American candle and gift retailer Yankee Candle Company continues to expand its Canadian store network by opening new locations. Last year we revealed that the Massachusetts-based company plans to open over 50 Canadian locations, and has confirmed plans for several new locations within the next year.
Founded in 1969, Yankee Candle is America’s largest manufacturer and retailer of scented candles. It also retails candleholders, accessories, and dinnerware in its over 575 stores. Its products are sold in thousands of gift shops in the United States as well as through catalogs and online. It has stores in all 50 American states, with most locations measuring under 1,000 square feet. In 2013, its revenues were in excess of US $844 million.
According to Developers & Chains, Yankee Candle will add a further three to five Canadian stores in 2015, adding to its eight current Canadian stores. It recently opened stores at Bramalea City Centre in suburban Toronto, as well as at White Oaks Mall in London, Ontario. Currently, all Canadian stores are located in suburban malls in Southern Ontario. The retailer continues to search for Canadian locations in larger regional fashion malls, ideally in the 900 square foot range. Its store location search is being handled by broker Catherine Conte, Vice President and Real Estate Representative at Toronto-based brokerage Marino Locations Limited.
To reach its goal of 50 or more Canadian locations, Yankee Candle will no doubt be aggressively seeking more retail space coast-to-coast.
Winnipeg’s first H&M location opens today at Winnipeg’s Polo Park Shopping Centre. The long awaited 25,000 square foot store is located off the mall’s Centre Court, in a wing anchored by Hudson’s Bay. Several retailers were relocated to make room for H&M.
Lease plan: Cadillac Fairview
At 25,000 square feet, Polo Park’s H&M is one of Canada’s largest. As a comparison, Canada’s largest H&M store measures 33,057 square feet at the Toronto Eaton Centre. The second-largest is West Edmonton Mall‘s 31,700 square foot location, which recently renovated to include Canada’s first H&M Home Store.
We initially expected Polo Park’s H&M to open in part of a former Zellers store space, and we were incorrect with that assumption. The Zellers space has been subdivided into multiple CRU’s and will include retailers such as Pandora, Anthropologie, Fossil, Disney, Nine West, Urban Outfitters, Thomas Sabo, Mexx, Sunglass Hut, Bench and Swarovski, among others. The expansion opens this fall.
H&M currently operates 70 Canadian locations coast-to-coast, according to its website. It recently celebrated 10 years of operations in Canada. Canada’s first H&M store opened on March 11th, 2004 at Toronto’s Fairview Mall. The 12,000 square foot store was met with much fanfare and a week later its second Canadian location opened at The Promenade in Thornhill, just north of Toronto. Canada’s largest H&M location opened in the fall of 2004 at the Toronto Eaton Centre.
The University of Alberta School of Retailing is hosting the Nominate Your Manager Award, in partnership with jobpostings.ca. Retail store staff may nominate their manager by writing a 500 word essay explaining why their manager is exceptional. The winning manager will win a trip for two to Mexico, and the winning store staff will receive a $500 prize.
Store staff should submit their essay by September 15th to retail@ualberta.ca. Nominees should ideally be in Alberta so as to be able to attend the School of Retailing’s 23rd annual Henry Singer Awards on October 8th.
The Nominate Your Manager Award is an effort to bring awareness to and show appreciation for retail management level positions, and is part of the School of Retailing’s Retail Week event which we discussed in a separate article yesterday.
Holt Renfrew will reportedly grow the size of its Calgary store by expanding upwards. Part of an unused 25,500 square foot fourth level will become accessible via a new staircase from the store’s third level men’s store. Holt Renfrew will also expand the store’s menswear, women’s footwear and accessories areas.
According to lease plans provided by landlord 20 Vic Management, Holt Renfrew occupies a total of almost 147,000 square feet in Calgary. Adding a fourth level will expand the store’s retail area by about 20% to about 120,000 square feet.
