TARGET ANNOUNCES FINAL 33 CANADIAN STORE OPENINGS FOR 2013

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October 29, 2013

This is a final list of Target’s Canadian store openings for 2013. This list includes 33 stores, and in total, Target will have opened 124 stores in Canada by the end of the year. Included in these 33 locations are the first Target stores to open in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.

Locations opening to the public on November 13, 2013:

British Columbia
Abbotsford – Abbotsford Power Centre
Burnaby – Metropolis at Metrotown
Chilliwack – Cottonwood Mall
Maple Ridge – Haney Place Mall
Richmond – Lansdowne Centre
Surrey – Surrey Place/Central City

Alberta
Calgary – Sunridge Mall

Manitoba
Winnipeg – Grant Park

Ontario
Bowmanville – Clarington Town Centre
Mississauga – Westdale Mall
Nepean – Meadowlands Shopping Centre
Pickering – Pickering Town Centre
Richmond Hill – Hillcrest Mall
Stratford – Stratford Mall
Sudbury – Sudbury Supermall
Waterloo – Conestoga Mall

Quebec
Lasalle – Carrefour Angrignon
Laval – Centre Laval
Longueuil – Place Longueuil
Montreal – Place Alexis Nihon
Pointe Claire – Terrarium Shopping Centre
Quebec City – Les Galeries De La Capitale
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu – Carrefour Richelieu
Rimouski – Carrefour Rimouski

Nova Scotia
Sydney – Sydney Shopping Centre

New Brunswick
Fredericton – Uptown Centre
Moncton – Northwest Centre
Saint John – Mcallister Place

Newfoundland
Corner Brook – Corner Brook
St. John’s – Cabot Square

Prince Edward Island
Charlottetown – Charlottetown Mall

Stores opening on November 22, 2013:

Ontario
St. Catharines – Pen Centre

Quebec
Sherbrooke – Carrefour De L’Estrie

Most Quebec stores will include Brunet pharmacies, which are scheduled to start operations in the summer of 2014.

[Source: Press Release]

[Target website]

CANADA’S 4th MICROSOFT STORE TO OPEN AT SQUARE ONE IN MISSISSAUGA

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Retail Insider

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October 28, 2013

Microsoft Store, West Edmonton Mall. Photo: Darrell Bateman, aka darrellinyvr on flickr

Canada’s fourth Microsoft Store will open at Mississauga’s Square One Shopping Centre. It will also be the second location in the Toronto area.

Canada’s first Microsoft Store opened almost a year ago in an expanded portion of Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. A second location opened October 26th at West Edmonton Mall. A third location will open November 7th at Burnaby BC’s Metropolis at Metrotown.

More Canadian locations will follow, and the province of Quebec is reportedly on the company’s radar.

The photo at the top of this article is of the new West Edmonton Mall Microsoft Store. The photo was taken by Darrell Bateman, also known as darylinyvr on Flickr.

Thank you to Urban Toronto‘s ACT7 for directing us to this article’s source: [Computer Dealers News]

[Microsoft Store website]

RIMOWA TO OPEN 2nd CANADIAN RETAIL STORE SPACE ON VANCOUVER’S ALBERNI STREET

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Retail Insider

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October 28, 2013

image-asset - 2021-06-22T210808.359 — Rendering of the Vancouver Rimowa retail store space. Tumi will occupy the right-hand side of this rendering. Photo Source: Brill Communications

***** Update: This store opened November 14th, 2013*****

A RIMOWA retail store space will open early next month on Vancouver’s upscale Alberni Street. It will share space with Tumi, which we previously reported will replace the Betsey Johnson store at 1033 Alberni Street.

RIMOWA will occupy one-half of a new store to be called Artino, which will also include a Tumi retail store space. The Artino store will be about 1,550 square feet in total, according to its owner. It is being referred to as a ‘collaborative retail space’, alluding to the fact that it will be shared by two retailers.

