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.
The ICSC recently released a report ranking Canada’s top shopping centres by sales per square foot. Some notable findings include a dominant landlord, a region punching above its weight in mall productivity, productive downtown retail centres, and the fact that Canada’s malls are performing strongly despite the economy.
Numbers for the ICSC study were collected from participating landlords as of the end of 2023. Productivity numbers are for reporting retailers and typically excludes anchor retailers. The study builds on numbers collected by Retail Insider’s Craig Patterson, who was the author of Retail Council of Canada’s Shopping Centre Studies between 2016 and 2019 (studies were halted due to the pandemic and lockdowns impacting sales).
The full 2023 ICSC study ranks 117 shopping centres in Canada by sales per square foot. For the purpose of this article, Retail Insider will primarily discuss the top 25 shopping centres ranked in the study. It should also be noted that not all landlords in Canada participated in the study — that includes Triple Five, which owns West Edmonton Mall. In years past, sales along the centre run in West Edmonton Mall have exceeded $1,200 a square foot, according to the landlord.
Landlords in the 2023 ICSC Study Top 25, by Number of Properties
Luxury retailers at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. Photo: Craig Patterson
Cadillac Fairview owns more than half of the top 25 shopping centres in the ICSC productivity study, speaking to the strength of the landlord’s overall portfolio in Canada. Cadillac Fairview owns 13 of the top 25 shopping centres in Canada in terms of sales per square foot, including the second, third, fourth and fifth most productive shopping centres in Canada (CF Toronto Eaton Centre in Toronto, CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver, CF Richmond Centre near Vancouver, and CF Chinook Centre in Calgary).
Yorkdale in Toronto, as reported in Retail Insider last month, blew all of the other malls in Canada out of the water in terms of sales per square feet. Owner Oxford Properties has three of the top 25 most productive malls in Canada, all of which are in the Toronto area. That includes Yorkdale, which shattered Canadian records with sales per square foot of $2,402. The massive Square One shopping complex in Mississauga ranks 6th for Canadian malls and has maintained strong sales, as has the Scarborough Town Centre which recently added Decathlon and Ikea, and ranked 23rd in the ICSC mall study.
Montreal-based Ivanhoé Cambridge owns six of Canada’s top 25 shopping centres in terms of ranked sales per square foot. Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL) manages the properties on their behalf. Southgate Centre in Edmonton is the top mall in the portfolio in terms of sales per square foot (ranking 8th for Canadian malls), followed very closely by the massive Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby, next to Vancouver, which was the 9th most productive shopping centre in Canada in terms of sales per square foot.
Primaris REIT owns two of the top shopping centres on the ICSC productivity list, after acquiring the Halifax Shopping Centre in Halifax (ranked the 14th most productive mall) and the Conestoga Centre in Waterloo (with a ranking the 24th most productive mall by per square feet). Landlord Morguard made the top 25 list with its Coquitlam Centre asset, which is set for future residential intensification.
Scroll to the bottom of this article to see the list of the top 25 shopping centres in Canada ranked by sales per square foot.
CF Chinook Centre (Image: Cadillac Fairview)
City Regions and the Top 25 Shopping Centres by Sales Per Square Foot
Not surprisingly, the Greater Toronto Area has the most number of the top 25 most productive shopping centres in Canada, with 8 malls making the cut. The Greater Toronto Area is the fastest growing region in North America, and is home to over 7 million people.
The Greater Vancouver area punches above its weight, with 5 of the top 25 most productive malls in the study being there (and a population of less than 3 million). And in 2025, the formerly high-ranking Oakridge Centre will reopen in an overhauled format, rebranded as Oakridge Park — given its luxury offering and overall tenant mix, the centre is expected to become one of the top in the country in terms of sales per square foot. Also, it appears that landlord Larco didn’t participate in the study — its Park Royal Centre in West Vancouver ranked 4th in the Retail Council of Canada study in 2019, with sales per square foot of $1,342.
