It was a record-breaking International Christmas Market at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, with nearly 100,000 shoppers visiting the venue over the past three weekends.
The extraordinary figure was achieved despite the recent cold chill, with some days of the world-famous market, which wrapped on Sunday, seeing -20 on the thermometer, said the facility in a news release.
“Having this many people make the effort to attend the market when it has been so cold is a real testament to the quality of our offerings, from the fantastic vendors, to the gorgeous decorations and entertainment, to the range of tasty food and drinks on offer.
“Our Après Market and Long Table Dinners, as well as the Afternoon High Teas, really took off this year.
“Mostly, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone from Calgary and area who came out to celebrate with us. You are amazing! Watch this space, because next year we will be back, even bigger and better, for Spruce Meadows’ 50th Anniversary.”
There were more than 330 local vendors.
The Spruce Meadows International Christmas Market, presented by TELUS, has been ranked as one of the world’s top festive markets, with not only a distinctive shopping experience but also delightful cuisine, entertainment, décor and seasonal features, for all generations.
“Three back-to-back smash-hit markets now pave the way for Spruce Meadows’ epic 50th Anniversary year to come in 2025—featuring the all-new live and intimate Spruce Meadows Concerts, the return of PetFest, and new summer events ‘Epic Weekends’, including outdoor movie nights, running alongside the world-class show jumping,” said the organization.
The stunning Spruce Meadows Christmas Lights Display, compliments of ATCO, AKITA Drilling, Bennett Jones, PwC, and WestJet, will be running on weekends from Friday, Dec. 6 to Sunday. Dec. 29, plus Dec. 23 and 24.
In addition, the Spruce Meadows Leg Up Foundation raised $15,000 for Calgary and area food banks via the Christmas Market 50/50s.
Bento Inc., Canada’s largest sushi chain, and Too Good To Go, the social impact company behind the world’s largest marketplace for selling surplus food, have announced Canada’s first national surplus sushi partnership.
According to the latest Second Harvest report, 41.7% of total food waste in Canada could be rescued, an increase from 2019.
In a news release, Bento and Too Good To Go said they are committed to addressing this issue by making surplus sushi and prepared foods available to consumers at a lower cost.
“This collaboration began in August 2022 with a pilot in three retail locations and has since expanded to include corporate stores, franchisees, and commissary kitchens, in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia. The initiative is scaling up across grocery kiosks all over Ontario, and plans for even further expansion. To date, more than 25,000 Bento meals have been saved from going to waste, which is the equivalent to more than 67,000 kg of CO2e avoided,” they said.
Andrea Li
“Expanding Too Good To Go across Bento’s stores has been a truly rewarding journey, demonstrating both teams’ dedication to reducing food waste,” said Andrea Li, Country Director of Too Good To Go Canada. “The expansion into grocery store kiosks is a significant milestone, offering more Canadians the chance to save quality food from going to waste. It’s amazing to see this partnership grow and continue making an impact.”
Consumers can expect Bento Surprise Bags to include a variety of fresh sushi packs and prepared foods that are either at their best before date or just one day prior.
Erica Gale
“Reducing food waste is important to Bento because it aligns with our commitment to sustainability. Food waste contributes to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, and by reducing it, Bento can lower its environmental footprint,” said Erica Gale, Senior Vice President, Brand Development at Bento.
“Partnering with Too Good To Go gives us an opportunity to introduce our products to new consumers, at favourable prices. Additionally, we’ve seen a positive boost in employee engagement as our teams take pride in making sure perfectly good food reaches consumers rather than being wasted.”
The Too Good To Go app is available for free download in the Apple App Store for iOS and Google Play for Android.
Since its inception in 1996 in Toronto, Bento Inc. has emerged as one of North America’s premier sushi providers. Products are available in grocery stores, universities, colleges, hospital food courts, airports, quick-service restaurants, shopping malls and food courts. Its nine commissaries across North America produce products which serve over 2,500 stores. Cumulatively, it delivers over 35 million sushi servings annually.