Opening in early 2015, the store’s fourth floor will become home to a licensed 2,500 square foot restaurant/cafe with a capacity of 60 patrons, overlooking the CORE shopping centre’s massive skylight. Holt Renfrew currently operates restaurants at its Toronto (Bloor Street), Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Montreal and Edmonton locations. A restaurant/cafe will also eventually open in Holt’s expanded Vancouver store.
HOLT RENFREW’S SHUTTERED 4TH FLOOR WILL BECOME ACCESSIBLE TO SHOPPERS AS PART OF THE CALGARY STORE’S EXPANSION.
Holt Renfrew president Mark Derbyshire confirms that Holt’s will expand its Calgary women’s footwear department by about 20%, adding several designer boutiques. Holt’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre store, considered a prototype for future Holt Renfrew renovations, features footwear shops-in-store for luxury brands Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, Gucci and Salvatore Ferragamo.
Few details are known on the store’s expanded accessories area, though it already carries a substantial number of luxury brand concessions. Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Hermes and Tiffany & Co. are among the store’s shop-in-stores, and more could be added with the expansion. Its Yorkdale store, for example, recently added new shops for Christian Dior, Miu Miu and De Beers.
The Calgary store’s menswear department, currently located on the store’s third floor, will also be expanded by about 40%. We’ll report more when we learn what’s planned, as it appears that Holt Renfrew is looking to gain market share from upscale menswear retailer Harry Rosen, which operates a massive 30,650 square foot store in the same shopping complex.
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CALGARY'S EXPANDED HOLT RENFREW WILL FEATURE A LICENSED RESTAURANT/CAFE ON ITS NEWLY OPENED 4TH FLOOR. THIS PHOTO IS OF THE CAFÉ AT HOLT'S IN TORONTO. PHOTO: HOLT RENFREW
THE STORE'S WOMEN'S FOOTWEAR SALON WILL BE EXPANDED SUBSTANTIALLY, INCLUDING THE ADDITION OF SEVERAL DESIGNER SHOPS-IN-STORES. PHOTO: HOLT RENFREW.
THE STORE'S MENSWEAR DEPARTMENT WILL BE EXPANDED BY ABOUT 40%. PHOTO: JANSON GOLDSTEIN
A 1,000 SQUARE FOOT LUXURY SHOPPING 'APARTMENT' WILL BE FEATURED AS PART OF HOLT RENFREW'S CALGARY STORE EXPANSION. PHOTO: JANSON GOLDSTEIN.
Holt Renfrew will add a 1,000 square foot luxury shopping ‘Apartment’, in addition to expanding its current 2,800 square foot personal shopping suites. When completed, both areas will occupy about 4,100 square feet. These will differentiate Calgary’s Holt Renfrew from the city’s Nordstrom store, which will lack dedicated shopping suites in its new Chinook Centre location. The ‘Apartment’ concept will be added to Holt’s Vancouver and Bloor Street stores, joining an existing location at its prototype Yorkdale store. Opening in early 2015, The Apartment will offer full wardrobe care and personal styling services, spa services, as well as an area to dine.
Holt Renfrew will reportedly hire an additional 50 staff as part of the expansion, adding to the store’s 270 staff. Interestingly, Calgary’s 140,000 square foot Nordstrom store, opening next week, will house about 530 employees.
Calgary’s current Holt Renfrew location opened in the fall of 2009, replacing a 43,000 square foot unit across the street. Holt Renfrew has operated Calgary locations since the 1950’s, save for a period in the late 1980’s when it shuttered a former Penny Lane location to eventually open its location at the Calgary Eaton Centre. At one time, Holt Renfrew also had a relatively small location at Calgary’s Chinook Centre, when the retailer operated substantially more smaller stores in various markets across Canada.
We’re honoured to be taking part in this year’s Retail Week, hosted by the University of Alberta School of Retailing in Edmonton. The event takes place between October 4 and October 10, and will will include networking, recruiting and celebratory activities for students and the retail industry.
