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 3 days
Costco Rendering at Bingham Crossing (Image: Costco)
The recent approval of a massive Costco store will be the anchor of the Bingham Crossing retail development just outside of Calgary.
The project by Renco Developments Inc. is being described as a unique, state-of-the-art pedestrian-oriented shopping and lifestyle centre which will eventually include about 500,000 square feet.
The development is located in the Springbank area along the TransCanada #1 Highway and across the road from the amusement and entertainment facility Calaway Park.
Ron Renaud, Owner Rencor Developments, said he believes the Costco store will be the biggest in Alberta at about 170,000 square feet.
Ron Renaud
“We have a Phase One approved for total square footage of 270,000 square feet plus Costco,” he said.
The Development Permit has now been approved, with Costco scheduled to open its doors to its first Members in the Fall in 2025.
The overall project is about 300 acres and will eventually include a residential component to it.
“The massive amount of infrastructure that we have to build. Basically anything in Rocky View (County) at least in the Springbank area has no servicing. That’s why this thing has taken so long to get to this point. We’ve had to buy water licences, we’ve had to build a water treatment plant, we had to have a wastewater plant approved which we did. We’ve now changed that and we’re connecting to the Harmony line (another development nearby),” said Renaud.
“In total, it could be north of two million square feet but that would be a mix of retail, residential. We have approval for a seniors’ facility of about 240 units and we’re hoping to start that with Phase One. Costco is planning to start construction next year, open for 2025.”
Image: Bingham Crossing
Eve Renaud, Vice President of Rencor Developments, said depending on how Phase One is demised the total number of businesses could be anywhere from 50 to 90.
Eve Renaud
“We have the ability to do a grocery store and basically it will be that fundamental retail, that amenity retail, that you would come to expect in a town centre,” she said.
Costco would be the first retailer to open in the first phase of the development.
Ron Renaud said the company is hoping to start Phase One in early 2025 for a Fall 2025 opening or possible Spring 2026.
“The advantage that we have is there are no amenities. There are no services in Springbank right now,” said Eve Renaud. “Grocery stores, banks, medical/dental, QSR, a smattering of fashion. Other national retailers you would come to expect to see in a retail hub.
“So we’re really building from the ground up from a use perspective. Right now Springbank doesn’t even have a town centre per se. It’s a group of 35,000 people that don’t really have a place to go. It is a high street. We’ll have those services that everyone needs to congregate. A dry cleaner. A shoe repair. That type of thing.”
The vibrant open-air gathering place will provide access to high quality shops, dining, services and amenities in a village-like atmosphere. The first phase of Bingham Crossing will be 80 acres, including the development of a new senior’s housing complex and vast municipal green spaces.
“The location is pretty key and this is why Costco selected it. It really is regional. It’s located on a major highway which is going to go at some point to 10 lanes. With the opening of the southwest Ring Road, the amount of traffic that it’s going to generate will be pretty significant,” said Ron Renaud.
“It serves not only what I call West Calgary, but Springbank, Cochrane, Canmore, Banff. Basically anybody driving westward to the mountains or the mountain parks or any of those vacation spots are going to drive by this site. So it has a pretty key regional importance.”
Rendering: Bingham Crossing
He said Costco’s presence in the project is like the “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.”
“It basically solidifies the regional location. The Costco guys are very excited about it. They’re expecting some very big things from the store. They’ve done well in the Calgary market.”
“It’s very important for our tenant mix for the surrounding property,” said Eve Renaud, “because having such a great regional draw really elevates the quality of retailer that we can attract in the centre. So it really will improve the tenant mix.’
Eve Renaud said Harmony is a new residential community three minutes away from Bingham Crossing which at full build out will be home to about 15,000 people.
“They have a very small component of retail. We work closely with them and they view that we will be the main amenity base for that community as well,” she added.
Ron Renaud said the company purchased the land in 2007.
“Everybody says why has it taken so long? The approval process was complicated and lengthy for everything we were doing . . . No potable water, no wastewater, no off-site improvements. All of that. And layer on top of that the approval process to get things approved. To get a development permit,” he said.
“There will be additional retail. We’ll bring forward other development permits to build out what I call the west quarter section which has the concept plan in place for over a million square feet. I think the majority of that will be commercial with some residential. The east quarter section lands will more than likely be a mix of different forms of residential development.”
