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.
Popular Toronto shopping centre CF Sherway Gardens has been busy over the past year opening new store locations.
And it’s going to be even busier in the next few months as several new places are set to begin operations at the mall.
Liem Vu
“We are at an all-time high (for sales per square foot),” said Liem Vu, General Manager, CF Sherway Gardens. “I’m very pleased that the shopping centre came a long way and I think the best days are still to come.
“One of the things I’m so proud of this shopping centre is that it provides a great shopping experience for the customer, for the guests. And the reason for that is the space is safe and it feels super at ease when you come shop here.”
% Arabica is under construction, with the brand looking towards a Q4 opening. Miele is also under construction with an opening in late spring as well as Mango.
Jo Malone is expected in early May.
Arc’teryx is also expected by early May and Ray-Ban hopefully in April with New Balance in a couple of weeks away from opening and Alo Yoga in early May too.
Future Mango at CF Sherway Gardens (Image: Craig Patterson)Future Miele at CF Sherway Gardens (Image: Craig Patterson)
Poulet Rouge is slated to open in the near future while Villa Madina is also one of the early May openers and Being Human in early April. Gemlet too is opening in early spring.
Vu said the shopping centre has welcomed recently new stores such as Lids, Solmaz Patisserie, Kiokii and…, Verona Suits, Eataly, Endy, and Fox Home. Also opened were a dental studio, Laser Clinics, and a hearing solutions store.
Endy at CF Sherway Gardens (Image: Craig Patterson)KNIX at CF Sherway Gardens (Image: Craig Patterson) Saks Fifth Avenue and Eataly at CF Sherway Gardens (Image: Craig Patterson)Eataly at CF Sherway Gardens (Image: Craig Patterson)
“During COVID times we had quite a bit of turnover in occupancy. With this comes along great opportunity. And Sherway Gardens is located where luxury meets sophistication. That’s what we call our mall,” said Vu.
“So we have brands that are dying to get in here and we want to make sure that we’re not just luxury, luxury. We want to be a place that everyone can shop whether you are a luxury, sophisticated customer that demands high brands or you’re just an everyday customer that we want to make sure that you have the opportunity to shop here. We have different types of products for everyone.
“With the opening of Eataly this past November, our shopping centre has been just incredibly on the upside. We see a great traffic coming back to almost the pre-COVID number now.
“Now we are catering not only retail but we want to be a business shopping centre that also people can come do business, have services and do the retail. Our restaurants are doing tremendously well. We have The Keg, Cactus Club, Joey and during COVID time we opened Fresh. And most recently Eataly.”
CF Sherway Gardens is just over 1.2 million square feet primarily over one level but some of the mall has a second level. The mall has been around since 1971.
The mall is situated on the west end of Toronto near the interchange of Highway 427 with the Queen Elizabeth Way and Gardiner Expressway with great proximity to the airport and to downtown Toronto.
Vu said the mall’s leasing team continues to explore options for the vacant Nordstrom space in the mall which is about 147,000 square feet.
In the fall of 2021, Cadillac Fairview along with partner DiamondCorp announced a rezoning submission for the first phase of a new Master Plan that anticipates a series of developments, which will ultimately surround and complement CF Sherway Gardens.
CF Sherway Gardens (Rendering: Cadillac Fairview)
At that time, they said the first phase of development is located on the north side of the shopping centre, fronting The Queensway. This phase is approximately 1.28 million square feet of mixed-use development, which will consist of four new buildings, two condominiums and two CF rental residential buildings, with retail and amenities. A new public park is proposed as well as a pedestrian urban plaza and a large landscaped zone along The Queensway, which will include a multi-use path, planting and seating opportunities.
“That’s in the works. With the proximity to downtown Toronto and the airport, it makes great, great sense for us to attract a lot of densification here for years to come. Big plans coming in for Sherway Gardens,” said Vu.