Alberta is becoming a hot spot for international retailers looking to expand into Canada. Benefitting from Canada’s strongest economy, Alberta has seen record-setting retail sales growth from a burgeoning young population with a remarkably high disposable income and low unemployment rate.
Alberta is home to Canada’s first Nordstrom store, opening next week (Friday, September 19) at Calgary’s Chinook Centre. North America’s’s largest mall, West Edmonton Mall, is undergoing changes and we’re told that several new upscale retailers will join its tenant mix. Improvements are being made in both downtown Calgary and Edmonton, including new retail, office and residential projects.
University of Alberta School of Retailing is at the forefront of retail trends, preparing Canada’s brightest retail industry-focused students for careers in the industry. We’ll periodically report on what’s happening with the School of Retailing, including updates on its spectacular new office which is scheduled to open this November at the university’s HUB Mall.
Tomorrow we’ll discuss the School of retailing’s contest, Nominate Your Manager, where retail store staff may nominate their manager for an award. The winning manager wins a trip for two to Mexico, and the winning store staff wins $500 for submitting the nomination.
Loding’s second Toronto location will be at First Canadian Place, in the heart of the city’s Financial District. Photo: Wikipedia
Upscale French menswear brand Loding will open its second Canadian location this November at Toronto’s First Canadian Place. Toronto will be the only city in North America to feature a Loding store and, remarkably, this will be Toronto’s second Loding location. More North American locations could follow, however, as its Toronto-based franchise holder also owns the brand’s rights for all of North America.
Loding price list. Click image to enlarge.
North America’s first Loding store opened in February at 133 Avenue Road in Toronto’s upscale Yorkville area. The 1,100 square foot boutique is a proven success according to sources, warranting a second Toronto location — this time in the heart of the city’s bustling Financial District.
Loding was founded in 1998 in Paris, and has grown to over 70 stores worldwide. It features men’s shoes, shirts, ties, belts and other accessories, as well as shoe care. The store is unique in how it prices its products: the company doesn’t participate in promotions or sales/discounts, so prices in the store will be the same year-round. The company also practices the idea of ‘one price by type of article’. For example, in Canada all men’s dress shoes cost $315 while all shirts are $95 and socks are $20. The full price list for the store is provided to the right.
According to Loding’s website: “Our original concept is based on giving our customers the highest quality at the most competitive price.”
Loding’s Toronto Facebook Page is hinting that more Canadian locations could follow. We’ll update this article when we learn more of any possible Canadian expansion plans.
The countdown is on for the grand opening of Canada’s first Nordstrom store, which opens at 9:30am on Friday, September 19. If you’re looking to beat the crowds, Nordstrom is hosting an early morning ‘Beauty Bash’ beginning two hours prior to the store’s opening. Between 7:30 am and 9:30 am, Nordstrom will host an event profiling the expansive beauty department of its new Chinook Centre store.
Nordstrom Beauty and Fragrance Director, Debra Redmond, will give the inside scoop on new products and trends, profiling the store’s top names in beauty products. Complimentary consultations and demonstrations will be provided and according to Nordstrom, there will be some ‘surprises’. Interested shoppers can meet at the store’s main entrance, and for more information you may call (800) 967-0592.
We’ll be attending Nordstrom’s sold-out charity gala on the evening of Wednesday, September 17th. Later the following day, we’ll post some photos of the new 140,000 square foot store, as well as our impression of what Nordstrom has planned for its Canadian locations. Chinook Centre’s Nordstrom is the first of six confirmed Canadian stores, with locations to follow in Ottawa (Rideau Centre, opening March 6, 2015), Vancouver (Pacific Centre, opening September 18, 2015) and Toronto (Three locations: Toronto Eaton Centre, opening fall 2016, Yorkdale Shopping Centre, opening fall of 2016, and Sherway Gardens, opening in the spring of 2017).
