Upstart online shoe-seller SHOEme has doubled its brand selection and now claims to be “Canada’s largest shoe store” based on selection. However, the company will have to deal with heightened competition from the likes of Ohio-based Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW).
“There will be a lot more competition in Canada,” Retail Insider analyst Craig Patterson told Business in Vancouver. “DSW is huge. It’s a risky deal,” Patterson said. “DSW could be a nightmare for SHOEme.”
Minimalist Japanese retailer Muji will reportedly open stores across Canada over the next several years. It has secured its first Canadian location at Toronto’s Atrium on Bay, with further locations to follow in various Canadian cities.
Known for being innovative and its products being affordable and unbranded, Muji carries various household items, furniture, appliances, stationary and apparel. With hundreds of stores worldwide, it saves money by avoiding locating stores in high-rent areas and spends little to nothing on market research and advertising. Muji’s Canadian stores will carry about 3,000 products — less than the roughly 7,500 carried in its Japanese stores. Muji is short for Mujirushi Ryohin, or no-brand superior items, and was founded in 1980 as the private-label brand of a major supermarket chain (not unlike Canadian brand Joe Fresh).
Canada’a first Muji store will either replace Guess Jeans, which recently closed, or locate in retail space fronting Dundas Street West. Click this image for the entire Atrium on Bay floorplan.
Muji’s first Canadian store will open this December at Toronto’s Atrium on Bay. Urban Toronto‘s ACT7 forwarded us information from the City of Toronto Building Status Application website, indicating that Muji will locate in space C-03 on the ground floor of the retail complex. Atruim’s leasing manager was away on vacation last week, so we’re awaiting details on which space Muji will occupy in the mall. We initially expected that Muji would replace apparel brand Guess, which recently vacated its multi-level space with a municipal address of 306 Yonge Street. Urban Toronto’s soundmuseum, however, notes that new signage indicates that a pop-up Halloween-themed retailer will move into Guess’ space, at least until the end of October. Unless Muji can build its store between the first week of November and some time in December, Muji may actually end up locating in a vacant retail space with Dundas Street frontage, as per the floorplan below.
Photo: Wikipedia
We’re awaiting details of the locations of two more Toronto Muji stores, which are expected to open by the end of 2015. We’re told that Muji locations will open across Canada soon after. Interestingly, Muji isn’t using a Canadian brokerage to secure Canadian retail space. Rather, the retailer is coordinating securing its own Canadian leases. This is according to Uniqlo‘s Canadian broker, who we initially expected was involved with Muji’s Canadian expansion.
Muji currently operates nine American stores. Five are in New York City, and four are in California (San Francisco, San Jose, Hollywood, and Santa Monica). Given Muji’s choice for its first American stores, we expect that Vancouver will be Canada’s next city to house multiple Muji locations. We can confirm, as well, that landlords we’ve spoken with in other Canadian cities are also very interested in securing Muji as tenants for their properties.
We’ll update this article when we learn more about Muji’s Canadian expansion, including the exact location of its first store at Toronto’s Atrium on Bay.
Ron White with actress Kim Cattrall. Photo: Ron White
August 25, 2014
Footwear designer Ron White‘s brand has seen substantial growth, with its wholesale volume triple what it was last year. From humble beginnings starting with a Visa cash advance as a multi-brand footwear retailer, Ron White has created an internationally acclaimed namesake footwear brand. His company’s US sales now surpass those in Canada, as new retailers continue to pick up his lines. White’s success is based on a simple concept: providing fashionable shoes that feel wonderful.
Ron White store in Oakville, Ontario. Photo: Ron White
In 1993, Ron White opened a comfort-focused multi-brand store in Toronto, called The Foot Shoppe. It grew to several locations and in 2006, Mr. White rebranded the stores to his own name, targeting a younger, more fashion forward shopper as a result. Soon after, Mr. White decided to create his own namesake footwear brand, merging his vision of chic style mixed with comfort. Ron is recognized for creating the world’s first “All Day Heels®” bringing together striking design, luxurious materials and unique cutting-edge technology. His women’s collection quickly became the store’s top seller and his collections are now carried in top retailers throughout North America with overseas expansion coming in 2015.
