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CHANEL’S YORKDALE STORE IS SET TO OPEN THIS FALL

By
Retail Insider
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Hoarding for Chanel, Yorkdale. Photo: Jal Baltz

A Chanel Boutique will open this fall at Holt Renfrew’s expanded Yorkdale Shopping Centre store. It will have entrances both from within Holt Renfrew as well as directly from Yorkdale. 

In November, 2012, we first reported on Chanel opening at Holt’s Yorkdale. Construction continues and it appears to be on track to open in a few weeks. 

The boutique will reportedly carry Chanel’s ready-to-wear collections as well as accessories, jewelry and footwear. 

It will be the fifth Chanel Boutique in Canada when it opens. Chanel has one Canadian free-standing store in Toronto (131 Bloor Street West) as well as three shops-in-store within Holt Renfrew stores in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto (50 Bloor St. W.)

Photo: Jal Baltz
[Holt Renfrew website]
[Chanel website]

ALTON GRAY OPENS IN SUBURBAN MONTREAL

By
Retail Insider
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Alton Gray - Photo: David Goldmann

Alton Gray has opened a 3,660 square foot store at Le Carrefour Laval in suburban Montreal. The store carries mid-priced men’s and women’s ready-to-wear and accessories. It is owned and operated by the Sonoma Group.

Alton Gray is located next to Zara Home, which recently opened in the mall. Other new upscale retailers are opening in the mall, including a recently opened Harry Rosen store. The mall is also home to Canada’s second MontBlanc boutique, up the hall from Alton Gray and across from Hudson’s Bay.

Le Carrefour Laval is one of the most productive malls in Canada, with sales in excess of $770/square foot according to landlord Cadillac Fairview.

Thank you to Retail Insider David Goldmann for this retail tip.

[Le Carrefour Laval website]

[Alton Gray website]

LA MAISON SIMONS’ CANADIAN EXPANSION: INTERVIEW WITH PETER SIMONS

By
Retail Insider
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Simons' Chief Merchant and former CEO Peter Simons

Quebec City-based La Maison Simons is expanding across Canada, having most recently secured space in suburban Vancouver. We interviewed Simons’ CEO Peter Simons for details of his company’s expansion across Canada. 

It was a long interview, so we’ll summarize it below as briefly as possible. Each paragraph briefly covers a topic discussed with Mr. Simons:

Future Simons store locations in Canada: Simons is actively looking for stores across Canada including both urban and suburban sites in Toronto, Calgary, Winnipeg, Vancouver and possibly another Ottawa-area store. More specific details to follow…

Future Simons store(s) in Calgary? Simons is talking to landlords in Calgary and Simons is examining possible locations for as many as two Calgary stores: one in a downtown location, and one in the city’s suburbs. We’ll discuss this more at a later date.

Future Simons store in Winnipeg? Winnipeg is on Simons’ radar, and a store could open somewhere in the suburbs. Moreover, Simons at Polo Park may not be a possibility at the moment, and a deal for a store in an upscale mall north of Polo Park fell through a couple of years ago. It appears there will be no imminent Winnipeg store announcements for Simons.

Future Toronto-area Simons stores? Simons is negotiating with Oxford Properties to open in Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre as well as Mississauga’s Square One. This would be in space to be vacated by Sears. Simons had no comment on the progress of negotiations for stores in these malls, though he mentioned that as many as 3-4 Simons stores could eventually open in the Greater Toronto Area.

Simons’ new Ottawa (Rideau Centre) store: Simons will build a 105,000 square foot store with about 95,000 square feet of retail and about 10,000 square feet of service space. It will incorporate a re-built facade of the site’s former Ogilvy department store. It will also feature an art installation, similar to the award-winning art display at Simons’ West Edmonton Mall store.

How large will future Simons stores be? Simons is aiming to open new stores in the 100,000 square foot range. Its new Ottawa and Vancouver stores will each be about 105,000 square feet, being comprised of about 95,000 square feet of retail space and about 10,000 square feet of service space. Its recently opened Galeries d’Anjou store is slightly larger, at about 115,000 square feet.

How many Simons stores can we expect per city? Simons says that he has no particular goal for a number of stores per city. More to the point, the right space has to come available for a Simons store. Mr. Simons did mention, however, that the Toronto area could see as many as 3-4 Simons stores open in the coming years, though he couldn’t provide specific locations yet.

