Roots-owned Beaver Canoe will create an apparel and home collection for Target‘s Canadian stores. The apparel collection launches on September 8th and the home collection on September 15th. The collection will be available from September 2013 through to the end of 2014 (and possibly later if the collaboration is successful).
According to Target’s press release, the apparel collection will include “hoodies, sweatshirts, t-shirts, track pants and long-sleeve tops for toddlers to adults, as well as outerwear and accessories for men and women. Prices range from $7.99 to $99.99”.Â
Their home collection, the first for Beaver Canoe, will be made up of more than 65 pieces, including furniture, pillows, lighting, frames, vases and candles and prices range from $7.99 to $99.99.
Beaver Canoe was started by Roots in 1982 and became a popular Canadian apparel brand with its own free-standing stores. Its popularity has diminished over time and continues to exist as a Roots-owned label.
Holt Renfrew‘s “new generation” stores will be in excess of 120,000 square feet, making them similar in size to or even larger than recently opened Neiman Marcus stores. We are providing a comparison of store sizes. Where applicable, we are linking the Holt Renfrew stores to previous Retail Insider articles describing their sizes and other store details.
Holt Renfrew stores and Neiman Marcus stores are quite similar. Both carry many of the same upscale designers and designer shops-in-store. Both have more recently included simple, bright interiors with plenty of open space.
Here is an update on the latest new and proposed Holt Renfrew store sizes (9 stores in total):
Holt Renfrew’s proposed store and store expansion:
Montreal: 83,000 square feet with about 64,000 square feet of retail space – with the possibility of a replacement store in the works (expect an article with more on this in the near future),
Edmonton (Manulife Place): About 47,000 square feet,
An existing 33,670 square foot Holt Renfrew store at Toronto’s Sherway Gardens will close in the spring of 2016. It will be replaced by the Mississauga location mentioned above.
As can be seen, there is a significant difference in store sizes between the older, smaller Holt Renfrew stores and the newer locations (and the older Toronto Bloor Street flagship store) that are all in excess of 120,000 square feet.
2007: Austin, Texas (The Domain): 80,000 square feet
2007: Charlotte, North Carolina (Southpark Mall): 80,000 square feet
2006: Boca Raton, Florida (Town Centre at Boca Raton): 136,000 square feet
2006: San Antonio, Texas (La Cantera): 120,000 square feet
It would appear that Holt Renfrew is opening similarly-sized stores as Neiman Marcus. Interestingly, Neiman Marcus stores tend to carry more home furnishings, children’s items (clothing and toys), restaurants and jewelry than Holt Renfrew stores. This lends the notion that some Holt Renfrew stores now offer a larger square footage to fashion brands than many newer Neiman Marcus stores.
Neiman Marcus, Walnut Creek California [Image Source]
It should be noted, however, that there are several relatively large Neiman Marcus stores that are older and have received more recent square footage additions. Neiman Marcus’ largest locations include:
Holt Renfrew’s recent tendency towards opening larger stores lends itself to being a world-class retailer. And with revenues close to $1000 per square foot, Holt Renfrew stores enjoy a level of productivity greater than almost all North American department stores.
We’ll be following up this article with various articles on Holt Renfrew, including its previous stores and sizes, sales revenues, expansion plans, and a comparison between it and other similar retailers around the world. We’ll also be doing analysis pieces where we see improvements that can be made to Holt Renfrew’s business model. We can say that, so far, the company appears to be on the right track to become a $1 billion per year retailer within a couple of years.
*****UPDATE: The Hudson’s Bay Outlet opened on schedule (August 1st 2013). It is about 25,000 square feet. It carries discounted product from all Bay departments, including merchandise from luxury department ‘The Room’.*****
Hudson’s Bay will open its first Canadian outlet location at the Toronto Premium Outlets. The opening date is tentatively set for August 1st. Other Canadian Hudson’s Bay outlet locations will follow.
We first reported on the Hudson’s Bay Outlet in April where we compared the concept to Nordstrom Rack. Nordstrom Rack is negotiating Canadian real estate and has already secured one Canadian store location.
The Toronto Premium Outlets will be located North-West of Toronto in Halton Hills. It will be located at the intersection of Steeles Avenue and Trafalgar Road. The mall will open in two phases with the first 350,000 square-foot, 85-store section set to open this summer.
