Zumiez Opening 7 Canadian Locations in 2016

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March 30, 2016

American fashion retailer Zumiez plans to open seven Canadian locations in 2016, according to its most recent financial report.

Founded in 1978 near Seattle, Zumiez sells apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories for action sports, particularly skateboarding, snowboarding, BMX and motocross. The company’s first store was called ‘Above the Belt’ and was located at Seattle’s Northgate Mall. Zumiez caters to young men and women between the ages of 12 and 24, and now boasts in excess of 600 locations worldwide.

The company currently has 42 Canadian stores in seven provinces, including B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

One location opened this week at 820 Granville Street in Vancouver. The store is 4,800 square feet over two levels according to Vancity Buzz, and replaces Quicksilver which vacated that retail space about three years ago. Job postings indicate that Zumiez will also open a store this year at Tsawwassen Mills, south of Vancouver.

Zumiez is represented in Canada by brokerage Northwest Atlantic. According to the brokerage’s website, Zumiez is seeking retail space in the 2,400 to 3,200 square foot range, with a minimum 25 foot frontage.

Masonville Place to See Substantial Overhaul

By

Craig Patterson

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March 30, 2016

Cadillac Fairview, landlord of CF Masonville Place shopping centre in London, Ontario, has announced that it will invest $77 million into various mall improvements. The centre will see enhanced interiors, several new retailers, and new dining options.

According to Cadillac Fairview, the mall’s interior will be modernized and upgraded — a good thing, considering that only minor improvements had been made to the centre since its opening in 1985. A new centre court staircase will anchor the centre, and new porcelain tile and stainless steel and glass guardrails will be installed throughout the mall. A major portion of the overhaul will involve an expansion into former Sears store, which previously occupied about 127,000 square feet in the centre. New retailers to Masonville will include London’s first Zara, Hot Topic and Disney stores, as well as H&M and Sport Chek/ Atmosphere, which also have locations at London’s White Oaks Mall.

Masonville recently saw some improvements and new retailers, such as Sephora, Ivivva, Lush and Saje Natural Wellness. Cadillac Fairview says that further investment will be made to redevelop the mall’s former Target space, which will cost an additional $30 million on top of the $77 million earmarked for the most recent expansion.

The mall is also adding new dining options, which will include a mix of popular premium casual and quick service restaurants including aroma espresso bar. Cadillac Fairview is also initiating a study to improve the mall’s accessibility, and it recently upgraded the mall’s Wi-Fi and has added mobile charging stations throughout the centre.

Masonville Place’s renovation and expansion are expected to be completed by November of this year, and will be done in phases so stores may stay open.

Chocolats Favoris Plans Major Store Expansion & Flagship

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Craig Patterson

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March 29, 2016

Quebec-based Chocolats Favoris plans to double the size of its operations in a year, which will include a dozen new store locations and a new downtown Montreal flagship. The modest-sized retailer plans to grow its sales to about $100 million by the year 2020, expanding its store count from 13 to about 75 locations while also enlarging wholesale channels.

Founded in Lévis, Quebec, in 1979, Chocolats Favoris currently operates locations in smaller Quebec cities. It was acquired by entrepreneur Dominique Brown in 2012 and in September of 2015, the company opened a new $3.5 million, 32,000 square foot factory. Each new store costs about $600,000 and employs between 35 and 40 staff. About half of Chocolats Favoris’ locations are franchised and that ratio will be maintained as part of the expansion.

Chocolats Favoris will open about a dozen shops this year — with two of those expected for Ontario according to La Presse. The expansion will reportedly cost about $7 million and will create nearly 400 jobs, adding to the existing 450-person workforce already with the company.

THE MONTREAL FLAGSHIP WILL REPLACE AN ALDO SHOES LOCATION. PHOTO: MAXIME FRECHETTE.

Chocolats Favoris will also open a flagship this June on Sainte-Catherine Street West within Complexe Desjardins. It will replace an Aldo store which closed in February, and will feature a terrace overlooking Place des Arts.

