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Canada Goose to Open 1st Freestanding Store

By
Craig Patterson
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YORKDALE STORE. RENDERING VIA CANADA GOOSE

Popular Canadian cold weather outerwear brand Canada Goose will open its first permanent freestanding store in October at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The Toronto store will be one of two initially for the brand, with another location set to open in New York City’s Soho area in November. 

Canada Goose will occupy almost 4,500 square feet at Yorkdale’s new Nordstrom wing, which is scheduled to open on October 18 of this year. Nordstrom, itself, is scheduled to open on October 21, with an in-store charity gala to be held two days prior. 

Canada Goose will be located next to Nordstrom’s mall entrance in the expansion wing, as per the lease planS below, via Oxford Properties. 

Yorkdale’s Canada Goose store will join a number of other recently revealed retailers for the 300,000 square foot, $331 million expansion wing. Japanese retailer Uniqlo will occupy about 24,000 square feet at the north end of the new wing, alongside locations for Muji, Mackage, Strellson, Wolford and others. 

Farla Efros, President of leading retail consultancy HRC Advisory, praised the new store location but cautioned about potential brand over-saturation. “Clearly Yorkdale continues to amaze with the lineup of new stores, and they keep coming” she said, noting that Canada Goose’s location in the mall is strategic, given its proximity to Nordstrom which is expected to drive considerable traffic. She noted that Canada Goose owner Bain & Company has grown and differentiated the Canada Goose brand through capital investment, carving out a niche both in Canada as well as internationally. Ms Efros noted that the new store might best serve Canada Goose as a marketing and testing tool for the brand — though unless product is somehow differentiated from wholesale accounts, Canada Goose could risk saturating/cannibalizing its own sales, particularly as it’s also carried at nearby retailers such as Holt Renfrew, Harry Rosen and possibly Nordstrom when it opens at Yorkdale this fall. 

Toronto-based Style Democracy first reported in February that according to one of its tipsters, Canada Goose will open at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. They confirmed the tip via an application to the city of Toronto. We were asked not to report on the matter at the time, though it now appears to be public information as Canada Goose provided an interview to the Globe & Mail and Women’s Wear Daily on the new Toronto store. According to the Globe article, more locations could follow in markets “where there are large concentrations of Canada Goose fans”, according to CEO Dani Reiss. 

Salvatore Ferragamo to Open 3rd Freestanding Canadian Store

By
Craig Patterson
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Italian luxury brand Salvatore Ferragamo will open its third freestanding location in July at Square One in Mississauga, Ontario. The new 4,425 square foot store will be in the mall’s recently opened ‘Luxury Wing‘, which will be anchored by a Holt Renfrew location scheduled to open this summer. When it opens, Mississauga’s Ferragamo will be the largest in Canada. 

Mississauga’s Ferragamo location joins already existing stores in Vancouver and Toronto. Vancouver’s 3,000 square foot Ferragamo store, located at 918 Robson Street, has operated at that location since the 1980’s and was fully renovated in 2012. In the summer of 2013, Ferragamo’s second freestanding store, measuring 3,830 square feet, opened in the luxury wing at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. 

A source at Ferragamo in Toronto said that Mississauga’s new store will feature accessories and footwear for men and women, as well as ready-to-wear collections. 

Square One’s luxury wing opened in March of this year. Harry Rosen was the largest tenant to open in that space, measuring 19,730 square feet, according to lease plans. Other nearby retailers include Club Monaco, Kate Spade, Ben Sherman and Wolford, which opened its third Canadian store in the centre this spring. Coach, and Jamie’s Italian restaurant are set to open next month, and Holt Renfrew will soon announce the opening date of its 130,000 square foot flagship, which appears to be very impressive from supplied renderings.

Lease plans show three more available retail spaces at Square One, located between Ferragamo and Rolex by Raffi Jewellers, which is scheduled to open in September of this year. The three retail spaces are between 3,530 square feet and 6,640 square feet. 

Ferragamo accessories and footwear are also carried at selected Canadian retailers such as Holt Renfrew (for men and women), Harry Rosen (men’s items only), and at Saks Fifth Avenue, which opened its first two Canadian stores in February of this year in Toronto. 

Thank you Daniel Saint Anthony for providing information pertaining to this article. 

Hugo Boss Launches First Hudson’s Bay HUGO Shop-in-Shops

By
Craig Patterson
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Upscale German fashion brand Hugo Boss has launched its first HUGO shop-in-shops at Hudson’s Bay. Seven HUGO shops will open at Hudson’s Bay this year, and more to follow in 2017, according to Lanita Layton, Managing Director for Hugo Boss’ Canadian operations.  

