronto Area, where larger retailers such as H&M and Sporting Life are finding smaller malls an attractive option. Smaller malls such as Hillcrest Mall are easy-to-navigate with a small footprint, and can provide more personalized guest services. This gives smaller malls such as Hillcrest Mall a great way to compete against malls with a larger selection of stores.
Larger retailers might also see the value of being close to families and couples with a higher income. In many of Toronto’s suburban towns and cities, families and couples earn higher incomes than downtown families, with the average Richmond Hill couple making $114,000 per year. The mall also lies in short distance to over a dozen new condominium developments (Xpression Condos, Grand Genesis) and will soon be in proximity to the York Region subway extension.
The south wing expansion isn’t the first major change the mall has seen. Hillcrest Mall formerly housed two separate Hudson’s Bay locations – one location for women’s fashion, and another location for men’s fashion and home furnishings. In 2015, Hudson’s Bay joined all departments into one store by shuttering their “home and men’s store”, and renovating/expanding the “women’s fashion store” by 48,000 square feet.
To celebrate the expansion of Hillcrest Mall, a unique pop-up truck will be hitting the streets of the Richmond Hill area from October 26-28. The truck will feature fall and winter trends from different retailers within Hillcrest Mall. Visitors to the truck will have the chance to win one of the five outfits displayed.
Shoppers can also win a $500 shopping spree through a ‘Snap, Share & Win’ contest, and Richmond Hill residents are eligible to win a ‘Surprise Visit from Hillcrest’ where entrants can win a special prize box valued up to $150.
Toronto-based coffee and clothing retailer Tokyo Smoke is planning on launching a premium line of cannabis. The retailer recently announced a partnership with medical cannabis provider Aphria that will see the launch of 4 proprietary strains of Cannabis; Go, Relax, Relief, and Balance. These strains will be available through legal channels in early 2017.
Tokyo Smoke was founded in 2015 by father and son team, Alan Gertner and Lorne Gertner, with “a strong passion for the Cannabis space, and strong desire to support the Cannabis movement”. Currently, Tokyo Smoke operates two distinct Toronto locations that operate as “high design cultural showrooms”.
The company’s flagship location Tokyo Smoke Found is located at 850 Adelaide Street West in Toronto. The space was designed by architect Steven Fong, with the interior built within a 10’x10′ shipping container. A second location Tokyo Smoke Green is located at 874 College Street West in Toronto’s Little Italy. Both locations feature full-service coffee bars and Tokyo Smoke branded gear that includes clothing, museum quality collectables, and merchandise.
According to Tokyo Smoke’s website, the brand’s four distinct cannabis strains were crafted over the span of 20 years. The company describes cannabis as an “emotive experience” and that the product should match the needs and desires of the consumer. For example, Tokyo Smoke’s ‘Go Blend’ is an “energizing and awaking sativa”, while their ‘Relax Blend’ is an “easing indica”.
Tokyo Smoke’s Head of Operations, Geoffrey Degrasse, says it has always been part of the plan to offer a premium cannabis offering at Tokyo Smoke. “Right now, the current cannabis retail experience is poor. We plan to bring a premium experience to those with interest in cannabis,” he said.
The sale of cannabis in Canada has been a controversial issue. News broke this year that Canadian federal marijuana legislation is to be introduced in Spring 2017.
What does this mean for Canadian retail? As the government decides how to sell cannabis, there is the possibility that cannabis sales could be conducted through private businesses. This could create an untapped market in Canada, resulting in a potentially competitive cannabis retail landscape across the country. If private retailers are able to sell cannabis, Tokyo Smoke would become one of Canada’s first premium cannabis retailers.
The legalization of cannabis in Canada could spark a movement to create compelling retail spaces. Speaking on the topic of cannabis store design, expert Marjorie Mackenzie, VP of Retail at figure3 said: “As we learned when we designed a therapeutic cannabis retail offering in the U.S., the most important step is understanding how your consumers frame and conceptualize the offering. Cannabis is an emerging vertical and for future retailers to get it right, they must first understand the often unconsciously held beliefs the customer has about the product. Without revealing that insight; store design will fail to emotionally connect with your customer at best or actively repel them at worst”.
