Robert Tateossian at the new Tateossian shop at Harry Rosen, Yorkdale
North America’s first Tateossian shop has opened inside the Harry Rosen store at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The founder, Robert Tateossian, was in attendance for the shop’s opening on November 16th.
For those unfamiliar, Tateossian is a London (England)-based designer and retailer of men’s cufflinks and jewellery. Tateossian’s designs have become so popular, in fact, that that he’s become known as the ‘King of Cufflinks’ among fans. The shop also sells Tateossian watches, bracelets, tie clips and more.
The brand is available in over 60 countries and in some of the world’s most prestigious stores. It’s carried at selected Holt Renfrew and Harry Rosen stores in Canada, as well as at selected Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale’s stores.
Harry Rosen’s Yorkdale store has been undergoing an extensive renovation and much of it is completed. The entire store is expected to be finished by February 2014.
Thank you to ACT7 of Urban Toronto for notifying us of this store opening.
Retail Insider reminds you to be safe this Black Friday. Sadly, a Walmart worker was trampled to death during an American Black Friday sale five years ago. The following article discusses variable pricing’s influence on crowds, written by our friends at Deal News.
We’ve all heard the Black Friday horror stories about out of control crowds. But is it really dangerous to head to the store on Black Friday? What steps are retailers taking to protect customers and employees during the shopping holiday? Read on to see how merchants will try to maximize safety — and profits — during the Black Friday season.
Yet, despite these findings, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a document urging retailers to put safety first on Black Friday. Citing the trampling death of a Walmart worker during a Black Friday sale five years ago, the press release emplores merchants to enforce crowd safety measures like providing “on-site trained security personnel or police officers,” “not allowing additional customers to enter the store when it reaches its maximum occupancy level,” and “not blocking or locking exit doors.”
OSHA revises and sends out its crowd control tips on an annual basis in an effort to protect retail workers, who are the most likely to be injured by rushing crowds. “The busy shopping season should not put retail workers at risk of being injured or killed,” said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health.
Retailers Have Other Safety Tricks Up Their Sleeves
Implementing OSHA’s crowd control measures is just one way retailers can prevent Black Friday mob madness. The pursuit of higher profits could actually lead to a safer Black Friday in some cases, as merchants implement more subtle forms of crowd control in the name of bigger sales.
One overt way retailers are making making stores safer in the name of profits is by staggering Black Friday sales, so that the prices for select items only drop during a specific period of time. “At Walmart, for example, certain deals begin at 6 pm on Thanksgiving and then roll out throughout Black Friday,” read an article for Market Watch. “Best Buy is doing something similar, with some deals rolling out at 6 pm on Thanksgiving and more on Black Friday … the goal is to manage store traffic so aisles aren’t clogged; for consumers, that could mean smaller crowds at any given time.”
Another subtle safety measure is matching in-store prices online. “People are going to shop the way they want to shop,” Dan Toporek, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Walmart E-Commerce told ABC News. Toporek said Walmart “has about five million products on its website, compared with about two million last year, while about 99% of the items are eligible for free shipping.” Putting more Black Friday bargains online still causes customers to spend their money at Walmart, with the added safety benefit of sending fewer patrons to the store.
In the name of competition, Best Buy is also incentivizing brick-and-mortar consumers to visit its website during Black Friday. “Best Buy is offering free shipping for online orders over $25 and promising a ‘significantly improved’ experience for online shoppers after investing to make its website easier to navigate,” reads aChicago Tribune article.
Walmart is practicing another subtle form of crowd control with its “1-hour guarantee” on 21 doorbusters. Thus far the only retailer to try this tactic, Walmart is promising that customers who arrive during specified hours will receive the doorbuster they came for at its Black Friday price, even if the store runs out of stock. Since so many Black Friday riots tend to center around low-stock, low-price doorbusters, Walmart’s guarantee could take the pressure off of deal-seeking crowds.
Readers, are your Black Friday fears assuaged? Or will you stay home and prepare for the worst anyway? Share your best/worst Black Friday horror stories in the comments below! Also, don’t forget to stop by our Black Friday deals page for all the retailers’ ads, as well as the latest news, analyses, and predictions.
Holt Renfrew has introduced a shared shopping department for both men and women called ‘Holts Commons’. The concept was unveiled over the weekend at Holt’s Yorkdale store in Toronto, and it’s expected to be introduced in other Holt Renfrew stores, space permitting. The Toronto Holts Commons spans about 7,000 square feet.
This is how holt Renfrew portrayed the concept:
“His. Yours. Hers. Ours. Share your closet.
We are excited to introduce you to Holts Commons, an exciting new shopping destination for him and her exclusively at our Yorkdale location. Drawing inspiration from a mid-century modern design aesthetic, Holts Commons is a place to stay connected with others and shop collections from some of today’s most talked-about contemporary designers. Because shopping is an experience that’s best when it’s shared, Holts Commons allows both men and women to cross-shop and share some of the best pieces our store has to offer. Join us as we celebrate the launch of Holts Commons. #HoltsCommons”
Various brands are available in the new space including The Kooples, Rag & Bone, Burberry Brit, Comme des Garcons PLAY and Zadig & Voltaire.
