Danish men’s fashion brand Lindbergh plans to open between 20 and 25 Canadian stores over the next several years. It has retained Oakmont Real Estate Services to spearhead its real estate search.
The Lindbergh brand is owned by parent company PWT Brands, and is headquartered in Aalborg, Denmark. Lindbergh operates over 300 retail locations worldwide, primarily in Europe and in the United States. Its collections are primarily of natural fibres such as wool, linen and cotton. Designs are simple and minimalistic and where prints are used, they are discrete. The Canadian Lindbergh stores will carry the brand’s three men’s collections, described as follows:
1) Lindbergh White: A formal fashion collection featuring shirts, suits, jackets and knits, 2) Lindbergh Black: A formal, preppy and classic line featuring shirts, suits, jackets and knits as well as accessories from socks to shoes to scarves, and 3) Lindbergh Blue: A rugged casual line, inspired by Americana and aviator Charles Lindbergh, with designs that are sporty and army-influenced. Products include causal shirts, t-shirts and jackets.
PHOTO: RETAILDESIGNBLOG.NET
Lindbergh is looking to open between 20 and 25 Canadian stores over the next three to five years, according to Oakmont Real Estate Services. Locations will ideally be in enclosed shopping centres, high streets and outlet centres. For enclosed malls and high streets, Lindbergh seeks space in the 1,500 to 2,000 square foot range. In outlet centres, Lindbergh stores will typically be in the 3,000 to 3,500 square foot range.
Italian luxury brand Prada has revealed renderings of its 8,200 square foot Vancouver flagship, which opens on March 11. The impressive new store will occupy the southeast corner of Alberni Street and Thurlow Street (1098 Alberni Street) in the city’s ‘Luxury Zone’, and was designed by Studio Baciocchi, Italian-registered architect.
The store will feature two retail selling levels. Sources say that the ground floor (which will have two entrances) will feature leather goods, bags, women’s shoes and women’s travel collection, and that the second floor will feature men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, men’s shoes, and men’s travel collection.
The store will feature marble black-and-white chequered flooring (not unlike Bloomingdale’s). It will also feature Verner Panton-designed Clover Leaf sofas and crystal display counters, according to Prada. The store’s second-level men’s department will feature ostrich leather sofas as well as ebony flooring and walls, as well as metal and crystal display units.
Canada’s first Michael Jordan Brand store is about to open at Toronto’s Atrium. Parent company Nike has provided photos for this article.
The store opens at exactly 6:23 am on Friday, February 12, and will remain open 24 hours a day until Monday, February 15 at 6:23 pm for the NBA All-Star Weekend.
The store occupies 15,000 square feet on the ground and concourse levels of the Atrium. The concourse level features ‘306 Underground’, a ‘VIP area’ offering services such as personal shopping, customization, early product reservations, and even a barber. The store also goes by the name of its street address, ‘306 Yonge’.
“306 YONGE, Canada’s first Jordan only retail location, opening at Atrium, provides consumers with the ultimate Jordan Brand experience in Toronto,” said Mike Parker, President of MPA, on behalf of H&R REIT. “306 YONGE will open during All- Star Weekend and will offer Jordan fans, residents and visitors the most premium assortment of Jordan sneakers in the world.” H&R REIT owns and operates Atrium, which is a mixed-use development directly north of CF Toronto Eaton Centre.
Square One’s Holt Renfrew will be larger than originally anticipated, spanning in excess of 130,000 square feet. When it opens, it will be the company’s fourth-largest store, following Holt’s 185,000 square foot Bloor Street flagship, its 147,000 square foot Calgary store, and its 146,000 square foot Vancouver flagship. Towards the end of the decade, Holt’s will open a combined Ogilvy/Holt Renfrew store in Montreal measuring 220,000 square feet, and its Bloor Street and Vancouver flagships will also see considerable expansions.
