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.
While the weakening of the Canadian economy is growing more apparent each week, the national retail environment isn’t going to give David Wyatt too many sleepless nights.
David Wyatt
Wyatt is the senior vice-president of retail at Morguard, which, according to its online portfolio has $4.1 billion in total retail assets among its total ownership pie of $14.7 billion held more specifically by Morguard Corporation ($4.5 billion); Morguard REIT ($2.3 billion); Morguard North American Residential REIT ($4 billion) and Institutional Clients ($3.9 billion).
“There are going to be highs and lows in the economy. It’s cyclical,” Wyatt told Retail Insider in a recent interview covering the company’s current perspective on the national retail situation. Wyatt said Morguard’s grip in the Canadian retail market is wide and deep and their team won’t be “cycling out” of retail real estate based on current conditions — namely rising interest rates, nagging inflation and a slowing national economy.
The Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Image: Morguard)
Instead, they’re paying attention to shifting trends and the effects on shopper behaviour and leasing activity, all while shoring up their national retail portfolio, which includes assets like Burquitlam Plaza in Coquitlam, Crossroads Station Shopping Centre in Winnipeg and The Centre in Saskatoon.
“We have many retail clients… in our long-standing buildings that have been with us for 20 years…or longer,” Wyatt said. “We like developing relationships with (retailers) whether they’re local, regional, or national retailers with the idea that we have more than one property that would suit their needs over their time horizon.”
Morguard is a fully-integrated real estate company that owns, manages and invests in assets across North America. With 45 years in business and a team of 1,300 professionals, Morguard is based in Mississauga and has offices in seven provinces and three U.S. states.
Morguard continues to value smaller markets, Wyatt said, listing cities such as Prince George, Grand Prairie, Brandon, Thunder Bay and North Bay.
Those markets hold potential for growth and renewal. “There have been a number of international and quality national retailers that have reinvested in those markets,” Wyatt said. “We like to think we’re providing more compelling shopping centre experiences in those markets.”
Investments in retail assets ‘muted’
Centerpoint Mall in North York, Ontario (Image: Morguard)
From an investment perspective, retail asset sales have been muted this year, according to Morguard’s second quarter update from its 2023 Canadian Economic Outlook.
Retail asset deal volume in the second quarter of this year neared a three-year low, the report said. “Retail investment property sales with a minimum sale price of $10 million in the combined Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal markets totaled less than $300 million in the second quarter, the lowest dating back to Q2, 2020.”
Morguard blamed a few factors for the slowdown. “The most recent of these was the interest rate hikes the BofC implemented to control inflation,” the report said. “The evolution of consumer shopping behaviour continues to generate the uncertainty that keeps the buyer pool thin. Relatively few significant portfolios or flagship properties have been made available for acquisition recently. Smaller and/or value-add assets with repositioning potential have been brought to market more commonly, amid an environment of relatively muted sales activity.”
Shifting consumer behaviour is part of the equation
Part of the equation is changing consumer behaviour and a shifting interplay between e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar, Wyatt said. “We’re trying to align ourselves with those retailers that are really good at omni channel retailing. We find that, whether they’re local, regional, national, or international, those are the retailers that are paying the most attention to what the marketplaces are telling them.”
Shoppers are spending less time window-shopping or “shopping on foot’, Wyatt said. Instead, consumers are spending more time online educating themselves about products or shopping online. However, trips to the shopping centre today “are more purposeful”, Wyatt said.
Retailer and shopping centre traffic counts are generally lower than pre-pandemic levels, but conversion rates are up, Wyatt said.
Prairie Mall in Grand Prairie, Alberta (Image: Morguard)
Core retail sales, excluding gasoline and fuel sales, and motor vehicles and parts sales, gained 1.3% in July, month-over-month, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent retail report.
StatsCan says total national retail sales rose 0.3 per cent to $66.1 billion in July, helped by the strength of sales of food and beverage. However, the agency said more recent months could see a reversal of those modest gains.
Wyatt said Morguard shares the responsibility with retailers to give shoppers a reason to come out and spend money. “We spend a lot of time trying to figure out how we can integrate food and beverage options, or greater food and beverage options in (our) buildings.”
Morguard is also looking into adding more entertainment options at their shopping centres beyond just cinemas.Wyatt pointed to Activate opening its largest ever location last year at Bramalea City Centre in Brampton as an example.”That was our first deal with that particular (company) and it’s been very well received.” Activate has a series of 11 interactive game rooms where people can play arcade-style games involving jumping, climbing and dodging. The Bramalea City Centre location is 13,000 square feet and features laser lights, glowing walls and high-tech rooms with games like Arena, Hoops, Mega Grid and Climb.
Consumers are getting more discretionary
Place Rosemère in Rosemère, Quebec (Image: Morguard)
Consumers though continue to face inflation, declining discretionary budgets and elevated interest rates.