Too Good To Go is a certified B Corp social impact company that connects users with partners to rescue unsold food and stop it from going to waste. With 100 million registered users and 170,000 active partners across 19 countries, Too Good To Go operates the world’s largest marketplace for surplus food. Since its launch in 2016, Too Good To Go has helped to save over 350 million meals from going to waste, the equivalent to 945,000 tonnes of CO2e avoided.
Recently, the retailer launched its holiday Spark a Miracle campaign in support of Children’s Miracle Network and its network of premier children’s hospitals. Customers can donate in-store and online from Nov. 14 to Dec. 24, with all funds staying local.
Hilary Wingate
“About six weeks after our son James was born, my husband and I noticed something was wrong,” said Hilary Wingate, Senior Director of Toys at Walmart Canada. “James had stomach issues. We took him to several doctors. Shortly after, we were told he needed more specialized care, and he was referred to SickKids (Hospital in Toronto). I immediately knew our family was going to be in excellent hands.”
SickKids was a familiar place for Wingate.
“Growing up, her younger sister was a patient at SickKids and was in and out of the hospital for over a period of five years. She vividly remembers the incredible team of doctors and nurses who treated her sister, the comforting kids’ play spaces and the exceptional care her sister received,” said Walmart.
“Today, James and his twin sister Brooke are thriving, rambunctious 5-year-olds who – like many kids right now – are eagerly awaiting the holidays and a visit from Santa.”
Walmart said donation dollars help hospitals fund groundbreaking research and critical hospital needs and ensure children, like James, receive the very best care.
“There’s nothing I love more than the magic of Christmas and seeing little faces light up when they unwrap a toy on their wish-list,” added Wingate. “But I also love having a full heart knowing that a portion of our toys sales will go towards helping children who need it most.
“I’m so proud to work a for a company with such a strong commitment to children’s health and making a difference the lives of kids and their families.”
In their 30-year partnership, Walmart Canada has raised and donated more than $215 million to Children’s Miracle Network and has grown to become their top corporate sponsor.
Meanwhile, Walmart Canada recently kicked off the holiday season by giving customers a head start with the release of its highly-anticipated Top Toys list for 2024. This year, 40 per cent of the Top Toys included are exclusive to Walmart Canada.
To help Canadians celebrate and maximize their holiday shopping budgets while checking off all the items on their lists, all of Walmart Canada’s Top Toys are available for under $60 and will be on Rollback for the duration of the holiday season. In fact, 70 per cent of this year’s Top Toys are available for under $40, it said.
“As a mom of two, there’s nothing I love more than seeing little faces light up when they unwrap that perfect gift. That’s why we work hard every year to offer an amazing selection of standout toys at budget-friendly prices for all ages, stages and interests,” said Wingate. “We’re always committed to making playtime fun and affordable, and I’m so proud that this year’s Top Toys are all available for under $60 to help make the holidays magical for every family.”
Walmart Canada operates a chain of more than 400 stores nationwide serving 1.5 million customers each day. Walmart Canada’s flagship online store, Walmart.ca is visited by more than 1.5 million customers daily. With more than 100,000 associates, Walmart Canada is one of Canada’s largest employers and is ranked one of the country’s top 10 most influential brands. Walmart Canada’s extensive philanthropy program is focused on supporting Canadian families in need, and since 1994 Walmart Canada has raised and donated more than $750 million to Canadian charities.
Tired of constantly buying “premium” boxers that did not provide the support or comfort that Tyler McCombs was looking for, he and his wife Dayna set out to create some truly life-changing underwear.
They had a goal to create underwear that was built to support you all day, didn’t chafe or ride up as you went through your day, used the newest technologies, and built with environmentally sustainable fabrics.
After working for over a year with world class apparel designers and garment manufacturers the first Devon + Lang men’s boxers (under the original brand name of OKE Apparel) arrived August 2019.