“Even before the pandemic, rents were so high that it was difficult – sometimes impossible – for small businesses to break even or tuck away a small profit for a rainy day. Media headlines regularly shared news of businesses forced to close because of increasingly insurmountable rent costs. In Ontario, there are 400,000 small businesses, and across Canada small businesses employ almost 70 per cent of people in the private sector,” says the report.
“Small businesses are the heart of vibrant, friendly communities – places to gather, do some shopping, and take care of errands. Entire neighbourhoods are named for the diversity of the small businesses and people that inhabit them. Places like Little Jamaica, Little India, and Chinatown enliven our cities. But a lack of commercial rent protections in Ontario is threatening small businesses, the jobs they have created, and the vibrancy they bring to our communities.
“People who are not small business owners may be shocked to learn there are neither guidelines for fair and predictable rent increases nor set standards for leases and shared costs. Commercial landlords can charge, change, and do almost anything they want. It is legal to increase rent by any amount. Landlords can evict small businesses in favour of new tenants or leave the space vacant, even after small business owners have paid out-of-pocket to renovate their space. Landlords can pass on surprise bills for thousands of dollars at their sole discretion. They are not held to basic building maintenance repair or heating and cooling standards. Commonly accepted guidelines and standards that exist for residential tenants are not in place for small business tenants. And, there is no official mechanism to resolve disputes between commercial landlords and tenants. This leaves small business tenants at the mercy of landlords, whose property investment appreciates in value with or without rental income. Even the most savvy small business owners have little leverage to negotiate fair lease agreements.”
Yonge at Dundonald (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
The commercial rent affordability crisis is threatening their livelihoods, the jobs they create, and benefits they bring to neighbourhoods. It is clear that action is needed by the Ontario provincial government to remedy the commercial rent affordability crisis for small businesses, added the report.
The commercialrent.ca website was launched to bring awareness to the issue.
Aaron Binder, Director of the Better Way Alliance, said the business group put together a survey of its members and a few non-members in late 2021 and 2022 because it had been receiving a lot of feedback about rent costs and lease agreements.
Aaron Binder
“We’re hoping to develop some deeper dives into the philosophy of free market versus fair markets in relation to commercial property,” said Binder.
“We’re a group of businesses that advocate for ethical employment, for decent work, paid sick days, higher wages, fair scheduling practices. All of our businesses exemplify these ideals and we’re across every industry in Canada.
“And the evidence we see not just from our businesses but from across the globe is that when you treat your employees well, they treat your business well.”
Sparks Street in Ottawa (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
The report found that nine in 10 small businesses list rent as one of their top three expenses. For over half, rent accounts for more than 60 per cent of overall expenses.
The report added that three quarters of small businesses have experienced a one-time rent increase of 10 per cent or more; one in six have experienced an increase of 50 per cent or more; one in 10 have seen their rent double during a single increase.
It also said that over 40 per cent of small businesses have moved in the past due to rent increases or difficulties with their leases or landlords. Over half anticipate being forced to move at the end of their current lease for these reasons.
The report said the provincial government must:
• Create rent guidelines for year-overy-ear increases that apply to all commercial tenants, including new tenants;
• Standardize leases to ensure fairness and transparency for shared costs, and ensure priority is given to existing tenants when lease term is up; and
• Create a mechanism to enforce rules and resolve disputes.
The gap between general inflation and food prices is puzzling — and frustrating — for many, especially because the Bank of Canada’s interest rate hikes don’t seem to be affecting food prices at all. In periods of high inflation, central banks raise interest rates to moderate price increases, or, ideally, bring them down.
But food prices don’t respond to interest rate policies as much as other factors do. This is because food demand is relatively steady — we can’t put off food purchases like we might put off the purchase of a new computer or car.
So if interest rates won’t help bring down food prices, what will?
Competition Bureau report
Metro in Vaudreuil-Dorion, QUE (Image: Field Agent)
Canada’s competition watchdog, the Competition Bureau, recently released a report that called for more competition in the Canadian food retail market. The report suggested that more competition might help high food prices in Canada.
The CEO of Sobeys testified that they didn’t see the same growth as Metro and Loblaws because their pharmacy business is smaller. However, the Competition Bureau’s report ignored this, instead focusing on individual profit growth, which was similar for all three major brands.