Below is a comprehensive description of what will be featured in Nordstrom’s Beauty Bash:
AMORE PACIFIC: Stop by for a customized skincare consultation and mini facial. Plus, with your purchase of $300 or more from the line, take home a 5-piece gift including deluxe samples of Time Response Eye Renewal Crème, Time Response Intensive Hand Renewal Crème, Line Revolution Firming Neck Crème, Treatment Cleansing Foam and Time Response Skin Renewal Crème inside a gold cosmetic bag.
ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS: Discover your perfect brow shape, and get a makeup bag with brow stencils with your $85 purchase from the line.
ARMANI BEAUTY: The Brand National Makeup Artists will be there to give personalized skincare consultations and to sample our Prive collection. Plus, with your $150 Armani purchase, you’ll receive a sleek cosmetics pouch with four deluxe samples.
BIOTHERM: Receive a skincare consultation, plus receive a 5-piece ‘Beauty From the Deep’ gift that includes deluxe sizes of Biosource Exfoliating Gel, Biosource Toner, Blue Therapy Serum, Blue Therapy Cream and Biaomains with your $55 Biotherm purchase. And when you purchase $75 from the line, you’ll take home a Lait Corporel.
BOBBI BROWN: Their makeup lessons are customized for your individual needs, and empower you to become your very own makeup artist. When you purchase $150 from the line, you’ll take home a Bobbi ‘Go To’ gift that includes our Classic Lip Palette and Mini Extreme Party Mascara in Black. And with your $250 purchase, get a mini foundation brush and deluxe BB Cream in your shade.
BUTTER LONDON: Check out this season’s hottest nail lacquer hues, and receive a cosmetics bag with mirror and a fashion-size lacquer with your $50 butter LONDON purchase.
CHANEL: The Brand National Makeup Artists will be here to give complimentary consultations—and with any CHANEL purchase, you’ll get a Prestige Miniature of BLEU Eau de Toilette, a CHANEL notebook and a sample of Le Volume Mascara.
CLARINS: Join their Regional Makeup Trainer and Artistry Team to learn the latest makeup tips and receive a DNA skincare consultation. Plus, with your $75 Clarins purchase you’ll get a tote bag with 6 trial-size products, including Gentle Foaming Cleanser, Extra-Firming Lift Botanical Serum, Body Lift, Extra-Firming Day Cream and a Mascara Wonder Volume—with your $100 purchase you’ll take home a full-size lip gloss in Prodige 02.
CLARISONIC: Stop by to see their experts demonstrate how Clarisonic can cleanse your skin 6 times more effectively than using your hands alone. And with your purchase of a Clarisonic device, you’ll recieve a cosmetics travel bag— with your $230 purchase, you’ll also receive a brush head.
CLINIQUE: Attend one of the brand ‘Smart Sessions’ where you’ll learn about the new Smart Custom Repair Serum and how it benefits your complexion. Plus with your $75 Clinique purchase, you’ll get a 7-piece gift including Dramatically Different Moisture Lotion, Take the Day Off, All About Eyes ‘Rich,’ Repairwear Uplifting, All About Shadow Duo, Different Lipstick and High Impact Mascara.
DIOR: Work with one of their National Artists to create the perfect smoky eye for day and night. Take home a sleek pouch containing Deluxe One Essential, a Mini Mascara and a deluxe-size sample of J’Adore fragrance with your $150 Dior purchase.
ESTÉE LAUDER: Their Regional Artistry Team will be here to teach you the latest techniques of the season with our 3-minute beauty basics. Plus, with your $40 Lauder purchase you’ll take home a cosmetics clutch, Advanced Night Repair, Sumptuous Mascara, Nutritious Cleanser, and your choice of moisturizer, 10-pan mini Eye Shadow and Lipstick.
GUERLAIN: See what’s new for fall with our National Artist team, plus get a Météorites Home Fragrance packaged in our emblematic Les Exclusifs line bottle with your $150 Guerlain purchase. With your $250 purchase, enjoy a nude, leather-like pouch decorated with a pale gold knot and double-G metallic charm.