Montreal Eaton Centre (Image: Montreal Eaton Centre)
The Montreal area had 3 of the most productive 25 centres in Canada in the ICSC study. The region has over 4.3 million people and its retail hasn’t generally been quite as productive as the two cities above. Montreal still has some exceptional shopping centres, and will be getting another one on August 15, 2024, with the opening of Royalmount. It remains to be seen how Royalmount will perform with its mix of luxury brand stores, big brand retailers, and food and beverage offerings.
Calgary has 2 of the top 25 shopping centres ranked in the study, not surprisingly being Cadillac Fairview’s CF Chinook Centre (ranked number 5 in the study) and CF Market Mall (ranked 13 on the list). Trailing at number 29 in the study is The CORE in the city’s downtown, speaking to Calgary’s retail strength with its metro population of about 1.665 million.
Several other cities in Canada had one mall that ranked in the top 25 in the ICSC study. Those places included Edmonton, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Quebec City, Halifax, London, and Waterloo. As mentioned before, West Edmonton Mall could in theory have scored highly if it had participated in the study. Also, another Ottawa Mall, Bayshore Centre, almost made the top 25 which would have given Ottawa 2 of the top 25 most productive malls ranked in the study (see the full list at the end of this article).
Top Shopping Centres in Downtown Cores
CF Toronto Eaton Centre (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Suburban shopping centres are primarily responsible for decreased retail commercialization in the downtown cores of cities in Canada and the United States. Suburban shopping centres are also partly responsible for the demise of the famed downtown department store in North America. Despite the fact that most downtowns in Canada generally lack the retail significance seen in decades past, 4 of the top 25 most productive shopping centres in Canada are located in downtown cores.
That includes the CF Toronto Eaton Centre in downtown Toronto, which before the pandemic was possibly the busiest mall in the world. Because of its transit connectivity, the shopping centre was seeing more than 50 million visitors annually, which is similar to Times Square in New York City. Foot traffic numbers are still very high, upon observation.
Vancouver’s CF Pacific Centre also made the top 25 list of most productive shopping centres, as it has for years. The shopping centre boasts an impressive roster of big-name tenants, including Holt Renfrew’s top-selling store and a very strong Harry Rosen location. Nordstrom’s exit from Canada means that new tenants will be moving into its former space in the centre — a similar situation for CF Toronto Eaton Centre as well (details to follow). It might be noted that in 2019, sales per square foot productivity at CF Pacific Centre was $1,865, while in 2023 the ICSC number was $1,324.
CF Rideau Centre in Ottawa ranked highly in the study, housing retailers such as Apple, Tiffany & Co., Harry Rosen, and La Maison Simons. Nordstrom vacated the mall last year when it exited Canada, and a new tenant hasn’t been announced.
In downtown Montreal, the Centre Eaton Montreal is often crowded with people, whether they are shopping at the new Nike flagship store or heading up the escalators to the Time Out Food Hall. The Eaton Centre Montreal has seen an overhaul that includes Canada’s largest Uniqlo store, a two-level Decathlon store, a flagship B2 footwear store, and various other retailers. Downtown Montreal will be beautiful in a few years once construction is completed along Ste-Catherine Street, McGill College and Peel Streets — the public real on these streets is expected to be world-class, making Toronto and Vancouver envious.
2023 Top 25 Canadian Malls (Image: ICSC)
The full ICSC Canadian Shopping Centre Productivity List of 117 malls can be downloaded on the ICSC membership page. For non-members, retailers are welcome to join ICSC and receive this study, in addition to more valuable industry insights.
Handmade Saskatchewan started out as a group of like-minded vendors, supporting and helping each other with shows.
Today, the concept has three retail locations – one in Regina and two in Saskatoon – with a fourth one to open in the near future.
Janelle Anderson, who is based in Regina, said the concept basically is an avenue for local makers to sell their products.
“Everything we sell is locally made aside from a couple of items that we order,” she said. “But everything is locally made by Saskatchewan artisans and we just found that they needed a place to sell their items besides just craft shows and trade shows. That’s why we started the store.
