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Studio Helps Canadian Retailers Boost Online Presence

By
Craig Patterson
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Many Canadian retailers have been slow to embrace e-commerce, and plenty still lack websites to promote their products and services. This is particularly concerning, considering how rapidly Canadians are embracing online shopping. Studies show the importance of visuals to websites and to address this, Montreal-based Nat Gorry is working with retailers to put their best foot forward with an online presence.

Images are powerful – they can tell a story, inspire, and persuade consumers to make purchases. Even restaurants find that menu photos can increase sales of a particular dish by as much as 30%. Instragram’s popularity is growing exponentially, now with over 500 million active user. Video takes things to a whole new level with videos on Facebook, for example, getting over 8 billion views daily.

Recognizing the importance of quality photos and video to e-commerce, industry leader Nat Gorry set out to help Canadian retailers build better websites, including both photo and video content. The Nat Gorry studio works with some of Canada’s top brands, including Marie Saint Pierre and SSENSE to create quality images for their sites, helping drive sales growth through that channel.

Ms. Gorry explained how she recognized how consumers are increasingly shopping online, which is corroborated with statistics from Canada Post showing that 76% of Canadians shopped online last year. One concern, however, is that a considerable amount of Canadian online shopping is done in the United States, where retailers have been ahead of Canada in developing e-commerce businesses. To level the playing field, Nat Gorry Studio is working with companies to create high-quality Canadian e-commerce sites. 

High quality images can make the difference between selling and not selling, Ms. Gorry noted. Because online shoppers aren’t able to actually touch the product, having clear product photos is crucial to not only just selling the product, but creating trust between the retailer and consumer that the product is as described, not to mention reflecting the brand’s visual identity while telling its story. The reality of e-commerce is that if there are no photos, there are likely to be no sales.

Video is increasingly being used in e-commerce as well, with some retailers actually providing videos of models walking in garments, for example. Instagram also supports video uploading, and the Nat Gory Studio has been working with Canadian retailers both on video for the web, as well as for Instagram.

Taking the ‘right’ photos can be challenging, as product placement, styling, lighting, editing and other components must be considered. Ms. Gorry explained how some of her customers send products to her studio so that photos are profiled consistently, artistically, and fashionably. Although it may look easy, there’s a lot of skill and effort required to make a quality photo or video appear effortless, she explained. For larger companies looking to shoot their own photos, she said that she can set up and organize their studios as well as organize workflow, train photographers and stylists, and make other recommendations to ensure success – sometimes taking several weeks to do so.

For smaller Canadian retailers unsure of where to begin, Nat Gorry can also assist with website design. It’s an important service particularly in the province of Quebec, where an alarming two thirds of retailers lack online stores.
 
For more information, contact Nat Gorry at: studio@natgorry.com telephone: 1.514.381.8884. 

COS by H&M Announces 2 Canadian Stores, including 1st for Vancouver

By
Craig Patterson
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H&M‘s upscale fashion brand COS (‘Collection of Style’) has announced two more Canadian locations, both set to open in the fall/winter of 2016. One location will be at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre, while the other will be in Vancouver’s historical Gastown area. 

The Yorkdale COS will be the second for Toronto, and will measure 5,188 square feet. The store will house both men’s and women’s fashion collections, as well as a lounge area with furniture from mid-century modern designers, according to the company. COS will locate strategically next to Holt Renfrew, as per the mall lease plan below. 

Vancouver’s COS will be located at 18 Water Street (currently Zientte Interiors), and will be a first for the city. The 3,024 square foot store (size provided in a press release) will be located in a heritage building with a “store interior that will reflect the COS design values and aesthetic of clean-lines and natural elements”. The space housing COS includes a 4,130 square foot ground floor as well as 2,330 square foot basement level.  

The Vancouver lease deal was negotiated by Mario Negris and Martin Moriarty of Vancouver’s CBRE Urban Retail Team.