Ron White has earned a loyal celebrity following that includes Hollywood’s A-list, heads of state and royal family members. From the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards to backstage at the Primetime Emmy® Awards Ron’s shoes have been a favourite for both presenters and performers. A few of the celebrities who have walked in his shoes include: Celine Dion, Katie Couric, The Duchess of York, Christina Hendricks, Paula Abdul, Megan Mullally, Rob Lowe, Kevin Spacey, Matt Damon and Dennis Quaid.
Ron White’s women’s collection has expanded into three separate labels. White’s first line, simply called ‘Ron White’, launched in 2007 as an elegant and sophisticated collection with shoes retailing from $295-$495. His top-priced line, ‘Ron White Signature’ launched in 2011 and is interpreted as ‘refined chic meets equestrian grace’ with a retail tag ranging from $525 to $1195. Both of these collections are hand crafted in Italy. His newest and most affordable line, ‘WHITE Ron White’, launched in the spring of 2013 as a playful, contemporary collection featuring the latest colours and silhouettes, with shoes retailing from $195 to $245.
After years of perfecting his men’s collection in his own stores, Ron White is now launching Men’s Footwear this month on the wholesale side, again merging his comfort technology with on-trend style. His men’s collection retails between $275 and $495 and will be showcased in leading independent and specialty stores in the USA and Canada.
The Ron White Collection for Men and Women is available online, in select Holt Renfrew locations across Canada, at Ron White stores in Toronto and in key specialty stores including Ogilvy in Montreal and O’Connors in Calgary. The WHITE Ron White Collection is available online, in select Town Shoes locations nationwide, at Hudson’s Bay locations across Canada and in Ron White stores in Toronto.
In the United States, Ron White Men’s and Women’s Collections are available in leading independent and specialty retailers including the iconic Arthur Beren in San Francisco. This fall, White’s men’s and women’s collections will also be carried on Zappos.com.
While not an all-encompassing list, here are 10 of the most common mistakes I regularly see on retail management resumes:
1. Lack of a retail-specific headline
If you’re a district manager, state it loud and proud at the top of your resume: RETAIL DISTRICT MANAGER (tip: If you rank highly in your company, then you’re a TOP-RANKED RETAIL DISTRICT MANAGER!). You’re not a Business Development Specialist. You’re not a Sales and Marketing Professional. You’re not a Strategic Operations Leader. If you are looking for a job as a retail district manager and you have experience at that level, then label yourself as such and make it easy for the recruiter. Then use a separate resume with a different headline for jobs in other fields.
2. Long and meaningless summaries or profiles
If you have only held one or two meaningful jobs and your resume is one page, you probably don’t need a summary at the top. If you have held several jobs, you may want to include a short summary to help the reader understand the depth of your experience. But remember, a true summary should summarize your experience and other key qualifications – not your personal characteristics. Don’t turn it into a lengthy spiel about how talented you are. On that note, see point 3.
3. Using adjectives to describe yourself
You may be dynamic. Your friends may think of you as dynamic. Heck, every boss you ever had may consider you to be dynamic. But you calling yourself dynamic on your resume won’t convince anyone, so don’t waste your time or the reader’s time. Stick to the facts and avoid including anything on your resume that makes the reader think, “Oh yeah, prove it!” (However, if a former supervisor called you “the most talented district manager he’s ever seen” in a written recommendation, you may want to include that on your resume!)
4. Over-emphasis on core competencies
Almost every job-seeker uses a core competency section on their resume, and they usually put it near the top. The problem is it’s usually just a list of skills that, really, the reader has no reason to believe (after all, it’s YOU talking about YOU – not exactly objective). Sometimes it can help to include these keywords on your resume, but don’t assume that recruiters put much stock in them. And yes, it’s perfectly acceptable, and often preferable, to put them at the bottom of your resume. This keyword list is not as important as your employment history, so make it easy for the reader to get to that section.
5. Listing accomplishments before work history
The first thing a recruiter wants to know about you is your current and recent employers and positions. They don’t want to know whether you increased sales 12% over last year UNTIL they know where you worked, when, and in what position. Don’t put the cart before the horse – show your achievements within the experience section, not before. (One exception may be an achievement that summarizes your experience, such as “Developed and promoted 8 store managers and 15 assistant store managers with last 3 employers.”)