It’s possible that discretionary spending on apparel could recede and there has also been a lot of public and government scrutiny on grocery prices, Wyatt said. “That’s not lost on us when we’re evaluating the marketplace in general.”
Overall, the Canadian retail market has performed relatively well, bouncing back from the pandemic-induced slide, Wyatt said, noting that post-pandemic consumer growth has been taking place at their shopping centres around the country in many categories including apparel, home furnishings, food and drug and specialty items.
Tourism and travel have also returned to strength in Canada’s big cities. “I think the consumer economy has brought the sales back in many or all of our buildings to pre-pandemic levels,” he said. “We’re still not at the same level of leasing, per se, that we were, (and) our occupancy rates are slightly lower than they were pre-pandemic.”
On a short-term basis, Morguard is trying to re-tenant its shopping centres with the types of shops and services consumers are demanding, he said. “We spend a lot of time in our buildings, listening to what our shoppers tell us in terms of what they’d like to see.”
Craig’s Cookies, which Craig Pike began as a way to pay his phone bill by selling the treats over Facebook and Instagram in 2013, has signed a multi-location franchise development agreement with Ontario-based LLH Loose Change.
LLH Loose Change Holdings will open a minimum of five Craig’s Cookies stores, primarily at major regional shopping malls. The company principals are long-time friends and business partners Jay Lee, Bernie Li and Chris Hornung.
“We’re thrilled to embark on this adventure alongside Craig’s Cookies,” said Lee. “We’ve been big fans of Craig’s Cookies ever since they opened their first location in Parkdale. Since then, we’ve been to several locations and continue to be impressed by the consistency of the service and quality of the product. When we learned they were franchising, we jumped at the opportunity. We love what Craig has built so far and are extremely excited to be a part of the growth of this amazing brand.”
Craig’s Cookies at Yorkdale Shopping Centre (Image: Craig’s Cookies)
Pike said the franchise partners bring with them a great deal of experience and share the vision for the brand.
Craig Pike
“They truly understand what we are all about. They are committed to providing the very best service and products to our amazing (and growing) diverse customer base,” said Pike.
“Our aim is to work with the very best franchise partners to open Craig’s Cookies in the locations best suited to deliver our unique customer service and creative approach. Our vision is to be the leading premium cookie business in Canada, by offering our franchisees an unparalleled business opportunity in their local communities. Our mission is to celebrate the YUM factor in the chocolate chip cookie, while honouring diversity and inclusivity. We provide our franchisee family with extensive initial and on-going training and support, impactful marketing and a respected brand name.”
There are six corporate Craig’s Cookies locations and one franchise. In July, the brand opened its first franchise location in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It offers customers chocolate chip cookies with a wide range of toppings and flavours through its retail locations and also ships Canada-wide.
InnoFran, specialists in franchise development helped in facilitating the agreement for Craig’s Cookies and LLH Loose Change.
“Craig’s Cookies presents a fantastic concept and an exceptional avenue for franchising. Since the initiation of the franchise program, the momentum has been unceasing. This progression stands as a captivating and organic advancement for the brand,” it said.
Craig’s Cookies at 106 Queen St Unit E in Niagara on the Lake (Image: @streetsofnotl)
Pike said during COVID and lockdowns a couple of years ago he noticed that the brand was quite strong so he decided to open a couple of stores in Leslieville, Yorkdale Shopping Centre, and St. John’s, Newfoundland.
“And once those six locations were open the brand was continuing to be very, very strong and based on my want and personal need to be involved in the arts which is my gig before I started Craig’s Cookies, I wanted to continue to celebrate the strength of the brand but not open specific locations myself,” he said.
“And so instead of having corporate grow and having my involvement grow I decided to grow the franchise route because it would be a great way for Craig’s Cookies to expand, to reach different neighbourhoods, different communities in southwestern Ontario and then eventually across Canada.
“The really interesting thing about franchising is that it does give many, many people an opportunity to be able to start their own business in a way. We’ve had quite an extensive reach out from folks all across the country. In meeting folks, it’s really important for me to be very specific with who I would like to do work with and to do business with.
“We see as projections the potential of about 10 to 15 in southwestern Ontario and then in major cities across Canada.”
Craig’s Cookies Grand Opening at 106 Queen St Unit E in Niagara on the Lake (Image: Craig’s Cookies)
Pike said the company’s strategy is to grow the brand in the future through franchising but if an opportunity comes his way to be able to open another corporate store that would not be off the table. Also, there is potential to reach into the U.S. market eventually.
Pike said he is shocked and amazed about where the brand is today compared to when it first started.
“I’m very grateful and humble. I never ever thought when I was making cookies in my home 10 years ago, delivering on my bike, that there would be an interest in Craig’s Cookies nationally. And it’s a testimony to not only the products, my mom’s recipe of the chocolate chip cookie, but the hard work of everyone that’s involved in the company,” 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 2 days.
