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WHICH BRAND BEST REPRESENTS YOUR CANADIAN PROVINCE?

By
Retail Insider
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Which brand/corporation best represents each Canadian province? We came across this American map (above) highlighting one author’s opinion on what corporation or brand best represents each American state. If we were to create a similar map for Canada, what corporation or brand would you choose? Please feel free to comment below or on our Facebook link to this image. 

Map creator Steve Lovelace describes his map as follows: 

“For each of the fifty states (and the District of Columbia), I selected a corporation or brand that best represented the states. My criteria are subjective, but in each case, I picked a brand that a) has ties to that state and b) is still in business (as of 2013).
I encountered several challenges while making this map. Major corporations are not evenly distributed across the country. Some states, such New Mexico, Alaska, Montana and West Virginia, simply do not host many big corporations. Others host so many that choosing one was difficult. In these cases, I went with the company that I though best represented the state, rather than the biggest or most notorious. Hence, I used Dr Pepper for Texas instead of ExxonMobil. I used Apple for California instead of Google or Facebook…”



[Steve Lovelace’s ‘The Corporate States of America’]

YANKEE CANDLE TO OPEN 50+ CANADIAN STORES, HIRES CANADIAN GM

By
Retail Insider
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[Image Source]
Yankee Candle, America’s largest manufacturer of scented candles, will open over 50 Canadian stores in the next 5 years. It has just appointed a general manager who will oversee Canadian operations. 

Yankee Candle currently has 6 southern Ontario stores, and it is also carried in selected gift and speciality stores. It has over 550 American store locations. 

Thank you retail insider Samson Yuen for directing us to this article’s source. 

HONEST ED’S COULD CLOSE

By
Craig Patterson
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Honest Ed's

Honest Ed’s is up for sale and could close its iconic Toronto store. The store’s owner could sell the building and adjacent properties for redevelopment, which could include a substantial residential component.

Honest Ed’s is probably best known for its exterior signage, including one with about 23,000 light bulbs. The 160,000 square foot store has discounted items and its interiors could be considered garish. At the same time, the retailer has become a true fixture at the corner of Bloor Street West and Bathurst Street.

Honest Ed’s opened in 1948 and expanded numerous times over the years. Founder Ed Mirvish died in 2007. It became well known for promotions including free Christmas turkeys.

If the store is sold for redevelopment, the store’s exterior signage could be at least partially preserved or incorporated into a new project not unlike what could be done with the former location of iconic music retailer Sam The Record Man on Yonge Street.

Our tip for this article was from this National Post article.

[Honest Ed’s website]

WALGREENS COULD HAVE BOUGHT SHOPPERS DRUG MART. COULD WALGREEN’S STILL COME TO CANADA?

By
Retail Insider
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[Image Source]



American drugstore retailer Walgreens was considering buying Shoppers Drug Mart prior to Loblaw’s decision to purchase the Shoppers chain. We mentioned Walgreens’ interest in Canadian retail space last month and The National Post confirms that our sources were correct regarding Walgreens’ interest in Canada. 

This leads us to ask the question: Will Walgreens still look to open Canadian stores?


Walgreens has about 8,400 American locations with yearly sales of almost $72 billion. Being such an enormous retailer, it could still obtain Canadian retail space by purchasing existing drug store chains or by securing its own real estate. An entirely new fleet of Walgreens stores would be both complicated to coordinate as well as very expensive. Much of Canada already has sufficient drug store coverage, and Canada has limited available retail space.

This Chicago Walgreens includes an eyebrow beautician, 24-hour café and sushi bar. Not to mention, a stunning interior [Image Source]



Walgreens has some extremely innovative retail spaces, and Shoppers management could consider similar store treatments for Canadian Shoppers Drug Mart locations. Our favourite Walgreens is in Chicago, in a former bank building that has been renovated. It includes an in-house eyebrow beautician, a 24-hour café and a sushi bar. It is one of several stunning flagship Walgreens stores being rolled out across the US.

‘Vitamin vault’ in a converted bank vault at a Walgreens in Chicago [Image Source]



A commercial real estate broker informs us that Shoppers Drug Mart will be opening several large Canadian flagship locations. We’ll keep you updated, as we hear that they will be large and will include some innovations similar to larger American Walgreens stores. 


[Walgreens website]


[Shoppers Drug Mart website]

BREAKING: LOBLAWS BUYS SHOPPERS DRUG MART FOR $12.4 BILLION

By
Retail Insider
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Image: Shoppers Drug Mart

Loblaw will buy Shoppers Drug Mart for $12.4 billion in cash and stock. Loblaw is Canada’s largest grocery retailer, while Shoppers is Canada’s largest pharmacy chain.Shoppers Drug Mart will keep its brand name and operate as a separate division of Loblaw. Store closings are not expected and the continued use of ‘associate owners’ (franchises, essentially) at Shoppers Drug Mart will continue. 

Loblaw anticipate a ‘cross marketing’ of each company’s products,  including Loblaw President Choice and Blue Menu brands and Shopper’s Life brands. Cross marketing would extend to their loyalty points programs as well.

The deal will require approval by at least 2/3 of the votes case by Shoppers Drug Mart shareholders at a special meeting expected to take place in September. A majority of Loblaw shareholders must also approve the deal because of the number of shares being issued.

If the combination had been completed last year, the business would have had about $42 billion of revenue and $1 billion of free cash flow. The companies expect to produce $300 million in cost savings after three years, without store closures.  