We’ll keep you updated on the innovative retail concept that is Holts Common’s cross-Canada expansion as an innovative retail concept.
The following article was written by Louis Ramirez on behalf of our friends at Deal News:
By now we all know what pre-Black Friday shopping looks like. Throngs of shoppers camped outside of retail stores, hoping to score one of the season’s first doorbusters. Unfortunately, a majority of those shoppers are waiting in vain; landing a hot doorbuster requires more than just waiting in line. As professional deal hunters, we’re here to show you how to increase your chances of getting that deal, and more importantly — how to decide if it’s even worth the time and effort in the first place.
To clarify: The term “doorbusters” is used a lot during the holidays, especially on Black Friday, and refers toultra-cheap items that brick-and-mortar stores sell to lure shoppers into their stores. Quality-wise, these products aren’t going to win any awards. But when it comes to pricing, these goods are as discounted as they come. And the good news is, not all doorbusters require setting up camp in the cold. But if you’re inclined to do so, here’s how to maximize your chances of scoring a doorbuster deal.
Research the Doorbusters Beforehand
If you’re attempting to snag the cream-of-the-crop doorbuster deals, then you’ll have to choose wisely; while there may be time to secure multiple items during your trip, your best opportunity to get any limited-stock deals will be in the first few moments of the store opening. Don’t waste that time on something trivial if you really just wanted one of those amazing TV deals, for example. To help you distinguish which doorbusters are worth pursuing, check out our Black Friday ad analyses.
Turn to Social Media for Deal Reveals
While many stores will post some choice deals in their Black Friday ads, in order to drum up hype well before the event, there’s a very good chance that some retailers will have some last minute deals to reveal the week of. This is especially true if a store feels that it’s being outshone by its competitors. A good way to find such timely offers is through store social media channels like Facebook or Twitter. While consumers had to jump through some extra hoops this year before getting any sneak peeks, there’s a good chance that the immediacy of social media will be ideal forums for last minute offers.
Be Prepared to Wait
Once you know what doorbuster deal you’re after, it’s time to think strategy. Unfortunately there’s no hard and fast rule for when you should arrive at a store in order to be one of the lucky few to get a limited-quantity doorbuster. According to our own experiences at suburban brick-and-mortar stores, you can generally show up about two hours early to get the most highly-anticipated doorbusters. That said, there are always the people whodecide to camp out for days.
Luckily, this tactic doesn’t seem to happen en masse, though you can easily tell if it’s getting out of hand with a simple, advanced drive-by. It may be a bummer to see that there’s already an unruly line outside of your preferred store, but at least you can assess whether shopping in-store on Black Friday will be a waste of time in advance.
Be First in Line
Even if you are one of those shoppers who does camp outside a store for three consecutive nights and are number 10 in line, that doesn’t guarantee you’ll get that doorbuster deal you’ve been waiting for. Doorbusters are very limited-stock items and it wouldn’t be surprising for some stores only carried five (or perhaps fewer) of said item. The one absolute rule we can say about Black Friday doorbusters is that if you’re not first in line, don’t expect to get the deal you’re after.
Manage Your Expectations
Again, because retailers typically stock a limited supply of doorbusters per location, your chances of walking out of a store with one are slim. And even though Walmart is guaranteeing 21 of its doorbusters should they sell out, not many stores offer this guarantee. (And even with Walmart’s guarantee, you’ll have to return to the store sometime before Christmas to pick up your item.) All in all, the chances of a doorbuster selling out are very high. As a result, all shoppers should manage their expectations, so that if there are no doorbusters left to be had, shopping in-store doesn’t end up feeling like a major disappointment.
Get a Doorbuster Deal Online
While there’s no guarantee that every doorbuster will make its way online, we typically see extremely similar discounts and doorbusters from online merchants during Black Friday. Amazon in particular likes to undercut competitors throughout the weekend. In fact, in previous years we’ve noticed that 70% of in-store deals were available online for the same price or less. Of course, if there’s one specific in-store item that you must have, hoping that it’ll be online is a gamble (albeit one in which the odds are in your favor).
Don’t Become a Victim to the Doorbuster Hype
The bottom line is: Doorbusters are bait. They’re designed to get you in-store so that retailers can sell you a host of other less-discounted (and sometimes overpriced) accessories. Just remember, if you are lucky enough to snag a doorbuster, don’t spend your savings on a $100 HDMI cable, extended warranty, or other astronomically expensive accessory. Make a list of the item(s) you want to buy and stick to it. Notably, most accessories can be found online at much cheaper prices than what you’d pay in-store. Remember, not every deal you see on Black Friday is a good deal.
Now that you have an idea of what it takes to score a doorbuster you can relax a bit. You’re prepared! But, if you’re still unsure of whether or not you should shop in-store for doorbusters on Black Friday, check out our helpful flow chart below.