The retailer’s first Ontario location will open within the next few months in Orleans, near Ottawa.

President Dominique Brown says that the company is looking to expand Canada-wide, as well as possibly into the United States. Mr. Brown says that he hopes the retailer will be in all major Canadian cities over the next three years, and that the retailer’s name will remain the same in all markets, as opposed to Anglophone translation.

This topic was originally covered in French language in La Presse by journalist Marie-Eve Fournier, and it was brought to our attention by our Montreal-based correspondent Maxime Frechette. For those who read French, we direct you to the original article which goes into specific details about the new flagship as well as the company’s expansion plans.

‘Canada’s Shave Shop’ Plans National Expansion

By

Craig Patterson

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March 29, 2016

Calgary-based Kent of Inglewood is looking to further expand its store base. The relatively new retailer has seen such tremendous success that in less than three years of operations, it is looking to already open its fourth location. The company also has a refreshing sense of humour which has helped expand its customer profile, with a fun in-store experience that cannot be replicated online.

Founded by Kevin Kent in 2013, Kent of Inglewood sells straight razors and shaving accessories, and has even expanded into selling axes, fly fishing rods, canoe panels, cocktail gear, pocket knives, toboggans and other ‘manly’ items that reflect ‘Canadiana’. According to its website, “every man should have an excellent axe, a stiff cocktail, and a perfect shave“, following with “Kent of Inglewood is a 100 year old store that opened it’s doors in 2014. Our passion is classic shaving, cocktails, axes, and all things fantastic”.

Mr. Kent explained how he founded Kent of Inglewood almost by accident. Customers at his knife retail operation, Knifewear, began asking about straight razors. Mr. Kent managed to locate the only Japanese blacksmith creating these, and brought the product to Calgary. Customers soon asked for shaving accessories such as soaps, combs, pomade, colognes and oils, which led to the creation of a small grooming shop at the back of the knife store. The concept took off and because of customer overcrowding at the back of Knifewear, Mr. Kent decided to open a dedicated Kent of Inglewood shave shop in a retail space across the street.

Appreciating the blacksmith craft, Mr. Kent located a Swedish handmade axe manufacturer, and became its biggest customer. Demand saw Mr. Kent expand the store’s product offerings as described above, creating something of a ‘curated men’s department store’ as he calls it.

Founded in Calgary’s trendy Inglewood area, Kent of Inglewood soon expanded to open stores in Edmonton and Ottawa. The Edmonton store is located on trendy Whyte Avenue in Old Strathcona, and the Ottawa store is on Bank Street in the city’s Glebe neighbourhood. Vancouver is next for Kent of Inglewood, and Mr. Kent is currently seeking retail space for at least one store in that city.

Founded in Calgary’s trendy Inglewood area, Kent of Inglewood soon expanded to open stores in Edmonton and Ottawa. The Edmonton store is located on trendy Whyte Avenue in Old Strathcona, and the Ottawa store is on Bank Street in the city’s Glebe neighbourhood. Vancouver is next for Kent of Inglewood, and Mr. Kent is currently seeking retail space for at least one store in that city.

Mr. Kent discussed the fact that he’d like to see his concept grow into a national chain of stores. The concept is ‘fun’ and to differentiate from e-commerce, Kent of Inglewood hosts in-store parties and encourages customer interaction with its products. Kent of Inglewood seeks street-front retail space in the 1,000 to 1,500 square foot range in larger Canadian cities.

Ladurée Opens 1st Canadian Location [Photos]

By

Craig Patterson

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March 28, 2016

image-asset - 2021-06-16T225106.123 — Laduree (PHOTO: MARTIN MORIARTY, CBRE)

Popular French luxury bakery and sweets maker Ladurée has opened its first Canadian location at 1141 Robson Street in Vancouver. Retail Insider Vancouver correspondent Helen Siwak attended the opening on Thursday, March 24, where hundreds had lined up along the 1100 block of Robson Street.