Last week, separate men’s and women’s HUGO shop-in-shops opened within Hudson’s Bay’s Toronto Queen Street flagship. The HUGO Man boutique on The Bay’s fifth floor measures almost 1,800 square feet, and is a first in North America for HUGO Man. The shop is located in the centre of Hudson’s Bay’s renovated 100,000 square foot fifth floor men’s store, which opened in early 2015. HUGO Man features fashions that “flirt with 90’s street style and ultra-modern, sport-influenced menswear” according to Hugo Boss. The open-concept shop itself features black metal finishes and neatly displayed product, featuring clothing as well as an assortment of accessories and footwear. 

A smaller women’s HUGO boutique on Hudson’s Bay’s third floor is a first in the world for the new boutique concept which Ms. Layton noted has soft, feminine colours on its walls. The lighter aesthetic includes beige branded display showcases that showcase HUGO Woman’s spring collection. Floors in the shop-in-store are light hardwood, contrasting with Hudson’s Bay’s shiny stone floors. Hugo Boss describes the women’s HUGO fashions as being “sharp, tailored and pure” with summer clothing of “essential dressing with a minimal aesthetic”. 

Ms. Layton revealed that Hugo Boss will open five more Hudson’s Bay HUGO partner shop-in-stores in 2016, with another confirmed for early 2017. The 2016 openings will include three men’s HUGO shops at Hudson’s Bay’s downtown Vancouver and Montreal stores, as well as at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre Hudson’s Bay location. Two women’s HUGO stores will also open in 2016 — at Hudson’s Bay’s downtown Vancouver and Yorkdale stores. In 2017, Hugo Boss will open a HUGO Woman shop-in-store at downtown Montreal’s Hudson’s Bay flagship, she said. 

Must-Attend Retail Executive Education Program, July 10-15, 2016

By
Craig Patterson
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Retail executives looking to enhance their expertise are encouraged to attend this year’s Retail Executive Education Program, being hosted by the David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing and Services at Saint Mary’s University in beautiful Halifax, Nova Scotia. The intensive six-day program runs between July 10 and July 15, and will include retail-focused interactive lectures, simulations, personal leadership assessment with personalized feedback sessions, case discussions and a group project.

The program is tailored to those in director level and in senior executive roles, particularly those at mid-to-large retailers. High-potential managers may also register to participate. 

The program will provide participants with a deep understanding of major current and emerging trends. Participants will be exposed to concepts and case studies by subject matter experts. The program will also provide participants the hands-on learning and tools to develop the competencies needed to succeed in today’s dynamic retail environment. You will experience immersive enriched learning with peers, subject matter experts and leading practitioners, and you’ll emerge a more confident, skilled and effective retail executive and leader as a result. 
 
Key benefits to this program include the following: 

  • Discover best practices, gain new perspectives and insights into emerging retail trends, business models and innovation
  • Develop your strategic thinking and tactical decision-making skills through action-based learning involving collaborative activities, simulations and projects
  • Learn to leverage analytics to improve your business performance in all areas
  • Develop personal leadership skills that will greatly enhance your impact
  • Network with and learn from peers, make connections and form meaningful collaborations
  • Develop a personal and organizational action plan by the end of the program

The program begins at 1:00 pm on Sunday, July 10th and ends at 3:00 pm Friday, July 15. Topics covered will include: 
 
Sunday: Strategic Thinking in a Changing Retail Landscape
Monday (a.m.): Retail Innovation
Monday (p.m.) and Tuesday: Effective Leadership in a Retail Environment
Wednesday: Customer Engagement via Compelling Brand Experiences
Thursday: Driving Value from Retail Analytics
Friday: Alignment & Executing Winning Retail Strategies and Personal Reflection
 
A more comprehensive description of each of these can be found here.
 
Internationally-recognized faculty from the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University form the Program’s central core. Two industry experts supplement the instructional team. Read about them here. 
 
Cost to attend includes meals and all learning materials. Taxes, travel and accommodations are extra. You may contact Client Services at the David Sobey Centre for information on hotel rates or university accommodations.
 
There’s still time to register for the early bird rate, which ends on May 31. Group enrolment is also available. To apply for or more information, contact Client Services at the David Sobey Centre:
Email: DavidSobeyCentre@smu.ca
Telephone: 902.496.8272

Grocery Innovation Delivers Lessons for all Retail at STORE Conference 2016

By
Retail Insider
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Grocery retail innovation, and the broader lessons for all retail, will be a key theme during the second day of this year’s Retail Council of Canada STORE Conference, being held in Toronto on May 31 and June 1. On the afternoon of Wednesday June 1, grocery takes the stage with speakers discussing innovation and the future of grocery retailing both in Canada as well as internationally.