“And it actually started right before the pandemic and it came in really handy because nobody could go to trade shows or craft shows during the pandemic. So it allowed all the vendors a place to sell their items, get their names out there and make some money.”
Handmade Saskatchewan (Image: Mario Toneguzzi)Handmade Saskatchewan (Image: Mario Toneguzzi)
The store in Regina is located at Cornwall Centre for the past four years. In Saskatoon, the Midtown Plaza location has been operating for about two and a half years while the other Saskatoon location in the Lawson Heights shopping centre has been around for about a year.
“We’re trying to push the online business. The malls do take a percentage of our sales. So anything that we sell through the website we don’t have to pay a percentage on and it helps our vendors a lot more.”
The first store opened in 2019 in Regina at another location.
Anderson said the concept includes close to 200 vendors.
“We carry everything from food items like local honey and jams and spreads and dips and soups. We’ve got Chocolate Moose Fudge Factory. We’ve got their fudge, candy, popcorn. Those are really popular. And we’ve got the freeze dried candies that everybody goes crazy for,” she said.
“We have high end pottery. We’ve got some really cool potterers. I own FLAT Clothing which we sell through the store as well. That’s the bunny hugs where we’ve got the bunnies hugging on the bunny hug. Everything from jewelry to home decor. Anything you can think of.”
Handmade Saskatchewan (Image: Mario Toneguzzi)
Handmade Saskatchewan (Image: Mario Toneguzzi)
Handmade Saskatchewan (Image: Mario Toneguzzi)
When Anderson first moved to Regina from a small town near Saskatoon, as a way to supplement her own income, she started to design jewelry and attended all the craft shows. She met a lot of the other vendors that way.
“We all kind of just formed our little community. We started out with a Facebook group where we could talk about different shows coming up, help each other with displays, and with transporting our items and it kind of just grew from there,” she said.
“We ended up holding a really big Christmas market at Northgate Mall. That would have been in 2018. And the mall asked if we would like to start a store, if we’d like to stay. And that’s what we did.”
Anderson said a fourth location is coming but has not been announced just yet.
“I do have plans for a southeast Regina store and also a southwest Regina store. And then we would move out of the Cornwall Centre and have our two standalones,” she said.
“We’ve tossed around the idea of going into other communities but me managing three or four stores and then also the FLAT Clothing business is a lot and I’m tapped out with that.”
“The Loblaw boycott might have been helpful, but it won’t be. Instead, we are merely witnessing the embarrassing attempts of a group that isn’t even trying to understand how the food industry functions and how it needs to be improved.”
For months now, we have heard rumblings of a Loblaw boycott organized by a clandestine group aiming to penalize grocers for their perceived profiteering. This alleged boycott is set to start on May 1, with participants calling for a reduction in food prices. However, it’s important to note that many food prices have already been declining for weeks, rendering the movement somewhat misguided in achieving its purported goals.
Image: Loblaw
Canadians justifiably feel frustrated, unprotected, and deserve a platform to be heard. While boycotts can be effective in the food sector, successful ones are logically sound and coherent. This boycott targets Loblaw, Canada’s largest grocer, which controls less than a third of the market. Moreover, the boycott overlooks foreign competitors like Costco and Walmart, which are inexplicably exempt from the movement. The arrival of both Walmart and Costco led to the consolidated grocery industry we have today. This selective targeting undermines the boycott’s credibility.
If the goal truly is to enhance food affordability, the boycott should encompass all major box stores, not just focus on one company. Moreover, to truly address the issue at hand, the movement should support independent grocers who compete against these large players without any substantial backing. Independent grocers often promote local foods and innovate across various food categories. Despite their contributions, these smaller entities seldom receive the recognition they deserve and are prevalent in communities nationwide. Contrary to popular belief, smaller does not inherently mean more expensive, and the boycott could have highlighted the value of supporting independently owned and operated stores.