Although this is just a small sample, if margin growth truly played a significant role, we would expect it to be more directly reflected in profit growth.
Foreign competition
PHOTO: ALDI
The Competition Bureau’s report also suggested that more foreign competition would benefit Canadian consumers, but that foreign competitors viewed the Canadian market as tough to break into.
Retail concentration can be a concern if it gives companies the power to extract higher profits from consumers. On the other hand, size provides economies of scale, which allows companies to build efficient distribution networks and buy in larger volumes.
But the report is completely silent on the trade-offs between concentration and economies of scale. If too many efficiencies are lost through less concentration, prices could actually go up.
It is worth highlighting that when Sobeys bought a controlling share in Longo’s (a premium regional grocery chain in Ontario) they highlighted distribution and sourcing as key benefits of the deal. Longo’s will operate as it always has but benefit from better buys and distribution reducing costs.
If all of this is true, then what’s actually causing food price inflation?
No single cause for food inflation
The reality is that there isn’t a single cause for food price increases in Canada; there are a combination of factors that affect different food categories.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had a significant impact on the prices of wheat and edible oils. As a result, wheat-based products like pasta, bread and flour have seen increases.
Besides extreme weather, other factors like supply chain disruptions and exchange rate volatility also contribute to changes in food prices.
All these factors are happening simultaneously to create a perfect storm of food price increases. Unfortunately, since there are so many factors involved, there isn’t a single factor that can bring down food prices. It’s a complex situation that will require careful consideration and multiple approaches to address.
By Michael von Massow, Associate Professor, Food Economics, University of Guelph
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.
“We’ve recently completed five new restaurant deals to replace the four existing concepts,” said Devan Sloan, Vice President, Leasing for GWL. “One of them is Café Landwer and beside them will be the third concept for the owners of the award-winning Giulietta and Osteria Giulia. It will be uniquely branded and although we don’t know the name yet, it will be an Italian steakhouse.”
“We’re then splitting the former O&B (Oliver & Bonacini) space in half and O&B will do two concepts – a new version of Biff’s, taking half of the space, and then a new Latin concept in the other half.”
33 Yonge Street (Conceptual Rendering: GWL Realty Advisors)Oliver & Bonacini at 33 Yonge Street (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
O&B is also opening a third concept in the building.
“It’s a mid-century modern American restaurant,” said Sloan.
The five deals represent close to 30,000 square feet of space.
Biff’s at 33 Yonge Street (Image: Dustin Fuhs)33 Yonge Street (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
The 13-storey building was built in 1982 and has a total square footage of about 550,000 square feet with about 40,000 square feet for retail which is about 13 units. The building is primarily office with about 200,000 square feet of availability. The anchor tenants include Altus and GWL. CIBC recently moved out of the building, vacating about 190,000 square feet.
Brandon Gorman
Brandon Gorman, Senior Vice President, Broker, Agency Retail Group, JLL, said a few smaller units of retail space are available at the building.
“We’ve got a number of smaller units available but we’re being very selective with the remaining space. This is a really great story . . . Cafe Landwer and Giuletta are two of the best operators in the city and O&B, who has been a prominent tenant at 33 Yonge for years, has multiple exciting new concepts planned for the building”
Former Fran’s Restaurant at 33 Yonge Street (Image: Dustin Fuhs)33 Yonge Street (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
33 Yonge Street is a landmark building that connects two of Toronto’s most remarkable locations – the Financial District and the historic St. Lawrence neighbourhood.
“We’re very excited about the new amenity offering,” said Sloan. “These restaurateurs will make 33 Yonge a restaurant destination in the financial core.”
33 Yonge Street (Conceptual Rendering: GWL Realty Advisors)
33 Yonge Street (Conceptual Rendering: GWL Realty Advisors)
33 Yonge Street (Conceptual Rendering: GWL Realty Advisors)
33 Yonge Street (Conceptual Rendering: GWL Realty Advisors)
Gorman said GWL also has significant lobby renovation planned for the building.
“Ownership is investing a substantial amount of capital and will be completing a significant renovation of the lobby – the renovation along with the new food and beverage offerings will completely transform the asset. By the end of next year 33 Yonge Street is going to be spectacular”
Sloan said the ownership group feels the building straddles the Financial core and the St. Lawrence market neighbourhood.