6. No clear description of accountability
How many stores did you oversee? Where were they located? What was the annual sales volume under your control? How many direct reports did you have? How many staff in total did you oversee? Where did your store/district/region rank in the company? I often see resumes where it is not easy to determine the person’s accountability. Just this week I reviewed a district manager’s resume and it took a second reading before I found that his district had 8 stores in it – that crucial piece of information was buried half way through the 8th bullet point and I missed it on the first scan-through. Recruiters may not try as hard as I did to find that information.
7. Lengthy descriptions of duties and responsibilities
Retail recruiters already have a good understanding of what store managers do on a daily basis. The same is true for assistant store managers, district managers, regional directors, etc. They recruit these candidates for a living so they don’t really need to be told that you, as a store manager, were responsible for customer service, hiring and training, inventory management, head office reporting, performance management, coaching, setting expectations, etc. It’s not terrible to include these keywords on your resume, but don’t go overboard – it’s already obvious to the reader.
8. Lack of clear, tangible achievements
Key performance indicators are perfect to use as achievements. After all, they are measurements of your performance, and future employers want you to perform well for them too. They’re also tangible, which is important for building trust with the reader. If you don’t use any numbers on your resume, and instead only use achievements such as “Built a strong and talented team of sales professionals” or “Instituted an open-door policy and significantly improved morale,” the reader may not be too impressed. Those are great achievements but they’re also entirely subjective, and resumes should focus primarily on objective facts.
9. Too much work history
I quite often see resumes that list – and sometimes fully describe – jobs from the early 90s, 80s, 70s, and yes, I’ve seen jobs listed from the 1960s on a resume. There are two problems with that – one, recruiters aren’t usually interested in what you did that far back, and two, it opens you up to age discrimination. If recruiters can tell that you are in the later stages of your career and the employer is looking for someone younger, you will be passed over for that. Don’t give them the opportunity.
10. Poor layout and appearance
Appearance is very important. In fact, appearance is usually noticed before content. Think about it – when you first glance at a page, you notice aspects of the document’s appearance before you’ve actually read anything, and that can include font type/size, use of white space, text enhancements, page margins, etc. Your mind forms an instant judgement about whether reading that document will be an enjoyable or easy experience, often before you’ve read anything. So when we talk about making a great first impression with your resume, appearance plays a very big part in that.
Cheers!
Michael Howard Professional Resume Writer, Retail Industry
Michael Howard is a professional resume writer working exclusively with store managers, district managers, regional managers, and other retail leaders from across North America. Visit retailresumes.ca for details or follow him on Twitter.
Despite its recent challenges, Target will open three more Canadian locations this fall, bringing its total store count to 130. Two locations are in Ontario, and one in Manitoba.
The new locations include:
Sheridan Mall in Mississauga, Ontario,
Polo Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and
St. Laurent Boulevard in Ottawa, Ontario.
Target employs an average of 150 staff, or ‘team members’ as they say, at each of its Canadian locations.
On July 31, Target announced PepsiCo executive Brian Cornell will take over as CEO of its US operations. He replaced chief financial officer John Mulligan, who had been in the job since Gregg Steinhafel resigned earlier this year, following a large data breach late last year.
“At Target we’re always looking for ways to enhance the guest experience, including opening stores in new locations that make shopping even more convenient for our guests,” said Mark Schindele, president Target Canada. “We look forward to serving our guests at these three new stores, two of which we built from the ground up.
Target is committed to providing Canadian guests with a one-stop shopping destination for stylish, quality products at unbeatable prices, including beauty, apparel and accessories, home, grocery, personal care and more. Each of the three new stores will carry an extensive range of Target owned and exclusive brands, as well limited time collaborations with Beaver Canoe (a member of the Roots Canada family); and ongoing collaborations such as the Nate Berkus Collection, Sonia Kashuk and Pixi beauty collections and Shaun White apparel.”
In early-to mid-2015, Calgary-based Big Rock Brewery will open a 7,400 square foot brewpub in Toronto’s trendy Liberty Village. Located at 60 Atlantic Avenue, Big Rock will feature 40 varieties of beer, most unavailable in Toronto. The deal was coordinated by Toronto-based brokerage Ashlar Urban Realty.
Big Rock had been “circling the area” looking for a space with character that fits its brand, says Ashlar’s Brandon Gorman. 60 Atlantic Avenue is a turn-of-the-century brick and beam building that owner Hullmark Developments has given a complete retrofit.
