Today marks the grand opening of Kleinfeld Bridal‘s first Canadian location, which is on the seventh floor of Toronto’s flagship Hudson’s Bay store. The first of its kind in the world, the 20,000+ square foot Kleinfeld also features a Maison Birks jewellery shop-in-store, specializing in diamond rings. Kleinfeld could open in other Canadian cities, if its Toronto location is a success. Given that it has already booked over 2,000 appointments, we may expect Kleinfeld to open more locations in Canada.
Kleinfeld became known thanks to the hit TLC television series Say Yes To The Dress. Its 35,000 square foot Manhattan store is currently its only other location.
Characterized by natural light and modern interiors, Kleinfeld’s Toronto store has skylights and an outdoor terrace. The store features wedding gowns, accessories, jewellery and shoes. The company employs wedding consultants, fitters, stylists, seamstresses and its own concierge. Kleinfeld’s partnership with Hudson’s Bay is a brilliant move, as Hudson’s Bay boasts Canada’s largest gift registry.
The store carries about 800 size-10 samples, as well as over 50 plus-size designs. Brides book 90-minute appointments where they can consult with experts, try on dresses and view themselves in ‘twirling stations’ in the store. Significant alterations are usually required for wedding dresses, hence the limited range of sizes.
A Maison Birks concession is also featured at Kleinfeld, and is Birks’ first bridal counter outside of its own stores. Primarily carrying engagement rings and wedding bands, its focus is on Canadian diamonds. The concession reflects Maison Birks’ new store concept that features modern interiors.
Kleinfeld’s Manhattan store earns about $1000 per square foot per year. If Toronto’s salon achieves similar sales, it could become the most productive floor space in the Queen Street flagship Hudson’s Bay, surpassing per-square-foot sales of its cosmetics department, TopShop, and its luxury women’s department ‘The Room‘.
Kleinfeld’s success in Toronto indicates possible other Canadian locations. According to its Twitter account, Kleinfeld has already booked over 2,000 appointments. Kleinfeld locations could therefore follow within Hudson’s Bay’s flagships in Montreal and Vancouver, according to sources familiar with the company.
A Canadian company claims that it provides consumers the ability to search for, compare and apply for credit cards by converting every points, rewards, and miles program to a comparative cash value. The company, GreedyRates.ca, shows users how much each credit card can earn or save them based on their individual profile.
GreedyRates differentiates itself by ranking credit cards impartially based on the value of the rewards earnings or interest savings each credit card offers the user. It developers have converted the points of each reward program to their dollar equivalent value, to help users compare credit cards ‘apples to apples’.
Many credit cards reward users with cash back, miles and points. By combining the dollar value of the sign-up bonus, ongoing rewards, and annual fee with the user’s spending habits, GreedyRates says that it gives consumers a clearer picture of how much each credit card is worth to them.
Unlike many other card comparison sites, GreedyRates doesn’t just focus on credit cards from companies that pay it a commission. Nor does it rank credit cards based on which credit card company pays the highest commission.
“We’re excited to bring GreedyRates out of beta and have seen great consumer reaction already, with growing daily traffic and social interaction,” said Marc Felgar, founder of GreedyRates. “We make an honest effort to reveal the true value of each credit card and provide unique rankings for each user based on impartial, transparent, data driven formulas. No one credit card is best for everyone. But GreedyRates gives Canadian consumers a tool to help them make a smart, informed decision, and find the best credit card for them,” added Felgar.
According to the company, there is no registration required to use GreedyRates.
We found this claim interesting. The National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco (NCACT) is warning the province of Ontario that an increase in provincial tobacco taxes will fuel Ontario’s illegal cigarette industry, funding organized crime.
“There is already more contraband tobacco in Ontario than any other province, operated largely by organized crime,” said Gary Grant, a 39-year veteran of the Toronto Police Service and national spokesperson for the NCACT. “Already, a ‘baggie’ of 200 illegal cigarettes can cost as little as $8; more than $70 less than the price of legal product. A tax increase only makes this difference wider, and the criminal market more lucrative.”
According to a press release, the RCMP estimates that there are about 175 criminal gangs that use the cigarette trade to finance illegal activities including guns, drugs and human smuggling.
“Ontario’s lack of action has given the criminals that run the contraband tobacco industry free reign for too long. In contrast, tougher police powers in Quebec have allowed for more robust police action. Look at the Montreal example. Today, a major illegal cigarette bust was announced, with dozens of arrests tying contraband tobacco directly to the organized crime ring,” continued Grant. “If Ontario was serious about contraband tobacco, we’d see more arrests like those in Quebec, and not actions that will effectively fund organized crime.”
“We need to keep our communities safe. We need strong measures to eliminate this growing problem in Ontario,” conclude Grant. “Higher taxes that increase the price gap on tobacco do exactly the opposite.”
Photo credit: BBC’s ‘Are You Being Served’ via Wikipedia
A new study finds that when it comes to luxury brands, rude sales staff are better for selling. This conclusion was drawn from research done by the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business, at a time when Canada’s luxury retail market is growing substantially.