Tumi will open its first free-standing Canadian store at 1033 Alberni Street in Vancouver. It will replace a Betsey Johnson store that formerly occupied the 1,500 square foot space. The Tumi store will be a licensed franchise.
For those unfamiliar, Tumi is a New Jersey-based manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer of travel bags and accessories. It has more recently branched into the lucrative handbag retail market. Tumi has over 120 stores worldwide and over 200 shop-in-store locations. Â
A second Canadian Tumi store will open in Toronto in September, according to our Retail Insider ACT7 of Urban Toronto. More Canadian locations are expected to follow. Tumi products are also available at various Canadian retailers including Betty Hemmings, Harry Rosen, Holt Renfrew and Taschen! stores. Â
In addition, Vancouver’s Alberni Street will see the arrival of several other upscale retailers including Christian Dior, Tory Burch and De Beers. Mont Blanc recently opened a store around the corner at 717 Burrard Street and several more luxury retailers will be opening both on and near Vancouver’s Alberni Street.
For this week’s Floorplan Friday, we’re again showing a leaseplan including a Holt Renfrew store. This is Ottawa’s Holt Renfrew, located in the 240 Sparks Street building.
This first plan, above, shows the 14,320 square-foot ground floor of the Ottawa Holt Renfrew store. Included on this floor are menswear, cosmetics and accessories.
This first plan is also shown on an angle. The leaseplan provided by 240 Sparks Street’s landlord angled for both floors. The first floor is marked as level ‘C2’.
The second floor of the Ottawa Holt Renfrew is 22,280 square feet according to this plan. It is marked as level ‘C3’. This floor includes womenswear. The total square footage of these two floors is 36,600 square feet, according to lease plans. This makes it substantially smaller than the newly built Holt Renfrew stores including the expanding Yorkdale Store in Toronto and the recently announced Square One Mississauga Holt Renfrew store.
Next week we’ll give you a rundown of Holt Renfrew store sizes, including proposed expansions of existing stores. Have an excellent weekend, and thank you for reading Retail Insider.
The Montreal hr2 has been met with positive press for its discounted designer items. We posted some pictures of the Montreal store, including its cement floors and high ceilings. The store was designed by NYC-based architect Jason Goldstein. Goldstein also designed Holt Renfrew stores in Vancouver and Calgary.
hr2’s discounts are partly a result of being able to take advantage of product cancellations from other retailers, as well as discounts from its relationships with existing vendors. It carries a considerable amount of designer merchandise not otherwise available in Canada. There will be seasonable markdowns and new merchandise is brought in weekly.
Holt Renfrew released a list of some of hr2’s designers. These include: Alice + Olivia, Diane von Furstenberg, Splendid, Michael Michael Kors, Cole Haan, Ray-Ban, 7 for All Mankind, Nicole Miller, Elie Tahari, House of Harlow, Naked and Famous, Hunter and hr2 private label. While some of the brands at hr2 will also be carried at Holt Renfrew, product assortment does not overlap.
10 or more hr2 stores are planned Canada-wide. Keep reading Retail Insider for store updates.
Today Target announced its next designer collaboration will be with designer Phillip Lim. Other collaborations have included Mulberry, Missoni, Kate Young and Prabal Gurung and others. The 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target collection will launch September 15th at Target stores across Canada.
For those unfamiliar, Phillip Lim is a NYC-based fashion designer with prices in the ‘contemporary‘ price range. He designs for both men and women. The 3.1 Phillip Lim collection is available across Canada at Holt Renfrew stores.
The collaboration will include over 100 pieces for men and women including clothing and accessories that will include bags and travel pieces. Prices will range from $19.99 to $299.99 for clothes and $19.99 to $59.99 for accessories.
*****UPDATE: The Paul Smith shop at Holt Renfrew, Yorkdale, opened Tuesday August 6th 2013*****
Upscale menswear designer Paul Smith will open its first Canadian boutique inside of Holt Renfrew in Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre this summer. It will be a men’s-only shop even though Paul Smith’s also designing womenswear. This will be the sixth Paul Smith store in North America. Paul Smith has stores in New York City (two locations), Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Paul Smith men’s clothing and accessories are already carried in Canada at most Holt Renfrew stores. This will be the first dedicated Paul Smith shop-in-store at Holts.