Last month we reported that Canada Safeway was bought by Sobeys for $5.8 billion. 2013 is proving to be a year of significant retail mergers and purchases by some of Canada’s largest companies. [Loblaw website]

[Shoppers Drug Mart website]

CORRECTION: J. CREW/BROOKS BROTHERS CONFIGURATION AT 110 BLOOR ST W, TORONTO

By
Retail Insider
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Last month we reported that J. Crew and Brooks Brothers were moving into 110 Bloor Street West in Toronto. A source familiar with the deal has informed us that we were slightly incorrect in the way these retailers will configure space at 110 Bloor, so we are providing a corrected update. 

J. Crew will take the ground floor of the former Escada store, plus some of the ground floor of the Nike Store located directly behind. The new J. Crew will be about 6,300 square feet and for those who are wondering, 110 Bloor’s Nike Store will be closing.

Brooks Brothers will occupy almost 16,000 square feet with its entrance fronting the former Guerlain space. Brooks Brothers will occupy some ground floor space of the former Nike Store, northwards towards Cumberland Street. Brooks Brothers will also occupy considerable lower-level space at 110 Bloor – about 10,000 square feet of Nike’s basement according to pw20 of Urban Toronto. 

A vestibule area configured in the back of the Nike Store, facing onto Cumberland Street, will provide access to the remaining second floor of the former Escada store. We cannot confirm a retailer for this Cumberland Street-front retail at this time, though we have been told recent retail lease negotiations for the space have stalled. 

[J. Crew website]

[Brooks Brothers website]

SEARS CANADA TO INCREASE ITS FOCUS ON PLUS-SIZE WOMENSWEAR

By
Retail Insider
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Image: Sears Canada

Sears Canada will increase its focus on plus-sized womensear. It will initially open five plus-sized shops-in-store of about 4,000 square feet. Much of the new merchandise will be by Penningtons, a plus-size women’s clothing label owned by Reitmans. Pennington’s also has free-standing stores.

The five Canadian Sears stores will pilot the plus-sized womens shops and Penningtons will also be carried on Sears’ website. More Sears plus-sized departments are expected to open nation-wide in 2014.

Penningtons is known for its reasonably priced, quality womenswear which starts at size 14. Sears will be the only Canadian store to carry Penningtons apart from Penningtons free-standing stores. 

Sears Canada has started positioning itself as a department store that focusses on suburban and smaller-community customers. Expanding women’s plus-sized offerings may be an intelligent move in an effort to keep existing customers who may no longer fit into some clothing sold by competitors. 

[Pennington’s website]

[Sears Canada website]

ERIN MILLS TOWN CENTRE TO HAVE THE WORLD’S LARGEST GLASS SPHERE AS PART OF ITS $100 MILLION TRANSFORMATION

By
Retail Insider
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Rendering: Erin Mills Town Centre

Mississauga’s Erin Mills Town Centre will receive a $100 million update. It will be the mall’s first major renovation since it opened in 1989. The renovation coincides with the mall’s 25th anniversary.

Changes will include the world’s largest glass sphere 90 feet in diameter, new skylights and windows, and a new ‘main court’ with infinity pool. The mall’s food court will be updated and will be expanded over two floors. Despite all these changes, however, the mall won’t be increasing its square footage.

Construction begins this summer and Phase 1 of the new food court is scheduled to finish in the fall of 2014. A new Target store will open in the summer of 2014.

Erin Mills Town Centre
Rendering: Erin Mills Town Centre

Erin Mills Town Centre is about 850,000 square feet and includes anchor stores Hudson’s Bay, Sears and, in about a year, Target. 

Images and video by Erin Mills Town Centre. Source: Press Release (.pdf)

[Erin Mills Town Centre website]

LOBLAW’S LATEST GROCERY STORE CONCEPT – SMALL, URBAN & HEALTH-CONSCIOUS

By
Retail Insider
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Future location of 'Nutshell' on King St W. Image: Retailer's Facebook Page.

This fall, Loblaw will open its latest grocery store concept called ‘Nutshell‘ with the slogan ‘live life well’. It will be a smaller-format, health-conscious food and lifestyle retailer. It will occupy about 9,000 square feet at 500 King Street West in Toronto. It appears that the retailer will also focus on healthy lifestyles including exercise and yoga. Part of our research on this new retail concept is from the retailer’s Facebook Page and Twitter Account. 

If the Nutshell concept takes off, Loblaw could expand it Canada-wide. The 9,000 square foot store floorplate means the retailer could open at the bottom of newly-built condo towers or in retrofitted heritage buildings like its first Toronto location.

The store will be located inside the King Street West area’s oldest building, built in 1872. 

Interior of the space soon to be Nutshell. Image: Nutshell.

Downtown grocery stores have become more common as Canadian urban cores continue to attract more residents. This is especially obvious in Downtown Toronto and Vancouver. City centres in Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Montreal have also seen an increase in their populations and have attracted new food retailers as a result. 

Thank you to “bAuHaUs” of Urban Toronto for informing us of the new store’s size and location. This same source also provided us with this City of Toronto Building Application submission mentioning the retailer’s arrival and its Lowlaw ownership. 

Nutshell [Facebook page] and [Twitter]

[Loblaw website]

STAY STRONG, CANADA…

By
Retail Insider
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Massive damage to Toronto's Union Station (and the water isn't helping, either)

We’re a bit distracted at Retail Insider this week, given Toronto’s flooding as a result of a massive rain storm. Toronto, we send you our best and hope things get back to normal in Canada’s financial and retail capital.

Calgary recently saw traumatic flooding that saw the city come to a crippling halt. Efforts have persevered and things seem to be getting back to normal in Calgary, including its hosting the Calgary Stampede which kicked off this weekend. 

Our prayers are with people in Quebec and the recent train derailment tragedy that, sadly, may have killed dozens.

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