COS launched its first Canadian store in September 2015 in Toronto at 85 Bloor Street West (former Tiffany & Co. space), followed by a second store in October 2015 at 1310 Sainte Catherine Street West in Montreal (formerly occupied by Le Chauteau). The store openings in Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre and Vancouver’s Gastown mark the third and fourth locations for COS in Canada.

Parent company H&M launched the COS store concept on London’s Regent Street in March 2007. The brand has a wide product range that is divided into a number of different concepts, incorporating fashion essentials, reinvented classics and modern trends for men and women. COS is created by an in-house team of designers and buyers. It has 174 stores in 31 countries in Europe, Asia, the US, North America and the Middle East.

Tsawwassen Mills On Track for Fall Opening [Photos]

By
Craig Patterson
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Landlord Ivanhoé Cambridge has provided an update on its 1.2 million square foot Tsawwassen Mills mall project, which is set to open in South Delta, BC on October 5 of this year. Construction is well underway and is expected to be completed on time, and over the weekend the centre hosted a job fair as retailers at the centre look to hire about 1,000 people. Construction began on the massive centre in January of 2014.

Exterior facades continue to be installed at the centre, and the custom exterior for anchor tenant Bass Pro Shops is now complete, according to Ivanhoé Cambridge. Indoors, construction is well underway — hardwood floors have been installed throughout and wood and metal panelling is being mounted. A number of tenants have taken possession of their units and begun work on their interior finishes, as well. Closer to the October opening, Coast Salish native artwork from members of the Tsawwassen First Nation will be displayed in the mall.

The centre held a job fair over the weekend, where approximately 60 retailers provided information and accepted applications, in an effort to secure about 1,000 new employees. When the shopping centre is fully open, Tsawwassen Mills and its retailers will create up to 3,000 full-time and part-time jobs.

When open, Tsawwassen Mills will include nearly 200 retailers, including 16 anchor tenants. First-to-market retailers will include Bass Pro Shops, DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse, Pro Hockey Life, Saks OFF 5TH, The Outlet by Harry Rosen and Marc Cain. We provided a full list of announced Tsawwassen Mills retailers in an article last month. 

A substantial food component will also be featured, including a 1,100 seat food court and several restaurants. Milestones and Montana’s Bar & Grill will also operate locations at Tsawwassen Mills.

*All photos were provided by Ivanhoé Cambridge. 

Adore Cosmetics Announces Significant Canadian Store Expansion

By
Craig Patterson
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Miami Beach-based Adore Cosmetics has announced that it plans to open between 10 and 15 new Canadian stores, including three this year. The company has partnered with UHI Cosmetics and Think Retail for its Canadian expansion. 

According to a press release, the new stores will be a “more luxurious retail experience” and “each new store will feature product demonstration stations that invite consumers to explore and fall in love with this popular line that encompasses beauty, anti-aging and organic skincare.” Adore’s stores feature more than 60 product lines and generally achieve high sales per square foot. It’s particularly known for its Organic Innovation line, which is based on organic extracts combined with age-defying plant stem cell technology.

The company currently operates six Canadian stores, including locations at CF Fairview Pointe Claire near Montreal, Tanger Outlets Cookstown in Cookstown, Ontario, Pickering Town Centre in Pickering, Ontario, The Pen Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario, at Southland Mall in Regina, as well as a location in downtown Vancouver. 

Article continued below.

Adore Cosmetics has announced three new Canadian stores for 2016: Ottawa’s CF Rideau Centre (opening mid-August), at Oshawa Centre in Oshawa, Ontario (opening in October) and at Tsawwassen Mills (also opening in October), just south of Vancouver. 

Adore is planning to open at least 10 to 15 more boutiques in Canada, according to the press release, with a primary focus in super regional malls in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. The size required for each space is approximately 600 square feet to 1,200 square feet. 

