Walmart today announced that Cyber Monday 2013 was the biggest online sales day in its history. The five-day period from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday is the highest five-day stretch in online sales for the retailer to date, and Walmart.com processed more than 1 billion page views during that period.
The top-selling items at Walmart.com on Cyber Monday included the following:
LG 50″ 1080p 60Hz LED HDTV
Apple iPad 2 16GB with Wi-Fi
Fisher-Price Power Wheels Red Ford F150 Raptor 12-Volt Battery-Powered Ride-On
Mega Bloks First Builders Build ‘n Learn Table Plus Bonus Play Set
Tilting Wall Mount for 37″ to 70″ Flat Panel TVs, with HDMI Cable (mobile top-seller)
“We had an all-time record sales day yesterday as the momentum we saw on Thanksgiving carried through to Cyber Monday,” said Joel Anderson, president and CEO, Walmart.com U.S. “We’re committed to giving our customers the best savings on the gifts they want most this holiday season, and we’re offering 200 online specials every day through Friday so customers can make the most of their budgets.”
Cyber Week continues as Walmart.com will offer 200 online specials every day through Friday, Dec. 6. Throughout this holiday season, Walmart.com is also offering free shipping on all orders of $35 or more – nearly 99 percent of Walmart.com items are eligible. Online orders can also be shipped to local Walmart stores and in many instances, be picked up as early as the same day.
This year, many Canadians participated in Black Friday and Cyber Monday in hopes of finding outstanding discounts. These traditionally American phenomena have spread to Canada in a big way, partly due to efforts by mall landlords and larger retailers. Did you participate in this year’s Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday? We’re curious to hear your opinions. We’ve interviewed Yorkdale Mall‘s Anthony Casalanguida and consulted with retail expert RJ Cilley to get their opinions on Black Friday and Cyber Monday in Canada.
Anthony Casalanguida, General Manager at Yorkdale Mall, expected that Black Friday was going to be a big deal at his mall. Yorkdale polled customers and found that a substantial portion of them planned to participate in Black Friday, both in-store as well as online. Though he didn’t expect Black Friday to be as popular as Boxing Day in Canada, Mr. Casalanguida still anticipated large crowds. As a response, Yorkdale put forth efforts to improve accessibility during an otherwise busy and potentially stressful time.
As vehicle access to the mall continues to be very important, Yorkdale has modernized its parking. Yorkdale is the only shopping centre in the Toronto area to offer a parking feature on its mobile App which updates shoppers every 15 minutes on the best areas to find a parking space. In addition, all Yorkdale parking entrances are equipped with computerized tabulators that display the number of available parking stalls, while ‘stop light technology’ above each stall in the underground parking lot clearly shows drivers where there is availability to park. You can have a live look at parking before you leave home with live streaming video of the upper deck parking on www.yorkdale.com. The mall also launched valet parking in November 2012 as part of its $185 million expansion.
But Yorkdale isn’t only facilitating access by car – since last week, shoppers who travel to Yorkdale on a TTC Family Day Pass can receive a $10 Yorkdale gift card. Shoppers can present a valid pass with same-day receipts totalling $50 or more at the guest services kiosk (located near Timothy’s World Coffee).
Photo: Yorkdale
In the end, crowds descended upon Canadian retailers for Black Friday, though not as many as were initially expected. We spoke to several retailers both at Yorkdale and other malls who say sales were lower than they expected despite considerable buzz in-store. Was it the lack of deep discounts like those commonly found on the same day in American cities? Some shoppers complained that this years Black Friday sales were essentially no different than regular retail sales. In the United States, plenty of retailers offered 70% and 80% discounts, while many of the sales witnessed in Canada were in the 40-50% range – no better savings than a typical sale in many stores.
RJ Cilley, Director of Corporate / Business Development at the Hudson’s Bay Company, gave us his insights into Black Friday and its increasing popularity among Canadians. According to Mr. Cilley, “Canadian retailers traditionally did not partake in Black Friday events; however, Canadian consumers are more frequently crossing the border to hunt for deals. Over the past few years Canadian retailers saw this as an opportunity and began to offer Black Friday savings events.” Cilley further noted that Canadians are seeking not only to get Black Friday deals, but also to be part of the excitement Black Friday offers.
Excitement aside, we asked Mr. Cilley if he felt that Black Friday deals are worth it. His response was that “consumers are getting great deals on Black Friday; however, […] there are times with heavier promotions in certain categories throughout the Christmas selling season.” he added “There are certain categories that will most likely offer their highest discounts of the holiday season, such as electronics, as this is a major foot traffic driver.”