The 1,200 square foot store’s facade reflects the look of the historic Rue Royale boutique in Paris. Inside, marble-topped gold counters are filled with macarons, viennoiseries (baked goods/pastries), teas, jams and a collection of perfumed candles and home fragrances. The store also features a 16-seat tea salon, with daily tea service and sweet and savoury treats from Ladurée’s chefs. Panels depicting the four seasons and Carrara marble-topped cream wooden tables characterize the salon, along with lyre back chairs in rose and almond green hues, and small floral benches.

The Vancouver boutique is open seven days/week, 10:00 am to 9:00 pm.

The lease deal was negotiated by Mario Negris and Martin Moriarty of Vancouver’s CBRE Urban Retail Team. Mr. Moriarty said, “It was very exciting to see Canada’s first Laduree open on Thursday. The initial reaction has been overwhelmingly positive – line-ups around the block, three days in a row, certainly breeds confidence for the future. This opening, along with the upcoming Nike and Aritizia flagships, purely solidifies Robson’s ability to attract the world’s premier brands.”

“We’re honoured to bring a taste of France to Canada,” says David Holder, president of Ladurée. “Vancouverites will be the first in the country to have the opportunity to experience the elegance of a Parisian tea salon and can take a piece of Paris home with them from our charming boutique.”

Founded in Paris in 1862, Ladurée is best known for its double-decker macarons, selling over 15,000 of them daily. Many Ladurée locations also sell ice cream, sorbets, jams, chocolate and candy, as well as branded accessories. Ladurée was purchased by French business group Groupe Holder in 1993, expanding Ladurée from a handful of locations to dozens of boutiques in 25 countries. The company currently has four American locations, including two in Manhattan and two in Miami.

See more photos below.

Canada’s Top Malls Share Several Key Tenants

By

Craig Patterson

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March 23, 2016

A recent report from Credit Suisse identified six retailers common to America’s ‘most valuable’ mall properties. We thought it would be interesting to do a similar comparison with Canada’s top centres, though there are some key differences between the two countries.

Credit Suisse identified Nordstrom, Louis Vuitton, Lululemon, Apple, Tiffany & Co. and The Cheesecake Factory (restaurant) as common tenants to the ‘most valuable’ U.S. malls. Canada’s top malls share some of the same tenants. Nordstrom, however, currently operates only three Canadian stores, and it will open three more Canadian locations (all in Toronto) by the fall of 2017. A deal to open Canada’s first Cheesecake Factory location, which would have been located in a leading mall, fell through last year.

We recently reported on Canada’s top 25 shopping centres in terms of sales per square foot. We’ll use that list as our ‘most valuable’ malls for convenience, and discuss tenants in a few of the top properties.

Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre, which is both Canada’s most productive and highest-selling mall property ($1,610/square foot annual sales, $1.2 billion in total sales), features locations for Louis Vuitton, Lululemon, Tiffany & Co. and Apple. Although the mall’s Louis Vuitton store is technically a concession at Holt Renfrew, it features a mall-fronting entrance and at 4,000 square feet, is the third largest Vuitton location in the country. Nordstrom will join the mix when it opens a 196,000 square foot location at Yorkdale on October 21 of this year.

Vancouver’s CF Pacific Centre ($1,599/square foot annual sales) features a 230,000 square foot Nordstrom flagship which opened last September, as well as locations for Apple, Tiffany & Co. and Louis Vuitton. The Tiffany and Vuitton locations are both shop-in-store concessions within the mall’s productive and expanding Holt Renfrew. It’s worth noting that Pacific Centre lacks a Lululemon store, though there’s one three blocks west at 970 Robson Street (corner of Burrard Street).

Vancouver’s Oakridge Centre ($1,537/square foot annual sales) includes locations for Tiffany & Co., Apple and Lululemon. The mall lacks Nordstrom and Louis Vuitton locations. Given the mall’s expansion plans and proximity to Vancouver’s affluent West Side, more upscale tenants can be expected.