“So it’s sort of the introduction from the St. Lawrence neighbourhood to Bay Street,” he said. “We really have that unique mix of a professional office building in the core with a neighbourhood feel. It’s one of the few atrium buildings in the city. The atrium cuts the building in half and provides significant natural light to the lobby and office space.”
“It’s a very well-known and well-located building close to Union Station but it also fronts onto Berczy Park. You have this whole set of amenities East of 33 Yonge that is totally unique to being on Bay Street.”
33 Yonge Street (Conceptual Rendering: GWL Realty Advisors)33 Yonge Street (Image: GWL Realty Advisors/JLL)
“We have this unique opportunity to reset the retail and invest money into the lobby in order to take the amenities to a whole new level. The idea here is we’re repositioning the retail for the building to appeal to our customer and we really think of our customer as being our office tenant.”
The Hockey Hall of Fame is situated directly across the street.
Walmart Canada at Hillside Shopping Centre in Victoria, BC (Image: Walmart Canada)
Walmart Canada has launched Delivery Pass, offering customers access to unlimited, free next-day delivery on thousands of items for less than $2 per week.
The subscription program includes free next-day delivery and discounted same-day and express delivery from stores; a competitive price of $8.97 monthly or $89 per year to access unlimited delivery; and an opportunity for consumers to spend less time shopping in-store with groceries and more delivered right to their door.
Laurent Duray
“Canadians don’t have to choose between fast, convenient delivery and our everyday low prices. We’re transforming our omnichannel offering to better serve Canadians, aiming to build the most efficient, consistent and affordable way to shop in Canada,” said Laurent Duray, Chief E-commerce Officer, Walmart Canada. “Delivery Pass is going to be a gamechanger for Canadians by giving them the products they need, when and how they want them, at the best prices.”
Image: Walmart Canada Delivery Pass
Amanda Shoalts, Senior Manager, Store Fulfilled Strategy, Walmart Canada, said the Delivery Pass is very simple to use. A time for delivery is booked that is convenient for the customer, items to be purchased are added to checkout and delivery fees are waived.
Amanda Shoalts
She said the Delivery Pass is currently available for purchase through the Walmart app. Once the Delivery Pass is purchased customers can place orders on either the Walmart app or on walmart.ca.
“We know that customers are really busy and always looking for ways to save both time and money,” said Shoalts. “So we were really trying to find a way to hook up with saving time and money for either a monthly or an annual fee. Our mission is to build the most convenient, fast and omnichannel experience. We identified a way we could provide our customers with access to unlimited free next-day delivery on thousands of items for less than $2 a week through Delivery Pass.”
She said Delivery Pass will be a “game-changer” for Canadians, giving them the products that they need when and how they are looking for them at the best price.
Today, it’s available to customers in the Greater Ottawa Area and the Greater Toronto Area.
“We’re excited to continue to roll out the Delivery Pass across the country,” added Shoalts.
“We’re committed to rolling Delivery Pass out across the country over the coming weeks and months to provide Canadians across the country with access to an additional way to save time and money with Walmart.”
Image: Walmart Canada
Walmart says the Delivery Pass includes more than 65,000 items, including groceries and general merchandise.
Ignacio Baladrón
“Not only will our customers save money when shopping with Walmart Canada, they can now spend less time shopping in-store with groceries and more delivered right to their doors from our stores. We’re unlocking access to unlimited, free next-day delivery on items including groceries, electronics and toys, at a low price they can afford,” said Ignacio Baladron, Vice President, Omnichannel Operations, Walmart Canada. “We’re excited to launch today and already have ambitious plans to evolve the program and unlock new features. Delivery Pass is just getting started!”
Walmart Canada operates a chain of more than 400 stores nationwide serving 1.5 million customers each day. Its online store is visited by more than 1.5 million customers daily.
Canadian based clothing brand, Wolfe Co., is going to be adding more locations in Canada, has a new wholesale program, and is in the process of developing a new sister brand.