The afternoon kicks off with a ‘lunch and learn’ entitled ‘Grocery Shopping Simplified: The Making of the New IGA Mobile App’, hosted by Judith Blackburn, Manager, Digital Communications of Sobeys Québec and Simon Audet, Partner and VP Strategic Alliances at Mirego. Following the launch of its new iga.net corporate website and eCommerce platform, Sobeys wanted to continue innovating and offering added-value services to its clients. The company aimed to provide its customers with mobile-driven features that would assist them during their pre-shopping activities and enrich their in-store shopping experience. Sobeys chose to develop a new user-friendly IGA mobile app available on both iOS and Android platforms. From scanning products to browsing through a personalized flyer based on user behaviour, the new app offers enhanced personalization to IGA customers. In this session, Judith Blackburn and Simon Audet will talk about the creation process of the IGA mobile application and share their insights on how to successfully lead a digital project of this scope. 

Moving right onto the main stage, James Bacos (Managing Partner, Retail and Consumer Goods Practice, Oliver Wyman Germany) and Fred Thomas-Dupuis (Partner, Retail and Consumer Goods Practice, Oliver Wyman Canada) will present ‘Tectonic Shifts in European Grocery Retail: Innovation Lessons for Canada’. The session will discuss how discounters and online formats have disrupted European’s grocery retail markets, and how after almost 15 years of ‘maturity’, these new players have transformed individual markets and are an emerging pan-European force. Grocery retail experts Oliver Wyman provide their views on the key questions surrounding anticipated break-throughs and who will emerge victorious, and illustrate parallels to the Canadian retail landscape.

The presentations continue with a session by Tina Lee, CEO, T & T Supermarkets Inc., entitled ‘T&T Supermarket: Insights Into the Ethnic Consumer’. T&T Supermarket has become the place to shop for authentic Asian fresh food in Canada, regardless of one’s ethnic background. Ms. Lee will discuss how the Canadian palette continues to develop as it is influenced by the many cultures that live in Canada. She will also share the T&T Supermarket success story, insights into the Chinese Canadian consumer, and tips on how to stay fresh and relevant as the needs of your customer base change.
 
Finally, Keith Anderson (Vice President, Strategy & Insights, Profitero) will host a “fireside chat” with Simon Rodrigue, SVP of eCommerce at Walmart Canada. The session is called ‘The eCommerce Grocery Impact & Implications for Retail’, discussing how shoppers’ changing preferences and evolving competitive dynamics are driving online grocery. Mobile is having an impact in online grocery trial, adoption and loyalty, and this is driving new innovations and game changing digital enhancements. Click-and-collect, delivery, and other emerging online grocery models are still in their relative infancy, and the immediate lessons learned from these models are uncovering valuable insights for both retailers and suppliers.
 
Following these will be the Canadian Grand Prix Awards Gala, now in its 23rd year. The Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards™ is an annual program that celebrates new products in 32 food, non-food and private-label categories. It provides a unique opportunity for entrants to showcase their new products to a jury of industry experts and to be recognized by their peers. The awards also encourage new product development and innovation, which are vital to the continued growth of Canada’s consumer products industry. 
 
For more information on STORE Conference 2016, visit: www.storeconference.ca. To pick up your tickets or reserve a table for the Canadian Grand Prix awards gala visit their site at http://www.rccgrandprix.ca.

Maska Mode Continues Canadian Expansion, Seeks New Locations

By
Craig Patterson
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Montreal-based women’s fashion retailer Maska Mode continues to expand its Canadian operations, and it’s seeking out new locations for stores. The company is working with a leading brokerage to grow its brick-and-mortar operations. 

Maska Mode recently opened a location inside of Toronto’s Yorkville Village shopping centre, formerly known as Hazelton Lanes. The new Maska Mode store features colourful clothing and accessories, as well as an assortment of women’s footwear. The store’s interior is bright and minimalist – white walls and simple, stainless steel fixtures showcase Italian fashions from a variety of designers. Maska Mode carries a number of brands in-store, all imported directly from Italy. 

Jeff Berkowitz of Aurora Realty Consultants said that he’s seeking out new retail locations for Maska Mode in Canada, particularly in Ontario and British Columbia. Aurora Realty Consultants handles Maska Mode’s real estate as brokerage across Canada, and Auora’s Toronto VP Jeri Brodie coordinated the deal for the Yorkville Village location. 