The Mississauga store’s two-story facade will feature glass curtain wall interspersed with grey graphite stone and 15 foot wide display windows. Its interior will feature soaring ceilings up to 30 feet in height, atriums, an open staircase, natural light, and unobstructed sight-lines across the store’s 90,000 square foot main floor.
The store will feature a roster of designer brands, including a number of shop-in-stores. Tiffany & Co. is now confirmed to be a concession inside of Holt’s, bringing the New York City-based jewellery brand to Mississauga for the first time. Holt’s has also revealed that its Square One store will feature designers Gucci, Prada, Miu Miu, Valentino, Derek Lam, Akris, Max Mara, Hugo Boss, Stella McCartney, Acne, Kenzo, Moncler, See by Chloe, Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Aquazurra, and Stuart Weitzman and others, though it didn’t clarify in what product categories.
The store will also feature some impressive services, including a master tailor, shoeshine and sneaker cleaning, concierge, valet and more. Unique to the Square One store will be a ‘Leather Artisan’ — a resident expert who will “elevate the customer experiences with bespoke embossing details on any leather accessory and offer full-service repair”, according to Holt’s. The store will also feature an impressive jewellery and watch service area, under the guidance of certified watchmakers.
More than 2,500 square feet on the Square One store’s mezzanine level will be dedicated to personal shopping, including Holt Renfrew’s second ‘Apartment‘ — its private luxury shopping suite. Also located on the second level, overlooking the store, will be a 2,000 square foot Holt’s Café.
Toronto-based fashion merchandising firm J2 Merchandising is expanding its operations into all of North America, as the company continues to grow and work with top retailers. Founded by the highly-experienced team of Jodie Wolfe and Jackeline Varela, J2 Merchandising addresses an ever-increasingly important need for bricks-and-mortar retailers.
Shari Waters once said: “Visual merchandising is the art of implementing effective design ideas to increase store traffic and sales volume”. It’s now more important than ever, and J2 Merchandising co-founder Jodie Wolfe explained how strong merchandising can enhance retail sales, while poor merchandising can negatively affect store productivity. In an age of e-commerce and increased competition, retailers need to entertain and inspire consumers, with the in-store experience and enhanced window and other displays being more important now than ever, said co-founder Jackeline Varela.
Ms. Wolfe and Ms. Varela act as a team, developing and building the visual look and feel of fashion retail spaces and products. They each have over 20 years of merchandising experience, and have held executive positions with top design companies in North America. Many retailers they’ve worked with say they won’t go anywhere else — after J2 Merchandising works on stores, sales often increase substantially. The company employs some of the most talented retail and merchandising experts in Canada, led by J2 Merchandising’s experienced founders.
The company is expanding its operations into the United States this month, beginning with a foothold in New York State. J2 Merchandising will subsequently move into various other markets as it acquires new, national clients.
Ms. Varela explained the complexities of brick-and-mortar retailing, and how her company offers personalized services which includes setting/resetting shelving displays, pricing and tagging/re-ticketing products, ordering goods and placing reorders when necessary, training sales staff, conducting inventory of stock, implementing content management systems, negotiating prices with suppliers, producing sales projections, obtaining feedback data from consumers and store staff, analyzing sales information, stockroom sweeps, and even planogram resets for mid-season changes and new production releases. Many retailers struggle because they lack these and other skills.
A recent study by industry trade publication Retail Info Systems News found that only 3.7% of retailers have accurate planograms in place. That can affect the store at every level, though third-party merchandisers such as J2 Merchandising can solve these issues by training staff, creating consistent and informative marketing displays, creating reliable merchandising systems, and initiating accountable audit and problem solving services. Ms. Wolfe noted that with proper planning and implementation retailers can see tremendous financial success and growth, while also engaging with consumers and enhancing brand reputation.
Toronto’s Yonge Street will continue to see an influx of national and international retailers move into the area, according to a brokerage working extensively in the area. Saks Fifth Avenue is about to open its Canadian flagship and in September, Nordstrom will open its Toronto flagship in part of the former Sears space at CF Toronto Eaton Centre. Although much of the existing retail space reflects Yonge Street’s gritty past, the street is set to transform as new retailers and development takes place along the strip.