The brand opened its first flagship store in 2021 in Huntsville. Consumers can find a variety of Canadian made products and Brit Powell, the founder and CEO of Wolfe Co., designs all products and has them made in Toronto or Vancouver. Everything from the stitches to the labels are made in Canada as staying local is important to the brand. Consumers can find a variety of clothing options for men, women, and children.
Almost two years after opening the flagship location in Huntsville, Powell has opened a second location in Muskoka in Minett, but as a pop-up location. The seasonal location is 400 square feet and opened last month and will remain open until Labour Day. Consumers can find its “newest and hottest” products.
Image: Wolfe Co.Image: Wolfe Co.
“This year I jumped on opening another location and it has been exciting. It is nice to expand because as much as it is still in Muskoka – Muskoka is still a big place and there are a lot of cottagers. Muskoka’s Summer Experts, puts on a pop up village in two of their locations. They have Minett and they also have Port Carling. They basically have a collection of shipping containers that you can rent out for the summer season and it really took off a few years ago,” says Powell.
Along with the brand, Powell says consumers can find other retailers such as Waxon, Lululemon, Roots, and more.
New Wholesale Program Coming Soon
Image: Wolfe Co.
A few years ago, Powell said the company tried opening a wholesale program; however, due to the demand of being a small business – Powell had to put the brakes on. Fast forward to today, and Powell is ready to open the program across Canada and internationally.
“It was difficult as a startup to maintain a wholesale program in addition to trying to sell directly to consumers online and in-store. So we decided to dial it back and just focus on ourselves for a while, but now everything is pretty settled and we have a good collection of items that are here to stay now. So, we started building applications to retail stores across Canada and internationally and there has already been some interest, so it is exciting.”
Powell said she has been focused on Ontario for the past few years, and now she would like to move beyond, and now with the wholesale program she can expand. The program has already received applications from California, the West Coast of Canada, Ontario, and more are starting to roll in.
The earliest consumers will be able to see retailers carry its products will be Spring of 2024. Powell said she would like to see retailers in Toronto, Halifax, Victoria, and Vancouver carrying her products so she is keeping her eyes open for locations. Instead of big box stores, Powell said she is looking for independent retailers.
“We are looking for more independent small to medium sized retailers. We do not really want to get into big box stores at all. It just does not fit with the aesthetic or the brand’s values. So we are looking at stores that typically stock local, sustainable, and ethically produced high end brands – that is what we are going after.”
Powell said she decided to open the wholesale program as it is a perfect way to expand the brands presence without having to put any of their own resources into it.
Upcoming Sister Brand
Image: Wolfe Co Apparel (38 Main Street East. Huntsville, ON)
“Still fairly confidential, but what I can say is right now we are working on a sister brand for Wolfe Co. and the first few products are already in production – so we should be seeing that in the very near future.”
Powell said the sister brand will be focusing on menswear and a couple of the products will be available this upcoming Fall. The new brand will be focusing on using a lot of natural fibers, will be “very rugged in the same way that Wolf Co is already, but will be a lot earthier, neutral, and will have a lot of wool and linen cotton.”
The sister brand will have its own website and digital presence, but until those are ready, Powell said they will be rolling out the new products on the Wolfe Co. website.
Expansion Plans
Image: Wolfe Co.
Within the next five years, Powell says she is looking at expanding by adding a few more locations – either permanent or pop-up locations.
One pop-up location Powell says she is working on will be in Toronto.
“We are working on the possibility of another short term pop-up location in Toronto later in 2023, but I have not finalized any details yet. We have a lot of people up in Huntsville who are from the GTA, so it just makes sense to meet them where they are and try to see what our success would be like in a bigger city like Toronto.”
Powell says the pop-up location would be around November during the holiday season. As for other locations, Powell said she is keeping an eye out for locations in Nova Scotia and British Columbia.
Powell, along with nine other women, won the Visa grant for IFundWomen. This is the fifth year of the organization and Powell said the top ten recipients from 3,500 applicants across Canada, received grants of $10,000. The winners also receive memberships to different business organizations across Canada and a one year mentorship program through York University.
“It was a shock for sure. They held a big networking event, had an entrepreneurship panel, and a big catered party last week in Toronto, so it was very exciting. We got to showcase all of our products and connect with Visa executives so it was a great opportunity and has driven a lot of attention to the brand.”
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 48 hours.