Mr. Degrasse says Tokyo Smoke is confident in its business strategy. “If the government decides to sell pot under a new government agency, that’s fine because we’re an all-encompassing consumer brand,” referring to the company’s other product offerings such as coffee and branded merchandise. However, the focus still lies around the interest of cannabis. “What our retail shops are great for is consumers can experience more about what the Tokyo Smoke brand is about. We’re an active, social brand that likes to challenge what cannabis is about,” he said.
According to the company, Tokyo Smoke is looking to expand its retail and recreational cannabis presence in Canada, although it has not yet publicly announced any future locations in this country. When asked about a possible American expansion, Mr. Degrasse said that while Tokyo Smoke locations in the U.S. have not yet been finalized, the company is always in discussions with partners in various cities.
Birks at Yorkdale Shopping Centre (PHOTO: BEN RAHN/A-FRAME)
Iconic Montreal-based jeweller Maison Birks has launched a new store targeting younger customers, including a bridal section geared towards Millennials. The concept store opened yesterday in the new Nordstrom-anchored expansion wing at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre, and will act as a prototype for future Birks store renovations.
The bright store features natural light from the glass facade, which allows customers to easily see inside of the store. The informality of design also translates to the store’s interior, with barriers between salespersons and customers removed, creating a store layout that “works around various pods and stations, each themed to tell a different story”, according to Birks. The store’s open design is expected to resonate with more youthful shoppers, who may otherwise be intimidated by the look and layout of more traditional retailers.
(PHOTO: BEN RAHN/A-FRAME) (LOOKING FROM THE BACK OF THE STORE TO THE BRIDAL BAR AREA. PHOTO: BEN RAHN/A-FRAME)
The store spans almost 3,000 square feet, and stocks products ranging from the edgier ‘Rock & Pearl’ line to classic Canadian diamond engagement rings. Shop-in-shops are easily visible from within the store as well as the mall, featuring brands such as Breitling, Roberto Coin, Baume & Mercier, Messika, and a Tag Heuer shop-in-store, which is the first to reflect the brand’s new design.
The store’s bridal area offers a high counter with bar stools where customers can browse engagement rings in small groups, or as a couple. This is contrary to the tradition of private ring shopping, where the future husband may make a purchase a surprise for his fiancée, for example. Comfort is key to the new store design, with seating areas designed for casual luxury.
(THE STORE’S BACK WALL FEATURES BIRKS’ ICONIC BLUE BOXES. PHOTO: BEN RAHN/A-FRAME)(A WALL OF PEARLS, WITH THE ROBERTO COIN SHOP BEHIND. PHOTO: BEN RAHN/A-FRAME)Birks at Yorkdale Shopping Centre (PHOTO: BEN RAHN/A-FRAME)
The new Yorkdale store also features a nod to Birks’ past, with a wall of historic photographs paying tribute to the heritage of the brand (founded by Henry Birks in 1879). Birks branding continues with a collection of the brand’s iconic ‘blue boxes’ on one back wall. The store’s entryway, facade design and carpeting also reflect the idea of the company’s gift boxes.
Nordstrom’s new three-level, 199,000 square foot Yorkdale Shopping Centre location in Toronto opens to the public on Friday, October 21. The beautiful store features ample natural light, with more exterior windows than any Nordstrom location. The store is the first newly-built Nordstrom store in Canada (four existing locations are in former Sears spaces), and Yorkdale’s Nordstrom features a number of premium luxury brands unavailable in the downtown flagship which opened last month.
(YORKDALE’S NEW 300,000 SQ FT, $331 MILLION EXPANSION WING IS CIRCLED IN RED)
Nordstrom’s Yorkdale’s first floor features women’s footwear (three departments), a beauty hall, jewellery, handbags, accessories, and coffee concept ‘Ebar’. The store’s second level features women’s fashions, as well as the Habitant bar (also at the downtown CF Toronto Eaton Centre flagship). The store’s third level is devoted primarily to menswear and children’s, as well as the store’s Bazille restaurant (Bazille is also at Nordstrom in Calgary and Ottawa, while Bar Verde is at the downtown Toronto store).
We’ll describe the new store and provide photos, floor-by-floor. We normally provide outbound links for brands mentioned on Retail Insider but due to the number discussed below, we will instead mark them in italics.