And in early November, the brand opened its first brick-and-mortar retail storefront at Calgary’s CF Chinook Centre in 1,400 square feet of space, located near popular brands Pandora, Nike and Sephora.
Tyler McCombs
“We sell a lot online via e-commerce and it is probably the majority of our sales, and we actually have a warehouse right in Calgary. And then we also wholesale our products to about 90 retailers across Canada. So these are more like smaller mom and pop shops and stuff,” said Tyler, the company’s CEO.
The brand, named after Tyler’s daughter and grandfather, focuses on quality, durability, and comfort, with a significant shift towards women’s underwear, now constituting 65% of their business. The women’s line, launched in late 2021, has surpassed expectations in popularity.
Dayna McCombs
“This is our first year doing brick and mortar. We had done lmarkets beforehand. So we were doing the Calgary Stampede and Spruce Meadows Christmas Market and Millarville. We do a lot of the holiday markets as well. We’ve historically mainly done those, but this is going to be our first year doing the retail store.
“I think there’s a few reasons why we wanted to do a retail store. One of the first ones is we love the city, we love Chinook mall, we had an opportunity to get our brand into a new space and find a new audience of customers that don’t go to the markets or go online as much, who still love to shop in person. And when we had the opportunity to do a storefront in Chinook mall, the third busiest mall in Canada, I think we really felt there was there was no way we could say no to the opportunity. It creates legitimacy to the brand as well versus just being online. I think people can see it in person and go, ‘Oh, this is a real thing. This is more than just something I saw online. I actually see this as a real space. And I’m interested in checking out what this brand has to offer through that retail connection’.”
Tyler said it is “absolutely within the cards” to open more locations eventually.
“The goal with this is this is a test operation for us. This is our first chance to kind of see how customers connect with our brand in a retail environment. And if it goes well, then I see the sky’s the limit when it comes down to where we could be opening up.”
First Calgary then possible to other parts of Canada.
Devon is their daughter’s name and Lang is his grandfather’s last name.
“And so the idea behind the name was we wanted to look at apparel from a generational standpoint, what made it great in the past, which just was quality and durability, and then we can move that apparel into the next generation of where we want to see it become. So that’s using sustainable fabrics, using the new technologies, and finding ways that we can make it truly comfortable and long lasting. That’s kind of the idea behind the name, at least,” he said.
“Underwear really has become a big thing. I think especially with the pandemic, it kind of helped people realize how important being comfortable is, and the kind of underwear we sell, I think, is a little bit unique. When we started the company, we just were a men’s underwear company . . . And then as time went on, we launched our women’s underwear, because my wife kept taking my boxers to sleep in at night. She’s like, ‘these are great, but I don’t actually need the whole pouch that’s in here’. So we started making our own women’s underwear, and the women’s underwear has become now 65% of our business. We are selling more women than men’s underwear, which is really surprising, at least it was very surprising to me to see, but it’s our women’s boxers, it’s our women’s boy shorts, it’s our women’s, more comfort focused underwear that has really been taking off for us.
“They also really like the fact they can do matching his and hers prints. We’ve got matching his prints and hers prints, you can kind of get together, and I think that sort of couples idea for underwear, and then just a comfort focused underwear has really been a great way for us to grow our company. There’s lots of sexy women’s lingerie stores out there, which are definitely still doing well, but I think a lot of women now are going ‘I want underwear that I can just wear and just feel good in. If I’m working from home, I’m going out and about just some nice, comfortable underwear’. And we’ve been able to provide that product for these women who are then also going and seeing, ‘hey, we got this amazing men’s underwear too. I’m going to buy this for my partner or husband or adult son. And that’s been a really great way for us to kind of grow and expand the brand in both ways.