According to Aurora Realty Consultants’ website, Maska Mode is seeking retail space in the 1,500 square foot to 2,000 square foot range, both in enclosed malls as well as street-front locations. 

Maska Mode now operates 14 Canadian store locations with five of those in Quebec, five in Ontario, three in Vancouver and one in Calgary. Maska Mode also operates freestanding locations for brands Rinascimento and Imperial. There are currently six Rinascimento locations in Quebec and one in Toronto, and there are three Imperial locations in the province of Quebec. 

Rocky Mountain Soap Company co-owners honoured with Retail Council of Canada’s Independent Retail Ambassador of the Year Award

By
Retail Insider
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Retail Council of Canada (RCC) has announced that Cameron Baty and Karina Birch, co-owners of Rocky Mountain Soap Company, will be the recipients of the 2016 Independent Retail Ambassador of the Year Award. They will be presented the award at this year’s Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala on May 31, as part of RCC’s STORE Conference being held on May 31 and June 1 of this year in Toronto.

The Independent Retail Ambassador of the Year Award, sponsored by Chase Paymentech, recognizes the outstanding contributions of a local independent retailer to his/her community. The recipient is seen as a visionary, an innovator, and an integral part of the community that his/her business serves. Mr. Baty and Ms. Birch were selected this year among a number of outstanding independent retailers across Canada and will be recognized for Rocky Mountain Soap’s unique toxin-free product offering, community engagement and business expansion in Western Canada. 

“Retail Council of Canada is delighted to present the 2016 Independent Retail Ambassador of the Year Award to Cameron Baty and Karina Birch, two retail entrepreneurs who are deeply committed to making a difference in many communities across Western Canada through sustainable product development, job creation, and outstanding customer service.” said Diane J. Brisebois, President & CEO, Retail Council of Canada. Rocky Mountain Soap Co. is involved in several local food banks, shelters and organizations such as Cause Canada, Project Shine, donating both time and tonnes of soap. “Cameron and Karina believe there is an innovation renaissance taking place and that entrepreneurs are uniquely positioned to take advantage. They are true ambassadors for their fellow independent retailers and their customers,” said Ms. Brisebois. Rocky Mountain Soap Co. joins a long line of outstanding Independent retailers across Canada, including Reckless Bikes, Amos Pewter, That Pro Look, and Cuckoo’s Nest.

About Cameron Baty, Karina Birch and the Rocky Mountain Soap Company: Mr. Baty and Ms. Birch are co-owners of Rocky Mountain Soap Company. They nurtured the company from its days as a 300 square foot shop in Canmore to the now 11 retail stores, over 700 wholesale accounts and 16,000 square foot workshop. It is a company with a strong culture and eclectic, passionate group of individuals. Believing ‘what goes on the body, goes in the body,’ Rocky is on a mission to create small-batch products using simple, natural and fresh ingredients. Rocky Mountain Soap has been included in the Profit 100 and Alberta Ventures ‘Fastest Growing Companies.’

The Independent Retail Ambassador of the Year Award will be presented to Cameron Baty and Karina Birchy at the Excellence in Retailing Awards Gala on May 31, 2016. The Gala, part of STORE Conference 2016, will take place at the Toronto Congress Centre from 6:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET on May 31. For further information and to purchase tickets: STOREConference.ca. 

Lougheed Town Centre Wins Planning Award

By
Craig Patterson
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The City of Burnaby and  Lougheed Town Centre landlord Shape Properties have won the Planning Institute of British Columbia’s ‘2016 Award for Excellence in Planning Practice – City and Urban Areas’ Gold award. The Lougheed Town Centre Core Area Master Plan includes a dramatic reconceptualization of a 42-acre suburban shopping district into a vibrant, pedestrian and transit-connected, mixed-use community with diverse housing, employment, service and recreation opportunities

At its heart is the 600,000 square foot Lougheed Town Centre itself, anchored by Hudson’s Bay and Walmart, as well as about 160 retailers. The mall will double in size as part of the overhaul, which will include millions of additional square feet for mixed uses. The Lougheed Town Centre Core Area, which is currently comprised primarily of older, commercially zoned properties with an abundance of surface parking, has been identified in the master-plan as having the greatest opportunity for transformation to a pedestrian and transit-oriented centre with a fuller and better integrated range of uses. We’ll discuss this in more detail in a separate article. 