Boycott Loblaws (Image: reddit.com/r/ontario/)
Furthermore, any Canadian who takes two minutes to read and assess the financial reports of top grocers like Loblaw, Empire/Sobeys, and Metro will quickly realize that accusations of profiteering are largely unsubstantiated. Not only have these companies seen same-store food sales growth generally below food inflation rates in recent quarters, but their gross margins also—a true indicator of profiteering—have remained stable for at least five years across all three corporations. These firms are highly diversified, earning significant revenues from cosmetics, clothing, pharmaceuticals, financial services, and real estate, benefiting from their varied market positions.
The boycott also raises concerns regarding its underlying motives. Some members of the group are targeting and threatening experts and academics who disagree with their stance, and have attacked journalists who report dissenting opinions, exhibiting almost cult-like behaviour. This aggressive and confrontational approach is uncharacteristic of Canadian social movements and suggests a politically motivated campaign rather than a genuine grassroots effort. Originally well-intentioned instigators seem to have lost control of the movement.
While Loblaw is not entirely without fault—particularly concerning its intense pressure on suppliers, which can stifle competition and reduce consumer choice—the boycott missed a crucial opportunity to educate Canadians about the real issues within the food industry and the role of major grocers like Loblaw. We need a code of conduct to establish a level playing field for all grocers and food manufacturers in Canada. Instead, it opted for sensationalism and quick publicity, a disappointing and ineffective strategy that ultimately failed to address the systemic issues it purported to confront.
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.
INLAND Marketplace In Toronto Marks 10 Years With May Event: Interview With Founder Sarah Power [Video Interview]
Craig and Sarah Power, Founder of INLAND, discuss the journey of the INLAND platform that has helped shape the landscape of Canadian fashion by showcasing over 500 designers since its inception in 2014. This year marks the 10th anniversary, and the celebration is set to take place at the CF Toronto Eaton Centre. Power discusses INLAND’s commitment to providing emerging designers with a public platform that transcends traditional online retail, enhancing their visibility and engagement with the community.
Patterson and Power discuss the upcoming event, noting that it will occupy the former Williams Sonoma space on the third level of the mall next to Sephora, an area known for its upscale retail environment. They discuss the strategic partnership with the Creative School of Fashion at Toronto Metropolitan University, allowing recent graduates to display their work alongside seasoned designers. The event promises a diverse range of products, from upcycled fashion to luxury footwear, highlighting the innovative and sustainable practices that define modern Canadian fashion.
They also discuss how INLAND not only showcases products but also fosters direct consumer engagement in a physical retail setting. This interaction is crucial for designers to receive feedback and evolve their offerings. With the high foot traffic expected at the CF Toronto Eaton Centre, this year’s event is poised to introduce a broad audience to unique, high-quality fashion items that might otherwise remain under the radar.
Episode Sponsor:
SAJO – Canada’s first specialized retail builder. Visit SAJO to see their holistic approach and transdisciplinary team to explore and understand your needs.
If you prefer to listen to the audio version, it is available below:
The Interview Series audio podcasts by Retail Insider Canada are available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Also check out our The Weekly audio podcast where Craig and Lee discuss popular content published on Retail Insider which is part of the The Retail Insider Podcast Network.
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/
It also has 13 of the top 25 Canadian shopping centres in the rankings which measure sales per square feet of properties.
“Across the country, Cadillac Fairview and its best-in-class clients offer exceptional service and experiences for visitors to our shopping centres, which are popular gathering places for our communities,” said Sal Iacono, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cadillac Fairview in a statement.
Salvatore (Sal) Iacono
“This announcement affirms the hard work of our teams in creating and cultivating spaces that bring people together and keep them coming back. It is gratifying to see CF shopping centres consistently recognized in ICSC’s annual rankings, which are proof positive of that commitment and dedication.”