Next Thursday, February 18, Saks Fifth Avenue will open its Canadian flagship at the southeastern end of CF Toronto Eaton Centre’s Hudson’s Bay building. The 163,000 square foot Saks store will span four levels. The store’s basement level will feature a luxurious grocery store operated by Pusateri’s Fine Foods (opening mid-April), and Saks will occupy three levels above. With windows along Yonge Street, Queen Street West and Richmond Street West, Saks will boast almost 600 feet of street frontage.
Nordstrom will open its Toronto flagship on September 16, 2016 at the north end of CF Toronto Eaton Centre. The 213,000 square foot three-level store will be visible from busy Yonge-Dundas Square, and will feature almost 300 feet of frontage along Yonge Street. The store will no doubt be busy, with some predicting that it will be one of Nordstrom’s top-performers.
According to Ashlar Urban Realty Sales Representative Brandon Gorman, the addition of Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue will elevate Yonge Street, particularly between Queen Street (where Saks is going) and Dundas Street (near Nordstrom). Yonge Street north of Dundas will also evolve greatly in the near future with substantial residential intensification taking place from Gerrard Street north to Bloor Street. Many of these residential development sites will create new, larger format opportunities for retailers to enter the market and service the growing urban population base at a lower cost than CF Toronto Eaton Centre”.
Ashlar Urban has a number of retail properties available in the immediate area, which is increasingly seeing interest from a variety of retailers. The magnificent three-level retail space at 229 Yonge Street, for example, features 16,571 square feet with 200 feet of frontage along Yonge Street and Shuter Streets. That property has seen interest from multiple retailers seeking flagship space in the city.
Mr. Gorman noted that retailers also paying more attention to Yonge Street north of Dundas , as the entire area continues to evolve. Ashlar Urban Realty has a 1,700 square foot retail space available at 512 Yonge Street between Grosvenor Street and Breadalbane Street, a short-term 1,764 square foot opportunity at 480 YongeStreet, and a second-floor 4,542 retail space at 401 Yonge Street (near the corner of Gerrard Street). Click each link for a full PDF package.
Other retail experts are also weighing in on Yonge Street’s latest transformation, particularly with the addition of Nordstrom and Saks. Antony Karabus, CEO of HRC Advisory, said: “I expect CF Toronto Eaton Centre will add new and some more upscale retailers over time as Saks and Nordstrom start operating in 2016 in that area. Retail rental rates have already risen so much in that shopping centre that many traditional mid-priced retailers with lower productivity and lower average unit retail prices are learning that they cannot profitably operate there. The anticipated large number of new residents in the area due to the enormous wave of new condo buildings, both those already built and many others that are in the process of being built between Bloor and Queen, will steadily demand both better restaurants and better shopping in that area over time. We don’t see it happening overnight but rather gradually over time as the area transforms”.
As Yonge Street continues to evolve, retailers will continue to move into the area. Ashlar Urban Realty is continuing to place retail and restaurant tenants along Yonge Street and throughout downtown Toronto, as tourist and residential populations continue to explode. For more information, you may contact Brandon Gorman Directly at: 416-205-9222 x 239 or by email: bgorman@ashlarurban.com.
Holt Renfrew has revealed that it will close its smallest location this year, as it prepares to open a massive replacement flagship several kilometres away. The news reflects Holt’s strategy to operate stores in excess of 120,000 square feet, bringing the future of its Edmonton store into question, according to one expert.
Holt Renfrew’s 33,670 square foot CF Sherway Gardens store became part of the mall’s expansion wing when landlord Cadillac Fairview expanded the mall in the fall of 2015. Last year, inside sources confirmed that Holt Renfrew was to close the Sherway store as part of a deal to open a 130,000+ square foot replacement location at Mississauga’s Square One Shopping Centre. Saks Fifth Avenue will open a 132,000 square foot store at CF Sherway Gardens on Thursday, February 25.