Ashlar Urban Realty’s Brandon Gorman (right, with Ashlar colleague and partner on the deal, Graham Smith).
The 7,400 square foot ground-floor brewpub will include a 3,000 square foot patio facing Atlantic Avenue, something Mr. Gorman says is “unmatched”.
This will be Big Rock Brewery’s second venture outside of Alberta, following the announcement last March of a Vancouver location. Vancouver’s Big Rock Brewery is currently under construction.
Patio space at 60 Atlantic. Photo: Bisnow.
“The Liberty Village site, at the corner of Liberty Street and Atlantic Avenue, will provide a great opportunity to share our beers and demonstrate our beer innovation,” said Bob Sartor, Big Rock CEO. “Over the past two years, we have produced over 40 unique and different beers, but very few have found their way into Ontario. With this brewpub, we will be able to showcase our beers and ciders and share them with everyone. We are excited about putting down roots in Liberty Village, a vibrant urban community within Toronto and we will continue to evaluate other opportunities in Ontario and beyond.”
A recent report from Forrester Research predicts that Canadian online retail spending will climb to $33.8 billion in 2018 from $20.6 billion in 2013, an annual increase of over 12 percent. The growth of online retail spending in Canada, although impressive, has been constrained by three main factors – high shipping costs, the availability of preferred payment methods and security. That’s where companies like Optimal Payments, who process online payments for retailers, play an important role in addressing the needs to support Canadians’ ever growing appetite for online shopping.
Montreal-based luxury brand Mackage is a loyal Optimal Payments customer. Photo: Mackage.
Through its NETBANX® payment gateway and acquiring service, Optimal Payments offers customers a variety of payment options and ensures protection from both fraud and security breaches.
An important component of NETBANX’s services is its proprietary Risk Rules Engine, a solution that provides a range of flexible rules to meet the needs of a broad range of etailers, from volume-priced to high-end, thereby making it an integral part of its customized fraud solution. Once a merchant begins processing transactions, the platform’s systems are continuously refined to ensure maximum approved transactions and minimum fraud. Optimal Payments provides additional safeguard tools such as address verification, negative database matching, velocity monitoring, Internet Protocol (IP) and Bank Identification Number (BIN) validation, device intelligence and tokenization.
The Company has assisted a number of Canadian etailers tackle the issues of preventing fraud and meeting the needs of a rapidly expanding online market. Mackage, a Montreal-based company specializing in the design and manufacturing of luxury outerwear, chose Optimal Payments to provide a fully integrated payment and fraud-management solution. Since the launch of their online store in September of 2013, Mackage has minimized their losses from fraud while providing their customers with an enhanced checkout experience. In only two years, etailer Beyond the Rack has expanded from a standing start to more than $100 million in sales and was recently recognized as North America’s fastest growing online retailer. Beyond the Rack selected Optimal Payments to handle its online payments as well as its credit and refund processes. “We’ve seen a significant expansion in our business, and Optimal Payments has played an instrumental role helping us drive that growth,” says Yona Shtern, CEO, Beyond the Rack, “We could not have done it without Optimal Payments’ support or their NETBANX service: they’re fully integrated into our finance system and shopping cart, and they’re an integral part of our value chain.”
Beyond the Rack: North America’s fastest growing online retailer.
Optimal Payments is expanding its ecommerce offerings and network. In the first week of July, the Company announced a significant expansion into the U.S. online payments market with the acquisition of Meritus Payment Solutions, a California-based payment processing firm with a U.S. merchant portfolio of 8,000 high growth small and medium businesses and established U.S. bank relationships. Meritus’ strong stakeholder relationships, multi-channel sales force, established presence with small- and mid-sized businesses in the U.S. and entrepreneurial spirit make them an ideal acquisition for Optimal Payments. This combination brings together two of the fastest growing companies in the dynamic online payment processing sector. This larger network and established bank relationships will enable Optimal Payments to offer online shoppers more payment options.
