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Saks Fifth Avenue Partners with Pusateri’s for Canadian Food Halls

By
Craig Patterson
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Upscale Toronto-based Pusateri’s Fine Foods will operate Saks Fifth Avenue‘s Canadian food halls. Saks’ first two food stores will open in the spring of 2016 within Saks’ Toronto Eaton Centre and Sherway Gardens stores. 

The new Saks food halls will feature specialized sit-down options, as well as upscale food products and “a variety of engaging culinary stations – all showcased within a fresh and modern atmosphere”, according to a press release. 

Hudson’s Bay Company CEO Richard Baker recently indicated that Saks’ Canadian food halls will each measure about 25,000 square feet, and that they will be modelled on the famous food floor at Harrod’s in London. Sources tell us that plans are in place for a large Saks food hall on the eastern half of the concourse level of the Hudson’s Bay flagship in the Toronto Eaton Centre, with three floors for Saks directly above — measuring a total of about 150,000 square feet. Saks will also open a 132,000 square foot location at Toronto’s Sherway Gardens, with both locations scheduled to open in the spring of 2016. 

Saks Fifth Avenue will eventually open as many as eight Canadian locations. The company has confirmed that Saks stores will open in Vancouver and Montreal, though we have yet to learn of their exact locations. Saks could also possibly open a Calgary location, according to Mr. Baker.  

Saks’ food halls will face competition from Popular Italian food concept Eataly, which sources say could enter Canada through Holt Renfrew. Eataly is in the process of opening stores worldwide, and sources say that it has been in talks with multiple Toronto landlords. Eataly locations could follow in Montreal and Vancouver, according so sources familiar with the company. 

Upscale Pusateri’s Fine Foods operates three Toronto locations, with a fourth scheduled to open in late 2016 at Oakville Place, as part of its $30 million renovation/expansion. Pusateri’s is a premium grocer that also serves prepared foods and offers catering.

“We are thrilled to partner with Pusateri’s as our food purveyor for the exciting launch of Saks Fifth Avenue in Canada,” said Richard Baker, Governor and CEO, Hudson’s Bay Company. “With their high standard of quality and exceptional selection of fine foods, Pusateri’s will help to deliver an elevated customer experience synonymous with the Saks Fifth Avenue brand.” 

“Pusateri’s is delighted to be working with Saks Fifth Avenue to operate the food hall installations for the world-renowned luxury retailer’s Canadian expansion,” says Frank Luchetta, President, Pusateri’s Fine Foods. “Saks Fifth Avenue’s superior dedication to exceptional quality and first-class customer service reflects the commitment to client care Pusateri’s holds at its core.”

Alibaba’s Plan of Attack: 3 Keys to Success

By
Retail Insider
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By J.C Williams Group

Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., was quoted on several occasions saying “eBay is a shark in the ocean; we are a crocodile in the Yangtze River, if we fight in the ocean, we will lose, but if we fight in the river, we will win.”

In recent years, that crocodile has grown enormous in size and is no longer content with the Yangtze River. It is no secret that Alibaba wants a piece of the ocean; a piece of the North American market. Besides, what is there to fear? Sales from Alibaba’s two e-commerce platforms, Tmall and Taobao, have already surpassed the combined sales of eBay and Amazon.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is an e-commerce business that offers B2B, retail and wholesale of goods, its line of business also includes an online payment system and a shopping search engine among other developing programs.

Unless you are an e-commerce aficionado, chances are, you have not heard of 11 Main. It is the shark that Alibaba has been breeding in captivity to hopefully one day share the ocean with eBay and Amazon. 11main.com is in its beta phase with approximately 1,000 merchants selling products from categories such as apparel and accessories, technology, sporting goods, toys, and entertainment.

More vendors and products are expected before the site is fully launched. It will be no easy task to break into the already crowded U.S. e-commerce space, but the Asian giant has done a few things that will certainly increase its chances at success.

1. Acknowledging the Cultural Difference

Any international expansion is not without its cultural difficulties. Target encountered numerous problems during its first year in Canada partly due to its inability to recognize the cultural differences between the U.S. and Canada.