CF Toronto Eaton Centre (Image: Cadillac Fairview)
Here are the rankings of CF properties overall:
2. CF Toronto Eaton Centre
3. CF Pacific Centre
4. CF Richmond Centre
5. CF Chinook Centre
7. CF Sherway Gardens
10. CF Carrefour Laval
11. CF Masonville
12. CF Rideau Centre
13. CF Market Mall
15. CF Polo Park
17. CF Fairview Mall
19. CF Markville Mall
25. CF Fairview Pointe Claire
Lillian Tummonds, Senior Vice President of Retail Operations with Cadillac Fairview, said the company is a long-standing holder of its assets.
Lillian Tummonds
“This really represents us re-investing in our properties, making sure that they’re relevant and that they’re exciting and fresh for our shoppers but it also tells me that we’re really listening to our customers and making sure that we have the right merchandise mix for these centres that will draw the customers to the malls,” she said.
“Part of the shopping experience is the overall experience of coming to the shopping centre as well. It leads me to believe that we’re doing a good job of listening to what customers are looking for. Even from an entertainment perspective, what we’re trying to influence and inject entertainment into our centres to make sure that people have a lovely shopping experience when they get there.”
CF Chinook Centre (Image: Cadillac Fairview)
The shopping mall experience in Canada has changed dramatically over the years with different tenants popping up in properties that are quite different from what malls traditionally have offered for decades.
“If we look at the retailers, they’re always trying to reinvent themselves and capture the shoppers’ interests. And I think as a landlord for shopping centres, we also want to contribute to that as well to make sure that we have an interesting merchandise mix, to continually draw that interest,” said Tummonds.
“The shoppers’ tastes and expectations change now more quickly than traditionally. That’s what the retailers are working towards to capture the dollars from their customers and that’s what we’re doing on our side when we’re looking at space and leasing space. It’s to make sure that we have those fresh retailers that are coming that are capturing the attention of shoppers and their wallets.”
CF Pacific Centre (Image: Cadillac Fairview)CF Rideau Centre (Image: Cadillac Fairview)
Entertainment concepts and dining have become ever more important in shopping centres across the country. Going to a shopping centre is no longer just to go shopping.
“It’s the whole experience. You’re not just going into the mall to get your stuff and leave. To draw people to the centre, you just have to have all those elements,” added Tummonds.
Mirror Mirror at CF Chinook Centre (Image: Moment Factory)
For example, recently CF Chinook Centre in Calgary had an interactive, immersive visual experience called Mirror Mirror in the former Nordstrom space.
“And that brought in a whole different level of people coming to the Centre experiencing this entertainment piece,” said Tummonds.
CF Toronto Eaton Centre within the past year had the Canadian Chroma immersive experience.
“We’re taking advantage of some of the spaces that we have at our centres to activate and animate them,” she said.
CF Sherway Gardens (Image: Cadillac Fairview)Queen’s Cross Food Hall at CF Toronto Eaton Centre (Image: Cadillac Fairview)
Currently, the Eaton Centre has the CAMP Cube, shop/play hybrid experience, attracting people to the mall.
Recently also, the Eaton Centre opened the Queen’s Cross Food Hall in partnership with Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality (O&B).
Tummonds said Cadillac Fairview still has five Nordstrom boxes to deal with.
“We are working towards re-animating that and we’re pretty excited but we have nothing to really share at this moment. But we’re actively working on that,” she explained.
Sobr Market, which specializes in selling non-alcoholic beverages, has opened its newly-expanded Toronto flagship location.
“Sobr Market began humbly out of our home in Winnipeg with a mission to reduce barriers and make alcohol alternatives more accessible to the community,” said Shane Halliburton, Co-founder & COO, Sobr Market. “We are thrilled to open Canada’s largest non-alcoholic bottle shop in Toronto and fulfill the growing demand for options that promote social connections without sacrifice.”
The 1,600-square-foot store, at 511 Richmond St W, carries more than 500 products from the world’s top brands, making it Canada’s largest non-alcoholic retail destination. The transformed downtown store features two levels with a tasting bar on each floor for customers to sample products before they purchase.