This will be Canada’s second RIMOWA retail store space, following the opening of a free-standing RIMOWA store location on Toronto’s St. Thomas Street.

Current Rimowa/Tumi space, finishing construction on Alberni Street. Photo: Colin Arber

For those unfamiliar, RIMOWA originated in Germany and is considered to be a premium luggage brand. Products are lightweight and very durable. Both aluminium and high-tech polycarbonates are used for some of the products.

Interior design of the retail store space. Photo Source: Brill Communications

“This store marks a big step for the brand in the Canadian marketplace,” said Carsten Kulcke, Executive Vice President of RIMOWA North America Inc. “As a Canadian manufacturer, we see the importance of being present in upscale shopping destinations throughout the country. The new Artino store is a perfect fit for us.”

In Downtown Vancouver, RIMOWA products are also carried at stores MEGO and Charals.

Interior rendering. Photo Source: Brill Communications

Vancouver’s Alberni Street and the immediate area continues to see the opening of new luxury retailers. Tory Burch and De Beers recently opened Alberni Street stores, while Mont Blanc recently opened on neighbouring Burrard Street. Christian Dior will also open at the neighbouring Hotel Vancouver. We’ll update you on more luxury retailers opening in Vancouver’s retail “luxury zone”.

Article Source: Brill Communications

[Tumi website]
[RIMOWA website]

WOW! mobile boutique OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCES CANADIAN RETAIL PLANS

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Craig Patterson

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October 28, 2013

Last month we were the first news source to announce that a new wireless retailer, ‘Wow! mobile boutique‘, intended to open over 100 Canadian retail locations. Those involved have now confirmed its name, ownership and concept, in a press release.

To be accurate, the retailer’s name will be ‘Wow! mobile boutique‘ (using lower-case letters for the last two words in its name). It will be operated by Match Transact and will consist of kiosks located in malls.

According to its press release, the retailer will offer “unbiased advice and assistance” to customers, as it represents five national wireless carriers: Rogers, Telus, Koodo, Fido and Chatr. We’re not able to confirm for sure, but our original source told us that Telus and Rogers are the financial backers behind the Wow! mobile boutique concept.

“This is an exciting evolution for wireless retailing in Canada and we are confident that Canadians will embrace the combination of great customer service, expertise and product offering available at WOW! mobile boutique locations,” said Todd Empey, Vice-President of Match Transact, who will oversee the introduction and national expansion of Canada’s newest wireless retailer. Todd, a 26-year retail industry veteran, was most recently Vice-President of Future Shop.

Match Transact will expand the number of locations across Canada in the coming months and throughout 2014. Match Transact is a division of Match Marketing Group based in Mississauga, Ontario.

[Source: Press Release]

[Match Marketing Group website]

CANADA’S 2ND MICROSOFT STORE OPENS TOMORROW AT WEST EDMONTON MALL

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Retail Insider

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October 25, 2013

image-asset - 2021-03-24T202917.721 — Photo: Microsoft Store

Canada’s second Microsoft Store opens tomorrow at West Edmonton Mall. It’s located on the mall’s first level near the Ice Palace, as per the mall map below. The store is about 7,500 square feet.

Canada’s first Microsoft Store opened in November 2012 at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The Yorkdale Microsoft Store is 6,844 square feet according to the mall’s lease plans.

For those unfamiliar, Microsoft Stores sell the brand’s computers, computer software and consumer electronics. It has been compared to Apple Stores, which have been wildly successful at selling and servicing its various Apple products. There are currently 35 Microsoft Stores in the United States and one in Canada. Its first American stores opened in October 2009.

Microsoft stores employ ‘Technical Advisors’ to assist customers with questions and various issues. These might be compared to the ‘Geniuses’ at Apple Stores. Microsoft Stores also include ‘Specialists’ (or trainers) who show customers how to get the most out of their software. Our source for this information is partly from this article.

West Edmonton Mall has been securing many exciting new retailers. Two of its most recently announced additions have included jeweller Tiffany & Co. and the first non-Quebec location for the 118,000 square foot fashion retailer La Maison Simons.