“We’re very, very optimistic. This is the second time of us coming in for rezoning which is very promising. I’m very optimistic and we’re confident with our densification plan with the city.”
In 1996, ECS Coffee started part time out of a garage in North Burlington, Ontario.
“Since then, we have grown from one employee with one truck to over 40 employees in retail, ecommerce, distribution and coffee service. With in house service and repair, and a state of the art website serving all of Canada – we are your number one source for coffee and espresso brewing gear and coffee,” said Neil Madden, the company’s President.
Neil Madden
And recently it opened its first new Coffee Experience concept store in the bustling area of Etobicoke in Toronto, conveniently close to CF Sherway Gardens and IKEA, at 130 N Queen Street.
Image: ECS Coffee
Image: ECS Coffee
Madden said the concept is “unique to Canada if not North America.”
“It includes some exciting concepts that have never been done all in one place before,” he said, listing the following:
Coffee Roasting in house on a state-of- the-art emissions-free roaster
Showroom of operational equipment for home espresso and coffee enthusiasts to come try
Full service and warranty centre on site
YouTube studio
Over 500 varieties of coffee on site with free samples
Educational and Fun classes. From Coffee Cuppings to Coffee and Yoga, to Coffee and Canvas. With more planned.
The location is about 7,300 square feet and Madden’s describes it as Canada’s largest coffee and espresso equipment gear showroom.
“Overall the community response has been great and we are excited to bring this very unique concept that we have developed over our 27 years in business to Toronto,” said Madden.
Image: ECS Coffee
Image: ECS Coffee
In 2000, Madden went into the office coffee business doing B2B. Then in 2008 during the “big, impending doom recession that was coming”, he decided to do a one-day sale in his warehouse. He advertised in the local paper. At the time it was Keurig KCups as nobody really had them in Canada. He was one of the early adopters of it.
“We had so much business that one day. I thought people might be actually interested in coming to pick some stuff up. Our one-day sale was so successful out of a little, tiny warehouse, it was nothing but an office and a computer, there’s no room . . . I decided to open up. Hire someone to be a receptionist, we started a little bit of advertising and we went viral. In the early days of Facebook we were a pretty big influence on the coffee market in Canada – Tassimo, Keurig, and Nespresso all wanted to work with us,” said Madden.
“We kind of created that category for them in retail before they were in stores. It just went nuts for about five years until they all decided to join major retail. We just continued to pivot in the coffee business and now we find ourselves we’re kind of a coffee journey store. We help people with whatever aspect of the coffee journey they’re in. Whatever level they’re at. If you’re a beginner or advance, we can take you through the entire journey and continue to add on to that as the market changes. It’s where our niche fits in. I think we’re the only one really doing it completely.”
The brand has three locations in Ontario and a huge presence online. The main location with the warehouse is 14,000 square feet in Burlington. There’s also a 3,000-square-foot store in Ancaster, Ontario and the new one now open in Toronto.
He said the new store is a culmination of all the years put together into its newest concept going forward.
“In the 27 years, I’ve seen everything change. Coffee I see as a journey. People that like to cook, like chefs, they’re always looking for new tools. Some people are beginners, some people are advanced. So what we decided to do with our company was rather than just being transactional which we all can do online . . . we want to get people’s journey to another level,” said Madden.
The journey can begin online through the website and social media with an active YouTube presence. The stores have machines that are all operational for people to try them out. There are classes to learn about the coffee journey. The company also roasts its own coffee developed for all the equipment it sells and it creates its own products. There’s a service centre for pretty much all the brands it carries and a warranty centre for most of the brands.
“It’s not just giving somebody a machine or selling them a product. It’s giving them the full experience which no one is doing I don’t believe in Canada or North America,” said Madden.
Image: ECS Coffee
He said there’s probably room for five or six of these new concept stores in Canada. The company wants to perfect its Toronto location first before expansion across Canada to major urban centres.