Ground Floor
The store’s ground floor features six luxury shop-in-stores for leather goods, including Burberry, Celine, Chloe, Delvaux, Loewe and Valentino. Burberry and Loewe shops are also located at Nordstrom’s downtown flagship. Delvaux is a particularly notable addition — the pricey Belgian luxury leather goods brand is only available in one other Nordstrom store (the Vancouver flagship), and there are only seven Delvaux shop-in-store locations in the Unites States, within Barneys New York locations in Manhattan, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Beverly Hills and San Francisco.
Other handbag designers in the same area include: Altuzarra, Akris, Alexander Wang, Dolce & Gabbana, Ferragamo, Jimmy Choo, Lanvin, Marc Cross, Max Mara, Moschino, Mulberry, Proenza Schouler, Stella McCartney, AllSaints, Coach 1941, Herschel Supply Co., Kate Spade New York, Matt&Nat, Mackage, Marc Jacobs, Rebecca Minkoff, Ted Baker London and Tory Burch, among others.
Three women’s footwear departments span the entire south side of the store’s ground floor. Interestingly, the stock room behind the footwear area features south-facing windows, providing natural light for staff working there (we didn’t take photos of this area). Designers in the pricy ‘Salon Shoes’ department include: Alexander Wang, Celine, Charlotte Olympia, Chloe, Fendi, Ferragamo, Giuseppe Zanotti, Isabel Marant, Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik, Miu Miu, Prada, Proenza Schouler, Rag & Bone, Stella McCartney, Tory Burch, Valentino and Vince. Brands in the ‘Women’s Shoes’ department include: AGL, Born, Camper, Cole Haan, ED by Ellen DeGeneres, Paul Green, Ron White, Sam Edelman, Ted Baker London, UGG Australia and Vince Camuto. The ‘B.P’ shoe department includes brands: Adidas, Converse, Dolce Vita, Frye, Jeffrey Campbell, Nike, Sorel, TOMS and Steve Madden.
The store’s ground floor beauty hall is located at the mall entrance to the store. Brands include: Burberry Beauty, Chanel, Chantecaille, Clé de Peau Beauté, Dior, Diptyque, Guerlain, La Mer, Jo Malone London, Le Labo, MAC, Nars, Hermès Carre, Shiseido, Sisley, Tom Ford Beauty, Trish McEvoy and Yves Saint Laurent.
*Attention: High Profile Sponsorship Opportunity: Retail Council of Canada will soon be launching its first annual research study on Canadian shopping centres, which will be distributed widely and promoted heavily. For information on Sponsorship opportunities, contact: cpatterson@retailcouncil.org*
The store’s ground floor also features departments for fashion accessories, sunglasses and jewellery/watches with a number of premium brands, as well as coffee concept ‘Ebar’ with its own mall entrance to the right of the main mall-accessed entrance.
Second Floor
Nordstrom’s Yorkdale store’s second floor is devoted to women’s fashions, the Habitant bar, and the luxurious JWN Room personal shopping suites. The floor features a wide range of designers, ranging from the affordable to the luxurious.
The store’s priciest women’s designer department, called ‘Collectors’, features six individual designer boutiques: Akris, Burberry, Celine, Chloe, Dries Van Noten and Valentino. A dress we saw in the Valentino boutique cost more than many vehicles (we won’t quote the price here). Akris is a premium Swiss brand with limited distribution globally, and is carried in only a handful of Nordstrom stores. The Dries Van Noten boutique is a first for Nordstrom.
Other luxury brands carried in Collectors include: Belstaff, Brandon Maxwell, Cushnie et Ochs, Etro, Gabriella Hearst, Hervé Léger, Marni, Max Mara, Moschino, Proenza Schouler, Tomas Maier and Victor Alfaro.
Yorkdale’s Nordstrom features the edgy SPACE designer department — the second for Toronto. There are only eight SPACE departments in the chain, and Toronto is the only city in the world boasting two of them. Designers at SPACE Yorkdale include: Acne Studios, Anthony Vaccarello, Brother Vellies, Comme des Garçons, Ellery, Franny E, Junya Watanabe Comme de Garçons, Koche, Marques’Almeida, Mira Mikati, Paskal, Roksanda, Shrimps, Simon Miller, Simone Rocha, Steven Tai, Undercover, Vejas and Wwake.