Toronto’s CF Toronto Eaton Centre ($1,509/square foot annual sales) features Lululemon and Apple stores, but lacks a Tiffany & Co. location. Louis Vuitton opened a 1,200 square foot concession last month within Saks Fifth Avenue, which occupies part of the mall’s Hudson’s Bay building. The centre is a hotbed of activity (being at Canada’s busiest pedestrian intersection) and on September 16 of this year, Nordstrom will open a 220,000 square foot flagship in space formerly occupied by Sears. Rumour has it that Apple will also open a replacement store in the centre — this time as a flagship location.

Edmonton’s Southgate Centre ($1,215/square foot annual sales) features Apple Store and Lululemon locations. The mall lacks Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton and Nordstrom stores. It’s unclear if any of these will open at the centre — Tiffany & Co. operates a successful location at West Edmonton Mall, and until recently Nordstrom was also in talks to open at Canada’s biggest centre. Although Louis Vuitton is said to be seeking suburban Edmonton space (to replace an existing downtown Holt Renfrew concession), sources say that Vuitton is unlikely to move into Southgate.

Calgary’s CF Chinook Centre ($1,119/square foot annual sales) has become increasingly upscale over the past several years. Nordstrom opened its first Canadian store at Chinook in the fall of 2014, and the mall now houses locations for Apple, Tiffany & Co. and Lululemon. We’re not aware of any plans to add Louis Vuitton to the mix, though rumours persist that Saks Fifth Avenue will open in the mall’s former Target space, possibly housing a Vuitton shop-in-store concession.

Mississauga’s Square One ($1,008/square foot annual sales) is also becoming substantially more upscale, and it recently opened a ‘luxury wing’ with several first-to-market tenants. The mall features locations for Apple and Lululemon, and in the summer of 2016, Tiffany & Co. will open a shop-in-store concession within the mall’s new 130,000 square foot Holt Renfrew flagship. Sources say that Louis Vuitton could also eventually join Square One’s retail mix with a concession at Holt’s.

Downtown Toronto’s Royal Bank Plaza retail component ($1,096/square foot annual sales) is remarkable because 1) it features none of the retailers discussed above, and 2) the centre operates only six days a week between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm Monday-Friday, and 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Saturdays. The Oxford Properties-managed centre houses a number of strong tenants to serve Canada’s financial district, including dapper American fashion retailer Brooks Brothers.

Holt Renfrew Reveals New Pacific Centre Details and Renderings

By

Craig Patterson

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March 22, 2016

Holt Renfrew has revealed new details and renderings for its CF Pacific Centre store in Vancouver. The store is being expanded by about 40,000 square feet, and will be completed in a series of phases over the next 12 months. Retail Insider Vancouver correspondent Helen Siwak attended the small press conference to get details on the store, which will feature an expanded assortment of luxury brands and amenities.

The existing 147,000 square foot Janson Goldstein-designed Pacific Centre Holt Renfrew originally opened in 2007, and it is being enlarged to almost 188,000 square feet by annexing adjacent space formerly occupied by a sports retailer. Many departments will be expanded, with about 80% of the existing store to be renovated. Approximately 80 new positions will be added as a result of the expansion. The store’s women’s leather goods and footwear departments will triple in size, while jewellery will expand by about 50%. The store will feature a new Beauty Lab, Nail Bar and Style Studio in its expanded ground-floor beauty hall.

A new Chanel flagship concession is currently under construction on the store’s ground floor. Other luxury shop-in-store concessions set to relocate and expand include Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., David Yurman, Gucci, Prada, Christian Dior, Tom Ford and Fendi. The new Fendi boutique will replace Chanel on the store’s third floor with a concession that will feature women’s ready-to-wear and furs.

The new Holt Renfrew Men store will also open this summer, and will draw inspiration from the freestanding Holt Renfrew Men location at 100 Bloor Street West in Toronto (which opened in the fall of 2014). Vancouver’s Holt Renfrew Men will feature a Howe Street entrance, and will include over a dozen new brands such as Rick Owens, Loewe, Amiri, Off White, Dries Van Noten, Officine Generale, Lardini and Wooster+Lardini, Stone Island, and Berluti.