[Microsoft Store website]

[West Edmonton Mall website]

WHITE HOUSE | BLACK MARKET OPENS FIRST CANADIAN STORE

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Retail Insider

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October 25, 2013

image-asset - 2021-03-24T203217.469 — White House | Black Market at Yorkdale

White House | Black Market opened its first Canadian store yesterday at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre, and it threw a grand opening party the evening of Wednesday, October 23rd. Calgary-based blogger Ryan, aka Mr. Fab, provided us with the photos in this brief article, all from the store’s grand opening.

Ryan did some investigating and found that White House | Black Market alleges that it has no plans to open elsewhere in Canada, besides the three Toronto-area stores that we previously announced. We doubt this is true, as a national roll-out of the chain only makes sense given its popularity as well as its already costly efforts to open in Canada.

Canada’s second White House | Black Market opens October in Mississauga’s Square One Shopping Centre, and the third location opens November 12th at the Upper Canada Mall in Newmarket, Ontario.

We’ll update you when we learn of more possible White House | Black Market store locations.

Thank you to Ryan, aka Mr. Fab, for this article’s photos and investigation. You can find his blog here and also follow him on Twitter.

[White House | Black Market website]

DOWNTOWN MONTREAL DEPARTMENT STORE ‘LES AILES’ WILL CLOSE

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Retail Insider

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October 24, 2013

image-asset - 2021-03-24T203604.761 — Les Ailes de la Mode

Downtown Montreal’s Les Ailes de la Mode department store will reportedly close in February 2014. At one time, Les Ailes was described as Canada’s answer to Nordstrom. After a decline, Les Ailes is now essentially a large discount store. We expect that, once closed, the adjacent namesake mall Complexe Les Ailes will also change its name.

Downtown Montreal’s Les Ailes opened in August 2002. It was 223,000 square feet and occupied the lower four floors of a shuttered one-million square foot Eaton’s department store. Plenty of upscale designer labels were featured in-store. Les Ailes included a karaoke bar, art gallery, pottery-making studio, spa, a vodka bar, three restaurants and even featured an in-store piano player. The store employed over 1,000 staff and became known for its customer service. When it opened, downtown Montreal’s Les Ailes was expected to become the flagship location of a national (and possibly international) department store chain that would have been the Canadian equivalent to popular American retailer Nordstrom.

The company experienced financial problems as a result of the costs associated with opening this store, as well as an unsuccessful location in suburban Ottawa. In early 2004, the size of the downtown Montreal Les Ailes was reduced to about 77,000 square feet over two floors. The rest of the store’s space was configured into Complexe Les Ailes, the adjacent shopping centre.

The store’s owner, San Francisco Group, went bankrupt in 2003. After emerging from bankruptcy a year later, the Group was renamed Groupe Les Ailes de la Mode. The company was sold to Fairweather INC Group in 2005, which proceeded to further run the company into the ground.

Complexe Les Ailes is owned by landlord Ivanhoe Cambridge. We’re not sure what will happen with the department store space once it vacates, and we’ll update you when we learn of what will happen to Complexe Les Ailes. We suspect that once the mall’s anchor Les Ailes de la Mode leaves, the mall’s name will change as well.

A partial source for this article is this article, in French, by Marie-Eve Fournier of La Presse.

[Les Ailes de la Mode website (currently “under construction”)]

VICTORIA’S SECRET OPENS FIRST OTTAWA STORE

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Retail Insider

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October 23, 2013

image-asset - 2021-03-24T211129.406 — Photo: Victoria's Secret

Victoria’s Secret opens its first Ottawa store this morning at the Bayshore Shopping Centre. A second location will follow at the Rideau Centre in Downtown Ottawa as part of the mall’s expansion.

The Bayshore Victoria’s Secret is 13,372 square feet in size. Of that, 2,418 square feet are dedicated to its PINK line of collegiate-inspired bras, panties, loungewear and beauty products.