The store’s second floor features several other women’s departments including Via C. (with brands such as A.L.C., Frame Denim, Helmut Lang, Rag & Bone), Individualist (with Alice & Olivia, Eileen Fisher, Joie, Ted Baker London, Theory, Vince), Point of View (with Nic & Zoe, NYDJ, Vince Camuto) and T.B.D (with Free People, Madewell, Paige, Rag & Bone/Denim). The store’s dress department includes brands such as Eliza J, Teri Jon, Chelsea28 and Dress the Population, while the coats department features Mackage, Max Mara, Mooseknuckles, and Woolrich. There are also departments for lingerie and sleepwear, while women’s ‘Active and Swim’ features a number of popular brands upstairs on the third level.
Third Floor
Nordstrom Yorkdale’s third floor features men’s and children’s departments, as well as a south-facing, sun flooded Bazille restaurant.
Men’s designer brands include names such as: Balenciaga, Dries Van Noten, Moschino, Tim Coppens, and Valentino, with other premium men’s clothing brands such as Canali, Corneliani, Hugo Boss, Pal Zileri and Ted Baker London. Men’s sportswear includes brands such as: Billy Reid, Theory and Vince, while ‘The Rail’ carries Adidas Originals, Fred Perry, G-Star, Naked & Famous, Nudie, and Zanerobe. There’s a men’s ‘performance and activewear’ area with brands such as Nike, Under Armour and Zella, while men’s furnishings brands include Bose, Canali, Eton, Fitbit, Tom Ford Sunglasses, Paul Smith, Ted Baker London and Rimowa Luggage. The men’s shoes department carries a number of premium brands as well, such as: Acne, Adidas by Raf Simons, Church’s, Common Projects, Jimmy Choo, Lanvin, Nike, Prada, Timberland, To Boot New York, UGG Australia and Vince.
The kids fashion department features a fun playhouse with a TV screen to keep kids entertained, and also features fashion brands such as: Burberry, Honest Company, and Mini Boden for clothing, and kid’s footwear by Nike, Hunter, UGG Australia, TOMS and Steve Madden.
The store features a clean, single-surface floor throughout, giving Nordstrom the flexibility to adjust and evolve departments depending on what Toronto customers want over time. The store also includes Canada’s fifth Sugarfina concession — a luxury candy shop featuring 150+ sweets from around the world.
The store employs about 850 staff, and features amenities and services including:
Nordstrom to You
Personal Stylist
JWN Room
Valet Parking (on a level below the store’s ground floor, accessed from elevators as well as a beautiful staircase)
Beauty Concierge
Beauty Stylist
Language Ambassadors Service
Bar/Cell Phone Charging
Alterations & Tailoring
Certified Shoe Fitters
Certified Bra & Prosthesis Fitters
Family Restroom Mother’s Lounge
Complimentary Gift Boxes
Nordstrom Gift Cards
UnionPay
Debut Rewards
Free Wi-Fi
Same-Day Delivery
Nordstrom opens its doors to the public this week at 10:00 am on Friday, October 21. The excitement will continue in the fall of 2017, when Nordstrom opens its third Toronto store at CF Sherway Gardens, measuring about 138,000 square feet.
Nordstrom entered the Canadian market in September of 2014 with a 140,000 square foot CF Chinook Centre location in Calgary. A second Canadian location, measuring 157,000 square feet, opened in March of 2015 at Ottawa’s CF Rideau Centre, and a third 230,000 square foot location opened in September of 2015 at Vancouver’s CF Pacific Centre.
Yorkdale Shopping Centre’s new $331 million, 300,000 square foot Nordstrom-anchored expansion wing opens to the public this week. The impressive space features soaring ceilings and a number of first-to-market retailers. We toured the space ahead of its public opening.
“This is the largest retail expansion in the Greater Toronto Area this year,” said Claire Santamaria, General Manager, Yorkdale Shopping Centre. “Canadian demand for world-class shopping is strong and Yorkdale is a leading centre of style. This new wing expands our assortment of brands in a way that will resonate with diverse consumers and attract shoppers from all over the world.”
