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Vancouver is Max Mara’s top-selling North American city

By
Craig Patterson
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Max Mara (Photo courtesy of Vestis Fashion Group)

Vancouver is North America’s top-selling city for luxury Italian fashion brand Max Mara, even surpassing sales in New York City. Vancouver also has the highest number of Max Mara stores of any North American city, with a sixth location scheduled to open next year.  

Established in 1951, Max Mara is known for its womenswear as well as accessories and shoes, and has stores around the world. The company also retails other fashion lines including Weekend Max Mara, Sportmax, Sportmax Code, Marella, Pennyblack, iBlues, Max & Co., and Marina Rinaldi, among others. 

Vancouver has three Max Mara stores and two (soon to be three) Weekend by Max Mara stores. Located on Vancouver’s tony South Granville strip, Vancouver’s largest Max Mara store (at 3,850 square feet) boasts North America’s first Max Mara bridal salon. Max Mara’s Pacific Centre store will more than double in size to about 2,000 square feet, and last year, its Oakridge Centre location relocated to a 2,475 square foot space. Its lower-priced Weekend Max Mara brand currently has two Vancouver locations: a 1,240 square foot Oakridge Centre store an a 2,060 square foot store at Burnaby’s Metropolis at Metrotown. A third Weekend store will open in September of 2015 below Pacific Centre’s Nordstrom store, beside a large new Apple Store. 

Vancouver’s Max Mara stores are franchises owned by Catherine Guadagnuolo, founder and owner of Vestis Fashion Group. We asked Ms. Guadagnuolo why Vancouver does such high sales for Max Mara, and she replied to us that her company puts great effort into working with its customers, and has done so for almost 30 years. Vestis is expanding beyond the Vancouver market, opening two locations in Calgary: a Weekend Max Mara store next month at Chinook Centre, and a Max Mara store in the same mall in October of 2015. 

Max Mara’s only other Canadian store location is at 151 Bloor Street West in Toronto. The company will also open an outlet store next year at the Montreal Premium Outlets. 

 

Versace Yorkdale update: store manager wanted

By
Craig Patterson
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Versace (PHOTO CREDIT: FRONT ROW MODE)

Versace is hiring a manager for its new Yorkdale Shopping Centre store in Toronto. Yorkdale’s Versace will be Canada’s first free-standing location. Versace will locate beside Salvatore Ferragamo in the mall’s ‘luxury wing’, which continually adds to its roster of upscale tenants. 

Style Nine to Five posted the position for Versace store manager last week.

We were first alerted to Versace’s Yorkdale store after Urban Toronto‘s ACT7 sent us a City of Toronto Development Application. Versace will occupy 2,500 square feet in the mall’s ‘luxury wing’ alongside luxury retailers Tiffany & Co., Burberry, Cartier, David Yurman, Mulberry and others. We recently learned that Jimmy Choo will locate its first free-standing Canadian store across from Versace, and an Italian luxury brand is currently finalizing a lease next to Jimmy Choo in half of the retail space formerly occupied by Mexx. 

Yorkdale’s Versace will be Canada’s only free-standing location, though Vancouver has a licensed Versace boutique within luxury retailer Leone at the Sinclair Centre. This Vancouver Versace location opened along with Leone in 1987. 

Since the 1990’s, Toronto has seen several franchised Versace store locations. Versace locations on Hazelton Avenue, at the Hazelton Lanes shopping centre and on Bloor Street have opened and closed over the years. Rumour has it Versace is currently looking for Yorkville store space as well, though we can’t confirm a location. 

Aritzia looking to open stores in Saskatchewan

By
Craig Patterson
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PHOTO CREDIT: COQUITLAM CENTRE

Vancouver-based womenswear retailer Aritizia is looking to open stores in Saskatchewan. A source tells us that the company is working with Avison Young to help locate retail space. Saskatchewan had Canada’s highest retail sales growth in the first quarter of 2014.

Aritzia stores tend to locate in high-traffic areas. We would therefore expect Aritzia to consider retail space at Saskatoon’s Midtown Plaza, as well as at Regina’s Cornwall Centre. Both are downtown malls. Saskatchewan has seen exceptional retail sales growth with a 4.5% gain in February of this year over last. 

Aritzia has over 60 stores across North America, including Canadian locations in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, London ON, Whistler and Montreal. In the United States, the company has stores in larger cities including Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, Detroit, Portland and Dallas. In the fall of 2012, the company opened a 13,000 square foot flagship on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue. 

Artizia targets women in the 14-30 age range. Stores primarily carry the company’s exclusive brands which include Wilfred, Wilfred Free, Le Fou by Wilfred, TNA, TNAction, Babaton, Talula, A Moveable Feast, Community, La Notte, and Roving. It also stocks several trendy labels not exclusive to Aritzia. 