Mr. Cilley further described Cyber Monday as an American trend that has been slower to gain momentum in Canada, noting that “the Canadian consumer is still learning about the event and retailers must focus their attention on marketing the event properly.” He then went on to say that Cyber Monday’s biggest discounts [were] in categories that did not clear well during Black Friday sales.”
So what was your experience with this year’s Canadian Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales? Did you get a good deal? Was there chaos in stores similar to what has occasionally turned to violence in American stores? Please feel free to comment below or on our Facebook Page, or tweet us your impressions of Canadian Black Friday/Cyber Monday to our Twitter account.
OTTAWA, Dec. 2, 2013 /CNW/ – The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today marked the coming into force of its wireless code, which enables Canadians to cancel their contracts at no cost after a maximum of two years. The code also makes it easier for Canadians to understand their contracts for cellphones and other mobile devices and sets out their basic rights.
“The coming into force of the wireless code marks the beginning of a more dynamic marketplace for wireless services,” said Jean-Pierre Blais, Chairman of the CRTC. “Rather than feeling trapped by their contracts, Canadians will be able to make informed choices about the wireless services—and service providers—that best meet their needs every two years, if not more often. It will be in the best interests of wireless companies to adopt innovative practices to ensure their customers are satisfied and to attract new ones.
“The wireless code will apply to all new contracts signed as of December 2, 2013. It will also apply to existing contracts that are renewed or extended, or where the key terms are amended, as of that same date. In addition, the code will apply to all wireless contracts as of June 3, 2015, regardless of when they were signed.
Among other things, the wireless code will allow individual and small business consumers to:
terminate their wireless contracts after two years without cancellation fees
limit data charges in excess of the usage defined in their plans at $50/month
limit national and international data roaming charges in excess of the usage defined in their plans at $100/month
have their cellphone unlocked after 90 days, or immediately if they paid for the device in full
return their cellphone, within 15 days and specific usage limits, if they are unhappy with their service
accept or decline changes to the key terms of a fixed-term (i.e., 2-year) contract, and
receive a contract that is easy to read and understand.
The CRTC developed the wireless code at the request of the wireless industry. The code addresses the main frustrations that Canadians shared with the CRTC during its public consultation, which included the length of wireless contracts, cancellation fees, bill shock and other industry practices.For more information about the wireless code, please visit www.crtc.gc.ca/wirelesscode.
Twitter Chat
CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais will host a French-language Twitter Chat today from 13:00-13:45 EST to answer questions about the wireless code. Follow @CRTCfra and tweet questions with the hashtag #CodeSansFil.Mr. Blais will also host an English-language Twitter Chat today from 14:00-14:45 EST on the same topic.
Follow@CRTCeng and tweet questions with the hashtag #WirelessCode.
ClearlyContacts.ca has opened its third retail store location at 317 Queen Street West in Toronto. The company’s first two ClearlyContacts.ca stores are located in Vancouver. According to the company’s co-founder and CEO, Roger Hardy, ClearlyContacts.ca will expand with stores internationally as well as in selected Canadian cities.
We’ll update you when we learn of more Canadian locations. We’ve been told that Calgary could be the next city to feature the retailer’s brick-and-mortar presence.
Thank you to ACT7 of Urban Toronto for providing this tip.
According to Holt Renfrew: “A chic new CHANEL boutique opened at Holt Renfrew Yorkdale Shopping Centre on Thursday November 28. Designed by famed architect and long-time Chanel collaborator Peter Marino, the sparkling new 3000 square foot boutique was inspired by Mademoiselle Chanel’s apartment on rue Cambon in Paris.
The salon houses Chanel’s coveted ready-to-wear fashion, plus handbags, footwear, accessories, watches and both costume and fine jewellery. We couldn’t resist slipping into the luxurious fitting rooms, featuring custom artwork by Peter Dayton, to try on a few pieces from the standout 2013/14 Cruise collection, first shown at Loewen Cluster in Singapore. #HoltsYorkdale”
Chanel’s five Canadian stores include a 7,900 square foot free-standing flagship at 131 Bloor St. W, in Toronto, as well as boutiques within Holt Renfrew stores in Vancouver (1,880 sq ft), Calgary (~1,600 sq ft), Montreal (~1,700 sq ft) and Toronto (50 Bloor St. W. – 1,815 sq ft).
Photo: Holt Renfrew
We’re expecting to make at least one major announcement on a Canadian Chanel store in the next couple of months. Stay tuned for updates.