KIEHL’S SINCE 1851: Receive 3 deluxe-size custom samples as the brand gift with your skincare consultation.
LA MER: Learn the secrets of La Mer’s Miracle Broth while getting a mini express facial and skincare consult from our experts. And with your $400 La Mer purchase, you’ll get a 5-piece token of appreciation that includes deluxe sizes of Crème Cleansing Foam, Tonic, Hand Treatment and a cosmetics bag.
LANCÔME: Get ‘got-to-have-it’ lashes with their new Grandiose Mascara, and receive an 8-piece gift with your $36 Lancôme purchase including your choice of Serum or Face and Eye Care Duo; and Blush or Lip Color—it also includes Bi-Facil Double Action Eye Makeup Remover, Hypnôse Drama Mascara and an exclusive cosmetics bag. Plus with your purchase of $95 or more, get a 200 ml Nutrix Royal Body Lotion.
LAURA MERCIER: Achieve Laura’s signature flawless look with the help of our National Artistry team. With a purchase of $95 from the line, you’ll get a 5-piece gift that includes deluze-size samples of Moisture Crème, Primer SPF 30, Face Polish, Desert Rose Glace and a cosmetics bag.
M•A•C: Learn the tips and techniques to creating a beautifully sculpted and perfectly defined look for fall.
NARS: It’s the brand 20th Anniversary! Come celebrate with their Stylist Team and discover how to create a richly dimensional day look or an after-dark smokey eye. Plus, you’ll receive a mini Blush in Orgasm with your purchase of $125 or more from the line.
PHYTO: Get fantastic hair tips from the brand experts, plus take home a deluxe compact mirror with any Phyto purchase. And when you purchase $50 from the line, you’ll get a 50 ml Phytovolume Actif.
SARA HAPP: Want perfect lips? Stop by at their counter to get a complimentary lip facial from a Sara Happ expert.
SHISEIDO: Stop by to experience their Handy Skin Sensor and iPad skin analysis with a multi-defense immunity indicator. Plus with your $43 purchase from the line, you’ll receive a 6-piece gift that includes deluxe-size samples of Benefiance Extra Creamy Cleansing Foam, Benefiance Wrinkle Resist 24 Balancing Softener, Bio-Performance Advanced Super Restoring Cream, Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate, Perfect Rouge Lipstickin RD142 Sublime and a cosmetics pouch.
T3: Their experts will be giving hair demonstrations with our Styling tools. And when make a T3 purchase, you’ll take home a Troumaline Brush, T3 bag and fasion hair ties.
YVES SAINT LAURENT: Join the National Makeup Artists for a customized skincare consultation and Forever Youth Liberator sampling. Plus, you’ll receive a chic cosmetics pouch with 4 deluxe-size samples with your purchase of $150 or more.
FINE FRAGRANCES: Receive a cosmetics pouch with your purchase of a large spray from any of our participating collections, including: Chloé, Balenciaga, Bottega Venetta or Marc Jacobs.
DIPTYQUE: Enjoy the distinctive fragrances of Parisian artistry in the brand legendary candles. With any $165 purchase, receive a deluxe-size mini Rose candle.
DOLCE & GABBANA: Receive a Dolce & Gabbana ‘Light Blue’ Body Cream with your purchase of any large ‘Light Blue’ spray.
JO MALONE: Discover brand new scent, Wood Sage & Sea Salt, and learn the art of combining the different scents of Jo Malone—which can be worn solo or layered for truly individual effects. With a $190 purchase, receive deluxe-size samples of Nectarine Blossom & Honey and English Pear & Freesia cologne in a leather pouch.
TOM FORD PRIVATE BLEND: Enjoy customized dramming from the private blend box.
Canadian-founded luxury fashion brand Ports 1961 has closed its last Canadian boutique, located on the third floor of Montreal’s Ogilvy department store. Its other two Canadian locations closed earlier last year. The storied brand struggled to gain market share in Canada, despite its considerable success around the world, especially in China.