“It’s going to be coming up to coming up to three years now, we’ve been doing the women’s underwear and we thought it was going to be just an add on. We saw the majority of our customers were women buying for their boyfriends or husband . . . I could not anticipate how popular the women’s underwear line has become for us. It’s really cool to see that that aspect of the brand really take off.”
“We just wanted a fun concept where you could come in and come as you are. You know, not pretentious, really good pizzas. We’re focusing on Windsor, Detroit style pizza. Really good cocktails, not complicating it with like a massive menu. The menu is quite small and streamlined, so we can execute at a high level . . . Most of everything’s made in house . . . a great, modern day pub.”
“Calgary is a great city. There’s lots of fun things to do. And we just want to be a part of a fun scene. Obviously we had the opportunity to take over this space and reinvent it. And that’s what we did here.
“Winnipeg will open in roughly May of next year. And then we’ve got one in Texas opening up in Las Colinas. That’s a suburb of Dallas. And then we’ve got another one in Toronto. We’ve got about four on the go right now. The Toronto ones are Vaughan and Markham. I think if we have two per year, 10 in the next five years, it’ll be successful.”
Thordarson said the establishment’s name was a collaboration between the team and the owner of the company.
“Everyone knows what a tavern is, but you know, here it’s unexpected.”
Photo by Mario Toneguzzi
The logo is JD the French bulldog.
“It’s just a nice touch that people will come in and remember. And you see the dog throughout the menu or some iconography throughout the restaurant, on the girl’s shirts.”
Bob Gaglardi, started Northland Properties Corporation in 1963 with the vision to build spaces where people could come together.
Among its many brands it also has the Sandman Hotel Group, Grouse Mountain Resort, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing, Dallas Stars and Kamloops Blazers.
“We wanted to remix the best of Gen X, Y, and Z to create a social destination for all of the community that’s casual, friendly, and welcoming,” said Alan Howie, President & Chief Operating Officer of Northland Restaurant Group. “The Tavern Collective blends the best of the classic pub with the nostalgic thrill of blast-from-the-past music and entertainment, all wrapped in an elevated, unique aesthetic. A space that’s both familiar, intriguingly offbeat, and uncommon.”
Photo by Mario Toneguzzi
“Easily distinguished by its lovable, friendly Frenchie mascot JD, and a steampunk interior décor, guests will be treated to a delicious globally inspired menu of 29 items that offers a mix of traditional pub food, new classic and healthy dishes in a modern, inviting setting. Amongst the delectable menu options will be the signature Tavern Pizza, a dish full of surprising flavourful combinations that will have your mouth watering for more. Carefully crafted new signature cocktails, worldly wines, or featured draft beers will also be available to enjoy in a comfortable atmosphere, driven by great service,” explained the company.
“When creating this menu, we wanted to set the tone for a unique experience with a menu and service that is surprising and bursting with crave-able twists,” added Thordarson. “The Tavern Collective is your neighbourhood hangout where you can embrace the unexpected and let the ordinary fade away. It’s a space that is a mix of classic and current, a theme that’s reflected in our food, tantalizing drinks, and signature cocktails.”
A new report by Equifax Canada says the retail sector faces pressures during the key holiday season.
Heading into the holiday season, the retail industry is grappling with higher-than-average delinquency rates, reflecting challenges such as lower inflation-adjusted credit card spending compared to last year and business disruptions from the Canada Post strike. These pressures come at a critical time for retailers reliant on holiday sales, according to the Q3 Business Credit Trends Report.
“This holiday season presents both opportunities and challenges for Canadian businesses. While improving sentiment and easing financial pressures offer hope, rising delinquencies and an uneven recovery are a reminder of the resilience required for Canadian businesses to succeed in this environment.”
Equifax said newer Canadian businesses are driving significant growth in debt balances, setting a complex stage for the upcoming holiday season.
Total business debt balances reached $35 billion in Q3 2024, a 15.3 per cent increase from the same period last year, with businesses opened in the past 24 months contributing to a 25.2 per cent rise in balances compared to their counterparts in Q3 2023, said the report.