“Canada is much more advanced than a lot of people in the rest of the world (when it comes to coffee), surprisingly,” said Madden. “It’s even a surprise to me. Compared to the States, we are probably more snobby in our coffee tastes. You wouldn’t think so. You would think we’re Tim Hortons country. There’s definitely a level of that and we sell Tim Hortons coffee . . . but it’s become a hobby for so many people.
“It even surprises me at times . . . the levels of which Canadians have adopted this new hobby and to brew the perfect cup of coffee. Canada’s a big market. People take it very seriously.”
Loblaw's City Market entrance at "The Post". Photo: Lee Rivett.
Craig and Lee discuss the recent opening of a Loblaws City Market in downtown Vancouver’s historic The Post building, an important addition to the city’s grocery shopping availability. The store occupies a substantial 45,000 square feet on the second floor of the renovated Canada Post building, introducing a vast retail and grocery space to the area. They highlight the store’s layout, including a wide array of departments such as bakery, dairy, deli, and seafood, and its strategic location near prominent city landmarks and office buildings.
They delve into the challenges and opportunities presented by the store’s location. Despite its impressive size and variety, the Loblaws City Market faces competition from numerous nearby grocery stores serving the densely populated downtown area. Craig and Lee discuss whether the store’s location—lacking immediate residential towers—might impact its foot traffic, contrasting it with other areas of downtown Vancouver that boast higher residential densities. They speculate on the store’s potential role as a destination for specific products and its appeal to office workers in the vicinity.
Further, they discuss the broader implications of the store’s opening for downtown Vancouver’s retail landscape and urban living. They touch on the convenience of living in a downtown area with high grocery store penetration and how the new Loblaws City Market fits into this ecosystem. The conversation covers payment experiences, with a particular focus on the store’s acceptance of payment methods and how this reflects on Loblaws’ customer service. Overall, Craig and Lee provide insights into how the new store contributes to downtown Vancouver’s convenience, retail diversity, and the ongoing evolution of urban grocery shopping.
New Loblaws City Market Opens in Vancouver’s ‘The Post’ Building
The Weekly podcast part of theThe Retail Insider Podcast Network by Retail Insider Canada and is available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
Subscribe, Rate, and Review our Retail Insider Podcast!
Drop us a line at Craig@Retail-Insider.com. You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show!
Background Music Credit: Hard Boiled Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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.
Loblaw Companies Limited Head Office (Image: Loblaw)
Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada’s food and pharmacy retail leader, announced Tuesday it expects to invest more than $2 billion into the Canadian economy in 2024.
That includes the creation of more than 7,500 jobs, more than 40 new stores, expansion or relocation of another 10 and renovation of more than 700 others.
Per Bank
“This year, we are investing where Canadians need it most. We will introduce more than 40 new discount stores and 140 new pharmacy care clinics in communities across the country – making healthcare and affordable food more accessible to more people,” said Per Bank, President and CEO, Loblaw Companies Limited, in a statement. “These investments in Canada are a catalyst for job growth and the creation of countless opportunities, in our stores, in our company and with the many partners who work with us.”
Image: Loblaws
The company said this year’s investment is in addition to more than $10 billion the company has invested since 2016.
In an email response to questions, the company said: “This is our 2024 Capex plan and we’re investing where Canadians need it most. This announcement demonstrates our commitment to helping Canadians live life well by improving our store network, creating jobs, and increasing accessibility to affordable food and healthcare services nationwide.
“We’re opening both grocery and pharmacy stores across the country, but at this point aren’t breaking down locations. We are happy to provide more details as the stores open.”
Loblaw Companies Limited is Canada’s food and pharmacy leader, as well as its largest retailer and private sector employer. With approximately two billion transactions each year in its network of 2,500 stores and national e-commerce options, Loblaw brings food, pharmacy, beauty, apparel and financial services to customers through many brands: President’s Choice, No Name, Loblaws, Shoppers Drug Mart, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, T&T, Joe Fresh, PC Express and PC Financial. The company’s loyalty program, PC Optimum, has more than 18 million members.