*Attention: High Profile Sponsorship Opportunity: Retail Council of Canada will soon be launching its first annual research study on Canadian shopping centres, which will be distributed widely and promoted heavily. For information on Sponsorship opportunities, contact: cpatterson@retailcouncil.org*
The expansion wing also features a new concierge desk as well as a separate ‘Style Concierge’, with stylists available to assist shoppers one-on-one.
We had a peek inside Nordstrom over the weekend and will report more tomorrow. The new store is impressive, featuring a considerable amount of natural light through windows as well as a number of glamorous luxury boutiques for both apparel and accessories.
Yorkdale’s new five-level underground parking garage below the new Nordstrom wing adds about 2,000 spaces to the mall, which now has about 8,000 stalls on-site. The mall is accessible both by highway as well as TTC subway.
Yorkdale kicked off the mall’s fashion offerings yesterday (Sunday, October 16) with a fashion show previewing several of the new wing’s retailers. Some of the photos in this article were taken during that time and, hence, some runway presentation fixtures can be seen in some of our shots. We’ll update this article with more photos as new store facades and interiors are completed by individual retailers.
Vancouver-based multi-discipline performance training and fitness brand RYU Apparel has secured retail space for its first store location outside of British Columbia. The company has announced that its first Toronto store will open in early spring of 2017 at 361 Queen Street West, joining other popular retailers in the area.
RYU’s Toronto store’s retail space will span about 2,200 square feet, with an additional 2,050 square feet of office and meeting space to be located below. Jeri Brodie of Aurora Realty Consultants represented the retailer in a deal with the landlord.
RYU will join a number of strong co-tenants including Arc’teryx, Lululemon, Nobis and Icebreaker, which have all recently opened nearby. Vancouver-based large format outdoor cooperative MEC will also open a flagship nearby at the northwest corner of Queen Street West and Soho Street.
RYU’s first retail location, measuring 5,600 square feet, opened at 1745 W. 4 Avenue in November of 2015 and acts as the brand’s global flagship. Soon, RYU stores will open at 805 Thurlow Street (just south of Robson Street) in downtown Vancouver as well as at Park Royal in West Vancouver and next year, at Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby.
“Toronto is a new community for us and we are excited to be expanding outside of Vancouver to our first location in Ontario,” said Marcello Leone, CEO and Chairman of the Board for RYU. “We have received such great feedback from the Toronto fitness community already and we are looking forward to further growing our brand in Eastern Canada. We are excited to introduce the new standard of urban athletics to the Toronto market.”
Founded in Portland, Oregon, RYU or ‘Respect Your Universe’, is an athletic tech-style apparel brand engineered for the fitness, training and performance of the multi-discipline athlete. Marcello Leone, son of the founders of Vancouver-based multi-brand luxury retailer Leone, took the company over in 2014 and spearheaded an overhaul which saw its headquarters moved from the United States to Canada, choosing his hometown of Vancouver to be its new corporate address. RYU’s intention is to become the world’s top multi-discipline performance training and fitness brand, according to Mr. Leone.
New York City-based eyewear retailer Warby Parker will open its second Canadian store later this year in the new expansion wing of Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. Warby Parker’s first location opened in August of this year at 684 Queen Street West in Toronto.
Warby Parker is an innovative, value-priced prescription eyewear retailer that was founded in 2010 as a pure play online retailer. Having since expanded into brick-and-mortar, Warby Parker designs its glasses in-house and sells directly to customers, with prices that are generally lower than regular optical stores.
The Yorkdale store will be one of only a handful of enclosed mall locations for Warby Parker, which typically locates on urban street fronts. Warby Parker currently operates 38 locations in the United States, according to its website, and the retailer is expanding quickly as it negotiates leases and announces new stores.
TORONTO QUEEN STREET W. STORE, PHOTOS BY WARBY PARKER
Yorkdale’s 300,000 square foot, $331 million expansion wing opens next week, anchored by a 199,000 square foot Nordstrom store. On Monday we’ll provide an update on the new wing, including photos and a discussion of new retailers that will include Canada Goose’s first location in the world, Sandro/Maje’s first freestanding Canadian locations, and other highly anticipated retailers such as Uniqlo (opening Thursday, Oct. 20), Muji (Canada’s largest to date), Mackage, Nadège, Strellson, Wolford and others. On Tuesday we’ll take you on a tour inside of Yorkdale’s new Nordstrom store, which will feature a variety of designers and shop-in-store luxury boutiques unavailable at the downtown CF Eaton Centre Nordstrom flagship, which opened last month. Yorkdale’s Nordstrom officially opens to the public on Friday, October 21 and there are still tickets available for its massive in-store charity gala on Wednesday, October 19: nordstromrsvp.com/Toronto.