Urban vs. suburban Simons Stores? Simons has no preference, though downtown stores can be exciting as they can contribute to building ‘urban place’, like what is expected to happen with its downtown Ottawa store at the Rideau Centre. Acquiring 100,000 square feet of downtown retail space can be challenging, while securing suburban space is sometimes simpler and less expensive. Vancouver’s first store, for example, will be in a West Vancouver mall rather than downtown, even though downtown Vancouver now boasts some of the highest retail sales of any retail area in Canada. Currently, downtown Vancouver lacks the 100,000 square feet of contiguous retail space desired by Simons.

Highest-selling Simons stores: Not surprisingly, Simons’ two most productive stores are still in the province of Quebec. Its flagship Place Ste Foy store in suburban Quebec City, along with its downtown Montreal store, are currently its highest selling. West Edmonton Mall’s Simons could surpass these stores’ sales within a couple of years, though. Edmonton has the chain’s largest store at 118,000 square feet, including about 100,000 square feet of retail and about 18,000 square feet of service space.

On opening shoe departments at Simons: Simons, at the moment, is avoiding carrying shoes in their stores. Simons has narrowed its product mix to ready-to-wear and some accessories for the time being.

Simons’ designer/private label merchandise mix: All new La Maison Simons stores are expected to carry both designer clothing for men and women as well as Simons’ private label designs. The chain’s smaller Quebec stores carry less designer merchandise than its larger stores. All new Simons stores will be larger and are expected to include assortments of designer clothing.

Simons’ biggest retail competitors: Shoppers are more fluid and Simons carries both expensive designer and lower-priced, fashionable private-label products. Competition therefore spans the likes of Holt Renfrew to Zara and H&M. Online shopping also provides increased competition, though Simons offers it on their website.

On opening restaurants within Simons stores: Future Simons stores could include restaurant offerings, similar to Soup Soup which recently opened within Simons’ Les Galeries d’Anjou store. Each location will be considered individually, and local restaurants may be considered if the right “fit” is present.

Future in-store public art installations: Simons says he expects all new stores to have art installations, similar to an award-winning installation in his Edmonton store, which opened last year.

The company’s future growth strategy: Simons is a family-owned business that has been around for almost 175 years. Recognizing this, it will grow itself gradually and intelligently so that it will continue to exist for generations to come. New store openings will therefore be gradual, with no more than two stores opening per year. Simons is also looking for ways to economize on store construction, as its Edmonton store cost more than expected. The Edmonton store, nevertheless, received a prestigious award: International Store of the Year by Chainstore Age.

We’ll provide further details on Simons’ possible Calgary store locations soon.

[La Maison Simons website]

UPSCALE DOWNTOWN HALIFAX DEPARTMENT STORE “RE-OPENS”

By
Craig Patterson
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Mills in Halifax (Image: Adams Photography)

Halifax’s upscale downtown department store, Mills, is having a grand “re-opening” starting Saturday. The store was recently purchased by four women who have relocated the store and have modernized its branding and product selection. We spoke to owner Lisa Gallivan about her new store. 

Mills did something bold in the world of North American retailing – it stayed downtown, while so many retailers have chosen to open in suburbs. Mills opened in 1919 and has remained downtown ever since. Mills first occupied an entire tutor-styled building of about 37,000 square feet. Previous owners downsized the store to only about 8,000 square feet, while the rest of the space was leased to smaller retailers. Mills left that space after being purchased by the four women, who moved it up the street. 

The new Mills is only about 9,000 square feet over two floors, but it’s more open and better laid-out than the previous store. The new location is within a shopping complex called Spring Garden Place.

[Photo Source] Adams Photography

Mills concentrates on women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, shoes and some cosmetics. It carries some impressive brands, meaning that Nova Scotia shoppers may be less inclined to shop elsewhere for unique and upscale products. Women’s clothing brands include Armani Collezioni, Ted Baker, Michael by Michael Kors, Basler, Hugo Boss, Trina Turk, and several Canadian designers including Obakki. Clothing brands coming soon include MaxMara Studio and MaxMara Sportmax Code. Upscale handbags and shoes from Stuart Weitzman, Michael by Michael Kors, Marc by Marc Jacobs and L.K. Bennett are featured, and there are beauty lines that include Chanel, L’Occitane and Molton Brown.

There isn’t much for men, though some Michael Kors clothing is available, and a men’s skincare line called Jack Black is also featured.