Alibaba recognizes the significant cultural differences between China and the U.S., and it has taken a number of steps to learn from the locals in order to minimize potential culture-related hiccups.

Back in 2010, Alibaba made the strategic decision to acquire two U.S. companies, Vendio and Auctiva, to provide them with insights and expertise on the U.S. e-commerce market. The two companies later built 11main.com. Alibaba also recruited key e-commerce personnel from eBay, Gap, and Walmart to better understand the market.

2. Unique Products

In the face of a crowded market and fierce competition, Alibaba’s entry into the U.S. market will undoubtedly be an uphill battle. 11 Main plans to stand out in the crowd by offering product differentiation. Instead of bringing over vendors who are on Taobao and who are likely already selling on eBay or Amazon, 11 Main is picking vendors that offer unique and high quality products made in the U.S. The marketplace will sell products from categories such as apparel and accessories, technology, sporting goods, toys, and entertainment.

3. Service Differentiation

While the e-commerce platform can offer many things, one thing it seems to be missing is the personal relationships and the interactive experience that comes with in-store shopping. Alibaba plans to set itself apart by encouraging 11 Main shop owners to not only sell a product, but also their story, their passion, and their point-of-view in order to establish a firm brand identity and to build a one-to-one relationship with their customers. Alibaba is also building a key success feature―social media―into 11 Main by allowing customers to follow shops they like and feel a personal connection with.

This crocodile’s endless ambition for global dominance has led itself to its current path; however, the ever changing global marketplace will undoubtedly present more difficulties for this foreign creature. Will it survive and thrive? We’ll be sure to keep our eyes on them!

J.C. Williams Group is a well-known, full-service retail and marketing consulting firm. It offers clients practical, creative, and in-depth knowledge of retailing and marketing, including up-to-date know-how and techniques to make retail operations better and more profitable. You can also read their informative blog, Retaileye, here: retaileye.wordpress.com. 

 

 

Desigual Aggressively Expanding Across Canada

By
Craig Patterson
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Colourful, moderately-priced casual Spanish clothing brand Desigual is aggressively expanding, with plans to open stores across Canada. It has already secured several high-profile locations, and we’re told that negotiations are ongoing for more Canadian stores.

Founded in 1984 in Ibiza, Desigual is noted for its patchwork designs, intense prints, innovative graffiti art, asymmetrical designs, and flamboyant splashes of colour. Desigual sells men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing, as well as accessories and women’s shoes. It has stores around the world, mostly in Europe. In the United States, it operates 11 stores and two outlets in metropolitan New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami. 

Desigual’s Ontario and Alberta franchises are to be operated by women’s fashion apparel retailer J. Michaels, with lease deals being coordinated by a Toronto-based broker. So far, Desigual has secured at least two Ontario locations, including a recently opened store in Toronto’s Distillery District, as well as a location at Ottawa’s Bayshore Shopping Centre. In Alberta, West Edmonton Mall is confirmed for a 1,500 square foot Desigual store, replacing retailer French Connection. A Desigual outlet store will also open next week at the Premium Outlets Montreal.

Desigual’s Quebec locations are operated by a different franchisee, and its first Canadian location opened at Montreal’s Les Cours Mont Royal in November of last year. The 2,400 square foot store features a massive display of about 7,000 glass bottles hanging from the ceiling, which took four days to install. A second Montreal-area location is confirmed for Le Carrefour Laval under the same franchisee. 

7,000 glass bottles hang from the ceiling of Montreal’s Desigual store.

We’ll update you when we learn more on Desigual’s Canadian expansion plans. 

Laura Secord Expanding Canadian Store Network

By
Craig Patterson
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Canada’s largest and best-known chocolatier, Laura Secord, is looking to further expand its national store base. The company has recently retained a broker from one of Canada’s top agencies. Secord currently lacks stores in Alberta and British Columbia, presenting tremendous opportunity for the retailer as well as for mall landlords. 