Adore Cosmetics launched in 2001 and it is considered to be one of the world’s leading manufacturers of luxury innovative skincare products. The company’s team includes research, manufacturing, wholesaling and retail components. The company has over 50 stores globally, and it’s continuing to expand throughout the United States as well as Mexico, U.S. Virgin Island, Caribbean, the UK, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Could Canada Become Oversaturated With Off-Price Retailers?

By
Craig Patterson
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Image: Nordstrom Rack

Competition among Canada’s off-price retailers is growing increasingly fierce, with Saks OFF 5TH, Nordstrom Rack, Winners and Marshalls continually opening new stores. With all of this new activity, there’s a potential for market oversaturation — though according to one retail expert, this could be a trend reflecting the polarization of the Canadian retail industry. 

Saks Fifth Avenue‘s off-price concept Saks OFF 5TH has already announced 14 Canadian locations, with a goal to operate about 25 stores by the end of the decade. Nordstrom Rack, which recently announced that its first Canadian store will open in 2018 in downtown Toronto, plans to open as many as 20 Canadian stores in the coming years. Homegrown Winners, now under the American TJX ownership umbrella, continues to aggressively open stores with some in close proximity — another downtown Toronto Winners store will open on August 11 at 10 Dundas Street East, within blocks of other Winners locations. TJX’s Marshalls stores are also expanding, with plans to eventually operate about 100 Canadian Marshalls stores coast-to-coast. 

VAUGHAN MILLS. PHOTO: IVANHOÉ CAMBRIDGE

Retail expert Antony Karabus, CEO of leading retail consultancy HRC Advisory, said that despite the significant growth in the off-price space, Canada’s off-price sector is not likely to become oversaturated. He described how the sector has grown significantly in the US and shows no signs of slowing down, and that he expects the same trend to take place in Canada. He said that, in fact, there is a significant opportunity in Canada as Canadians are accustomed to cross-border shopping and the availability in the US of discounted premium brands and would expect the same availability in Canada as the new entrants enter the market.

Mr. Karabus described how a significant percent of Canadian families continue to search for value in a combination of three ways: 

1.    Extreme value-priced retailer, where the dominant player is Dollarama, and where they continue to raise prices, now as high as $ 3 dollars and potentially increasing to as much as $4 dollars,
2.    Treasure hunts where they are looking for bargain-priced product, whether branded or otherwise. Giant Tiger and the TJX banners (Winners, HomeSense and Marshalls) are all continuing to grow significantly, despite the continued growth of Walmart Canada, and
3.    Retailers who offer premium branded product at compelling prices, who include Nordstrom Rack and Saks OFF 5TH in a more upscale environment and a more structured layout, whether the merchandise is last season’s fashions at deep discounts or discounted current season’s offerings.

The market for brands at a discounted price has historically been dominated in Canada by TJX’s Winners and HomeSense and more recently, Marshalls banners. With the arrival of Saks OFF 5TH and imminently, Nordstrom Rack, Mr Karabus expects that “the TJX banners will face significant added competition when negotiating with premium/luxury brand vendors to acquire their best surplus product for the Canadian market”. 

Mr. Karabus discussed the continued polarization in the Canadian retail industry with market share increasing at both the value and the luxury ends of the market, and how lower-priced retail concepts are seeing increasing success (as are luxury retailers), at the expense of retailers being squeezed in ‘the middle’. It’s more difficult for mid-priced retailers to create a distinctive position in the market, he explained, which is partly why several have recently gone bankrupt or restructured. He expected continued growth in both the Value Sector and the Luxury Sector as those sectors continue to attract a greater percent of Canadian shoppers. He sees mid-tier retailers sharing a declining percent of the overall retail pie, but that the best retail chains in the mid-tier will increasingly dominate that sector while weaker players continue to exit or become less relevant over time. 