Doug Stephens
“That Loblaw is growing comes as no surprise, given their profitability. What is interesting however is how Loblaw is using this announcement to frame themselves as a champion of the Canadian economy. Clearly part of a broader charm offensive on Loblaw’s part, aimed at countering what has been several years of scathingly negative media and public sentiment over the company’s behaviour. Perceived price gouging, shrink-flation, and heavy-handed vendor relations have all taken a toll on the brand’s image,” said Doug Stephens, Founder of Retail Prophet.
Loblaw Sugar Wharf (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
George Minakakis, CEO of Inception Retail Group, said Loblaw has garnered negative publicity over the last two years.
George Minakakis
“There is no question the company is a significant contributor to the retail, grocery sectors and the overall economy. How do you prove your commitment to consumers and a nation struggling with inflation and difficult financial hardships? Announcing store growth, redevelopment plans means more work is being created. The 7,500 new jobs is a good news story for the nation,” he said.
“They mention healthcare and food affordability, unless the global economy settles down affordability will remain a challenge. On the other hand the news from Walmart says that consumers are putting less in their carts and shopping more frequently. Canadian Tire had a very challenging fourth quarter which speaks to consumers looking after their households first. Loblaw will have to change consumer perceptions and prove that they are that trusted source of affordability. This is a significant opportunity for them that should not be misplaced.”
Bruce Winder
Bruce Winder, President of Bruce Winder Retail, said this is good news for Canada’s economy.
“It is nice to see Loblaw investing capital back into Canada which will create jobs and invest in communities. I also think that focusing on the discount segment will offer Canadians greater reach of value priced product in this tough economy. Hopefully we see other companies doing the same. Hats off to Loblaw,” he said.
Michael Kehoe
Michael Kehoe, Broker/Owner of Fairfield Commercial Real Estate, said the Loblaw food and pharmacy juggernaut with over two billion transactions each year and a network of 2,500 stores is a critical part of Canada’s retail infrastructure.
“The announcement of a $2 billion investment in the firm’s store network is a significant event on the national retail and consumer real estate scene. The anticipated employment spinoffs and construction activity building new stores and pharmacy care clinics, store renovations, expansions and relocations will have a positive impact on the Canadian economy in the years ahead. I found it interesting that 40 new discount stores are in the mix recognizing the significance of the value end of the grocery retailing spectrum,” he said.
Loblaws City Market (ICE District) Image: Loblaw
Liza Amlani
“This is great news for Canada and the workforce but this doesn’t solve for what customers need most. Better pricing on grocery and essentials. Canadian customers don’t want the same four grocery stores to continue to monopolize the market – they need more choices and better prices,” added Liza Amlani, Principal and Founder of the Retail Strategy Group.
David Ian Gray, Founder and Strategist of DIG360 Consulting, said Loblaw is in a fantastic fiscal position, perfectly suited to make these expansion moves to try to further boost market share.
David Ian Gray
“The news is how it is packaged; it is notable this is not positioned as an investment in Loblaw, but an investment in Canada. Why? To attempt to blunt the mounting pressure from politicians and the public image that their strong finances are creating for budget crunched shoppers. I doubt it will change public and lawmaker perception, one way or another. However, this does signal a strong move and I will await response from Empire, Metro and Walmart Canada.”
Wok Boyz, an Asian street food restaurant based in Dubai, has opened its first location in Canada and is looking to expand by at least 15 stores within the next five years.
The first location in Canada opened on January 26th in Liberty Village in Toronto and is 1,000 square feet.
“Starting in Dubai in 2017 as a humble homegrown brand, we have woven our journey through expansions and challenges, notably the global pause brought by the pandemic. Adaptation became our strategy, leading us to explore the cloud kitchen model, which significantly propelled our growth. Today, with immense pride and a sense of coming full circle, we are introducing our unique blend of personalized Asian cuisine to Toronto, a city I have always considered a second home. It is not just about opening another location; it is about bringing a piece of our journey, our flavours, and our innovative dining experience to the vibrant heart of Canada,” says Gaurav Sabharwal, CEO and Founder of WOK BOYZ.