According to its website, Laura Secord operates 104 Canadian store locations. Of those, 51 are in Ontario, 40 in Quebec, 9 in the Maritimes, and 2 each in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Given that the retailer has no stores in Alberta or British Columbia, local mall landlords may wish to contact Valentino Teoli of Aurora Realty Consultants (514-737-6727), who has been retained to handle Secords’ location search. Jeri Brodie (416-972-9414), also of Auora Realty Consultants, is handling the Laura Secord’s Ontario expansion plans. According to weekly publication Developers & Chains, Laura Secord will focus on seeking retail space in the 700 to 900 square foot range in enclosed shopping malls. 

Laura Secord has offices in Mississauga, Ontario and in suburban Quebec City. It is now owned by Jean and Jacques Leclerc, two brothers who also own Nutriart, a company devoted to chocolate production. Nutriart is a former division of Biscuits Leclerc. 

Jeri Brodie (416-972-9414) of Auora Realty Consultants.  is handling the Ontario Laura Secord expansion plans.

Laura Secord’s first chocolate store opened in 1913 on Toronto’s Yonge Street. Founded by Frank P. O’Connor, the shop sold hand-made chocolates named after Ms. Secord, a Canadian heroine from the War of 1812 who was a symbol of courage, devotion and loyalty. The retailer grew substantially and by 1950, had 96 stores in Ontario and Quebec. 

The Misconceptions of Retail Employment in Canada [With Comment by Retail Insider’s Craig Patterson]

By
Retail Insider
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By James Michael McDonald, Editor, Jobpostings.ca

There aren’t many people I know that didn’t, at one time or another, work in retail. For most, it’s a good part-time job while in high school or post-secondary to get some early work experience and earn some extra money. The jobs are easily accessible for hard workers and social butterflies, people willing to put in the time and energy.

The fact is, though, that working in retail is so much more than you think.

SKILLS AT THE STARTING GATE

“Retail develops many skills and competencies which can be used within retail and cross-functionally in different industries,” says Nima Ghodratpour, MBA candidate at Queen’s, with over 11 years of Canadian and international luxury retail experience with Clinique, Bloomingdale’s, and Boutique 1. “Some of the skills picked up in a retail environment include interpersonal and listening skills, coaching and people management, negotiation skills, sales skills, building relationships, business management, and financial accounting.”

Essentially, working a retail position as a young person, before you dive head-first into a career, is preparing yourself for future success.

“The actual physical duties in retail are the least significant and important that a hirer cares about. What they truly care about is personality,” says Suzanne Sears, senior executive director of Best Retail Careers International Inc., which focuses on specialty retail recruiting across the world. “Are you able to make relationships with customers? That’s what they care about. Once you have these relationships, can you service these people and can you make the customer happy?”

The great thing about young people working at the store level is if you don’t enter the field as someone able to instantly make relationships with customers, you will soon be able to. These environments are designed to train employees and encourage growth.

“Working in a team can be difficult at times,” says Ghodratpour. “However, it also presents the opportunity to develop essential job skills and potentially long-lasting relationships. Good retailers pay a great deal of attention on teamwork and work to ensure that management is fostering a culture of team engagement.”

MOVING THROUGH THE PACK

If it turns out you like the company you work for, or love the idea of retail as an industry, you’re in luck. There are thousands—nay, millions—of retail positions out there that are in or above store-level. You don’t have to be at the customer level to have a full career in retail.

“There are functional roles,” says Sears. “There’s a tremendous demand for IT professionals who can design point-of-purchase systems. There are people who sell retail fixtures. There are architectural roles in designing stores. There are statistical roles in financial analysis.”

And the list goes on: financial accountants, lawyers, graphic artists, professionals in human resources, buying, merchandising, etc. There’s also a trend to keep up-to-date, so retailers are hiring social media pros, marketing gurus, and communications experts—all perfect careers for recent grads with the right skill sets. “Virtually any career that’s in Canada, you will find in retail,” she adds.

While there is certainly opportunity for outsiders with professional backgrounds to dive into the retail industry in these roles, it’s also very possible for you to move up from a simple part-time job.