Mr. Karabus concluded his comments by saying that: “ With the decline of the Canadian dollar relative to the US dollar, cross-border shopping by Canadians has already and will continue to decline significantly, resulting in those Canadians that are accustomed to buying premium brands at discount prices in the US, now wanting to buy them in Canada. This augurs well for the growth of this sector in Canada”, he said.

Chocolats Favoris Opens Montreal Flagship, Plans Substantial Expansion [Photos/Video]

By
Retail Insider
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Photo: Chocolats Favoris

By Maxime Frechette

Quebec City-based Chocolats Favoris officially opened its downtown Montreal flagship yesterday. Measuring about 2,300 square feet, it’s the brand’s first on the island of Montreal. The company is expanding aggressively and next week, will open its first Western Canadian location in Victoria, BC. 

The Montreal Chocolats Favoris replaces an Aldo shoe store location in the central Quartier des Spectacles at Complexe Desjardins, with the storefront facing Sainte Catherine Street West. The retail space is bright and attractive, and its opening was well attended as per the brief video below. 

AT THE STORE OPENING ON JUNE 21, 2016. PHOTO: MAXIME FRECHETTE
CLICK ABOVE FOR INTERACTIVE GOOGLE MAP

The Montreal opening follows several recently opened locations, including its first in Ontario in Orleans, which opened on June 4. Other recently opened locations were in the Quebec communities of Rosemere, Mont Saint-Hilaire, St-Hubert, Granby, Vaudreuil-Dorion, and at Quartier DIX30 in Brossard, near Montreal. On July 1, a large location will open on Victoria’s tourist-heavy Government Street, just in time for the busy cruise ship season. Each new store requires an investment of about $600,000, according to the company. 

Chocolats Favoris now has 21 locations, and it plans to eventually operate about 75 stores coast-to-coast. Toronto locations are soon to follow according to the company, which plans to grow its sales to about $100 million by the year 2020. 

Founded in Lévis, Quebec in 1979, Chocolats Favoris was acquired by entrepreneur Dominique Brown in 2012. Each store employs between 35 and 40 staff. About half of Chocolats Favoris’ locations are franchised and that ratio will be maintained as part of the expansion. 

You may subscribe to Retail Insider’s Youtube Channel for more videos, including the opening of Canada’s first Kartell store location in Montreal. 

*Photos/video by Maxime Frechette.

Behind the Deals: Ivanhoé Cambridge Secures 7 Canadian Saks OFF 5TH Locations

By
Craig Patterson
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Saks OFF 5TH Vaughan Mills. Photos provided by Hudson's Bay Company.

Montreal-based landlord Ivanhoé Cambridge has secured seven of Saks Fifth Avenue‘s 14 announced Canadian Saks OFF 5TH locations. It’s a remarkable accomplishment and according to Ivanhoé Cambridge Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Retail, Roman Drohomirecki, it involved lengthy negotiations and a company-wide collaborative effort. 

In March of this year, Saks OFF 5TH opened at two Ivanhoé Cambridge properties — at Vaughan Mills (north of Toronto) and the Outlet Collection at Niagara. This September, OFF 5TH will open at Ivahnoé Cambridge’s CrossIron Mills north of Calgary, and in October at Tsawwassen Mills south of Vancouver. In the spring of 2017 Saks OFF 5TH will open at Quebec City’s Place Ste-Foy and at the Outlet Collection at Winnipeg and in the fall of 2018 a downtown location will open at Montreal Eaton Centre which, according to Mr. Drohomirecki, will see heavy traffic from both tourists and locals. 

Mr. Drohomirecki explained how Ivanhoé Cambridge’s existing relationship with Saks’ parent Hudson’s Bay Company assisted with negotiations, as Ivanhoé Cambridge looked to differentiate several of its properties by adding Saks OFF 5TH to the mix. Negotiations went well into the evenings on some days, he said, as parties agreed to favourable terms that would see a number of leading Ivanhoé Cambridge properties secure OFF 5TH units. Mr. Drohomirecki wanted it to be known that Ivanhoé Cambridge’s success with Saks OFF 5TH was a collaborative effort on the part of the Ivanhoé Cambridge team, and that the outstanding teamwork among departments involved in various stages of negotiations was a crucial factor in successfully securing the retailer. Ivanhoé Cambridge is a Canadian leader in operating outlet and hybrid-outlet centres (the latter are called ‘Mills’), and OFF 5TH is an added bonus that will increasingly drive traffic to already busy centres. 