“At the same time, established businesses showed financial caution, with the average debt per business declining 8.1 per cent year-over-year to $25,366 in Q3 2024. This demonstrates differing approaches among businesses, with newer enterprises contending with higher operational costs while more established ones prioritizing managing debt conservatively,” it said.
“Economic conditions are showing early signs of stabilization, bolstered by recent interest rate cuts and inflation returning to the Bank of Canada’s two per cent target. The Equifax Canadian Small Business Health Index improved by 1.5 per cent in Q3 2024, reflecting stronger business confidence and easing credit access.”
Newer businesses driving debt growth
“Newer businesses are driving debt growth as they navigate the high costs of establishment and operation,” added Brown. “While these businesses are contributing to the economy’s overall momentum, rising delinquencies among debt-burdened enterprises remind us that financial recovery is not evenly distributed.”
In Q3 2024, trade delinquency rates for financial and industrial trades increased to 3.3 per cent and 5.9 per cent, respectively, driven largely by installment loans. However, insolvencies showed improvement, with 1,312 businesses filing in Q3 2024, down 14.7 per cent from the previous quarter, explained the report, adding that early-stage (30-day) delinquency rates are also beginning to stabilize, suggesting financial pressures may be easing as businesses gear up for the fourth quarter.
Retail Insider is streamlining its Canadian retail news from around the web to include a handful of top news stories that can be viewed quickly during the day. Here are the top stories from the past 24 hours.
Lightspeed Commerce Inc., the one-stop commerce platform empowering merchants to provide the best omnichannel experiences, has announced a reorganization to further optimize its operations toward executing on the company’s focused profitable growth strategy.
This initiative is designed to prioritize resources for strategic areas of the business, maximizing the Company’s long-term growth opportunity, and redefining the organizational structure and operations of other areas of the business, it said in a news release.
“The reorganization will impact approximately 200 individuals, with the resulting savings being redeployed across other areas of Lightspeed’s business, in line with the Company’s strategic objective of further driving profitable growth. Lightspeed expects that the majority of the restructuring charges will be incurred in the third quarter of fiscal 2025,” it said.
Dax Dasilva
“As we discussed on our Second Quarter Earnings Call on November 7, Lightspeed is focused on growing where we have the strongest product-market fit and right-to-win, particularly in North American retail and EMEA hospitality. We will continue to deliver exceptional services and products to all our customers, with a focus on reducing the complexity of our business and strengthening our competitive positioning,” said Lightspeed Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dax Dasilva. “Since I returned as CEO, Lightspeed has been working harder to deliver on our profitable growth strategy. Today’s announcement reaffirms our commitment to building an organization that can fulfill its true potential.”
The company said it continues to be engaged in its previously announced review of strategic alternatives. The reorganization, it said, is part of Lightspeed’s optimization efforts aimed at achieving profitable growth, and does not affect, or inhibit, the ongoing strategic review process.
“There can be no assurances given, at this time, as to the outcome of this strategic review,” it said.
Founded in Montréal in 2005, Lightspeed is dual-listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange. With teams across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, the company serves retail, hospitality, and golf businesses in over 100 countries.
Source: A&W Canada. (CNW Group/A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. (marketing & PR))
A&W Canada announced Monday a national expansion of their in-restaurant food rescue program in partnership with Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization.
To date, 441 A&W Restaurants across Canada have joined the Second Harvest Food Rescue App. More restaurants are expected to join soon, enabling community groups such as food banks, shelters, meal programs and community centres to pick up surplus food donations from restaurants. These groups then transform A&W’s protein and produce into nourishing meals such as soups, salads, and wraps—for those facing food insecurity. Through food donations from A&W’s supply chain and restaurants, over 1.24 million meals have been provided for communities in need, the company said in a news release.