“I’m an excellent example of moving up from a part-time store-level job to a full-time management-level position,” says Ghodratpour. “Retail is a fast-paced and highly competitive environment that includes many opportunities for growth and development. Many retailers—in particular luxury retail—put a huge emphasis on talent development and succession planning to ensure the retention of talent. This is done not only because it reduces staff turnover, which can cut into the bottom line, but also ensures that the company holds on to a workforce with intimate knowledge of processes and corporate culture.”

Sears adds that there is great opportunity in coming years for those looking to make their mark.

“Believe it or not, for retail employment in Canada, the last statistics I saw showed that the unemployment rate is about two per cent. It’s very low in the sense that retail doesn’t have anywhere near the number of people in the trade that is required. All the boomers are retiring. People who have been in retail for 20, 30, 40 years are leaving the field within the next five years, so advancement is massive and quick for the right people.”

CHECKING OUT THE FINISH LINE

Aside from the baby boomers retiring en masse in coming years, there is also significant growth now and in the near future in retail.

“A number of brands that have traditionally been carried in department stores or other multi-brand retailers are actually opening their own Canadian headquarters and are looking at expanding to Canada, opening either their own stores or opening concessions within department stores,” says Craig Patterson, editor-in-chief and founder of Retail Insider, providing a detailed analysis of the Canadian retail market.

“There are also a lot of American retailers coming into Canada. We’ve had a lot of homegrown retailers in Canada who haven’t seen a lot of growth or are actually struggling so I think we’re going to see a lot more international retailers coming in. On the flip side, value-priced retailers are on the rise, so we’re going to see more jobs in places like Dollarama.” He mentions that value-priced retail is expanding by nearly 50 per cent over the next several years, meaning a lot of opportunities for both young people at store level and professionals in the expanding “head office” branch of retail.

And if you’re thinking retail isn’t for you because of the pay, think again.

“I think most people underestimate how well retail pays,” says Sears. “There are very few big box store managers who aren’t making up to $200,000 per year. It’s a highly paid trade.”

When looking for a position that’s right for you, be it in a store or in any role in the industry, it’s best to know what you want and to go after it.

To find out if a store is right for you, Ghodratpour says to visit, interact with staff, and gather information. Be sure to go to companies that you enjoy, because developing a long-term job or a lifelong career with a brand you love can only lead to career satisfaction.

“Retail is ultimately about passion,” he says. “Making sure you align your passions with that of a company is of ultimate importance.”

Republished with permission of Jobpostings.ca. [Link to original article]. 

 

Target Opens 3 New Canadian Stores

By
Craig Patterson
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Despite recent challenges, Target opened three new Canadian locations last week, bringing its total store count to 133. Two locations are in Ontario, and one in Manitoba. The opening of these three new stores concludes the new store openings scheduled for 2014.

The new Target stores are at the following locations: 

  • Sheridan Centre in Mississauga, Ontario,
  • Polo Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and
  • St. Laurent Boulevard in Ottawa, Ontario.

Target employs an average of 150 staff, referred to as ‘team members’ by the company, at each of its Canadian locations. The three new stores feature licensed Starbucks franchises, as well as in-store pharmacies.

In March of 2013, Target Canada began its unprecedented Canadian expansion by opening 124 stores within nine months. In 2014, Target continued its Canadian growth by adding an additional nine stores.

“The opening of these three stores marks another important milestone for Target Canada,” said Mark Schindele, the company’s president. “As we head into the holiday season, we’re thrilled to offer our guests additional locations to find exclusive merchandise, great value and a unique shopping experience.”

Harry Rosen Renovates Oakridge Centre Store

By
Craig Patterson
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Harry Rosen at Oakridge (Image: Harry Rosen)

Upscale menswear retailer Harry Rosen has completed renovations at its Oakridge Shopping Centre location in Vancouver. The store features an updated interior, new brands, and an expanded footwear department. Vancouver is such a strong market for Harry Rosen, in fact, that the retailer may open a third location. 