Nordstrom reveals details on Ottawa store opening

By
Craig Patterson
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Photo: Rideau Centre, via TwitterPhoto: Rideau Centre, via Twitter

Photo: Rideau Centre, via Twitter

Nordstrom has announced the opening date of its Ottawa store, as well as the identity of its new store manager. Ottawa will become home to Canada’s second Nordstrom store, following the opening of its Calgary store, set for September. 

The Rideau Centre Nordstrom store will open on Friday, March 6th, 2015, and its store manager will be John Banks. Mr. Banks is a long-time employee who was most recently its director of human resources for Nordstrom’s southeast US locations. He has also managed some of the company’s largest stores. 


John Banks. Photo: NordstromJohn Banks. Photo: Nordstrom

John Banks. Photo: Nordstrom

The 157,000 square foot Nordstrom store is currently under construction. Occupying the second and third levels of a former 240,000 square foot Sears store, Ottawa’s Nordstrom will anchor the increasingly upscale Rideau Centre. According to a Nordstrom press release, Ottawa’s Nordstrom is expected to employ about 400 people, including about 40 department managers. Rideau’s second anchor will be La Maison Simons, which will occupy 105,000 square feet in a northeastern mall expansion. Simons will open in August of 2016.

In the United States, Nordstrom usually picks ‘proven leaders’ from its stores to become department and store managers. For its Canadian stores, however, Nordstrom has taken a slightly different approach. Instead of promoting existing staff, Nordstrom is seeking out Canadian talent. For about three months, new hires will be temporarily moved to Seattle to be immersed in Nordstrom’s corporate culture. Housing, food and transportation will be provided by Nordstrom. Once trained at the Seattle flagship, department managers may begin recruiting staff for their Canadian store locations.

Department management positions will be posted on July 24, 2014 and hiring will begin in August. Department managers will begin hiring staff in December of 2014. Applicants can create an online profile at: www.careers.nordstrom.com.

In January, Nordstrom announced that its 140,000 square foot Calgary store will open on September 19, 2014. Its store manager will be Sheila Woodridge. Nordstrom’s Chinook Centre location will occupy part of the retail space formerly occupied by a 172,000 square foot Sears. 

PREVIOUS ARTICLE: Nordstrom Reveals Details On Ottawa Store Opening

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OfficeMax Grand & Toy to close all 19 retail stores, due to online shift

By
Craig Patterson
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Photo credit: OfficeMax Grand & ToyPhoto credit: OfficeMax Grand & Toy

Photo credit: OfficeMax Grand & Toy

OfficeMax Grand & Toy will close all of its 19 remaining retail stores. It will continue to service business customers via its e-commerce website as well as it customer service centres and direct sales representatives. Grand & Toy was founded in 1882.

Interestingly, OfficeMax Grand & Toy has experienced tremendous growth in its online business, to the point that only 3% of the company’s sales come from retail walk-ins. The 19 retail outlets, located in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba, will begin closing over the next few months. Approximately 160 employees, both full time and part time, will be impacted by the store closures.

OfficeMax Grand & Toy is an affiliate of global office products provider Office Depot, Inc.

“We are concentrating our efforts on ways to better serve our customers in response to their changing business needs,” said Simon Finch, general manager, OfficeMax Grand & Toy. Our customers overwhelmingly prefer an online experience because it offers more products, a constantly growing selection, and convenient door-to-door delivery.”

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LOFT by Ann Taylor to open at West Edmonton Mall

By
Craig Patterson
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*UPDATE: This store opens August 1st, 2014*

LOFT by Ann Taylor’s first Alberta store will open this summer at West Edmonton Mall. The 5,500 square foot store will replace Children’s Place on the mall’s second level. 

LOFT is a division of American womenswear retailer Ann Taylor. Established in 1996, LOFT is a relaxed version of Ann Taylor, generally catering to a younger customer with ‘upper moderate’ pricing. Ann Taylor was established in 1954 and its namesake stores appeal to career women.

LOFT currently has six Canadian locations:

NEXT ARTICLE: OfficeMax Grand & Toy To Close All 19 Retail Stores, Due To Online Shift

PREVIOUS ARTICLE: La Maison Simons Could Double The Size Of Its Quebec City Store


La Maison Simons could double the size of its Quebec City Store

By
Craig Patterson
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Photo credit: Project ZoomPhoto credit: Project Zoom

Photo credit: Project Zoom

La Maison Simons could double the size of its Les Galeries de la Capitale store in Quebec City. The proposed expansion would provide more space for the company’s private-label brands, as well as additional mens’s and women’s designer fashion lines. As a result of the expansion, this Simons store would be comparable in size to its newer locations. 