“Education is one of Sobr Market’s fundamental pillars, which is why we designed our Toronto flagship store to be a place where customers can explore the world’s best alcohol-free drinks,” said Taycia Chaplin, CEO, Sobr Market. “Consumers expect non-alcoholic options when they go out, and we are also happy to provide tastings to local bar and restaurant owners who want to add alcohol-free drinks to their menus.”
Sobr Market Toronto (Image: Provided)
Chaplin said the concept began first online in 2022 and opened a brick and mortar store at the beginning of last year in Winnipeg. In November of last year, a pop-up location was opened in Toronto.
“It went really well. So we’ve opened our permanent store here,” she said.
“This whole space used to be a cafe and we opened the pop-up shop in the upstairs section of the cafe. Just a small bottle shop. And then the cafe that was here was actually moving. So the space was free and we took over the whole space and renovated it to be the bottle shop.
“We sell any alcohol free products you can think of from non-alcoholic spirits to wine, beer. We have canned cocktails, sparkling teas.”
Sobr Market Toronto (Image: Provided)
Sobr Market Toronto (Image: Provided)
Sobr Market Toronto (Image: Provided)
Sobr Market offers the country’s most extensive selection of alcohol-free drinks and ships nationally at TheSobrMarket.com
“The market is really growing. I think during the pandemic especially, people started thinking about their alcohol consumption and some people decided to quit drinking altogether or cut back. Dry January. These sorts of things come around every year that people do,” said Chaplin. “During that time you started to see a lot of online stores pop up for non-alcoholic bottle shops. There’s a lot of ecommerce retailers.
“So it really is a strong market for brick and mortar retail where people can come in, they can talk to someone, they can get a recommendation, we offer samples of everything so they can come in and try it before they buy it and really make it a more immersive experience.
“It’s a really strong example of where brick and mortar retail is still so important.”
Sobr Market Toronto (Image: Provided)
Chaplin said the brand will be looking to expand to more stores in the future – as early as within this year.
“Just seeing the great response we’ve gotten in Toronto, (we’re) wanting to serve customers across the country, we do sell online as well. We have our eye on Vancouver next. There’s quite a good alcohol free market out there, lots of our online customers are over there. Calgary as well. We’re looking West next.”
Citing research, Sobr Market said 41 per cent of consumers participated in Dry January in 2024 or reduced their alcohol intake during the month (source: CGA by NIQ). The global market for no-and-low alcohol products grew from $11 billion in 2022 to $13 billion in 2023 (source: International Wine and Spirits Research). As the category’s popularity increases, 40 per cent of non-alcoholic consumers say the main reason they don’t drink more products is because they are hard to find (source: International Wine and Spirits Research)
“The technology and just the craft of non-alcoholic beverages has come so far in recent years. I think when a lot of people think of non-alcoholic wine they think of grocery store grape juice or vinegar tasting kind of stuff. But the tech has come so far. The people producing the wines, the brewers making the beer, are really serious about the craft and you see these big brands like Heineken or Guinness or Peroni, Stella, the big breweries, they wouldn’t put their name on a product if it wasn’t good,” said Chaplin.
“The fact that all of them are coming out with alcohol-free versions just goes to show how far that tech has progressed. And a lot of craft brewers in Toronto and across the country are all developing alcohol-free versions of their products too. There is some confidence when a brand that has created an alcohol containing product creates a non-alcohol one. You have that confidence because they know what it’s supposed to taste like. So they’re not going to put out something that’s not good. It’s all reassuring. They all taste a lot better than they did years ago.”
Additional Photos from Sobr Market at Waterworks
Sobr Market Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Sobr Market Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Sobr Market Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Sobr Market Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Sobr Market Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Sobr Market Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Sobr Market Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
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 three days.
Future Scarborough Town Centre location. Photo: Craig's Cookies
Craig’s Cookies is expanding its store locations with two upcoming openings with a plan to expand further into the Greater Toronto Area within the next five years.
The company will be opening two locations in the CF Toronto Eaton Centre and the Scarborough Town Centre, both in Toronto. The expansion plan is part of the company’s larger strategy to increase the number of stores in high-traffic retail locations to reach a larger audience.