[Photo Source] Adams Photography

The store is concentrating on catering to women of a wide variety of ages. This is a smart move, as the previous Mills client was traditionally more mature. As Halifax’s population ages, bringing in new, younger shoppers will be beneficial to the store’s success.

The store’s “grand re-opening” event starts Saturday and continues until October 5th. For a complete list of events, we direct you to this link.

We’re pleased to be reporting on retail in Atlantic Canada, and we’d like to do more. If you’ve got any retail tips for things happening in Canada’s Maritimes, please feel free to email us at: insider@retail-insider.com

Thank you for reading Retail Insider, and have an excellent weekend.

Photos: Adams Photography, Halifax.

[Mills website] [Mills Facebook page] [Mills Twitter]

UPDATE: WIRELESS RETAILER “WOW! MOBILE BOUTIQUE” TO LAUNCH IN CANADA

By
Retail Insider
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NOT the new retailer's logo.

UPDATE: Website Mobile Syrup did some homework and found that Rogers has registered “WOW! MOBILE BOUTIQUE” on CIPO (Canadian Intellectual Property Office), making it appear that our source was, in fact correct. Excellent job, Mobile Syrup!

According to a source, a new wireless retailer called “Wow Mobile” will launch retail storefronts in Canada. It expects to have over 100 Canadian retail locations by the end of 2014. Wow Mobile will be a multi-carrier wireless retail vendor similar to WirelessWave, Tbooth, Best Buy Mobile and others. The stores will be operated by Match Marketing/PopUp, according to our source.

Image from Mobile Syrup’s screenshot of this CIPO registration

Our source tells us that the financial backers of this new retailer will be Rogers and Telus. Being that they are competitors, this could prove to be an interesting business relationship if it’s indeed true.

Thank you to an anonymous source for providing us with this tip. We are grateful to our readers and insiders who forward us Canadian retail tips and information. We’ll credit you by name or pseudonym, or we’ll keep your name confidential. To emails us tips: insider@retail-insider.com.

UPDATE: Website Mobile Syrup mentioned that it had heard speculation that Rogers would be coming to market with a new wireless strategy. Specifically, it would focus on the non-contract market and offer unlimited talk, text and data packages, including LTE. We can’t confirm this but we’re thinking this provides an answer at to what Wow! Mobile will be about. 

Mobile Syrup also noticed that website WowMobile.ca has been recently re-registered. This could become the website for Wow! Mobile. 

HARRY ROSEN TO BUILD OTTAWA FLAGSHIP STORE

By
Craig Patterson
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Harry Rosen at First Canadian Place (Image: FCP)

Upscale menswear retailer Harry Rosen will relocate its Ottawa Rideau Centre store to an 18,000 square foot space in a central portion of the mall. It will open in the Spring of 2015 and construction starts Fall 2014.

Interestingly, the new store will include a large shoe shop with its own entrance, adjoined to the main store. Harry Rosen will also include several designer shops-in-shop, not unlike other larger Harry Rosen stores.

When finished, this will be one of Harry Rosen’s largest stores. The largest is the 55,000 square foot Toronto flagship on Bloor Street West. In total, Harry Rosen has 16 Canadian store locations as well as one outlet store in Mississauga. 

Ottawa’s Rideau Centre is undertaking a massive expansion which broke ground this morning. It will eventually include new retail anchored by a 105,000 square foot La Maison Simons store and a 157,000 square foot Nordstrom store. Word has it that a Saks Fifth Avenue store could also open across the street from the mall within Hudson’s Bay. 

[Harry Rosen website]

HELLO SIMONS AND NORDSTROM: OTTAWA’S RIDEAU CENTRE EXPANSION BREAKS GROUND TODAY

By
Retail Insider
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Rendering of Rideau Centre's Rideau Street side. Photo: Rideau Centre

Today marks the ground breaking of the expansion of Ottawa’s Ridea Centre. By the spring of 2015, the mall’s expansion will include a 105,000 La Maison Simons store as well as Nordstrom, which will join the mall as its southern anchor.

The groundbreaking will be at the corner of Rideau Street and Nicholas Street, being the future site of the La Maison Simons store. 

Rendering of the mall’s new food court. Photo: Rideau Centre

Last year we reported that Nordstrom would open a 157,000 square foot store in the mall , replacing the top two levels of a former Sears store. Nordstrom is expected to open some time in the spring of 2015. Simons will open at about the same as Nordstrom. 