The Simons store in Les Galeries de la Capitale is currently about 45,000 square feet. Sources tell La Presse that Simons could expand, doubling in size to about 90,000 square feet. Even with the proposed expansion, the store would still be slightly smaller than the chain’s 100,000 square foot flagship at Place Ste-Foy, though it will be similar in size to its new stores.

La Maison Simons stores have become larger, generally. In the past, most Simons stores have spanned about 45-65,000 square feet. Recently announced Simons stores have generally been in the 100,000 square foot range. These include a 113,000 square foot store at Square One in Mississauga (opening spring, 2016), a 105,000 square foot store at Park Royal in West Vancouver (opening fall, 2015), an 80,000 square foot store in Gatineau, Quebec (opening spring, 2015), and a 105,000 square foot location at Ottawa’s Rideau Centre (opening August, 2016). Its Les Galeries d’Anjou (opened August, 2013) and West Edmonton Mall (opened October, 2012) stores are the largest in the chain, occupying about 120,000 square feet each. 


Interior of Simons, Les Galeries de la Capitale, Quebec City. Photo: La Maison Simons.Interior of Simons, Les Galeries de la Capitale, Quebec City. Photo: La Maison Simons.

Interior of Simons, Les Galeries de la Capitale, Quebec City. Photo: La Maison Simons.

The expanded Simons would provide more space for the company’s popular private-label brands, which take up a considerable amount of space in all of its stores. A wider assortment of designer merchandise could also be sold in the store, as Simons now finds customers increasingly receptive to paying higher prices for designer goods. Many of the designers found at Simons, including Mary Katrantzou, Nina Ricci, and Jean Paul Gaultier are difficult to find elsewhere. 

Les Galeries de la Capitale is the largest mall in the Province of Quebec. It will undergo a 150,000 square foot expansion, costing about $150 million. Next week we’ll provide further details on its expansion, which will include new luxury stores and a reconfiguration of its in-mall theme park. 

NEXT ARTICLE: LOFT By Ann Taylor To Open At West Edmonton Mall

PREVIOUS ARTICLE: Mark McEwan Grocery Store To Open At Toronto’s TD Centre

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Mark McEwan grocery store to open at Toronto’s TD Centre

By
Craig Patterson
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Mark McEwan. Photo Credit: Tasting Success MagazineMark McEwan. Photo Credit: Tasting Success Magazine

Mark McEwan. Photo Credit: Tasting Success Magazine

A 5,000 square foot McEwan grocery store will open on the concourse level of Downtown Toronto’s TD Centre. The relatively small location will primarily feature ready-made food and beverages, unlike its more comprehensive 20,000 square foot suburban Toronto store. Scheduled to open in the spring of 2015, the grocer will be located across from Mark McEwan’s well-known restaurant, Bymark.

McEwan’s first grocery store opened at the Shops at Don Mills in the summer of 2009. Mr. McEwan is a TV personality and is known as being one of Canada’s top chefs. He operates four restaurants, a catering business and, soon, a second grocery store location.


Besides carrying a limited selection of grocery items, the store will feature a coffee bar service and prepared foods, as well as a focus on fresh sandwiches, salads and sides. It will also include “a kitchen serving up daily fresh offerings”, according to company spokesperson Jordie McTavish. Ms. McTavish indicates that a second Downtown Toronto McEwan grocery store is also in the works. 

In early 2014, Mark McEwan indicated that he would open a Downtown Toronto grocery store location. Rumours of its possible location subsequently persisted, including it possibly replacing the scrapped 9,000 square foot Loblaw-owned Nutshell grocery store at 500 King Street West. 

Source: bAuHaUs, Urban Toronto.

NEXT ARTICLE: La Maison Simons Could Double The Size Of Its Quebec City Store

PREVIOUS ARTICLE: Jimmy Choo’s 1st Free-Standing Canadian Store To Open At Toronto’s Yorkdale

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Jimmy Choo’s 1st free-standing Canadian store to open at Toronto’s Yorkdale

By
Craig Patterson
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PHOTO: JIMMY CHOO

 Canada’s first free-standing Jimmy Choo store will open at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. Interestingly, a Jimmy Choo shop-in-store is already located steps away, within the mall’s Holt Renfrew store. More Canadian Jimmy Choo locations are expected to follow. 

Jimmy Choo will locate next to Yorkdale’s Tiffany & Co. store, in part of the retail space formerly occupied by Mexx. We were first alerted to Jimmy Choo’s new Yorkdale store by an article in Womenswear Daily. ACT7 of Urban Toronto subsequently confirmed its location via this City of Toronto Building Application. 