Toronto, known for its vibrant food scene and diverse population, was a natural choice for the brand’s first location in Canada. Sabharwal, who is Canadian himself, was drawn to Toronto because of its dynamic growth and the opportunity to introduce a new culinary concept to his home. Liberty Village, with its mix of young professionals, offered the perfect setting for the brand’s first location.
Personalized Meals
Image: WOK BOYZ
The Liberty Village location offers an innovative dining experience, where customers can take the lead in their meals. Customers can choose from a variety of noodles, rice, proteins, vegetables, and sauces that represent different Asian countries – “offering a culinary experience that is diverse and delicious.”
The experience is topped off with a “theatrical flair” as meals are prepared on a fiery wok in front of customers.
“Imagine walking into our space, where you become the artist of your meal, crafting it with a palette of flavours from across Asia. At the core of our menu is the build your own concept … It is all about creating a dish that is uniquely yours watching it come to life on a fiery wok right before your eyes. This personalized experience, where you are not just a spectator but a participant in the creation of your meal, is what sets us apart.”
Expansion Goals
Gaurav Sabharwal
(Image: WOK BOYZ)
Looking ahead, the brand has ambitious plans for the Canadian market. The goal is to open at least 15 stores in the Toronto area within the next five years, including Mississauga, Milton, and Kitchener, and wants to grow its footprint to “become part of the Canadian dining landscape.”
This year, WOK BOYZ will be opening three new locations, with the next one potentially in Kitchener.
Outside of the GTA, the brand is going to be starting its search to expand into new provinces, such as British Columbia. Sabharwal says he hopes to secure the location as soon as possible and start development, but until then, an exact location will be unknown. As for other locations, the brand is looking for the right opportunity, and would “love to get into Mississauga. Once we have the right location, I think we will commit and move forward with the development plan.”
Image: WOK BOYZImage: WOK BOYZ
15 store locations is the minimum to expect within the next five years as Sabharwal says if there are other opportunities to take up, he will.
“As far as our vision for Canada goes, we are just getting started. This year, we are aiming to unveil three stores in the Toronto area alone. With the first one already making waves, we are on the hunt for our next location, eyeing spots in Kitchener for its dynamic atmosphere and potential – but why stop there? Over the next five years, we have set our sights on a minimum of 15 stores within the GTA, and let’s not forget about our dreams for Vancouver and beyond. It is not just about numbers for us; it is about weaving our brand into Canadian communities, bringing our unique flavours to every corner of this vibrant country. The Canadian market is huge and the opportunity is immense.”
Sabharwal says he is also looking to continue expanding internationally as WOK BOYZ has already had successful launches in places such as Ghana and has recently opened in Oman.
As for keeping up with what consumers are looking for, the brand continues to innovate by tracking feedback and adapting to be aligned with their preferences. WOK BOYZ’s in-house chef is also constantly creating new recipe developments and is currently working on a new dish for the next quarter.
“I look forward to working in Canada and our start has been brilliant. We managed to have about 250 people on the day of the launch at Liberty Market, so it was fantastic and a very encouraging launch – Toronto is showing us a lot of love. The level of feedback and comments we are getting is amazing and I think Torontonians really know how to express their comments that we can use. So we are really thankful for all the love that Toronto is showing us and we look forward to leveraging on all of that and tracking our growth.”
The location on the second level of the mall, near the former Nordstrom space, and across from SportChek and Sunrise Records, opened February 1.
Jason Ribeiro
“For the past few weeks and maybe for another two it really is to just get situated within the community that comes to Chinook Centre,” said Jason Ribeiro, Vice Chairman and President of the team.