The Planning Institute of British Columbia awards honour the best in professional planning work undertaken by members in communities and regions across British Columbia and the Yukon. Each award submission is evaluated by a committee of six experienced planners from across British Columbia. Evaluation criteria include: innovation, transferability, contribution to the profession, public process, implementation, sustainability, and overall presentation. According to Planning Institute of British Columbia, to achieve a Gold Award, submissions must meet very high standards in all categories.

Article Continued below. 

“We are thrilled that the City and Shape Properties have been recognized with a Gold Award for this important planning process,” said City of Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan. “It recognizes that we’ve achieved excellence in innovation, public process, and sustainability – all elements we are determined to embed in our planning processes, because we know they are critical to ensuring that the Lougheed Town Centre will reflect the high expectations and diverse aspirations of Burnaby citizens.”

“This award is an honour and we’re truly thankful to the Planning Institute of BC,” says Darren Kwiatkowski, Executive Vice President of Development and Design at Shape Properties. “We’re appreciative to The City of Burnaby for facilitating a unique and effective planning process that married the interests of the community, the City and the landowner to create a shared vision for an extraordinary new community. We’re especially excited that this process has produced a long-term, executable plan that will transform Lougheed into a vibrant city centre.” 

“The Lougheed Town Centre Core Area Master Plan represents a unique collaboration  between the land owner and the City of Burnaby,” says James Moore, acting department manager, policy and planning, Planning Institute of British Columbia. “The result is an ambitious vision for a leading-edge community that will have a positive impact on Burnaby for many years to come.”

The award was presented to Shape Properties and the City of Burnaby at the annual Planning Institute of British Columbia conference in Kelowna, on May 12, 2016.

Sephora to Relocate Mink Mile Flagship

By
Craig Patterson
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LVMH-owned, Paris-based cosmetics retailer Sephora will relocate its Bloor Street West store in Toronto to a nearby retail space this summer. The new store is currently under construction. 

The new one-level Sephora flagship will measure about 8,900 square feet, according to Jeff Berkowitz of Aurora Realty Consultants, who represents Sephora as broker in Canada. The store will be located at 77 Bloor Street West just off the corner of Bay Street, replacing former retail locations for Porsche Design and Marciano, both of which closed last year. 

Sephora is currently making a major push into the Greater Toronto Area this year, including opening new stores as well as renovating and expanding existing locations. We’ll discuss this soon in a separate article.  

Sephora’s current 6,100 square foot store at 131 Bloor Street West (The Colonnade) will close as a result of the new 77 Bloor opening, but the space won’t be vacant for long. Sources say that Sephora’s Colonnade location will be divided into two retail spaces, with one of them already leased to an Italian luxury brand. 

Sephora Americas’ President and CEO Calvin McDonald (formerly head of Sears Canada) will be speaking at this year’s Retail Council of Canada STORE Conference 2016, being held May 31 and June 1 of this year. Mr. McDonald’s presentation is titled ‘Winning in a Digital Landscape’ on May 31. For details, visit: www.storeconference.ca/agenda.

Warby Parker to Open 1st Canadian Location

By
Craig Patterson
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New York City-based eyewear retailer Warby Parker will open its first Canadian store this summer in Toronto. It could be the first of several Canadian locations, and it will compete with at least two value-priced eyewear retailers already operating stores in Canada — including one that’s homegrown.  

Warby Parker is an innovative, value-priced prescription eyewear retailer, which was founded in 2010 as a pure play online retailer with a $2,500 seed investment by students in the Venture Initiation Program of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Shortly after its launch, the company was featured on Vogue.com and GQ, referred to as ‘the Netflix of eyewear’. The company has grown substantially and now boasts 30 brick-and-mortar stores in the United States. Last year, the company was reportedly valued at US $1.2 billion. 

Warby Parker designs its glasses in-house and sells directly to customers — prices are therefore generally lower than regular optical stores, which may mark up product substantially.

Article continued below.

Warby Parker will open its first Canadian store at 684 Queen Street West, at the corer of Euclid Avenue in Toronto’s trendy ‘West Queen West’. It will replace Dark Horse Espresso, which recently vacated that space for a nearby location. Warby Parker will join trendy retailers at that corner including Vancouver-based John Fluevog shoes which is across the street at 686 Queen Street West, as well as Anthropologie, which opened in a restored church in December of 2014.

Warby Parker will compete with retail locations operated by Vancouver-based value-priced Clearly Contacts, which opened its first freestanding Canadian locations in 2013. Clearly Contacts currently operates a retail location at 317 Queen Street West in Toronto. Warby Parker could also take market share away from Australian eyewear brand Bailey Nelson, which operates six Canadian locations, including a Toronto store at 387 Queen Street West. 

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