In December of 2013, a Jimmy Choo shop-in-store opened within Yorkdale’s Holt Renfrew. As can be seen from the floorplan in this article, the new free-standing Jimmy Choo will be mere steps away from Holt’s. 

London-based Jimmy Choo is one of the world’s most well-known footwear and accessories brands. In Canada, it’s carried at selected Holt Renfrew stores. Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue stores will also likely carry Jimmy Choo when they open their Canadian locations. There are 26 Jimmy Choo stores in the United States, including three concessions within Bloomingdale’s stores.  

The shop will be designed and executed by Toronto-based dkstudio inc., which has designed some of Canada’s most prestigious stores including several Louis Vuitton location, Prada at Yorkdale’s Holt Renfrew, and De Beers in Vancouver. It will also design Canada’s first Vince Camuto store, also to be located at Yorkdale. 

JIMMY CHOO SHOP-IN-STORE AT HOLT RENFREW, YORKDALE. PHOTO CREDIT: JENNA MARIE WAKANI FOR TORONTO LIFE MAGAZINE.

A source familiar with the company informs us that Jimmy Choo will likely open at least two more Canadian stores. A Downtown Vancouver store is foreseeable as well as another Toronto location, either in the Yorkville area or at the Toronto Eaton Centre. 

Harry Rosen to overhaul its Downtown Vancouver flagship (with details from CEO Larry Rosen)

By
Craig Patterson
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Photo: Colin ArberPhoto: Colin Arber

Photo: Colin Arber

Upscale menswear retailer Harry Rosen will completely renovate its flagship Vancouver location. The Pacific Centre store upgrade is timely, as an unprecedented amount of competition is set to enter Vancouver’s upscale menswear market within the next 48 months. 

To learn more, we interviewed Harry Rosen’s CEO, Larry Rosen. Mr. Rosen informed us that the interior of Pacific Centre’s Harry Rosen will be entirely renovated, and will include a substantially expanded footwear department. Men’s accessories will also expand, as both footwear and accessories have seen considerable growth within the company. Newly built shops-in-store for designers Giorgio Armani, Canali, Brunello Cuccineli and others will open. Plans for shops-and-stores and other details weren’t completely finalized at the time of our interview, so we’ll update you when we learn more. 


Zegna boutique, located across the hall from Harry Rosen (for reference, see lease plan below)Zegna boutique, located across the hall from Harry Rosen (for reference, see lease plan below)

Zegna boutique, located across the hall from Harry Rosen (for reference, see lease plan below)

Interestingly, Pacific Centre’s Harry Rosen achieves the second-highest sales in the company. Only its 54,000 square foot Bloor Street flagship in Toronto sells more. Mr. Rosen wouldn’t provide exact numbers, though he acknowledged that Vancouver’s Harry Rosen store sells “well over” $1,000 per square foot. 

Lease plans provided by Pacific Centre’s landlord, Cadillac Fairview, show Harry Rosen occupying 21,645 square feet. A separate (and very successful) 5,000 square foot Ermenegildo Zegna store, operated by Harry Rosen, is located across the hall. Rumours of an expanded Pacific Centre Harry Rosen location were quashed by Mr. Rosen.

Pacific Centre’s Harry Rosen is only the fifth-largest in the company. Besides its 54,000 square foot Toronto flagship, its Yorkdale Shopping Centre store has expanded to almost 31,000 square feet. Its 22,000 square foot Montreal store will grow to about 33,000 square feet by the end of 2015, while its Downtown Calgary store spans over 30,000 square feet. 


Lease Plan: Cadillac FairviewLease Plan: Cadillac Fairview

Lease Plan: Cadillac Fairview

Harry Rosen will face considerable new competition when Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue open in Downtown Vancouver. Opening in the fall of 2015, Nordstrom’s 230,000 square foot store at Pacific Centre will feature many of the same upscale menswear designers as Harry Rosen. A source informs us that Saks Fifth Avenue will likely occupy between 130,000 and 150,000 square feet of the Downtown Vancouver Hudson’s Bay building, and will possibly open in early 2016. About 20,000 square feet of Saks could be devoted to menswear. Holt Renfrew will also renovate and expand its Pacific Centre store, substantially expanding its 25,000 square foot menswear department. We’ll discuss Holt Renfrew’s expansion next week. 

NEXT ARTICLE: Jimmy Choo’s 1st Free-Standing Canadian Store To Open At Toronto’s Yorkdale

PREVIOUS ARTICLE: Vince Camuto’s 1st Free-Standing Canadian Store To Open At Toronto’s Yorkdale

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