“I think you’re starting to see us figure out and keep adding to the space. So we’ve almost recreated a mini basketball court on the floor. It’s got our decals now. We’re able to sell apparel. We’re able to draw attention to the Surge 2 The Dome, one night only event, season opener that will be nationally broadcast on TSN.
Calgary Surge at CF Chinook Centre (Image: Mario Toneguzzi)Calgary Surge at CF Chinook Centre (Image: Mario Toneguzzi)
“But through the engagement with the other surrounding stores, our partners at Chinook, now we’re starting to discover what’s really valuable to the community and the patrons of the store and how we can drive traffic to the broader shopping centre itself. So you’re going to see us start to experiment with the space and have it be a place not just for apparel and ticket sales but contesting, performance, surprises, player appearances as we get closer to the season start.
“It’s really just trying to figure out the space for the next few weeks here and then really ramp up that activation aspect in the months ahead.”
The first game of the 2024 season will take place Tuesday May 21 against provincial rival, the Edmonton Stingers, at the Scotiabank Saddledome. The team’s normal home court is the WinSport Event Centre.
Darren Milne
Darren Milne, General Manager of CF Chinook Centre, said the shopping centre continues to partner with organizations who share similar values.
“Like us, the Calgary Surge are interested in creating vibrant communities. The Surge Experience Hub is the first step in our partnership; and we look forward to our continued relationship with them,” he said.
Ribeiro said the pop-up is new both for the sports team and for the mall.
“This is something that could be temporary. This is something that could be longer standing. And I think as we get in through the season, it certainly is really busy from our end, and so I know the arrangement we have is to carry this through to season start and then I think in that four month period we’ll really know what the space affords both parties and then I think have a really good foundation to continue to build and continue to experiment,” he said.
“We didn’t know what the space would do and the response for us has been overwhelming . . . People are coming from the Surge fan base and really re-discovering Chinook as a result of the affiliation with the Surge because we haven’t had a retail offering. For us, this is a three to four month playground for both sides to really understand what is the value of having a professional sports team activating but activating in a really unique way that’s not just sales driven but really experience driven. That’s at the core of why we named it the Surge Experience Hub because we are going to bring the best of the game day experience, the best of the community engagement side of the Surge, to CF Chinook Centre.”
Calgary Surge at CF Chinook Centre (Image: Mario Toneguzzi)Calgary Surge at CF Chinook Centre (Image: Mario Toneguzzi)
Ribeiro said the pop-up’s location is an interesting spot and it’s a test. It’s not a heavily populated area of the mall. But with the Surge’s presence there now and the Mirror Mirror immersive art experience right below it will draw people to that end of the mall.
The space the Surge has allows for a lot of functionality with different experiences, he said.
“When we are in season, we’ve had initial discussions about what does the rest of the mall look like when we’re up and running and we do have our players. While we’re starting with this one dedicated space beside the entrance where Boston Pizza is, I think we’re starting to figure out the right formula for when we do need to do a bigger activation on the main floor or with a larger space. I’m imagining a full size or half size basketball court,” said Ribeiro.
“What can we take from the learnings of the next few months and apply it and then bring out all of our players, introduce ourselves to a larger mass audience, than the space currently provides.”
For now, the pop-up location is what Ribeiro describes as the “dream intersection” for the Surge with sport, music, arts and culture.
“We find ourselves at the intersection between I think two really distinct and related partners but then right over top of that Mirror Mirror art exhibition. I couldn’t think of a better place for us to be in terms of the partners we’re next to,” he said.
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 several days.
Bay Street entrance to the former Pusateri's Fine Foods at 57 Yorkville Avenue in Toronto. Photo: Craig Patterson
The upscale Pusateri’s grocery store in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood will be closing at the end of March after more than 20 years in operation. The store opened to much fanfare in October of 2003 with valet parking, private chefs and marble-clad interior.
Pusateri’s said that it made the decision to not renew the lease on the retail space at 57 Yorkville Avenue. The corner retail space, fronting Yorkville Avenue and Bay Street, spans about 5,500 square feet — a smaller concept than the chain’s other three locations in Toronto.