Last year, Holt Renfrew closed two of its smallest stores — a 33,000 square foot unit at Quebec City’s Place Ste-Foy, and a 36,000 square foot store at 240 Sparks Street in Ottawa. Prior to that, Holt Renfrew announced that it was in the process of spending over $300 million to update its fleet of stores, adopting a new 120,000+ square foot footprint similar to American Neiman Marcus locations. Holt’s Toronto Yorkdale Shopping Centre store was expanded to about 120,000 square feet in early 2014, with the company subsequently announcing expansions of its Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto Bloor Street flagships. Holt’s 84,000 square foot Montreal store will close late next year as a 220,000 square foot combined Ogilvy/Holt Renfrew store opens nearby.
Holt Renfrew’s recent efforts to overhaul its stores and enhance its online presence has been costly, said HRC Advisory president Farla Efros. Competitors Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom are expanding into Canada and in order for Holt’s to remain competitive, it needs to “focus resources into ensuring they can keep their customers loyal and enhance their overall customer experience”. Ms. Efros went on to say that it might be best for Holt’s to shutter underperforming stores in order to concentrate on larger stores that “can deliver growth and differentiate themselves against its new lineup of competitors”. Doing so would require eliminating stores which she referred to as “distractions”, which include Holt’s Sherway and Edmonton stores.
After the closure of Sherway Gardens, Holt Renfrew will be left with seven locations, including the new 130,000 square foot Mississauga Square One store. Once the Montreal location closes, each Holt Renfrew location, except for its Edmonton store ,will measure in excess of 120,000 square feet.
Holt’s Edmonton store, which measures about 37,000 square feet over two floors, is located within the downtown Manulife Place retail podium. The store opened in 1983 and at the time, was one of Holt’s largest. Last year, Holt Renfrew president Mark Derbyshire said that the company is committed to the Edmonton market, though it’s now clear that given Holt’s strategy to operate stores in excess of 120,000 square feet, something is going to happen to the small, dated Edmonton store.
If the Edmonton store were to remain open in its current form, it would be the ‘ugly duckling’ of the chain — not only is it too small for Holt’s new retail positioning, it has only seen minor updates over the years, and features few of the luxury brands available in Holt’s larger stores. If Holt Renfrew were to remain in downtown Edmonton, it would require new retail space to expand. Some speculate that Holt’s could end up occupying much of the retail podium of Manulife Place, as sources say retailers Zenari’s and Maison Birks will be leaving, with some questioning the future of other retailers occupying both retail levels of Manulife Place.
West Edmonton Mall president David Ghermezian recently told news publication Metro that Holt Renfrew had been negotiating to open a large store in a suburban Edmonton mall. It is unclear, however, if negotiations are ongoing or if a potential deal is off the table. What is clear is that something has to happen to Holt Renfrew in Edmonton, be it a new downtown store, an expanded existing location, a new suburban unit, or the possibility that Holt Renfrew will decide to abandon the Edmonton market altogether.
If Holt’s were to exit Edmonton, it would be a blow to the city’s retail scene, particularly when compared to what’s available in Calgary. West Edmonton Mall president David Ghermezian recently confirmed that plans to put Nordstrom in his mall had stalled, as the Seattle-based retailer slows down its Canadian expansion “so that they don’t make the same mistakes as other major retailers made coming into Canada”. For those keeping score, Calgary has a 147,000 square foot downtown Holt Renfrew, a 140,000 square foot Nordstrom at CF Chinook Centre, and there’s the possibility that Saks Fifth Avenue will also move into Calgary’s Chinook Centre.
Forever 21‘s sister brand F21 RED will open its first Western Canadian store this fall. The 15,000 square foot store will be located at Highstreet, an open-air lifestyle centre in Abbotsford, east of Vancouver. It will be F21 RED’s third Canadian store.