L.L. Bean at Amazing Brentwood (Image: Shape Properties)
L.L.Bean, the iconic, Maine-based outdoor retailer specializing in quality and durable outdoor gear and apparel, is opening its first two Quebec locations: Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville and Boisbriand.
L.L.Bean is also launching a French version of its website for its customers in Quebec and across Canada. In advance of the launch, customers can visit www.llbean.ca/Quebec for more details.
Stephen Smith
“It’s an honour for L.L.Bean to be able to expand into Quebec and bring the L.L.Bean shopping experience to our Quebecois customers. We are also excited to reach new outdoor enthusiasts via our retail presence and our new French language website. We are looking forward to enabling everyone to enjoy the restorative power of being outside,” said Stephen Smith, President and CEO, L.L.Bean.
With 18,000 square feet of floor space, the Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville store, located at CF Promenades St-Bruno, will be ready for August 25. The Boisbriand location, in the heart of the Faubourg, will open its retail space of 11,500 square feet on September 29.
L.L.Bean at West Edmonton Mall (Image: Christopher Lui)
Charlie Bruder, Vice-President and General Manager of International & Wholesale at L.L.Bean, said the brand’s purpose is to inspire and enable people to experience the restorative power of being outside.
Charlie Bruder
“So we really want to create those connections with the outdoors and as we think about Quebec, it is a great match for our purpose,” said Bruder. “We think about the green spaces, the parks, the mountains, the access to all those fantastic outdoor activities that are so restorative, it just felt like a perfect coupling.
“We’ve been serving the market through our website and have seen great growth there. Our business in Quebec through our website has doubled over the course of the past four years. For us, that was a great indicator that we’re really ready to create some physical presence in the market. That ultimately is what led us to the timing of now.
“Both are going to be in malls in outdoor lifestyle centre locations. Historically, we’ve seen those kind of more suburban locations, the ones that are a little bit on the outskirts, they tend to be the gateway to the outdoors and they’re places that people are traveling through as they’re going outside. They’re easily accessible. As we were doing our research we found an incredibly strong demographic fit for the brand. That’s what led us to those locations specifically.”
Exterior of L.L.Bean first Canadian store at Oakville Place. Photo: George Pimentel
Bruder said the retailer sees more potential growth in Quebec.
“With these two stores and continued momentum in our direct business, we’re going to look to re-double our business in Quebec in the near term here. We’re very excited in the tremendous potential in the Quebec market,” he said.
The company said the two new stores will ensure a coast-to-coast presence in Canada for the company.
Wayne Drummond
“Since launching L.L.Bean in Canada five years ago, the brand has been actively expanding its physical presence in every major city from coast to coast. We’re delighted with the positive response and are excited to continue our growth with the opening of two new stores in Quebec, in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville in August and Boisbriand later this fall. The addition of these new stores allows us to continue serving outdoor adventure enthusiasts in Quebec by providing them with quality clothing and equipment for their outdoor activities,” said Wayne Drummond, President, Jaytex Group. Drummond was president of Hudson’s Bay stores until last year when he retired from the company after 34 years.
L.L.Bean has 110 years of history and nearly 100 stores around the world, including 13 in Canada operated by Canadian licensing partner Jaytex Group.
Image: L.L.Bean (Ottawa Train Yards)
In addition to apparel and outerwear, the company also offers travel, hiking and camping equipment, footwear, and home and pet products. Outdoor enthusiasts will find everything they need.
“We are going to continue to strategically assess opportunities (in Canada) but we want to continue to grow our store footprint in partnership. We actually work with a fantastic partner who licenses our brand and operates our stores up in Canada – Jaytex Group out of Toronto. And they do a fantastic job and have been awesome partners and they’ve been constantly looking very opportunistically at the market for where would be a good fit,” said Bruder.
L.L.Bean, Inc. is a leading multichannel merchant of quality outdoor gear and apparel. Founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean, the company began as a one-room operation selling a single product, the Maine Hunting Shoe. Still family owned, Shawn Gorman, great grandson of Leon Leonwood Bean, was named Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2013.
L.L.Bean operates 56 stores in the U.S and 25 stores in Japan, and has 13 licensed retail store locations in Canada. The 220,000-square-foot L.L.Bean retail store campus in Freeport, ME, is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and welcomes more than three million visitors every year.