It’s not yet known what will replace Pusateri’s at the prominent corner. Given the size of the space and the fact that it has kitchen facilities, a restaurant could be a good guess.
Exterior photo of Pusateri’s Fine Foods store at 57 Yorkville Avenue in Toronto. Photo was taken from Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue. Photo: Craig Patterson Yorkville Avenue entrance to the Pusateri’s Fine Foods store at 57 Yorkville Avenue in Toronto. Photo: Craig Patterson Pusateri’s Fine Foods store at 57 Yorkville Avenue in Toronto. Photo: Craig Patterson Inside the Pusateri’s Fine Foods store at 57 Yorkville Avenue in Toronto. Photo: Craig Patterson
Pusateri’s opened its Yorkville location to much fanfare, with an article in the Globe & Mail on October 3, 2003, describing the glamorous store. That included Pusateri’s having valet parking on Bay Street, as well as staff in the store serving fresh pasta or sushi. A chef in the store was on hand to cook a steak that a customer may have just bought, and a juice bar was built around an orange tree.
The relatively small store had a whopping 120 staff at the time of opening. The service-heavy store was intended to serve the growing and affluent Yorkville area, which was seeing new high-density residential development including an upscale rental apartment building directly above the new Pusateri’s.
The store’s interior was far more upscale than other Toronto grocers, featuring glass, steel and polished marble. The store’s decor ranged “from ultramodern to Baroque to art-deco luxury liner,” according to the store’s president Frank Luchetta in the 2003 Globe & Mail article.
Inside the Pusateri’s Fine Foods store at 57 Yorkville Avenue in Toronto. Photo: Craig Patterson Inside the Pusateri’s Fine Foods store at 57 Yorkville Avenue in Toronto. Photo: Craig Patterson Inside the Pusateri’s Fine Foods store at 57 Yorkville Avenue in Toronto. Photo: Craig Patterson
Shoppers at the store could bring home one of more than 40 cooks on staff in the store to prepare food — hiring a cook for a dinner of eight cost $200 at the time, not including the cost of food items.
In 2003, Pusateri’s paid the City of Toronto $75,000 to create a valet parking area on Bay Street, which involved cutting out part of the sidewalk to park cars. In 2013, new counsellor Kristyn Wong-Tam made the decision to widen the sidewalks, thus eliminating the valet parking.
Photo showing the former Pusateri’s valet parking area that was eliminated in 2013. Photo: DAVID COOPER / TORONTO STAR
Pusateri’s has been a key shopping destination for many in the neighbourhood, and its cafe area is also a gathering place where some locals sit and chat. Retail Insider spoke with several locals who were upset with news of the store’s closure.
Pusateri’s is one of several grocery stores operating in the Bloor-Yorkville area. Others include a Loblaw City Market at Manulife Centre, Longo’s at the former Hudson’s Bay Centre at Bloor Street East and Park Road, and a Whole Foods store at Yorkville Village, which opened a year before Pusateri’s in 2002. Eataly at the Manulife Centre also has a range of grocery items, and three 24-hour Rabba grocery markets can be found within an easy walking distance.
Inside the Pusateri’s Fine Foods store at 57 Yorkville Avenue in Toronto. Photo: Craig Patterson Inside the Pusateri’s Fine Foods store at 57 Yorkville Avenue in Toronto. Photo: Craig Patterson Inside the Pusateri’s Fine Foods store at 57 Yorkville Avenue in Toronto. Photo: Craig Patterson Inside the Pusateri’s Fine Foods store at 57 Yorkville Avenue in Toronto. Photo: Craig Patterson
The neighbourhood saw another upscale grocery store close in late 2021 when McEwan, operated by celebrity chef Mark McEwan, shut amid his company’s bankruptcy. It was located in the basement of the 1 Bloor Street East tower podium, and soon will be replaced with The Ballroom bowling concept.