Photo: Holt Renfrew
Photo: Holt Renfrew
Chanel entrance from within Yorkdale Shopping Centre. Photo: Holt Renfrew
On Friday we reported that Saks Fifth Avenue‘s Canadian flagship would be built at the corner of Yonge and Bloor Streets in Downtown Toronto, replacing a 342,000 square foot Hudson’s Bay store. The new Saks reportedly be the second-largest in the world, surpassed only by its 646,000 square foot Manhattan flagship. The surrounding shopping area is expected to be elevated with the new Saks, potentially leading to luxury retailers moving or even relocating Eastward towards Saks on Toronto’s Bloor Street. The approximately $100 million that HBC CEO Richard Baker is willing to spend on the store will hopefully help alleviate downfalls with the current space, including low ceilings and awkward access points.
Saks’ Manhattan flagship has exceptionally high ceilings, creating sense of drama for the store. This is unfortunately not the case for the Yonge and Bloor Hudson’s Bay. It has considerably lower ceilings, having been built in the 1970’s when lower ceilings were an acceptable trend. We lack knowledge on how to modify low ceilings and we welcome feedback as to if there is any way this could be remedied. The current Bay store, as well, has relatively awkward access points that involve having to take a half-flight of escalators from the street level to the main floor of the store. The store is also awkwardly accessed from the busy subway station level below, and Saks will sit directly above the intersection of the Yonge and Bloor subway lines. It will be interesting to see how the new store will be configured in light of these ceiling and access limitations.
High ceilings are a feature of the Manhattan Saks store [Image Source]
Richard Baker says Toronto’s Saks will be “twice the size” of Holt Renfrew’s Bloor Street flagship. The retail portion of Holt Renfrew’s Bloor Street store features is somewhere in the 120,000-150,000 square foot range, as part of the store’s total area of about 185,000 square feet (including storage and other uses). We base this 185,000 square foot estimation on Morguard Properties‘ website, noting that Holt Renfrew occupies almost 176,000 square feet with the Holt Renfrew Centre. Holt Renfrew also occupies more retail space within the adjacent 60 Bloor Street West building, including about 3,800 square feet of ground-floor space as well as a few thousand more dedicated to personal shopping suites within the office building at 60 Bloor.
Based on our rough calculations of Holt Renfrew’s size, Bloor’s Saks Fifth Avenue could occupy somewhere in the 240,000-300,000 square foot range and possibly more, all the way up to the 342,000 square feet of retail space currently occupied by Hudson’s Bay. Regardless, the Bloor Street Saks will likely become Canada’s largest luxury department store, surpassing the size of the recently announced Ogilvy/Holt Renfrew store to be created in Montreal.
Rendering of an expanded Holt Renfrew on Bloor Street West. Image: Urban Toronto
Holt Renfrew, itself, could expand its Bloor Street premises. Last year we reported that the store was to significantly expand to a size in excess of 200,000 square feet. The project is currently on hold and is expected to see modifications, and we’re waiting to learn new details on the store’s expansion.
The area surrounding the new Saks will undoubtedly be elevated thanks to its new neighbour. The ‘luxury zone’ of Toronto’s Bloor Street West has, lately, been concentrated on Bloor Street between Bay Street and Avenue Road. Holt Renfrew and Maison Birks fall outside of this boundary, both being between Bay Street and Yonge Street. With Saks’ arrival east of Yonge Street, as well as new retail being constructed at neighbouring 1 Bloor Street East, we could see more luxury retailers moving eastward towards Saks.
Rendering of retail at 1 Bloor Street East. Photo: Urban Toronto
Lack of retail space on Bloor Street has been a contributing factor to the lack of luxury retail in Toronto in comparison to similar-sized cities like Chicago. Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, Oak Street and surrounding streets have seen a continuous influx of luxury retail that arguably surpasses that of Toronto. Sources tell us that one of the challenges brokers are having placing luxury tenants in the Yorkville area is the lack of potential flagship retail space, and that could change as the desirability of Bloor Street’s eastern portion is heightened by the new flagship Saks.
Next week we’ll discuss where some of Saks Fifth Avenue’s other Canadian stores could open, in light of this now well-read Globe & Mail article written by Marina Strauss last week.
store. The store could cost as much as $100 million to build. It will apparently be the second-largest Saks Fifth Avenue store in the world, following its massive Manhattan flagship.
We speculate that the new Toronto Saks Fifth Avenue store will be roughly 300,000 square feet, making it the third-largest luxury department store retailer in North America (following Saks Fifth Avenue’s 646,000 square foot Manhattan flagship and
‘s 316,000 square foot Manhattan store). Time will tell if Toronto’s Saks will be even larger than Bergdorf’s.