Craig Pike, Founder of Craig’s Cookies. Photo: David Leyes
“Scarborough Town Centre is the first location that we will be opening, probably early summer 2024, and the CF Toronto Eaton Centre will be opening most likely in early Fall. We are really stoked. There is really a special market in these mall locations and it is really exciting,” says Craig Pike, Founder and CEO of Craig’s Cookies.
“Scarborough Town Centre is quite impressive – it actually has more foot traffic than Yorkdale. And the CF Toronto Eaton Centre speaks for itself with over 50 million people a year in foot traffic. These two malls are a good starting point for the launch,” says Jay Lee, franchise partner of Craig’s Cookies.
“Sharing the cookie love with as many people as possible”
As the brand is known in the GTA for its unique cookie recipes and community engagement, Pike sees these two new locations as a chance to connect with a broader demographic.
“Scarborough is just as much a part of Toronto as anywhere else. Bringing Craig’s Cookies to that community and neighbourhood is going to be really exciting. And with the Toronto Eaton Centre bringing in over 50 million visitors each year there is a chance to reach locals and tourists. There are so many folks that come through that mall, and there is a great opportunity to share the cookie love with as many people as possible,” says Pike.
Photo: Craig’s CookiesPhoto: Craig’s Cookies
Lee says success goes further than deciding on which malls to open in, but deciding where within the malls is crucial.
“We want to be in the main part of the mall, where there is the highest traffic. Good co-tenants, tenants that will draw a lot of traffic, and being near one of the top entrances within the mall, or in the centre where they do a lot of activities – all of these things matter. We don’t want to be off on the side wing where you have to turn off the main path to get to us,” says Lee.
Product offerings and customer experience
Craig’s Cookies is going to be bringing its signature collections into the two new locations, offering a mix of classic and innovative cookie recipes. The offerings will be the same as the other locations such as the mars bar, apple pie, cookies and cream, and more.
Pike says Craig’s Cookies encourages consumers to provide feedback for developing new flavours, giving a chance for consumers to have a say in what cookie might be coming next: “We are very open to trying new recipes, especially if they are inspired by our community.”
Inside the Parkdale store in Toronto. Photo: Craig’s CookiesPhoto: Craig’s Cookies
Future expansion plans
Craig’s Cookies has recently opened locations in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Fallsview Casino, and Collingwood in the past nine months, and its expansion plans will continue after opening these two new locations.
Lee says he is planning on opening five new locations within the next few years and will be focusing on high-quality malls. The focus as of right now will be remaining local and once Craig’s Cookies is successfully expanded in Ontario, Lee and Pike would like to see it expand across Canada.
“We do have plans to open five within the next five years. I think it makes sense to stay more local for the first several years, just until we perfect operations. I would rather have five well run stores that are successful, opposed to having 20 that are not as well run all over the country. So the focus right now is to stay local as close as possible so it makes it easy for us to manage. Down the road, we can start thinking about expanding outside the area, but there are enough high-quality malls in the area to focus on. Once we have that down, I am open to going across the country,” says Lee.
Church Street store in Toronto. Photo: Craig’s CookiesCraig’s Cookies at 106 Queen St Unit E in Niagara on the Lake (Image: @streetsofnotl)
The five locations are unknown right now as Lee says it is not finalised yet, but will be looking into high-traffic malls such as Square One, Vaughan Mills, and CF Sherway Gardens.
Once these five locations are open, Lee says they will be continuing to find new locations: “We are just waiting on good locations, we don’t want to just settle for any spot within the mall so I think it is worthwhile to wait on a prime location to come up and be available. Once we have had those open up and have the operations figured out, we are open to going into every mall out there – people need cookies, so we are not just going to keep it to ourselves.”
“One of the great things is the feeling that Toronto has really taken ownership over Craig’s Cookies, and you can’t ask for a better thing when you build a brand. But I love that Toronto feel and it makes people feel like they are part of the growth and success of Craig’s Cookies,” says Pike.