“A&W and Second Harvest’s partnership reflects a shared commitment to environmental sustainability and community support. A report by Second Harvest indicates that nearly 42% of all the food wasted in Canada could be rescued to help combat hunger among the 8.7 million Canadians experiencing food insecurity. To date, A&W’s food rescue efforts with Second Harvest have prevented 4.8 million pounds of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere,” it said.
A&W’s partnership with Second Harvest began in 2021, with 81 participating restaurants. The initiative has organically grown, with more A&W Restaurants joining the program to support their local communities.
Susan Senecal
“Our restaurants are able to thrive because of the support from the community. Their teams have found this program incredibly rewarding, to see how their food rescue efforts can give back,” said Susan Senecal, CEO of A&W Canada. “As a restaurant, our core purpose is to feed people, and this program allows us to extend that to those facing hunger.”
To date, A&W’s food rescue efforts have donated meals to 987 non-profit organizations across Canada.
“Donating surplus edible food is not only the right thing to do—it’s also an environmentally-sound choice. Distributing food to those in need reduces food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 12 times compared to composting, and 30 times compared to upcycling. Partnerships with major restaurants like A&W, who generously donate their surplus food, are invaluable in our mission to combat food waste and food insecurity in Canada,” said Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest.
Angela Griffiths
“At A&W, we’ve been committed to achieving zero-waste efforts operationally, and minimizing food waste is a key part of that commitment,” said Angela Griffiths, Vice President of Food Safety and Brand Integrity, who leads A&W’s zero-waste initiatives. “Our office and restaurants are proud to partner with Second Harvest to ensure that our surplus food directly benefits those in need, especially during these challenging economic times.”
A&W is Canada’s original burger chain with over 1000+ restaurants.
Second Harvest is Canada’s largest food rescue organization and a global thought leader on food waste and perishable food redistribution. It rescues unsold surplus food from thousands of food businesses from across the supply chain to redistribute it to non-profits in every province and territory. This prevents harmful greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere while improving access to nutrition for millions of Canadians experiencing food insecurity.
Beyond food rescue and redistribution, Second Harvest is deeply involved in advocacy, research, training and education. Its groundbreaking reports, such as “The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste,” provide critical data and insights to inform public policy and educate the public on sustainable food systems.
Rendering of the Hästens store at 20 Hazelton Avenue in Toronto. Image: Hästens
Hästens, the world-renowned Swedish bedmaker, is opening a flagship store in Toronto’s upscale Yorkville neighborhood. Slated to open in early December at 20 Hazelton Avenue, the 3,300-square-foot showroom will immerse customers in a world of handcrafted mattresses and premium sleep accessories.
The Hästens Toronto showroom will span three floors, each designed to embody the brand’s commitment to luxury, craftsmanship, and an unparalleled sleep experience. The main floor will initially display the Ferris Rafauli Grand Vividus and Dremer models – retailing at $1 million and $140,000 respectively. The lower level and second floor feature a unique ‘sleep spa’ experience — a serene space where customers can experience the brand’s range of mattresses in a calm, restorative environment. The spa-like setting aims to replicate Hästens’ mission to transform sleep quality through a deeply personalized approach, guided by expert consultants who tailor the experience to each customer’s needs.
Rendering of the main floor entry area to the Hästens store at 20 Hazelton Avenue in Toronto. Image: HästensRendering of the main floor of the Hästens store at 20 Hazelton Avenue in Toronto. Included will be a $1-million Grand Vividus model and a $140,000 Dremer model on display. Image: Hästens
All three floors will feature a selection of Hästens’ handcrafted mattresses and accessories, showcasing the brand’s dedication to using natural, sustainably sourced materials such as horsehair, cotton, wool, and flax.
Hästens first showroom in Canada opened in October 2023 in Markham, and Hazelton Avenue is the second location for the Canadian entity.