The newly renovated Oakridge Centre store features a new made-to-measure area, as well as a generous enlargement of its dress furnishings space.  A newly expanded footwear department was also created, featuring several new designers. Paul Smith, Versace and Cole Haan’s ‘Lunar Grand‘ footwear (exlusive to Harry Rosen in Canada) sit alongside luxury footwear brands such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Prada, Moncler, Dolce & Gabbana and Tod’s, among others. 

Harry Rosen at Oakridge (Image: Harry Rosen)

The store carries an expanded assortment of top luxury brands, including Canali, Corneliani, Dolce & Gabbana, Duchamp, John Varvatos, Polo Ralph Lauren, Ermenegildo Zegna, Eton, Armani Collezioni, and Hugo Boss, among others. It also features two new brands exclusive to Harry Rosen, including Harris Warf and Maurizio Baldassari. 

“We set out to build the best shopping experiences for men,” says Larry Rosen, CEO and Chairman of Harry Rosen. “Everything was designed with the delivery of our legendary customer service in mind.”

HARRY ROSEN OCCUPIES ALMOST 8,500 SQ FT, PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 2,000 SQ FT FOR ITS HUGO BOSS SHOP-IN-STORE.
Harry Rosen at Oakridge (Image: Harry Rosen)

Larry Rosen recently told the Vancouver Sun that the retailer could open a third Vancouver-area location. Although a location has yet to be determined, we speculate that if one does open, it will be either at Park Royal in West Vancouver or at Richmond Centre, or possibly even at Metropolis at Metrotown. The first two malls are undergoing substantial renovations, and all three are seeing the addition of various new upscale retailers. 

* All photos are courtesy of Harry Rosen Inc. 

 

Eataly Partners With Canadian-Owned Retailer

By
Craig Patterson
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Image: Eataly

We’re updating our previous discussion that the popular Italian food concept Eataly could open in Canada. Eataly has partnered with Galen Weston-owned Selfridges to open an Eataly location within the iconic London-based department store.

Toronto-based Galen Weston also owns Canadian luxury department store Holt Renfrew, as well Shoppers Drug Mart and the Loblaw grocery empire (the latter two are under the Weston umbrella). Sources say that Eataly could enter the Canadian market in a similar way to what’s being done in London, possibly through Holt Renfrew. 

Reuters reports that Eataly’s CEO, Luca Baffigo Filangieri, announced Eataly’s plans to locate within London’s Selfridges, opening in September of 2016. Mr. Filangieri also mentioned Eataly’s intentions for an aggressive store expansion, as well as plans for an IPO in 2017. 

Sources say that various potential locations in central Toronto are being considered for a large Eataly location. We’re told that the Yorkville area is the top choice for Eataly, though some speculate that it could open on trendy King Street West. Sources further speculate that Canadian Eataly locations could open as shops-in-stores within flagship Holt Renfrew locations. Regardless of what happens, Canadian Eataly locations will likely be years away, considering it has yet to secure Canadian real estate or to announce formal expansion plans.

We’re also told that Montreal and Vancouver Eataly locations could follow a successful Toronto launch, though none of this is confirmed. 

Again, we’re unsure if Eataly will enter Canada via Holt Renfrew. If it does, there’s a possibility that it could somehow become integrated into existing Holt Renfrew stores. We recently revealed plans for a potential 37,000 square foot addition to Holt Renfrew’s 180,000 square foot Toronto flagship, separated by a laneway and with its own Bay Street entrance. In Montreal, Holt Renfrew’s newly combined Ogilvy/Holt Renfrew, scheduled to open in 2017, will see a total of 220,000 square feet of retail space – possibly with enough room to house an Eataly shop-in-store. Vancouver’s 140,000 square foot Holt Renfrew is confirmed for expansion, adding as much as 40,000 square feet by annexing two adjacent sports retailers. Eataly shops-in-stores are only our speculation, as we’ve mentioned, and Eataly could also end up opening free-standing Canadian units without any association with Holt Renfrew or Weston.