Photo credit: China.com
The study titled “Should the Devil Sell Prada? Retail Rejection Increases Aspiring Consumers’ Desire for the Brand“, will appear in the October 2014 edition of the Journal of Consumer Research.
In the study, participants imagined or had real interactions with sales representatives in luxury environments. Some representatives were rude, while some were not. Participants rated their feelings about associated brands and their desire to own them. Interestingly, participants who expressed an aspiration to be associated with high-end brands also reported an increased desire to own the luxury products after being treated poorly.
It should be noted that this effect only held true if the salesperson appeared to be an ‘authentic representative’ of the brand. If they did not fit that description, the consumer was turned off. Further, researchers found that sales staff rudeness did not heighten impressions of mass-market brands.
“It appears that snobbiness might actually be a qualification worth considering for luxury brands like Louis Vuitton or Gucci,” says Sauder Marketing professor Darren Dahl. “Our research indicates they can end up having a similar effect to an ‘in-group’ in high school that others aspire to join. Our study shows you’ve got to be the right kind of snob in the right kind of store for the effect to work,” says Dahl.
Photo credit: Bergdorf Goodman
The forthcoming Journal of Consumer Research study reveals that consumers who get the brush-off at a high-end retailer can become more willing to purchase and wear its expensive luxury goods.
Research showed, however, that the improved impressions gained by the rude treatment faded over time. Customers who expressed an increased desire to purchase the products reported significantly diminished desires two weeks later.
Based on the study’s findings, Dahl suggests that, if salespersons are acting rudely, it’s best for the consumer to leave the situation and return later, or avoid the interactions altogether by shopping online.
The study is timely, as Canada sees an unprecedented increase in the availability of luxury brands. Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom are opening Canadian stores, while Holt Renfrew and Harry Rosen spruce up to remain competitive. Several of the world’s top luxury brands have also opened or intend to open Canadian stores, with more on the way. We’re unlikely to see sales staff be intentionally rude at Saks, Nordstrom, Holt Renfrew and Harry Rosen, given that these stores are multi-brand environments with reputations based on exceptional customer service. Smaller mono-brand luxury boutiques, on the other hand, could use the study’s findings to their advantage.
Winnipeg will boast a 385,000 square foot outlet mall by the spring of 2017. Called ‘The Outlet Collection at Winnipeg‘, the project is being developed by Ivanhoé Cambridge, Harvard Developments and Forster Projects.
The outlet mall will be developed on a 40-acre site within the northwest quadrant of Kenaston Boulevard and Sterling Lyon Parkway. It will be the first ‘pure’ outlet centre in Greater Winnipeg and will house more than 90 retailers. It will feature “warm natural finishes, innovative day-lighting strategies, bold graphic patterning and materials to create a unique and exciting shopping and dining environment.” Ivanhoé Cambridge will undertake the development and leasing of the project and will assume management of the centre once it opens.
Ivanhoé Cambridge is also developing two other Canadian outlet malls: a Niagara Falls outlet which opens next month, as well as an Edmonton outlet adjacent to its international airport.
“We are thrilled to work alongside established real estate players to bring the Outlet Collection experience to Winnipeg, which promises to offer an unparalleled retail mix to local shoppers and tourists from neighbouring provinces and U.S. states,” declared John Scott, Senior Vice-President of Development, at Ivanhoé Cambridge. “With our first location opening in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, in May and another location to open in Edmonton, Alberta, in 2016, Outlet Collection at Winnipeg reinforces our position as Canada’s leader in the outlet retail sector. It will be a true destination that will enliven the surrounding commercial development through attractive landscaping, intuitive wayfinding, comfortable public spaces and integrated public transit.”
Blair Forster, Vice-President, Harvard Developments, explained: “Our strategy when we acquired this outstanding 117-acre site was to deliver a unique, mixed-use shopping experience to the people of Winnipeg. This project leverages Ivanhoé Cambridge’s industry leading expertise as the first step in realizing this vision.”
Christian Dior‘s men’s collection, Dior Homme, will be a featured shop within Vancouver’s new flagship Dior store. Its men’s collection, carried in dedicated boutique spaces, is available in only a handful of North American cities. Construction starts soon, with an expected opening date towards the end of this year.
Dior Homme will open within a large two-level Dior store to be located within the Hotel Vancouver, with a street front presence at the southeast corner of Burrard and West Georgia Streets. It will be one of North America’s largest Dior stores, and it replaces upscale womenswear retailer St. John, which relocated to newly created retail space, formerly a restaurant, within the hotel.
Designed by Kris Van Assche, Dior Homme is known for its slim silhouette. Clothing is generally black, gray, blue or chocolate brown.
In the United States, Dior Homme boutiques are found in only six cities. Four American cities have a total of six free-standing Dior Homme stores: one each in Beverly Hills, San Francisco and Miami, and three in Manhattan (including a shop-in-store concession at Saks Fifth Avenue). Honolulu and Las Vegas also boast large Dior stores with separate Dior Homme shops-in-stores.
Dior has been in talks with several Toronto landlords as it searches for a larage store space on Bloor Street West. In Canada, Dior currently leases three accessory boutiques within Holt Renfrew stores in Vancouver, Toronto (50 Bloor St. W.) and Montreal. A Dior accessories boutique will also open soon within Holt’s at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre.