The main store will carry the entire range of Victoria’s Secret products including lingerie, fragrances and body care collections. It will include a ‘bra salon’, a ‘panty boutique’, an area dedicated to beauty products, as well as collections by Victoria’s Secret Sport and a seasonal swimwear line.

We’ll update you when we learn of details of the future Rideau Centre Victoria’s Secret store.

[Bayshore Shopping Centre website]

[Victoria’s Secret website]

SAKS REACHES AGREEMENT WITH INVESTORS ON HUDSON’S BAY PURCHASE

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Retail Insider

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October 22, 2013

image-asset - 2021-03-24T211405.028 — Image: Saks Fifth Avenue

Saks Fifth Avenue (Saks Inc.) said it reached an agreement to settle lawsuits by investors seeking to block the retailer’s $2.4 billion acquisition by Canadian department-store chain Hudson’s Bay Co.

The agreement decreases the potential termination fee from Saks to Hudson’s Bay if the deal fails, and shortens the period in which the Canadian company can match any alternative offer, Saks said today in a regulatory filing. The agreement will pave the way for the dismissal of the lawsuits, the company said.
Hudson’s Bay agreed in July to pay $16 a share in cash, a 30 percent premium to New York-based Saks’ closing price on May 20, the day before reports emerged that Saks was exploring alternatives. Investors including Thomas Jennings and Samuel Cohen filed suits against Saks, its directors and Hudson’s Bay. Jennings had said the proposed deal undervalued Saks.
The transaction would bring together the Hudson’s Bay, Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue brands, creating a company with more than 300 stores and revenue of about $7 billion.
Reporter on this story: David Risser. Editor responsible for this story: Paul Jarvis. Source: Bloomberg

[Hudson’s Bay Company website]
[Saks Fifth Avenue website]

HUDSON’S BAY LAUNCHES NEW WOMEN’S CLOTHING LINE CALLED ‘424 FIFTH’

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Retail Insider

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October 22, 2013

image-asset - 2021-03-24T211702.100 — 424 Fifth Avenue, the address of HBC-owned Lord & Taylor's flagship store in Manhattan

The Hudson’s Bay Company has launched a new women’s sportswear line called 424 Fifth. It will be carried in all Hudson’s Bay stores, as well as American Lord & Taylor stores. It launches next January and will be 424 Fifth’s first spring collection.

Some Hudson’s Bay locations will carry the collection in dedicated shops-in-store, including the collection’s ready-to-wear as well as accessories.

The collection is named after the address of the flagship Lord & Taylor store at 424 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

The Hudson’s Bay Company is looking to expand its private-label business. Private-labels account for about 9% of HBC sales and according to Womens Wear Daily, HBC wants to grow it to about 15% of sales within 3-5 years.

According to a press release, the collection will include pieces in the $29-300 range. For more details on the collection, click here for the press release.

[Source: Press Release]

[Hudson’s Bay website]

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TARGET ANNOUNCES FINAL 33 CANADIAN STORE OPENINGS FOR 2013

CANADA’S 4th MICROSOFT STORE TO OPEN AT SQUARE ONE IN MISSISSAUGA

RIMOWA TO OPEN 2nd CANADIAN RETAIL STORE SPACE ON VANCOUVER’S ALBERNI STREET

WOW! mobile boutique OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCES CANADIAN RETAIL PLANS

CANADA’S 2ND MICROSOFT STORE OPENS TOMORROW AT WEST EDMONTON MALL

WHITE HOUSE | BLACK MARKET OPENS FIRST CANADIAN STORE

DOWNTOWN MONTREAL DEPARTMENT STORE ‘LES AILES’ WILL CLOSE

VICTORIA’S SECRET OPENS FIRST OTTAWA STORE

SAKS REACHES AGREEMENT WITH INVESTORS ON HUDSON’S BAY PURCHASE

HUDSON’S BAY LAUNCHES NEW WOMEN’S CLOTHING LINE CALLED ‘424 FIFTH’

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