Image: Saks OFF 5th

Saks wanted premium locations within Ivanhoé Cambridge properties, explained Mr. Drohomirecki, which became a challenge given that the landlord’s centres were almost already completely leased. Parties therefore had to get creative in order to find the 30,000+ square foot spaces that Saks OFF 5TH required. The Hudson’s Bay Company was serious about rolling out its Saks OFF 5TH concept throughout Canada relatively quickly and given Ivahnoé Cambridge’s dominance in both outlet and hybrid-outlet centres, parties saw deals as being strategic for all seven locations. In some instances, existing Hudson’s Bay Company real estate was utilized (the Vaughan Mills OFF 5TH was formerly an HBC-owned Home Outfitters location) while its Place Ste-Foy location was formerly occupied by a smaller location for Holt Renfrew. 

Bruce Moore, Senor Vice President of Hudson’s Bay Company real estate, spoke at Toronto’s International Council of Shopping Centres ‘Next Gen Spring Program’ on Wednesday, June 22. Mr. Moore said that Saks OFF 5TH is on track to open about 25 Canadian stores over the next several years, including about eight in the Greater Toronto Area. Saks OFF 5TH seeks markets having ideally in excess of 500,000 residents, with host centres ideally having strong co-tenants (such as Nike and Polo Ralph Lauren, he said), as well as favourable lease rates/terms for Saks OFF 5TH. Mr. Moore also discussed other Saks OFF 5TH locations, including some that haven’t yet been revealed publicly, and we’ll report on this next week in a separate feature article.

*Top photo is of Saks OFF 5TH Vaughan Mills. Photos provided by Hudson’s Bay Company. 

Cadillac Fairview Expands Mall Digital Experience

By
Craig Patterson
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Cadillac Fairview is expanding its digital platforms with new service enhancements and first-to-market technology, which will include indoor navigation, improved WiFi, CF SHOP! text and website updates.  

Upgraded guest WiFi services will be offered at Cadillac Fairview properties nationwide, with faster connection speeds and easy to use WiFi access. The new platform, offered by Aislelabs, allows users to log in using their social accounts. Guests using the free WiFi need only sign-in once, as they will be auto connected to the internet during every visit. An added roaming feature will allow direct internet access at any Cadillac Fairview shopping centre.

Cadillac Fairview is expanding its ‘CF SHOP! Text’ platform to all 20 of its retail properties offering quick assistance to guests inquiring about anything from retailers and services to promotions to the latest trends. The service was introduced in November 2015 at eight retail properties including CF Pacific Centre, CF Chinook Centre, CF Masonville Place, CF Toronto Eaton Centre, CF Sherway Gardens, CF Rideau Centre, CF Carrefour Laval, and CF Galeries d’Anjou. 

Cadillac Fairview has also launched Chinese language websites for two of its malls —  at CF Markville north of Toronto, and CF Richmond Centre south of Vancouver, which both host a substantial number of Chinese-speaking locals and visitors. Website content is in both Chinese simplified as well as Chinese traditional.

Toronto’s CF Fairview Mall is implementing indoor positioning and turn-by-turn navigation — the first time offered at any Canadian shopping centre. The Navigate Platform, powered by location-based technology provider Aislelabs, delivers accurate indoor positioning with blue-dot wayfinding helping shoppers find their way around the mall. The technology uses a combination of WiFi and Bluetooth beacons for triangulation and acts like an indoor GPS so shoppers can view centre maps, locate their accurate position, and view the shortest route to their desired store or amenity. Interactive 3D maps also provide walking paths across floors. Shoppers can access all mapping and navigation at CF Fairview Mall by downloading the latest CF SHOP! app from the Google Play Store or App Store or by browsing to CF Fairview Mall website.