If Eataly does enter Canada through Holt Renfrew, it could be an assault to Saks Fifth Avenue‘s plans to open luxury food halls in its Canadian stores. A source informs us that plans are in place to build a large Saks Fifth Avenue food hall on the concourse level of the Hudson’s Bay building at the corner of Yonge and Queen Streets in Toronto, with three levels for Saks Fifth Avenue directly above. Saks’ Canadian flagship will occupy approximately 150,000 square feet within Hudson’s Bay’s 850,000 square foot Toronto Eaton Centre location, and it is expected to open in the spring of 2016. We’ll update these details further when permitted, including the configuration of the new four-level Toronto Eaton Centre Saks.

Eataly boasts 27 worldwide locations, though only two in North America: a 58,000 square foot space in Manhattan, and a 63,000 square foot location in Chicago. Its 2013 Manhattan sales targets were estimated at a whopping $85 million. In December, its notoriously busy Chicago location had to temporarily close because it ran out of food. Eataly has 10 locations in Italy, 13 in Japan, one in Dubai and one in Istanbul, Turkey. Over the next couple of years, the retailer will open new U.S. stores in Los Angeles and New York City, as well as possibly in Philadelphia and Washington DC. 

Eataly is more than just a store – it’s a food experience, encompassing fresh and dry groceries, restaurants, cafes, tasting areas, food stalls and shops, all under one roof. Eataly was founded in Turin, Italy, in 2007. Its founder, Oscar Farinetti, wanted to combine elements of a lively, open environment with a learning centre to create an atmosphere conducive to shopping, tasting, and learning about high-quality Italian foods. Inspired by the European food-hall concept, its massive stores are populated with tasting areas and gourmet restaurants to complement the upscale food offerings. Customers can taste the artisan products, learn about them from educated staff, and buy the ingredients to recreate Eataly’s restaurant food at home, all at fair prices. 

List of Department Stores Opening and Expanding in Canada

By
Craig Patterson
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The following is a list of 10 department stores which are either new to Canada, or expanding their operations nationally. Some are confirmed, while others are more speculative. It’s sponsored by Vancouver-based Peregrine, which custom designs and fabricates retail, display, furniture and architectural features for some of the country’s top retailers. 

Noticeably absent from the list are large discount retailers such as Winners, Giant Tiger and Marshall’s. We’ll do a separate list for these categories (including updates on hr2, Nordstrom Rack and Off 5th by Saks Fifth Avenue) in the coming weeks. 

STORE NAMELOCATIONS TO OPEN IN CANADANEW OR EXPANDING?ESTIMATED # OF LOCATIONS POST-EXPANSION
Bloomingdale’sToronto, Vancouver (both are speculation, though Bloomingdale’s confirms search for Toronto store space) – 120,000 sq ft+New2+ (speculation)
Holt RenfrewMississauga (120,000 sq ft, 2016), Toronto Men’s Store (16,500 sq ft, Opened Oct 1 at 100 Bloor St. W.), Montreal Ogilvy/Holt’s (220,000 sq ft, opening 2017), speculated Edmonton replacement store.Expanding8-9 (depending on possible Sherway Gardens closure)
La Maison SimonsWest Vancouver (105,000 sq ft, fall 2015), Gatineau, QC (80,000 sq ft, fall 2015), Mississauga (Square One, 113,000 sq ft, spring 2016), Ottawa (102,000 sq ft, August 2016) Calgary (1, and possibly 2 locations, 2017), Winnipeg (speculated), Downtown Toronto (speculated), Yorkdale Shopping Centre (120,000 sq ft, speculated)Expanding13 confirmed, 17+ possibly
NordstromOttawa (157,000 sq ft, March 2015), Vancouver (230,000 sq ft, September 2015), Toronto (213,000 sq ft Eaton Centre, 191,000 sq ft Yorkdale – both fall 2016), Sherway Gardens (138,000 sq ft, spring 2017), Edmonton (~155,000 sq ft, speculated), Winnipeg (125,000+ sq ft, speculated.New (Calgary store opened Sept. 19)7 – 10
PrimarkSpeculation, though sources confirm interest.NewUnknown
Saks Fifth AvenueToronto (150,000 sq ft Toronto Eaton Centre, fall 2016), Toronto (130,000 sq ft Sherway Gardens, fall 2016), Downtown Vancouver (120,000-150,000 sq ft), Downtown Montreal (100,000-140,000 sq ft), Calgary (speculated), speculated suburban Vancouver (Oakridge Centre), Toronto (120,000 sq ft, Yorkdale Shopping Centre) and Montreal (Carrefour Laval) stores.New7-8
Sporting Life[Technically not a department store, but locations 30-50k sq ft] Markham, ON (32,000 sq ft – opened in September), Ottawa (Lansdowne Park, 43,000 sq ft, opening this month), Richmond Hill, ON (44,000 sq ft, 2016), Calgary (Southcentre, 46,000, fall 2016), Vancouver, Edmonton, Montreal.Expanding11+
TargetFall 2014: Sheridan Centre – Mississauga, Polo Park – Winnipeg, St. Laurent Boulevard – OttawaExpanding133
Walmart35 Supercentres opened/opening in 2014Expanding395
Uniqlo[Not a department store, but locations may surpass 30,000 sq ft] Speculated 2016 store openings for Toronto (Downtown, Yorkdale Shopping Centre) Vancouver (Robson Street) as well as subsequent locations for Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal, and Canada-wide.NewUnknown