Saks Fifth Avenue could open across the street from Rideau Centre within Hudson’s Bay’s department store, though we have no further details at this time. 

[Rideau Centre website]

CLEARLY CONTACTS’ INTERNATIONAL STORE EXPANSION: INTERVIEW WITH FOUNDER/CEO ROGER HARDY

By
Retail Insider
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Photo: Coastal.com

ClearlyContacts.ca is expanding its bricks-and-mortar retail store network worldwide. We interviewed the company’s founder and CEO, Roger Hardy, to learn more. The following is a brief summary of our discussion topics…

ClearlyContacts.ca’s New Vancouver store: Mr. Hardy informs us that Clearly Contacts will open a new, permanent location in Vancouver at 961 Robson Street. It will replace T-shirt retailer Bang-On, which will move to a shop-in-store location within Used House of Vintage at 1008 Robson Street (2nd floor). Lease plans show that the new Clearly Contacts store will be about 1,320 square feet.

Location of the new 961 Robson Street store (within Robson Central, managed by Morguard Investments)

Robson Street store sales – in excess of over $2,000/ square foot: Mr. Hardy notes that sales have been stellar at his current Robson Street store, exceeding $2,000/square foot/annually. This is quite high in the retail world, and few retailers save for possibly Lululemon and Tiffany & Co. in Vancouver can claim higher.

Retail store expansion: We can expect Clearly Contacts to expand its stores nationally. Store locations are picked based on local demographics as well as pedestrian footfall. Potential store locations, both street-front and within shopping malls, will be considered. Mr. Hardy wouldn’t elaborate on which Canadian cities will see stores first, though we’ve heard that Calgary and Toronto are likely next.

International Expansion: Clearly Contacts will expand its bricks-and-mortar retail network overseas. We can expect the first international locations to open in Australia, which is also one of the company’s best online markets. No word yet on what other countries will be targeted for store openings.

961 Robson Street, Vancouver, soon to be a permanent Clearly Contacts store

Why bricks-and-mortar stores? The Robson Street store was meant to engage the public face-to-face. A six-month lease was signed for a 1,000 square foot Robson Street store, which proved to be popular. A second location opened recently in Vancouver’s popular Kitsilano area, and a permanent Robson Street space was recently secured. New stores will continue to engage customers face-to-face, but they’re also proving to be profitable.

The difference between online and bricks-and-mortar retailing: Mr. Hardy notes that it’s very expensive to operate an online retailer, and expressed surprise that other companies expect to sell online without considering the vast effort and potential high costs. His company has over 100 marketing staff and over 100 IT staff for its online sales division, which costs the company over $100 million. Note of advice for smaller retailers looking to sell online – take note of those numbers.

We’ll keep you updated when we learn of what other Canadian cities will see Clearly Contacts stores.

[ClearlyContacts.ca website]

DIOR SHOP (RE)OPENS IN MONTREAL & SOON AT YORKDALE

By
Retail Insider
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Grand opening September 25th 2013. Photo: Holt Renfrew

Dior just re-opened its accessories boutique in Montreal, and it will also open at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre. Both boutique concessions are located within Holt Renfrew stores. 

Dior concessions are located within Holt Renfrew stores in Vancouver, Toronto (Bloor Street) and Montreal. The second Toronto shop opens this fall within Holt Renfrew’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre store, which is undergoing a significant expansion. 

More Dior locations are planned for Canada, including at least one free-standing store. Details to follow. 

In the United States, Dior accessory shops are located within several Saks Fifth Avenue stores. We’re awaiting word as to if Saks’ Canadian stores will include Dior concessions. 

[Holt Renfrew website]

[Dior website]

SEARS’ CEO QUITS; COULD NORDSTROM SECURE MORE CANADIAN STORE LOCATIONS?

By
Craig Patterson
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Sears Canada at Toronto Eaton Centre (Image: City Sightseeing)

Sears Canada’s CEO Calvin McDonald has resigned. He leaves behind a struggling retailer which may now be more open to selling back some of its valuable leases to its landlords, possibly leading to more Canadian Nordstorm stores. Not to mention, the possibility of Sears stores being subdivided or being occupied by the likes of La Maison Simons, Saks Fifth Avenue or Holt Renfrew. The following is our analysis of what could replace several valuable Sears locations. 