You may have to skip Apple purchases this month, but it’s the right time to fill your cart with spring apparel.
While it’s officially been spring for some time now, it seems safe to say that with the month of May comes definitive spring weather. And as the temperatures heat up, so too do the deals! We combed through our shopping archives so that you can put that new-found active spirit to good use by hitting the malls (and surfing online, obviously) in search of the best buys in May. Read on for what you should, and should not, purchase this month.
Victoria Day Sales & Coupons: Some of the Year’s Best
Often times, stores want you to believe that every holiday weekend will feature some of the deepest discounts of the season, but that isn’t always the case. However, as an almost-mid-year event, we’ve consistently found that Victoria Day promotions tend to boast some of the best sales since January.
Late April was an excellent time to start shopping for spring clothing deals, but the discounts really heat up in May. That’s because current-season apparel has now been on the shelves for about two months, and in order to make way for summer styles, retailers will begin offering discounts that could take 50% off or more. If you want a particularly large discount, try holding out until Victoria Day weekend for those aforementioned stacking coupons. (And for a complete rundown of how to find and optimally use these coupons, check out our coupon guide.)
Opt for Less Traditional Mother’s Day Gifts and Save More
Last month, we suggested that shoppers buy their Mother’s Day gifts early to get the best deals possible. But, if you still haven’t bought Mom that perfect present, consider avoiding the traditional. In the past, we’ve seen jewelry styles actually increase in price at the beginning of the month, and buying such items now means you may not be getting the best possible value. Instead, consider gifting Mom something that’s seeing great deals, like spring clothing or one of our Editors’ Choice deals.
Beef Prices Are on the Rise… Again
We certainly hope this doesn’t become an annual tradition, but history is certainly repeating itself; just as they did last year, beef prices have once again hit record highs. In fact, the cost of beef is at its highest in 30 years due to drought. Peak grilling season is still a ways off, but a savvy shopper should start finding ways to work cheaper proteins into their diet, like chicken, or less expensive cuts of beef like “chuck short ribs, beef back ribs, and shoulder clod,” according to NPR.
Hold Off on Apple Purchases
Apple will be holding its annual WWDC conference in early June, at which point it may debut a new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro — and possibly other devices as well. If you purchase any of these items now, you’ll be kicking yourself come next month, as many retailers will offer fresh price cuts on your device as it gets relegated to “previous generation” status. And if you’re holding off in the hopes of buying those brand-new models, keep in mind that Apple products have been dropping in price much faster in the past year; for example, we found a deal on the 2013 MacBook Air that slashed 20% off just two months after it debuted (which would be about late August or September for this cycle).
The 60″ HDTV Remains King of the Hill
March and April were both quiet months for TV deals, with a scarcity of bargains across most category sizes. Unfortunately, May is expected to follow suit, so consumers shopping for a new TV may want to hold off on their purchase if possible. The only HDTVs seeing consistent deals are those in the 60″ screen size category. These TVs continue to dominate the deal arena, and April saw particularly good sales on 60″ plasma TVs, which hit an all-time price low of $600. (These sets had otherwise been averaging $702 since the start of the year.)
Shoppers who want to upgrade their TV before the start of the World Cup should look at deals at or around the $600 range to get the most value from their purchase. Brands to look for include LG and Samsung, which are the only plasma makers currently left in the industry. By contrast, 60″ 1080p LCDs have hovered around the $700 mark for name-brand sets and $500 for off-brand sets.
Laptop Sales Continue to Decline
Although some manufacturers had hoped that 2014 would be the comeback year for PC sales, as we approach the half-way mark, reports indicate PC sales are still in decline. According to Gartner, global shipments declined 1.7% in the first quarter of 2014 when compared to shipments from a year ago.
That doesn’t leave much hope for the remainder of the year, but for consumers it means finding deals should be easy since prices will remain low. That said, we’re roughly two months away from back-to-school season when we can expect to see some aggressive laptop deals. So shoppers will see better laptop deals in the near future if they can afford to wait.
Otherwise, we recommend looking at deals for machines that house Intel’s Haswell Core i3 processor. It’s the company’s budget chip. In March, 15″ laptops with these CPUs took a healthy dip hitting an all-time price low of $350. We expect deals on these systems to remain low through May as the cheapest deals have averaged $383 in the past three months.
Microsoft Offers Discounts to Celebrate the End of XP
Finally, Microsoft ended its support for Windows XP last month, which means consumers still using XP-based machines will cease getting software and security updates for their computer. However, Microsoft is making the transition to their latest operating system slightly easier by taking $100 off the purchase of any Surface Pro 2 or select Windows 8 PCs costing $599 or more. To receive the discount, you must either bring your Windows machine to a Microsoft Store near you or surf over to the Microsoft Store’s website using your Windows XP machine. The offer is valid through June 15.
Ready to put this information to use? Set up an email alert or download the DealNews app in order to keep abreast of any and all of these best buys in May.
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’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.
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.
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.
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.