Still confused? Then let us do the dirty work for you so that, come Black Friday, all you have to do is turn on your laptop and click “buy.” Stay in the loop this holiday shopping season and sign up for email alerts for deals on all your wish list items.
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Writing for Retail Insider is an excellent way for writers to build on a portfolio, and we will provide solid verbal and written references for writers and analysts. Articles can be of varying lengths and can range from being simple to analytical, as you desire. You will be working under the direction of our editor-in-chief who is a retail analyst.
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Canada’s first Burberry Outlet Store opened on November 22nd at the Toronto Premium Outlets. The Outlets opened in August 2013 and according to reader feedback, Burberry’s November opening was highly anticipated.
Burberry has six full-priced Canadian stores including three locations in Toronto (144 Bloor Street W., at Yorkdale Shopping Centre and at Hudson’s Bay Queen Street), Calgary (Chinook Centre) and Vancouver (1101 Alberni Street and at Vancouver International Airport).
We’ll keep you updated if any other Burberry Outlets are to open in Canada. We suspect there will be more, as there is a possibility of one opening in a proposed outlet mall near Vancouver International Airport.
For those unfamiliar, Tumi is a New Jersey-based manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer of travel bags and accessories. It has more recently branched into the lucrative handbag retail market. Tumi has over 120 stores worldwide and over 200 shop-in-store locations. This is technically Canada’s first full-fledged Tumi store, as the one we reported on in Vancouver is a combined Tumi and Rimowa retailer. RELATED:
In early January, 2014, Vancouver’s Max Mara store will move from 2756 Granville Street to a considerably larger space at 3025 Granville Street. The new store will be the largest Max Mara store in Canada, and it will include the first Max Mara Bridal salon in North America.
According to a press release, the new store will be about 3,850 square feet. Lease materials show the store space featuring 3,074 square feet on its street level as well as 2,683 square feet on its basement level, making for a 5,757 square foot retail building.
For those unfamiliar, Max Mara is a luxury Italian fashion house established in 1951. It is known for its womenswear as well as accessories and shoes, and has stores around the world. Max Mara also retails other fashion lines including Weekend by Max Mara, which recently opened a store at the Metropolis at Metrotown.
The new Max Mara store will be the largest in Canada. Max Mara only has four free-standing Canadian stores, and three of those are in Vancouver. The other Vancouver stores are located at Oakridge Shopping Centre and Pacific Centre. The Toronto store recently relocated to 151 Bloor Street West. Max Mara is also carried at selected Holt Renfrew stores as well as at Hudson’s Bay‘s Toronto flagship. In addition, the Vancouver license holder operates two lower-priced Weekend by Max Mara stores, located at Vancouver’s Oakridge Centre and Metropolis at Metrotown.
3025 Granville Street: Location of Vancouver’s newest Max Mara store (Image is from the landlord’s marketing materials)
Vancouver’s concentration of three Max Mara stores and two Weekend by Max Mara stores gives it the highest concentration of Max Mara locations of any city in North America. Given the relatively small size of Vancouver, it could even be considered one of the world’s most Max Mara-friendly cities.
The new Vancouver store, being relocated three blocks to the south, will be even closer to the wealthy Shaughnessy neighbourhood, where some of Max Mara’s customers live. Shaughnessy is a historical estate neighbourhood that is home to some of Vancouver’s largest and most expensive residences.
The current Max Mara store at 2756 Granville Street is connected to multibrand luxury retailer Boboli. Business restructuring has led to a separation between Boboli and Max Mara’s Vancouver license holder, Vestis Fashion Group.
Canada’s first Catherine Malandrino store has opened at 1472 Sherbrooke St. West in Montreal. It is one of 11 Malandrino flagships worldwide. Marketing materials indicate that the store is about 4,300 square feet.
For those unfamiliar, Catherine Malandrino is a contemporary-priced womenswear designer headquartered in Paris. Malandrino’s fashion lines can be found in better retailers throughout the world, including several Canadian Hudson’s Bay stores.
1472 Sherbrooke St W prior to Malandrino
According to marketing materials, the retail space comprises of 2,156 square feet on its ground floor and 2,123 square feet on its second level. The asking rent for the store’s ground floor was $57/square foot/year, while its second floor was asking $43/square foot/year.
Hudson's Bay, 176 Yonge Street, corner of Yonge & Richmond St's. Photo: Skeezix, Urban Toronto
Hudson’s Bay stores are in the process of installing new signage, consistent with its new ‘Hudson’s Bay’ branding and logo font. The first Canadian Hudson’s Bay store to get the new signage was the Downtown Vancouver store, which saw its signs change in October 2012.
Photo: Google Streetview screenshot
The chain’s Toronto flagship is finally getting updated signage, and Skeezix from Urban Toronto took the above photo. We think it looks better than what was previously there, as can be seen in the image below (taken in May, 2012, according to Google).