Desjardins’ Ecommerce Merchants Now Able to Accept Additional Types of Online Payments

By
Retail Insider
-

By Beverly Brooks

In early 2012, Desjardins, one of the largest cooperative financial groups in Canada, selected Optimal Payments, a leading global online payments provider, to develop a customized online solution that Desjardins could offer its etailers. When initially launched, Optimal Payments’ NETBANX® payment gateway provided Desjardins’ online retail merchants with real-time transaction processing that included hosted and non-hosted payment pages, access to a virtual terminal, flexible reporting and comprehensive fraud management tools. Also included were customized fraud-parameter settings, tokenization (process of substituting a sensitive data element with a non-sensitive equivalent, referred to as a token, that has no extrinsic or exploitable meaning or value) and 3D Secure (protocol designed to be an additional security layer for online credit and debit card transactions developed with the intention of improving the security of Internet payments).  

Since 2012, Optimal Payments has enhanced its customized solution for Desjardins to incorporate the ability for in-store retailers to accept payments made by customers wishing to use a financing option, known as ‘Accord D’. This option is available through the customer’s Visa Desjardins credit card or through the retailer’s private-label card. Currently, more than 7,500 retailers across Canada offer the Accord D financing program.

A renewed agreement with Desjardins, which Optimal Payments announced on September 18 of this year, enables Desjardins’ etailer clients to accept Accord D transactions from their customers through their websites. Other new features in the recent enhancement include the ability to accept payments using various scheduled billing methods (recurring billing) and through automated batch uploading.

The process to sign up for this new service is relatively easy for any merchant. Desjardins Card Services and Optimal Payments carry out many of the administrative steps, including all necessary credit checks. To complete the implementation phase, Optimal Payments provides the merchant with a one-hour training session on the online administrative module, in addition to superior support in setting-up Accord D on their merchant account. Optimal Payments’ customer support (24/7) rapidly responds to all merchant needs ensuring seamless service on an ongoing basis.

These enhanced Internet payment solutions not only make it easier for Desjardins’ etailers to offer online payment services to their customers across Canada, they also provide the assurance of high security. Optimal Payments has a long-standing reputation for delivering secure, comprehensive solutions and their focus on innovation has allowed them to remain at the forefront of online payment processing, to continuously develop its platform to support emerging payment options and to protect merchants against the continuously evolving forms of online payment fraud.

The NETBANX platform is used by thousands of companies around the globe to provide secure online processing of credit cards, debit cards, direct debit, and online banking as well as a multitude of alternative payment options that are preferred in international markets. Etailers also depend on the NETBANX proprietary ‘risk rules engine’ and customizable fraud screening tools to minimize their fraud losses and liability.

Optimal Payments is a global provider of online payment solutions, trusted by businesses and consumers in over 200 countries and territories to move and manage billions of dollars each year. The Company enables retailers everywhere to internationalize their operations and markets while ensuring their businesses and revenue streams are more secure.  

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