Target Canada has just launched dENiZEN jeans by Levi’s. The brand is only available at Target stores and the jeans, available for men and women, are priced between $21.99 and $34.99.
The brand has been popular with American shoppers. The jeans come in a variety of shapes and sizes, aiming to flatter customers of different shapes and sizes. dENiZEN was launched in American Target stores in 2011.
The entire line of dENiZEN jeans can be viewed on their new Canadian website: http://www.denizen.ca. The brand also has a Facebook page.
Toronto-based menswear retailer Harry Rosen is using Conrad Black and an image of Justin Trudeau for marketing purposes.
Conrad Black, convicted in American court for fraud, appears in a four-minute video on Harry Rosen’s website where he is interviewed by journalist Seamus O’Regan. They discuss Black’s new book, what Black is “bullish about”, and clothing. See the video from Harry Rosen, above.
Federal Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau is also used in a print ad for Harry Rosen. Trudeau never agreed to be in the campaign. The image of Trudeau above indicates, humorously, that Trudeau is addressing a press scrum regarding his invitation to Harry Rosen’s ‘Private Sale’.
In 2007 Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s image was used in a Harry Rosen print ad. Flaherty insisted the retailer donate to his riding and Rosen agreed.
Harry Rosen has previously used well-known persons for its advertising, including Jose Bautista, Adam van Koeverden, Christopher Plummer and Richard Branson, among others.
Image: Harry Rosen
For those unfamiliar, Harry Rosen is an upscale Canadian menswear retailer with 15 (soon to be 16) Canadian store locations. It is in the process of a major expansion that will see several stores substantially enlarged.
Feel free to comment below. Should Harry Rosen use a convicted felon for marketing? Should a celebrity’s image be used for marketing without his/her permission?
West Edmonton Mall will house North America’s first Liquipel store, opening Thursday, May 30th. The store offers Watersafe™ liquid protection technology for mobile devices including cell phones, tablets and MP3 players. Having lost more than one mobile device to water damage, we see this concept as being extremely useful.
According to Liquipel, mobile devices can be waterproofed while customers shop the mall. A nanoscopic super-hydrophobic coating is applied to the device via a patent-pending process, according to Liquipel’s press release (see below).
Liquipel’s first North American store opens on Level One of West Edmonoton Mall, near the Ice Palace.
Below we’re re-posting the ‘About Liquipel’ section of their press release for your reference:
“About Liquipel Liquipel LLC is the sole owner and licensor of Liquipel (http://www.liquipel.com/), an award-winning process that uses an intelligent molecular coating to make smartphones and other devices Watersafe™ from accidental exposure to water and other liquids. Since its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show 2012, it has won an Edison Award, a FierceWireless Fierce 15 Award, was named by Popular Science the Grand Award Winner in the Gadgets Category in the magazine’s “Best of What’s New” issue, and has also been included in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “100 Brilliant Companies” list. It is available in the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Liquipel makes us rethink how we utilize our electronic devices. By merging the latest in technology and consumer products, Liquipel creates a no-limits lifestyle free from boundaries. For more information and videos, please visit Liquipel’s website, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. To contact Liquipel, LLC, email info@liquipel.com.”
*****UPDATE: Hugo Boss opened its Chinook Centre store on August 21st, 2013*****
Hugo Boss will open a 3,500 square foot store at Calgary’s Chinook Centre. The store will be located in the ‘older’ part of the mall, away from other similarly upscale stores that have located in the mall’s most recent expansion.
The store will be next to an existing Williams Sonoma store, as per the floorplan below.
The store will join other upscale mall tenants including Burberry, Tiffany & Co., Tory Burch, Coach, Lacoste and others. These tenants are all located in the mall’s newer section.
Toys “R” Us Canada will hire one lucky child to be its CPO: Chief Play Officer. The position is a one-year contact and the deadline to apply is July 6th. They are specifically seeking a child aged 11-13. Video job applications can be sent to this website, which also provides further details on the competition.
The Child Play Officer will write in social media blogs, will occasionally make TV appearances and will act as a spokesperson for Toys “R” Us Canada. As inspiration, toys will be delivered to the CPO’s home to play with.
Parental consent is required, since applicants are legally minors.