President and CEO Joel Leonoff
Optimal Payments processes approximately US $15 billion annually in more than 200 countries and territories with over 100 types of payment and multi-currency options. The Company is led by President and CEO Joel Leonoff, a Montrealer. In 2000, Joel was recognized by the Globe and Mail’s Canada Top 40 under 40 award, honouring Canadians for their vision, leadership, innovation, achievement, and community involvement. Joel was also named CEO of the Year at the 2014 U.K. Stock Market Awards which rewards companies and individuals that are judged to have contributed the most to shareholder value. Earlier this year, Optimal Payments was selected by its customers as the Best Ecommerce Platform/Gateway Award at the Card-Not-Present (CNP), a testament to the Company’s commitment to best-in-class service. In addition to offices in London, Cambridge, Isle of Man, Sofia and New York, Optimal Payments has three rapidly growing offices in Canada — Montreal, Calgary and Gatineau, Quebec.
This is a great Canadian success story – a digital payment company making it easier and safer for Canadian etailers to conduct business regardless of whether they are selling their products and services domestically or internationally.
Canada’s first free-standing Jimmy Choo store is now open at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The store carries both men’s and women’s footwear and accessories. Interestingly, a Jimmy Choo shop-in-store is also located steps away, within the mall’s Holt Renfrew store. More Canadian Jimmy Choo locations are expected to follow, including a rumoured Downtown Vancouver location.
Yorkdale’s 2,250 square foot Jimmy Choo is next to Tiffany & Co., in part of the retail space formerly occupied by Mexx. It is located in Yorkdale’s impressive new ‘luxury wing’, which houses retailers including Cartier, Mulberry, Burberry, Ferragamo, Versace and, soon, Bulgari, Moncler, Montblanc and Kate Spade.
To celebrate Jimmy Choo’s First Toronto store, a special edition handbag was created, featuring a Toronto subway map. It retails for $1,095 and of the 20 created, most have already sold.
Limited edition Jimmy Choo handbag, featuring TTC subway map. $1,095.
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 is 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.
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.
One of Canada’s last independently-owned department stores closed on Sunday. The iconic Kingsmill’s department store in downtown London, Ontario, operated for over 148 years.
Founded in 1865 as a dry goods store, Kingsmill’s continuously operated in downtown London. It was one of the few remaining independent, family-owned and operated department stores in Canada, and after several renovations and expansions, occupied more than 73,000 square feet over five separate floors.
The store had an interesting history. In 1865, Thomas Frazer Kingsmill, an Irish immigrant, opened a dry goods store on Dundas Street in London, Ontario. The first store was 1,800 square feet. The store has burned down and been rebuilt twice during its 148-year history. The current building, built in 1932, features the original tin-plated ceilings and hardwood floors. The original pneumatic tube system is still used to send paperwork and change throughout the store, and the old-style elevator, complete with operator, continues to help customers get from floor to floor. These features have survived over the years due to a conscious effort to maintain the character and elegance of the building.
Kingsmill’s offered a wide range of merchandise categories including home furnishings, fine china and collectibles, women’s, men’s and children’s fashions, cosmetics, linens, gifts, kitchenware and luggage, among others.
Early next year, Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn will exit Toronto’s 100 Bloor Street West. As a result, about 37,000 square feet of new retail space will become available in the heart of Canada’s ‘Mink Mile’. 100 Bloor’s landlord substantially raised its rents, according to sources.
Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and Pottery Barn Kids have occupied spaces at 100 Bloor Street West since 2001.
Roots Canada, which occupied 100 Bloor’s corner location until January of this year, will be replaced by Holt Renfrew’s first free-standing men’s store. Holt’s new men’s store will open this fall, occupying about 14,000 square feet on two levels.
100 Bloor is arguably ‘ground zero’ for Canada’s toniest luxury strip, with neighbours including Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Gucci, Hermes, Cartier, and others. No word yet on what will replace Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn’s retail space, spanning two levels with ample Bloor Street frontage.
According to Leigh Oshirak, Vice President, Public Relations & Marketing Communications of Williams-Sonoma, Inc:
“Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, and Williams-Sonoma will be vacating 100 Bloor Street West in Toronto in early 2015. The exact date will be determined in the coming months.
In the normal course of our business, we evaluate our real estate strategy and our leases as they come up for renewal and have made the difficult decision to close the Bloor Street stores based on the rising costs of real estate in this area.
We remain committed to growing our Canadian business and will continue to operate stores in Toronto at Sherway Gardens, Yorkdale Shopping Centre, and the Toronto Eaton Centre as well as in British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec.”