F21 RED will open between 20 and 30 Canadian locations over the next five years, according to representative broker Jeffrey Berkowitz of Aurora Realty Consultants. F21 RED’s first Canadian location opened in the fall of 2015 at Devonshire Mall in Windsor, Ontario, and a second location opened soon after at Ottawa’s Place D’Orleans. Mr. Berkowitz worked on the Abbotsford deal with Trevor Thomas from Aurora Realty Consultants’ Vancouver office.
The F21 RED concept “offers customers a deeper inventory of the trend-led staples from Forever 21, Forever 21 Men, Forever 21 Plus and Forever 21 Girls” according to a Forever 21 spokesperson and furthermore, the brand is “able to deliver greater quantities of the styles and trends customers seek, while maintaining the value and entry-level category price points Forever 21 is known for offering”. F21 RED launched in Los Angeles in May of 2014 with a location in suburban Los Angeles.
“We’re excited that Forever 21 has chosen Highstreet for its first Western Canadian F21 RED location,” said Darren Kwiatkowski, Executive Vice President of Shape Properties. “F21 RED’s decision to locate at Highstreet is directly correlated to Highstreet’s fresh new format which provides customers with an extraordinary open-air retail, dining and entertainment experience.” Mr. Kwiatkowski explained that “the successes of innovative, international brands at Highstreet like H&M and Sephora helped to secure F21 RED and have contributed to an increase in customer traffic of over 20% in 2015. As a result, we anticipate a number of exciting new leasing announcements in the coming year.”
Parcel pick-up locker company InPost Canada is expanding into British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec as it rolls-out its 24/7 automated-parcel locker machines nationwide. The concept, which makes e-commerce shopping and returns more convenient and inexpensive, launched in Canada last year.
In his speech at the World Economic Forum, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touted Canada as a “hub for technological innovation” and encouraged global corporations to invest their dollars in the country’s growing tech sector. InPost Canada comes with a $36.7m USD backing from the Polish Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK) specifically for its Canadian rollout. The company is engaging landlords and retailers to partner with as it expands its service across the country.
The service provides e-commerce shoppers the option to ship online purchases directly to one of InPost’s convenient pick-up locations. Lockers are accessible 24/7 and the self-serve pick-up process takes under 7 seconds to complete, so E-commerce shoppers can have their packages delivered to a locker then pick them up at their convenience. Security cameras monitor the locker units, and e-commerce purchase returns can be coordinated quickly and easily through the same InPost lockers.
InPost’s parcel-locker network is the largest of its kind in the world and growing quickly. The company is targeting high traffic urban locations and is looking to partner with major retailers, landlords, transit companies and property managers, and is offering discounts to potential partners through decisionSMART RetailServices (416.702.9641) and Retail Insider.
If you are a major landlord, developer or multi-residential unit owner and are interested in hosting an InPost locker on your property, email Robert Luciano at robert@decisionsmart.ca with the promo-code WEW@NTINPOST in the subject line. To offer this delivery service to their customers, both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce retailers should use promo-code WE$ENDINPOST in the email subject line to Mr. Luciano’s email address.
For further product information, contact John Clarke, Chief Revenue Officer, InPost Canada Inc., 55 Browns Line, Toronto, ON M8W 3S2 at jclarke@inpost24.ca.
In recent years a variety of online retailers have been opening bricks and mortar stores to complement their online business. They have realized the benefits of being more than just an online retailer and have begun running online and offline simultaneously.
When you consider that 78% of customers prefer to shop in-store and they spend 6 times more in-store than online it is hardly surprising. 73% of customers want to try on or touch merchandise before committing to any purchase and bricks and mortar stores provide a convenient option for customers.
For example, even Apple now has 444 retail stores worldwide which allows their customers to interact with and touch their products, and they plan on opening even more in the future. Online giant Google also opened their first store in London in March 2015 in an effort to get closer to their customers.
Find out more about the reasons behind online retailers opening bricks and mortar stores in this info-graphic from Store Traffic.