On Friday and over the weekend, we’ll be researching and analysing Saks Fifth Avenue’s Canadian retail strategy, in light of new information received. On Monday, we’ll publish a more lengthy analysis of Toronto’s new Saks Fifth Avenue and how it will affect neighbouring retail in its immediate area
Old Navy will give away $1 million to a shopper this Black Friday. They’re calling it Old Navy’s “Overnight Millionaire” and the first 500 shoppers at every Old Navy store in North America are eligible.
Thank you to Robyn Nakamura for alerting us of this tip.
The following is Old Navy’s press release:
Old Navy’s “Overnight Millionaire” Sweepstakes Awards $1 Million to One Lucky Shopper
Old Navy offers shoppers the chance to win $1 million jackpot during the brand’s biggest sale of the year
TORONTO, Nov. 7, 2013 /CNW/ – Old Navy announced today it will give away $1 million to one lucky shopper this year on Black Friday (November 29). The first 500 shoppers at every Old Navy store in North America when it opens on November 29 will be given a chance to win the $1 million jackpot in the “Overnight Millionaire” sweepstakes during the brand’s biggest sale of the year.
“This year, we’re adding to the anticipation and excitement around Black Friday shopping with a sweepstakes that could change an Old Navy’s shopper’s life overnight,” said Stefan Larsson, Old Navy Global President. “The ‘Overnight Millionaire’ promotion, coupled with our best sale of the year, is a uniquely Old Navy way to surprise our fans as they begin the holiday shopping season.”
In addition to the “Overnight Millionaire” sweepstakes, Old Navy is making everyone a winner by offering the best deals ever this year. Stay tuned for details of the compelling offers.
Old Navy stores in Canada will be open for regular business hours on Thursday, November 28. On Black Friday, November 29, Old Navy stores will open early at 7 a.m. with the exception of stores in Quebec which will open at 8 a.m. Old Navy stores located in shopping centres that are opening their doors earlier than 7 a.m. will open at the same time as the mall.
For Overnight Millionaire, the first 500 people to line up at each store when it opens on November 29 will receive a game card giving them a chance to enter and win the sweepstakes. The winner will be randomly selected onNovember 29 at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET. Full rules can be found at https://oldnavy.promo.eprize.com/million/.
To see a list of the promotions as they become available, visit www.gapinc.com.
About Old Navy Old Navy is a global apparel and accessories brand that makes current American essentials accessible to every family. Originated in 1994, the brand has now grown to one of the largest apparel retailers in North America. A division of San Francisco-based Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS), Old Navy brings a fun, energizing shopping environment to its customers in more than 1,000 stores in the U.S., Canada and Japan. For more information, please visitwww.oldnavy.ca.
*****UPDATE: This announcement was confirmed the morning of December 13th, 2013, as expected. H&M and Forever21 are also confirmed tenants for this mall.*****
La Maison Simons will open an 80,000 square foot store at Les Promenades Gatineau in suburban Ottawa. It’s expected to open in the Spring of 2015, following the recently announced Simons at Ottawa’s Rideau Centre. The Gatineau Simons will be part of a $110 million renovation/expansion of Les Promenades Gatineau that will see the mall modernized and improved.
According to La Presse, Peter Simons will be present at the mall to make an official announcement of the store’s opening at about 10:00am on Monday, December 2nd. The mall’s landlord, Oxford Properties, is also expected to provide further details on the mall’s expansion. Rumour has it the mall will feature new H&M and Forever 21 stores.
We first reported on a possible Simons store location for Les Promenades Gatineau just over a year ago. After interviewing Peter Simons in September, we thought the deal was over. We can now say that this isn’t the case and that Ottawa will eventually have two Simons store locations.
Robert Tateossian at the new Tateossian shop at Harry Rosen, Yorkdale
North America’s first Tateossian shop has opened inside the Harry Rosen store at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The founder, Robert Tateossian, was in attendance for the shop’s opening on November 16th.
For those unfamiliar, Tateossian is a London (England)-based designer and retailer of men’s cufflinks and jewellery. Tateossian’s designs have become so popular, in fact, that that he’s become known as the ‘King of Cufflinks’ among fans. The shop also sells Tateossian watches, bracelets, tie clips and more.
The brand is available in over 60 countries and in some of the world’s most prestigious stores. It’s carried at selected Holt Renfrew and Harry Rosen stores in Canada, as well as at selected Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale’s stores.
Harry Rosen’s Yorkdale store has been undergoing an extensive renovation and much of it is completed. The entire store is expected to be finished by February 2014.
Thank you to ACT7 of Urban Toronto for notifying us of this store opening.