The following includes a full listing of retailers. We have also posted a list below this image:
The following retailers at the Toronto Premium Outlets will be the first in Canada:
Columbia Sportswear
Kate Spade New York
Cole Haan
Polo Ralph Lauren
Restoration Hardware
Ted Baker London
Icebreaker
The following complete list of retailers were provided by Toronto Premium Outlets:
• Adidas • Aeropostale • American Eagle Outfitters • Ardene • Banana Republic Factory Store • Bellisima • Bench • Broadway Fashions • Brooks Brothers Factory Store • Burberry (estimated Dec. 2013 opening) • Calvin Klein • Columbia Sportswear • DKNY • Eddie Bauer Outlet (estimated Sept. 2013 opening) • Gap Outlet • Garage • Guess Factory Store • Haggar Clothing Co. • Hot Topic • Hudson’s Bay Outlet (Anchor) • Hugo Boss Factory Store • Icebreaker • J.Crew • Levi’s Outlet Store • Lucky Brand • Michael Kors • Nike Factory Store • Oakley Vault • Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store • Ports 1961 • Puma • Reebok • Sarar • Ted Baker London • Tommy Hilfiger • True Religion Brand Jeans • YaYa & Co. • Zumiez • The Children’s Place Outlet • Aldo • Asics (estimated Oct. 2013 opening) • Cole Haan • Famous Footwear Outlet • Naturalizer • Nike Factory Store • Nine West Outlet • Puma • Reebok • Rockport • Saucony • Skechers • Vince Camuto • Coach • Danier Leather • Samsonite • Fossil • Kate Spade New York • Lids • Sunglass Hut • Watch Station International • Corningware Corelle Revere • Restoration Hardware • Royal Doulton • Think Kitchen • The Body Shop • Bose • The Cosmetics Company Store • Lindt Chocolate • Oro Gold Cosmetics • Perfumes 4 U • Signature Perfume • Victorinox Swiss Army • Famous Wok • Sbarro • Subway • Umi Sushi • Villa Medina
We’ll update you when new information and brands are announced for the Toronto Premium Outlets.
Thank you to the several readers who submitted information on the Toronto Premium Outlets including ACT7 of Urban Toronto, Carolyn Day Donaldson and several regular Retail Insider contributors who prefer to remain anonymous.
Take a stroll through Toronto’s trendy West Queen West neighborhood between Niagara and Shaw Streets, and you’ll notice something decidedly unique about this five block stretch. It is lined with, arguably, the largest and one of the best collections of British men’s fashion anywhere in the city, possibly anywhere in Canada. Designer brands such as SimonCarter, Fred Perry, Oliver Spencer, and Ben Sherman all make their home on this quirky Toronto street. All of them are the only Canadian location, with a couple even being the only North American location.
With such a large concentration of men’s British fashion in one area, you would be forgiven for thinking this is Toronto’s answer to London’s famed Savile Row or Jermyn Street. While Queen West doesn’t have the bespoke tailor shops that those streets are so well known for, these designer brands have still managed to find their place in one of Toronto’s most eclectic and cutting edge neighborhoods. Simon Carter was the first among them to set up shop, bringing $150 dress shirts to the area for the first time. They obviously had the right idea because in July of this year, Simon Carter will celebrate its sixth anniversary in the hood. The only freestanding, mono-brand Simon Carter store in North America – in fact the only one outside of England – it was the first one in the world to carry the full line of accessories and clothing and also just so happens to be the largest Simon Carter store in the world.
Sitting with store owner Cedric St. Louis on a frosty Monday morning, he tells me how he got into retail and became affiliated with Simon Carter in the first place. “I’ve always wanted to have a store. When I was back in school, you would have a career counselor come to you and ask you what you wanted to do, and I said I wanted to have a retail store.” Working his way through the retail scene in London and Toronto with the likes of Holt Renfrew and TheGap, Cedric moved on to wholesaling, primarily representing British brands such as Paul Smith and John Smedley, and eventually became an agent, which is when he stumbled upon Simon Carter for the first time.
“I was flipping through a magazine looking for British brands to represent…and came across a pair of cufflinks which I thought were really original”, Cedric says to me, as he reaches behind a glass counter and shows me a pair of the patented cufflinks. Known as Aspirin Cufflinks – think James Bond meets headache treatment – the top of the cufflink unscrews, turning the accessory into a pill box. Cedric picked up the phone, contacted Simon Carter, and asked him if he could represent him in Canada. Thankfully, Simon agreed (after a few attempts), and the rest, as they say, is history.
Today, Toronto’s Simon Carter store not only sells to its loyal base of fashion-forward retail clients, but it also wholesales to other Canadian stores such as Gotstyle and Simons, as well as Bloomingdale’s across the U.S. In addition to the six freestanding stores in England (3 in London, 2 in Buckinghamshire, and 1 in Yorkshire), Simon Carter is also sold at a who’s-who of high end department stores – Harvey Nichols, Fortnum and Mason, Liberty, House of Fraser, and that little known British temple of fashion called Selfridges. You’ll also find Simon Carter carried at Lane Crawford in Hong Kong and David Jones in Australia. Simon will often collaborate with his retail partners to design exclusive private label accessories for them, for example, Simon Carter cufflinks for Harvey Nichols.
Speaking with Simon himself from his London base, he tells me that he is enormously proud of the Toronto store and that its success has exceeded his expectations. He sees Toronto as the right fit for his brand and feels that the city exudes a certain, unique style. “[It’s] a city where I could definitely live”, he says to me. When I ask Cedric why he thinks Toronto embraces British fashion so much, he tells me “Toronto is a happy medium between London and New York”. He also refers back to the days when Brit Pop invaded Toronto in the 90’s and credits much of the city’s eclectic style to that scene. And why Queen Street West in particular? Well, Cedric makes no bones about the fact that at the time the rent was more appealing than Yorkville. But it’s more than that. Queen West clientele tends to be more experimental with fashion and not as label-driven as Yorkville. Sorry Yorkvillians.