Edmonton’s Londonderry shopping centre is seeing an overhaul that will bring it into the 21st century. The centre’s completed renovations are already impressive — a new food court and washrooms opened over the summer, and new retailers are being added to the centre. Next year, Quebec City-based fashion retailer La Maison Simons will open an innovative 100,000 square foot store in the mall, also attracting a number of new retailers that are in discussions with landlord 20 VIC Management Inc.
This article features a number of photos of the centre prior to the renovation, as well as recent photos of the centre as renovations progress. The mall’s new look is considerably more modern.
When it opened in 1972, Londonderry was the largest mall in Canada west of Toronto, and the only two-level mall in Western Canada. The 85 store mall was anchored by Eaton’s, The Bay, Woolco, Safeway, and a movie theatre. In 1984, the mall added 65 additional stores and services. The two-level, 779,000 square foot centre now features over 150 shops and services, and is anchored by Hudson’s Bay, Winners, Save-On Foods and Shoppers Drug Mart.
Landlord 20 VIC Management announced plans to spend $130 million to overhaul the centre in the fall of 2014, including a full renovation of all mall common areas, the addition of a considerable number of new retailers, renovations of existing retailer spaces, new full-service dining experiences, a brand new relocated food court, as well as a lighting upgrade of all interior and exterior fixtures and a state-of-the-art security surveillance system. The project involves a partnership between MMC Architects and GH+A Design.
The recent completion of the Anthony Henday ring road opens up a new customer base, and expands the target trade area for Londonderry. Residents of the nearby affluent communities of St. Albert and Sherwood Park are now a 15 minute drive along the Henday to Londonderry — which factored into 20 VIC’s redevelopment strategy for the centre.
As the overhaul progresses, 20 VIC Management is in talks with a number of national and international retailers to open in the centre, which is expected to become one of the region’s top performing malls upon completion. The landlord continues to seek out new retailers as renovations continue.
*Attention: High Profile Sponsorship Opportunity: Retail Council of Canada will soon be launching its first annual research study on Canadian shopping centres, which will be distributed widely and promoted heavily. For information on Sponsorship opportunities, contact: cpatterson@retailcouncil.org*
La Maison Simons is scheduled to open its 100,800 square foot Londonderry store on August 24, 2017. The store will be particularly unique, featuring sustainable design that will self-generate over 50% of its overall electrical usage with the installation of a solar-electric system on the mall parking lot and on the store roof.
“We are thoroughly examining how we can reduce our environmental impact throughout the whole company, from the suppliers we work with to the raw materials we use”, said CEO Peter Simons. “Our stores are the visual and tactile part of the Simons experience so it is extremely important that we continue testing sustainability initiatives, like the latest in solar PV technology, on location where we interact with our customers.”
Simons’ new store will feature the addition of one of the largest solar-electric systems in a retail project in Canada including 700 solar-electric modules on the parking lot and 1100 modules on the roof. The solar energy-producing parking lot canopy will also protect customers and vehicles from the elements. The combined solar-electric system will generate 470,000 kWh/year (equivalent to 65 homes) and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 300 tonnes/year. As well, electric car charging stations will be installed in the parking lot adjacent to the store.
The Simons store’s interior lighting will include LED lighting throughout the entire store as well as dimmable light fixtures adjacent to naturally lit areas of the store to maximize natural day light, reducing electricity devoted to lighting by more than 40%.
“With Edmonton being one of the sunniest cities in Canada, Londonderry was a natural testing ground for the latest in solar-electric technology,” said Jordan Adams, general manager, Londonderry shopping centre. “Simons is leading the way in leveraging innovation to create new standards for sustainability in retail and we’re thrilled to be partnering with them to bring visibility to solar technologies in Canada.”