The new Holts Café, designed by Toronto-based Yabu Pushelberg, will open in the summer. The 80 seat restaurant will feature fine dining, a bar and private dining room, with a West Coast-inspired décor and menu. Approximately 40 new positions will be added with the opening of Holts Café.

This year and into 2017, Holt’s will add a master tailor, shoeshine and sneaker cleaning to the store, as well as a Leather Artisan, which offers bespoke embossing details on any leather accessory and offers full service repair. The store will also feature a Jewellery & Watch service under the guidance of a certified watchmaker. We recently reported on Holt’s new Mississauga Square One location which opens this summer, and will also feature several of these new amenities.

The Vancouver store will eventually feature an impressive 7,000 square feet of personal shopping over two levels, including an expanded fourth floor Personal Shopping Area as well as two suites within Holt Renfrew Men. The ‘Apartment’ private shopping experience will be included in the Vancouver store, as well as a 4th floor patio overlooking Granville and Dunsmuir Streets.

Nordstrom Reveals New Yorkdale Store Details

By

Craig Patterson

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March 21, 2016

Nordstrom has revealed new details on its Yorkdale Shopping Centre store in Toronto, set to open on October 21, 2016. Included are details about its restaurants, departments and its new store manager.

According to Nordstrom, the store will employ about 850, which is the same number of staff anticipated to be working at the CF Toronto Eaton Centre flagship which opens on September 16. Yorkdale’s Nordstrom will feature the following services and amenities:

Personal Stylist
Beauty Stylist
Beauty Concierge
Mobile Checkout
Certified Shoe Fitters
Certified Bra Fitters
Family Restrooms
Mother’s Lounge
Complimentary Gift Boxes
Nordstrom Gift Cards
Debut Rewards
Free Wi-Fi

The store will feature three restaurant concepts: Bazille restaurant, Habitant lounge, and coffee concept ‘Ebar’. Bazille is the restaurant provider for Nordstrom’s Calgary and Ottawa stores, and Habitant lounge is featured at Nordstrom’s CF Pacific Centre flagship in Vancouver. Coffee concept Ebar is located in all Nordstrom stores. Last month we revealed that the Toronto Eaton Centre Nordstrom flagship will feature the Bistro Verde restaurant concept which debuted in Vancouver last September, as well as Habitant and Ebar.

Yorkdale’s Nordstrom will lack some departments featured in the Eaton Centre flagship, including Nordstrom’s ‘Space‘ department, which carries emerging and otherwise unrepresented international designers. Also absent will be Pop-In@Nordstrom (designer pop-up shops) as well as ‘Studio Services’, which assists costume designers and stylists create looks for film/TV show/commercials. The Yorkdale store will feature a roster of luxury designers in its various departments, we’re told, to compete with Yorkdale’s Holt Renfrew, which does exceptionally high sales volumes.

Nordstrom’s Yorkdale store manager will be Brynn Herthel-Conn, who has extensive experience with the company’s California operations. As well, media sources don’t appear to have yet reported that Todd Buntin will run the Eaton Centre flagship.

The Yorkdale store (as well as all Canadian Nordstrom stores) is being designed by Seattle-based Callison Architecture, and it will feature clean, single-surface flooring throughout to provide flexibility to adjust and evolve departments. Natural light will flood the store through ample windows.

Yorkdale’s Nordstrom store will span 196,000 square feet, making it the company’s third largest Canadian store. Nordstrom’s largest Canadian store, which opened in September of 2015 in Vancouver, measures about 230,000 square feet. Nordstrom’s CF Toronto Eaton Centre flagship, will span about 220,000 square feet over three floors, according to Nordstrom.

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.

Inside Saks OFF 5TH’s 1st Canadian Store [Photos]

By

Craig Patterson

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March 21, 2016

Saks OFF 5th Vaughan Mills (Image: Norman Katz)

Saks Fifth Avenue‘s off-price division Saks OFF 5TH opened its first Canadian locations last week in southern Ontario. We’ve got photos from the opening of the retailer’s Vaughan Mills location.