In the UK, Simon Carter is known as the “King of Cufflinks” but at the Queen West store you’ll find that it’s about a 70/30 split between clothing and accessories. It carries Simon’s full line of dress shirts, knits, ties, suits, outerwear, and accessories, including watches, wallets, and key chains. The Westend clothing collection tends to be more of the mod 1960’s look, whereas the Mainline collection leans more towards a contemporary style. Simon tells me that he and his team takes pride in the quality of their clothing, and that commitment and attention to detail is easy to see as you work your way through the store. There is no doubt that Simon Carter brings something to the Toronto men’s fashion scene that you won’t find anywhere else. There’s just enough of a classic look to appeal to the traditional business man, but step outside the box a bit and you’ll find dress shirts with floral prints, and prints that include bicycles, gingerbread men, and a world map.
So if you’re looking for stylish clothing with a classy edge, look no further than Toronto’s “Little London”. If you’re lucky, you may just catch Simon himself on one of his visits to the store. Simon Carter is located at 754 Queen Street West, Toronto (647) 428-7545
The Westend collection includes (all prices in CAD):Cufflinks: $75Watches: $165Shirts: $110Suits: $695 The Mainline collection includes:Cufflinks: $80-$195Watches: $95-$750Shirts: $125-$235Pants: $185Suits: $750-$1,295
A large retail complex could be built just north of the Toronto Eaton Centre. We received word from a source saying that we should be paying attention to the east side of Yonge Street between Gerrard and Gould Streets.
Primus (red) and Ryerson (yellow) owned properties in the potential mall area [Source]
For some time, Primaris REIT had been quietly purchasing properties on the Yonge Street block, adjacent to Ryerson University. Ryerson owns the southern portion of the site which was formerly home to Sam The Record Man.
Based on the above, Primaris appeared to be considering redeveloping the block and notes that it is open to further land assembly (acquiring adjacent properties for amalgamation).
On April 4, 2013, Kingsett Capital and the Canada Pension Board purchased Primaris’ Yonge Street properties. We are awaiting to hear back from Kingsett as to their intentions for the block.
Ryerson Student Centre, currently under construction at the south-end of the site [Image Source]
Ryerson University has also noted that it could consider redevelopment of its portion of the block, along with lands immediately north. This has been set out in the Ryerson University Master Plan. It should also be noted, however, that the Ryerson Student Centre is currently under construction on the Ryerson-owned site. We’re not sure if there is a possibility that it could become integrated into a joint retail project.
Source: Ryerson University Master Plan
All of the above is currently speculation and we have little further information at this time. If such a project did go ahead, it could provide retail space for multiple retailers plus one or more large retailers seeking Downtown Toronto space including Nordstrom, La Maison Simons and Target. A source tells us, however, that they expect Target could secure space in the neighbouring Atrium On Bay building which is also undergoing redevelopment.
Ryerson University has previously entered into joint ventures with retail developers, including the Ted Rogers School of Management building adjacent to the Toronto Eaton Centre.
We extend thanks to Gil Meslin, urban planner at DIALOG for directing us to the Ryerson University master plan and related information and to his coworker, David Fitzpatrick, for directing us to the Primaris information. David has an excellent urban planning blog called Reurbanist and we follow his twitter daily.
Holt Renfrew will launch three in-store shops merchandised with products “highlighting culture, craft and artisans from around the world”. The project is called ‘H Project’. Alexandra Weston, Director of Brand Strategy for Holt’s, will make personal appearances at the following Holt Renfrew stores to launch H Project:
Toronto Bloor Street Launch: Wednesday May 22, 4:30 – 6:30 PM
The Colonnade, at 131 Bloor Street West in Toronto, is one of Canada’s most prestigious retail addresses. We’re providing floorplans and description of the two-level retail plaza.
The image above shows a close-up of the eastern-half of The Colonnade’s ground floor. We’ve marked Mulberry’s new location. Notice the large Prada store. It was originally much smaller but annexed an adjacent retail space to grow to almost 6,000 square feet.
The Colonnade’s second level lacked retail space until Chanel leased 4,200 square feet on the second floor. Chanel opened its ground-floor store in 1989 and with the second-floor expansion, it is the complex’s largest retail tenant at over 7,300 square feet. Michael Kors and Cartier have since created larger stores by occupying second-floor space in The Colonnade.
According to Retail Insider’s ACT7 of Urban Toronto, the second-level space 209 on the floorplan above, marked ‘Japan Foundation Library & Museum’, is papered-over on the outside. This may become the second level of the previously mentioned Mulberry store.
The Colonnade opened in 1963 and includes over 70,000 square feet of retail space, over 25,000 square feet of office space and 157 rental apartments above. Surrounding retailers read as a ‘who’s who’ of luxury retail and include Gucci, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co, MontBlanc, Burberry, Hugo Boss, MaxMara and others.