In the past 14 months, Sears Canada has sold off several of its leases to mall landlords. In the summer of 2012, Sears sold its leases in Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa, paving the way for Nordstrom’s first Canadian stores. Sears subsequently sold two leases in the Toronto area, resulting in speculation that La Maison Simons may move in. Sears also announced a $1 billion project to redevelop its Burnaby BC real estate at Metrotown. 

But what about Sears Canada’s most valuable retail space? We’re referring to the 816,000 square foot flagship Sears at the Toronto Eaton Centre. Calvin McDonald held on to the store, repeatedly saying that its lease wasn’t up for sale and that it would continue to operate as the chain’s Canadian flagship. With McDonald gone, we think the Toronto Eaton Centre Sears will be sold to landlord Cadillac Fairview for a fortune, and that we’ll see it redeveloped to include at least one anchor store (Nordstrom? La Maison Simons?) as well as other smaller retailers willing to pay good money for prominently-located smaller retail spaces.

Sears Canada has other potentially valuable leases that we think could be sold to landlords, possibly paving the way for more Nordstrom, La Maison Simons and Holt Renfrew locations, and other uses. Here’s our analysis of some of Sears Canada’s more “valuable” spaces:

GREATER TORONTO AREA:

Sears, Sherway Gardens, Toronto: This Sears store is over 225,000 square feet and anchors an entire wing of the mall. Hudson’s Bay anchors the other end. Other anchors include Holt Renfrew (which is possibly staying at Sherway and expanding) and, in 2016, Nordstrom which will open one of two Toronto locations. We would expect Sears space to be subdivided and for part of it to be occupied by the likes of La Maison Simons or even Saks Fifth Avenue.

Sears, Fairview Shopping Centre, Toronto: The 149,600 square foot Sears store could be redeveloped into new mall space or could possibly accommodate retail as well as a La Maison Simons store. We don’t see Saks or Holt’s moving into this mall at the moment. It’s interesting to note that, decades ago, Holt Renfrew had a small store at Fairview.

EDMONTON:

Sears, West Edmonton Mall: This 149,000 square foot Sears would make an excellent location for a new Nordstrom store. And we hear that there have already been talks regarding this possibility. Simons wouldn’t be a possibility as it already has a store at West Edmonton Mall which opened last year. Holt’s or Saks? We’re not sure. 

Sears, Southgate Shopping Centre: At 263,000 square feet, this large Sears is positioned in the mall such that it could be easily subdivided into multiple-tenant retail. Part of its space could be used for a department store be it Nordstrom, Holt Renfrew or Saks Fifth Avenue. As a side note, we’ve heard there are expansion plans for Edmonton’s downtown Holt Renfrew so we’re not sure if a Southgate location would be considered.

MONTREAL: 

Sears, Le Carrefour Laval, suburban Montreal: This 150,000 square foot Sears store is located in one of Canada’s most productive malls, also featuring Hudson’s Bay and La Maison Simons. The space could be subdivided or could possibly become Quebec’s first Nordstrom store, given that it’s the right size. 

Sears, Les Galeries d’Anjou, Montreal: This 147,000 square foot Sears store is in a mall that has seen substantial renovations, including a renovated Hudson’s Bay store and a La Maison Simons store that opened last month. Its value may lie with its subdivision. 

RICHMOND BC: Sears, Richmond Centre: This 122,000 square foot Sears store could be configured into multiple-tenant retail or could be occupied by the likes of Nordstrom or La Maison Simons. Richmond has considerable household wealth, despite income statistics that might indicate otherwise.

CALGARY: Sears, Southcentre: The 234,000 square foot Sears at Southcentre could become part of a mall expansion. Landlord Oxford Properties intends to make improvements to this mall and we’re expecting La Maison Simons to open at Southcentre within the next three years (for those reading closely, we just dropped you a hint).

WINNIPEG: Sears, Polo Park Shopping Centre: The 263,000 square foot Sears store could be converted to multiple-tenant retail and part of it could eventually house either a Nordstrom or La Maison Simons. Holt Renfrew might also consider re-opening a full-sized Winnipeg store, though we’re not aware of any such plans.

The above list is by no means exhaustive – Sears has other excellent retail locations but we’ve limited discussion for now. Please keep reading our website, as we’ll be watching Sears Canada’s real estate closely in the coming months.

[Sears Canada website]

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