We were first alerted to the Toronto Paul Smith store by our Toronto Retail Insider ACT7 of Urban Toronto. ACT7 found it via the City of Toronto Building Application website.
In April we reported on Holt Renfrew’s Yorkdale expansion. Included will be a roster of designer boutiques including Chanel, Prada, Gucci and Burberry, among others. We’ll update readers on opening dates for these shops as well as Paul Smith.
Paul Smith website: www.paulsmith.co.uk
Holt Renfrew website: www.HoltRenfrew.com
Yorkdale Shopping Centre website: www.Yorkdale.com
This sketch of an un-built Bretton's store is the only image we could find [Image Source]
Do you remember Bretton’s, the upscale Canadian department store? It was started in 1985 and became an upscale national retailer with 11 locations. The chain unfortunately closed in 1996.
We want your pictures and stories of Bretton’s for a retrospective we’re doing on the store, since it was one of our favourite stores when it was open.
Bretton’s was, at the time, Canada’s answer to Nordstrom. Customer service was excellent and the merchandise was relatively upscale. Bretton’s lacked Nordstrom’s shoe selection, however, and store sizes were generally between 30,000 and 60,000 square feet (the largest being the Toronto flagship store at the Manulife Centre, now Indigo Books).
Polo Park Shopping Centre, Winnipeg, 1986. Image: Winnipeg Skyscraper Forum, trebor204
Bretton’s first store was in Ottawa and it was expected to open as many as 50 Canadian stores. According to its Wikipedia page, existing mall anchors blocked many potential Bretton’s stores via restrictive clauses.
According to Wikipedia, the 11 Canadian Bretton’s locations included:
We have fond memories of purchasing merchandise at the West Edmonton Mall Bretton’s store. Sales staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful. This was in contrast to Eaton’s, Sears and The Bay (Now called ‘Hudson’s Bay’), all of which had minimal customer service at the time. We were disappointed when Bretton’s closed and we look forward to Nordstrom’s Canadian stores and their remarkable customer service.
If you have information and/or photos of Bretton’s, please email us at: insider@retail-insider.com. We’ll reference you if you like, and we’d be grateful for your contribution.
Forever 21 carved out of Sears, South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa California [Image Source]
May 9, 2013 UPDATE: We’ve received confirmation Sears Canada will actively subleasing space in its stores. We have been informed that Whole Foods’ Canadian expansion plans are already in place and that they will not likely occupy subleased space in Canadian Sears stores.
Sears Canada is looking at ways to utilize its assets, including real estate. An insider at Sears Canada says the company is considering subleasing space inside of existing stores, similar to what is being done with several American locations.
Sears is actively looking to sublease within its American Sears stores via this website: www.SHCRealty.com. Various options for sublease are included. In our investigating we found, for example, about 40,000 square feet of the 175,000 square-foot Town Centre at Boca Raton is available for sublease. Space could be used for retail, restaurants or both.
Images used in this article were copied from the www.SHCRealty.com website as examples of possible Sears subleasing options and configurations.
Sears started its American subleasing trend by leasing 43,000 square feet of its South Coast Plaza (Costa Mesa, California) store to retailer Forever 21. We are not surprised Sears has continued this trend given that many of their stores have considerable space and lack shoppers.
The sublease strategy only works when Sears is able to legally control its space. Some malls and landlords prohibit anchor stores from subleasing space, save for some smaller shop-in-store concepts. Sears Canada could capitalize on its massive store square footage through subleasing while maintaining its struggling operations. Sears already outright-sold three of its Canadian leases to landlord Cadillac Fairview for $170 million, paving the way for Nordstrom’s Canadian entry. Subleasing could be a new way to capitalize on real estate without closing Canadian Sears stores.
Sears has leased space to Whole Foods stores in several American stores in Florida, New York and North Carolina. It has done this by leasing approximately half of the ground-floor of a multi-level Sears store to Whole Foods, with no internal access between the retailers.
We’ll keep you updated on Sears Canada’s possible subleasing strategy in our country, as well as its efforts to re-brand and pull itself out of its financial difficulties.