“Cadillac Fairview continues to aggressively invest in innovative technologies that enhance the consumer shopping experience,” said Jason Anderson, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Cadillac Fairview. “Shoppers want to stay connected during their entire shopping journey and we continue to evolve our digital capabilities, leveraging existing services like our CF SHOP! App, as well as investing in platforms to enable efficient, convenient and interactive experiences at all our retail properties.”

Browns Shoes Announces 3 Store Summer Expansion [With Renderings]

By
Craig Patterson
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Montreal-based multi-brand footwear retailer Browns Shoes will open two new stores under its Browns banner this summer, while an existing Browns location will see a substantial expansion. The retailer is in the process of expanding its store operations for its Browns, B2 and Browns Outlet concepts.

On July 14 of this year, Browns will open a 3,740 square foot location at Ottawa’s CF Rideau Centre, which will be the retailer’s second store for the Ottawa market. On August 18 of this year, a 4,557 square foot Browns location will open at Les Galeries de la Capitale in Quebec City. It will be the third for the Quebec City region, where Browns Shoes also operates one Browns and one B2 store. On August 11, Browns’ Vaughan Mills store (north of Toronto) will expand to an impressive 7,061 square feet, making it one of the retailer’s largest units. 

Browns currently operates 57 stores throughout Canada, and it will also open another three to four locations this year under its Browns and Browns Outlet banners, according to Senior Operations Manager Eric Ouaknine. Browns Shoes will open between four and six stores each year between 2017 to 2020, and the retailer is represented in Canada by brokerage Oberfeld Snowcap. 

Browns Shoes is a family-owned business, founded in 1940 in Montreal by Benjamin Brownstein. The company is now third-generation run. Stores feature designer brands as well as in-house brands including Mimosa, Browns Couture, The Wishbone Collection, Luca Del Forte, Intensi and B2. The B2 brand became so successful in its own right that it now boasts its own freestanding stores, which also carry various other designer brands.

*Renderings were provided by Browns Shoes. 

Nordstrom Releases Tickets for 2 Fall Store Opening Charity Galas in Toronto

By
Craig Patterson
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Tickets for the gala openings of two Nordstrom stores in Toronto are now on sale. Interested parties are encouraged to buy them quickly, as tickets sell out fast. The cost of each gala is underwritten by Nordstrom, which means that 100% of ticket sales will fund specific programs selected by each organization.  

The first gala will be on the evening of Wednesday, September 14 (prior to the September 16 public opening) for Nordstrom’s 220,000 square foot CF Toronto Eaton Centre flagship. As with the Vancouver flagship opening last September, a tented runway fashion show will be part of the gala (Toronto’s tent will be in Dundas Square), featuring some of the world’s hottest fashion designers. The gala takes place between 7:00pm and 10:00pm, with fashion shows at 8:00pm and 9:00pm. 

The second gala, for Nordstrom’s new 196,000 square foot Yorkdale Shopping Centre location, will be held on the evening of Wednesday, October 19, prior to the store’s October 21 public opening. The gala takes place between 7:00pm and 10:00pm in the Yorkdale store. 

Gala beneficiaries include: Covenant House Toronto, Humber River Hospital Foundation, Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO), SickKids Foundation, St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation and Women’s College Hospital Foundation. 

Tickets for the Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa galas sold out quickly. Tickets are $150 per person for each gala, and can be purchased here. Both galas will include cocktails, gourmet delights, desserts, live entertainment, fashion presentations and the opportunity to shop. Complimentary valet parking will be provided. For special accommodations info, call 416.813.5283 or email EventRSVP@sickkidsfoundation.com.

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