Canada’s last Ports 1961 location was in Montreal’s Ogilvy.
In the United States, Ports 1961 continues to operate a boutique in New York City, as well as outlet stores in Chicago and in Livermore, California.
Update: Ports 1961 hasn’t exited Canada entirely, we’ve learned, since we originally publishing this article. Samson Yuen pointed out that it continues to operate an outlet at the Toronto Premium Outlets. The Ports 1961 website, however, doesn’t include this outlet on its list of North American locations. A call to the outlet confirms that it’s business as usual.
The brand started in Toronto in 1961, and was originally called Newport Canada. In 1988, Canadian twins Dan and Dean Caten started designing for Ports, at that time called Ports International. The brothers are now world-renowned for their Italy-based fashion label, DSquared2. Ports International opened free-standing store locations across Canada (and internationally), as well as shops within department stores such as Eaton’s. In 1994, the label left Canada and became a major fashion label in China. It currently operates over 350 stores in China, was well as in Hong Kong and Macau. In 2004, the label changed its name to Ports 1961 and became headquartered in New York City.
The following is a list of 30 retailers which are either new to Canada, or expanding their operations nationally. The list was compiled by Vancouver-based Peregrine, which custom designs and fabricates retail, display, furniture and architectural features for some of the country’s top retailers.
This list will be updated and expanded in the coming weeks. To have your retailer added to this list, email Craig Patterson at: insider@retail-insider.com
Upscale New York City-based department store Bloomingdale’s may still be interested in opening in Canada, according to sources. The retailer has yet to find “the right real estate” in Toronto, though it has been reportedly scouting for space in Canada’s largest city, according to Women’s Wear Daily. If Bloomingdale’s does open Canadian locations, it will face intense competition from the likes of Holt Renfrew as well as American retailers Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom, both opening multiple Canadian locations over the next several years.
Sources inform us that Bloomingdale’s has been examining Canadian real estate for the past several years, with landlords of many top malls courting the retailer. We were told that Ivanhoe Cambridge, for example, was interested in having Bloomingdale’s anchor the southern portion of its expanded Oakridge Shopping Centre in Vancouver. Bloomingdale’s representatives have spoken to multiple Toronto landlords as well, according to sources. Other mall landlords have been in talks with the retailer though as far as we’re aware, no deals have been reached.
BLOOMINGDALE’S IN CHESTNUT HILL, MA. PHOTO: WWW.CALLISON.COM
Bloomingdale’s currently has 37 American store locations, as well as a store in Dubai. Bloomingdale’s may hasten its international store expansion by building smaller stores in the 80,000 to 100,000 square foot range, according to Women’s Wear Daily. Smaller Bloomingdale’s stores already exist in Manhattan (Soho) as well as in Santa Monica, California. Its new stores in Palo Alto and Glendale, California, both measure only 120,000 square feet.
If Bloomingdale’s chooses to open in Canada, it will face intense competition from two other upscale American department stores, both expanding nation-wide. Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue plan to open seven or eight Canadian locations over the next several years. Nordstrom’s first store will open this month at Calgary’s Chinook Centre, with further store locations confirmed for Vancouver, Ottawa, and Toronto. Saks Fifth Avenue will open two Toronto stores in 2016, and sources say the retailer wants to open locations in Vancouver, Montreal and possibly in Calgary.
BLOOMINGDALE’S IN CHESTNUT HILL, MA. PHOTO: WWW.CALLISON.COM
Furthermore, Holt Renfrew is renovating and expanding its fleet of Canadian stores, concentrating on operating 100,000+ square foot units, while closing smaller underperforming locations. Upscale menswear retailer Harry Rosen continues to be Canada’s top menswear retailer, with plans to renovate and expand many of it stores. The Canadian luxury goods market could become oversatured as a result of this competition, and Bloomingdale’s may wish to seriously evaluate the market before considering any Canadian locations.