Hästens’ Global Heritage and Commitment to Craftsmanship
Founded in 1852 in the Swedish town of Köping, Hästens began as a small saddlery under the stewardship of master saddler Pehr Adolf Janson. Recognizing the superior qualities of horsehair for creating breathable, supportive products, Janson expanded the business into crafting high-quality mattresses. Today, Hästens remains committed to using natural materials in its handcrafted mattresses, ensuring optimal comfort, breathability, and sustainability.
With flagship stores in major cities worldwide, including Stockholm, London, Paris, and New York City, Hästens has earned a reputation for delivering unmatched luxury and quality. The brand’s global presence is further enhanced by its bespoke creations and high-profile collaborations, such as the Grand Vividus mattress, designed in partnership with renowned designer Ferris Rafauli. This model, celebrated for its artistic design and unparalleled comfort, has captivated celebrities, royalty, and discerning customers worldwide.
Rendering of the lower level ‘Sleep Spa’ at the Hästens store at 20 Hazelton Avenue in Toronto. Image: HästensRendering of the second floor ‘Sleep Spa’ at the Hästens store at 20 Hazelton Avenue in Toronto. Image: Hästens
Why Yorkville is the Ideal Fit for Hästens’ Canadian Expansion
Yorkville provides an ideal setting for Hästens’ first Canadian location. Known for its blend of high-end boutiques, art galleries, fine dining, and cultural landmarks, Yorkville attracts a sophisticated clientele that appreciates quality and exclusivity. The area is also home to an affluent resident population that is growing rapidly.
The building at 20 Hazelton Avenue, painted white and steeped in history, offers an elegant backdrop for Hästens’ luxurious offerings. Originally a residential home, it was later converted to retail space.
The new Hästens store is strategically located beside a busy Hazelton Avenue entrance to Yorkville Village, a prominent retail and lifestyle complex. Hazelton Avenue itself has become a focal point for luxury retail in Toronto, hosting a diverse array of high-end brands and boutiques.
Rendering of the third floor of the Hästens store at 20 Hazelton Avenue in Toronto. Image: Hästens
Hazelton Avenue: A Hub of High-End Retail
Hazelton Avenue is home to a range of prestigious retailers that have helped shape its status as a luxury shopping destination. Nearby, British luxury sleepwear brand Derek Rose recently opened its first North American store at 14 Hazelton Avenue, offering a selection of premium loungewear and sleepwear. Across the street, Atelier Munro, a custom menswear brand from Amsterdam, provides personalized fashion at its storefront at 19 Hazelton Avenue. Rodd & Gunn, the New Zealand-based menswear label, operates its first standalone Canadian store at 21 Hazelton Avenue. Additionally, skincare brand Caudalie has established a multi-level ‘Caudalie House’ at 17 Hazelton Avenue, while Le Labo, known for its artisanal fragrances, has a boutique at 15 Hazelton Avenue.
The CBRE Urban Retail Team, under the direction of Arlin Markowitz, negotiated the lease deal for Hästens at 20 Hazelton Avenue, on behalf of the landlord and tenant.
Hästens’ arrival further elevates Hazelton Avenue’s luxury appeal, providing customers with a bespoke sleep experience that aligns with the area’s high-end retail offerings. The store’s unique positioning and immersive atmosphere are expected to attract both local residents and visitors seeking premium products and services.
Rendering of the third floor of the Hästens store at 20 Hazelton Avenue in Toronto. Image: HästensRendering of the third floor of the Hästens store at 20 Hazelton Avenue in Toronto. Image: Hästens
Experience the Pinnacle of Sleep Luxury
Hästens’ Toronto showroom at 20 Hazelton Avenue will officially open its doors in early December, inviting visitors to explore the brand’s extensive range of luxury mattresses and accessories. From the ‘sleep spa’ to the thoughtfully curated collections throughout the store, visitors will be immersed in a storied brand rooted in tradition, craftsmanship, and a passion for providing unparalleled sleep. Retail Insider will follow up on this story when Hästens opens its Yorkville showroom next month.