Although not nearly as glamorous and attractive as Saks Fifth Avenue’s full-priced Toronto stores, Saks OFF 5TH features a considerable number of designers at a variety of price-points.

The Vaughan Mills OFF 5TH replaces Home Outfitters which, until recently, occupied the 34,994 square foot retail space. Both Saks and Home Outfitters are under the Hudson’s Bay Company ownership umbrella.

Saks OFF 5TH also opened locations last week at Toronto Premium Outlets west of Toronto, and at the Outlet Collection at Niagara in Niagara-on-the-Lake. This week (Thursday, March 24) Canada’s fourth Saks OFF 5TH opens at Ottawa’s Tanger Outlets Ottawa.

Vaughan Mills Leasing Map (Image: Ivanhoe Cambridge)

SAKS OFF 5TH ENTRANCE FROM WITHIN THE MALL. (PHOTO: NORMAN KATZ)

Saks has already confirmed 11 Canadian locations, and it plans to open up to 25 Canadian stores by the end of the decade. In the fall of this year, OFF 5TH will open locations at Calgary’s CrossIron Mills, suburban Vancouver’s Tsawwassen Mills, and in downtown Ottawa within the Hudson’s Bay building. In the spring of 2017, OFF 5TH opens at Quebec City’s Place Ste-Foy and at Winnipeg’s Outlet Collection Winnipeg. In the fall of 2018, Canada’s largest OFF 5TH (45,000 square feet) opens at Montreal Eaton Centre and it’s unclear when the Premium Outlets Montreal store will open, though it’s confirmed.

Saks Fifth Avenue opened its first two Canadian stores last month. The Canadian flagship, which opened February 18 and measures about 170,000 square feet, is located within the Hudson’s Bay building at CF Toronto Eaton Centre. A second 143,000 square foot Saks location opened a week later at CF Sherway Gardens.

See below for more photos.

SAKS OFF 5TH (PHOTO: BRUCE WINDER, RETAIL ADVISORS NETWORK)

Matt & Nat to Open 1st Freestanding Store

By

Craig Patterson

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March 20, 2016

Montreal-based eco-friendly accessory fashion brand Matt & Nat will open its first freestanding boutique this spring. The store could be the first of several Canadian locations, and the brand has secured brokerage Oberfeld Snowcap to handle its Canadian store expansion.

Matt & Nat (short for “material” and “nature”) was founded in Montreal 1995, and is known for not using leather or any other animal-based materials in its bag and accessory designs. Since 2007, it has been committed to using linings only made out of 100% recycled plastic bottles, and it also recently introduced recycled bicycle tires to its collections. The brand has also expanded to also include footwear designs and until now, has wholesaled in other retailers.

Matt & Nat’s first store in the world will open this spring at CF Carrefour Laval, just north of Montreal. According to a lease plan obtained by Retail Insider’s Montreal correspondent Maxime Frechette, Carrefour Laval’s Matt & Nat will be almost 1,000 square feet in size, and will be located next to the mall’s La Maison Simons store.

According to Oberfeld Snowcap, Matt & Nat is looking for retail space in enclosed malls in the 500 square foot to 1,000 square foot range for any future Canadian locations.

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

Zumiez Opening 7 Canadian Locations in 2016

Masonville Place to See Substantial Overhaul

Chocolats Favoris Plans Major Store Expansion & Flagship

‘Canada’s Shave Shop’ Plans National Expansion

Ladurée Opens 1st Canadian Location [Photos]

Canada’s Top Malls Share Several Key Tenants

Holt Renfrew Reveals New Pacific Centre Details and Renderings

Nordstrom Reveals New Yorkdale Store Details

Inside Saks OFF 5TH’s 1st Canadian Store [Photos]

See below for more photos.

Matt & Nat to Open 1st Freestanding Store

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