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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]

HBC-OWNED SAKS FIFTH AVENUE TO OPEN STORES IN ASIA AND EUROPE

By
Craig Patterson
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Saks Fifth Avenue, Polanco, Mexico
Saks Fifth Avenue, Polanco, Mexico

The Hudson’s Bay Company‘s vice-chair Bonnie Brooks has announced that Saks Fifth Avenue will expand into Asia and Europe. The idea is lofty, and potentially dangerous for the retailer. If they can pull it off, however, Saks could become one of the world’s greatest global retailers.

Ms. Brooks says that she thinks Asia will be a growth market for Saks. She is no stranger to Asian luxury retailing: Before returning to Canada to modernize Hudson’s Bay, Ms. Brooks ran Hong Kong-based Lane Crawford, now one of the world’s most prestigious department stores.

Saks Fifth Avenue has built many stores in the United States, only to subsequently close them due to low sales. The company has considerable debts. Overseas shoppers may not be as receptive to a foreign department store. Saks already has, however, several international stores in the Middle East and Mexico, as well as a licensed 91,000 square foot store in Kazakhstan which opened last year. If it continues to expand, we don’t know if Saks would continue to license its name (as it has internationally) or take over control of its new and existing international stores.

Alternatively, if Saks can make it in Asia, it could become one of the world’s great international retailers. Given the limited growth of the American economy, international expansion might be a way to increase Saks’ revenues while avoiding home-based competition by retailers such as Neiman Marcus.

Ms. Brooks also mentioned the opening of Saks stores in Europe. One problem we see is Saks trying to secure 75,000-150,000+ square foot store spaces in cities with older, typically smaller buildings. One alternative would be for Saks to open in the suburbs of some larger European cities, though being regarded as a suburban store might harm Saks’ reputation on a continent where luxury shopping is still mostly confined to urban high streets. 

Ms. Brooks discussed some of these details during her September 23rd speech at The Canadian Club in Montreal.

[Source]

[Saks Fifth Avenue website]

SAKS FIFTH AVENUE TO OPEN IN QUEBEC: BONNIE BROOKS

By
Craig Patterson
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Image: Saks Fifth Avenue

Bonnie Brooks, formerly president of Hudson’s Bay stores, confirms that Saks Fifth Avenue will open at least one store in the province of Quebec. As we mentioned previously, we expect Saks will open within the Downtown Montreal Hudson’s Bay department store.

Ms. Brooks then went on to say that Quebec’s “fashion-forward shoppers” would embrace Saks Fifth Avenue over lesser-known Nordstrom. Nordstrom opens its first Canadian store next year, and it is interesting to note that none are currently planned for the province of Quebec.

Saks will be seeking to gain sales from Montreal’s limited luxury goods market. Montreal already has two upscale department stores under the same owner – Ogilvy and Holt Renfrew. La Maison Simons‘ Montreal store includes some expensive designer items, and specialty retailers like Harry Rosen, Ursula B. and shoe retailer Rosenstein Paris will also feel the impact of Saks in Quebec.

Ms. Brooks gave these details during her September 23rd speech at The Canadian Club in Montreal.

[Source]

[Saks Fifth Avenue website]

IKEA (RE)OPENS ITS LARGEST NORTH AMERICAN STORE IN SUBURBAN MONTREAL

By
Retail Insider
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Image: Ikea

Ikea has (re)opened its largest North American store in suburban Montreal. The store is huge, and is now one of the largest stores in Canada. It represents a trend of Ikea stores expanding amid Canadian sales success.

The 470,000 square foot Ikea store expanded from its original size of about 237,000 square feet. It is located in Ville St. Laurent. The store’s warehouse is about twice as large as its previous one, carrying about twice as much product.

The new store includes over 1,400 parking spaces, a 600-seat restaurant, and 48 cash lanes.

Few Canadian stores are larger than this Ikea store. Larger Canadian stores include Hudson’s Bay locations in downtown Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Vancouver, as well as Sears‘ current store location at the Toronto Eaton Centre.

Ikea has 12 Canadian stores. In total, it has 342 stores in 42 countries

Source: Samson Yuen, who provided us with this article.

VANCOUVER’S “ST JOHN” STORE TO TAKE OVER GRIFFINS RESTAURANT SPACE

By
Retail Insider
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Hotel Vancouver ground floor plan. We took this photo in the hotel's lobby. They incorrectly named the store "ST JOHNS"

A source tells us that the current St. John store at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver will relocate to space currently occupied by a restaurant called Griffins. St. John will subsequently be replaced by a luxury retailer that we’ll reveal later this week. 

Vancouver is the only Canadian city to have a free-standing St. John store. Last month we speculated that it could replace Griffins restaurant, and Van23H of Vancouver Skyscraper Forum now indicates that the deal is done. 

We examined the space occupied by Griffins restaurant and noticed it has high ceilings with arched windows. We think this could be a very elegant space for St. John, provided that extensive renovations are done. 

Griffins Restaurant Interior. High ceilings for St. John

St. John is an upscale American womenswear label with prices into the hundreds and even thousands. It is carried in Canada at selected Holt Renfrew stores. Most Nordstrom stores also feature large in-store St. John departments, and we expect this to be the case for Nordstrom’s future Canadian stores as well. 

Windows to the left of the hotel’s entrance for Griffins and, eventually, St. John

Keep reading, because the retailer expected to replace St. John will be a first for Canada. Any guesses who will replace St. John at the corner of Burrard and West Georgia Streets? Feel free to post comments below, to this article’s link on our Facebook Page, or even to our Twitter. 

[Hotel Vancouver website]

[St. John Knits website]

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