Simons announced its Londonderry store in January of 2015, following the October 2012 opening of a Simons location at West Edmonton Mall (the first Simons outside of the province of Quebec). The Londonderry Simons will differ from the West Edmonton Mall unit in a couple of ways — Londonderry will feature two fashion levels as opposed to one in the West Edmonton Mall store, and Londonderry’s Simons will also feature an in-store café.
Construction is ongoing at Edmonton’s Londonderry shopping centre, with renovations expected to be completed before the fall of 2017. We’ll provide an update on the mall’s overhaul as construction nears completion, and more new tenants can be announced.
A large Rolex store has opened in Vancouver’s ‘Luxury Zone’ and according to its franchisee, it’s the largest such boutique in North America. The 2,750 square foot store is located at the base of the Shangri-La Hotel, with an address of 1119 Alberni Street. The space was formerly occupied by the ‘Xi Shi Lounge’. Vancouver-based Global Watch Company (GWC) operates the licensed boutique.
“The inauguration of the new Rolex Boutique in Vancouver marks an exciting moment in the history of Global Watch Company and is a reflection of the company’s loyalty to the values of the Rolex brand,” said Mr. Sassan Pourfar, founder and owner of GWC. “We are very proud to be expanding the Rolex presence in the city and to have the first Rolex boutique in Vancouver. We look forward to upholding the finest standards of quality and service.”
CLICK FOR INTERACTIVE GOOGLE MAP
STOREFRONT, AS TAKEN FROM ACROSS ALBERNI STREET, BY RITCHIE PO.
ENTRANCE TO THE NEW STORE.
LOOKING FROM THE STORE’S ALBERNI STREET ENTRANCE INTO THE STORE.
According to GWC, the boutique’s interior is “inspired by water and the sea” with a wall of illuminated laser-etched Aqua glass. The store also features private shopping showrooms, and the iconic Rolex crown decorates the entrance, walls, and display cases. Polished walnut wood cabinets, bronze detailing, floors in Crema Marfil marble, cream-coloured leather tabletops and panelling characterize the interior. Mr. Pourfar explained that much of the store’s millwork was manufactured in Switzerland under Rolex’s strict retail design guidelines.
PRIVATE SHOPPING AREA.
*High Profile Sponsorship Opportunity: Retail Council of Canada will soon be launching its first annual research study on Canadian shopping centres, which will be distributed widely and promoted heavily. For information on Sponsorship opportunities, contact: cpatterson@retailcouncil.org*
Mr. Pourfar founded Global Watch Company in 2009 with a retail location at 925 W. Georgia Street, across from the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Mr. Pourfar said that he may consider future expansion opportunities in the city.
Fashion brand Danier is re-launching store locations under new ownership and new strategy, dropping ‘Leather’ from its name and focusing on a variety of men’s and women’s fashion categories. The previous Danier Leather brand sought creditor protection in February of this year and closed its previous store locations, prior to being bought over the summer.
According to Danier’s Managing Director, Olga Koel, the brand will initially focus its expansion in Ontario with several new locations. Stores will be different than those of the previous brand, being lighter and more modern, reflecting an air of accessible luxury. Danier dropped ‘Leather’ from its name in order to carry a wider variety of products, which include apparel such as wool jackets and sweaters for both men and women. Prices are being kept reasonable to serve a wider market segment, with high-quality women’s silk blouses being priced at $150, for example, while pure merino wool sweaters cost $177. A variety of outerwear (both in wool and leather) is available, as are collections of footwear, bags and accessories. Ms. Koel described Danier’s new fashions as being fashion forward and high quality, serving a wide demographic with its competitive pricing.
Photo: DanierPhoto: Danier
*High Profile Sponsorship Opportunity: Retail Council of Canada will soon be launching its first annual research study on Canadian shopping centres, which will be distributed widely and promoted heavily. For information on Sponsorship opportunities, contact: cpatterson@retailcouncil.org*
New Danier stores will ideally be in the 1,500 to 2,000 square foot range and be located within enclosed shopping centres, according to Ms. Koel. She praised brokerage Northwest Atlantic and David George, who is representing the new Danier with its Canadian expansion plans.
*Photos supplied by Danier are of the new Oshawa Centre store.