Underwear and apparel retailer Knix has plans to open six stores in the next six weeks in Canada to take advantage of the holiday shopping season as the brand continues to aggressively expand its footprint across the country.
Joanna Griffiths
Joanna Griffiths, Founder and President of the company, told Retail Insider those stores will be located at CF Market Mall in Calgary, Southgate Centre in Edmonton, CF Polo Park in Winnipeg, Richmond Centre in the West Vancouver area, CF Rideau Centre in Ottawa and Toronto Premium Outlets in Halton Hills.
“This is part of a broader expansion plan within Canada. We’re continuing to think about opening a similar group of stores to what we did this year. Six to eight locations a year,” she said. “And looking for penetration across Canada. In some instances opening a second or third location within a market and also looking at net new markets as we’ve just done with Edmonton and Winnipeg.”
Currently, Knix has nine locations – six in Canada and three in the U.S. The Canadian locations include two in Toronto, two in Vancouver, one in Calgary and one in Ottawa. The U.S. locations are all in California – Santa Monica, San Francisco and San Diego.
Knix.ca
Griffiths said the retailer’s typical footprint is about 2,500 square feet.
“We’re in the process of sort of evaluating what is the best path forward for the U.S. So when we launched our three California stores we kind of took three very different approaches. One’s in a mall. One’s kind of like a community store and then another one is on more of a tourist, shopping street,” she said.
Griffiths launched Knix with the goal of transforming an underwear market that had too much frill and not enough function. A trailblazer with the creation of Leakproof Underwear, she continues to focus on listening to what people want and bringing revolutionary solutions to life.
In 2013, Knix introduced Leakproof Underwear to the world. In 2015, Knix released their first wireless bra. In 2016, Knix is the first brand to use real women–of all ages, sizes, and backgrounds–on their site. In 2017, Knix launched the first period underwear brand for teens and tweens, Kt by Knix. In 2019, Knix is the first brand to release a lingerie campaign exclusively featuring women from ages 50 to 81. And in 2022
Knix launched the first of its kind Confidence Tour, empowering people to be their most confident selves on a live runway in their intimates.
Knix Santa Monica (Image: Knix)
Griffiths said the retailer has discovered it has a nice white space within the Canadian market.
“A lot of feedback from our growing Canadian consumer base that they want to see and touch and feel product and try it on. That’s kind of gearing our strategy,” she said. “We’ve been experimenting over the past couple of years. With (CF) Sherway (Gardens in Toronto) we entered into our first mall concept. The stores before were all more community-driven concepts. We’re seeing great success in both which is leading to the desire to continue to roll out stores.”
Today, the retailer is a trailblazer with its comfortable wireless bras to super absorbent underwear, which are designed to make women feel more comfortable in their own skin.
“We have a pretty unique product assortment. So a lot of our products are highly differentiated via the innovation and the technology that we offer. We’re a bit more fashion forward than I think maybe some of the more traditionally active apparel companies as an example,” said Griffiths.
“People are loving the product and they’re loving the brand as well. We’ve been on a decade-long journey to really reframe how women are portrayed in the media and portrayed in marketing. Taking a more diverse and inclusive approach and it’s really speaking to people of all ages and backgrounds where they feel like Knix is a store where they want to shop at and they feel comfortable coming into the location and being helped by our incredible retail team members.”
Knix on Queen Street West – Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Given the success of the brand’s Canadian stores, Griffiths said the retailer is seeing a desire for people to connect again in person following COVID.
“From our perspective, the physical retail side of things is really taking off within Canada,” she added.
The BLUMZ: house of fine jewelry and piercings, is looking to bring new experiences to the city. The brand currently has one location open and will be opening a new concept store connecting food with jewelry.
The Blumz opened its flagship in Toronto at 343 King Street West and is 1,000 square feet. Ion Blum, Co-Owner of The Blumz, decided on this location because of being in the new hotel hub such as Bisha and Nobu – a great spot for tourists.
“We shopped around and looked at so many different areas in Toronto. We feel what we are doing is different and we wanted to really create an experience like no other, not only for Toronto residents, but for the tourists coming in Toronto,” says Ion.
The brand’s second concept, The Blumz Privè, is currently under construction and will open by Valentine’s Day. The store will be 600 square feet and is located at 44 Mercer Street in Toronto.
Each location will offer different services, products and experiences to consumers.
The Blumz
Image: The Blumz
At this location, a variety of fashionable jewelry such as earrings, necklaces, ear chains and charms, piercing studs and hoops. The store also offers piercing services in addition to a permanent bracelet bar, chains, anklets, and rings. jewelry is sourced from around the world and includes designers such as Jacquie Aiche, Anita Ko, Kismet By Milka, and its unique line called Anion Jewelry, who is also co-create with Anna Blum, co-owner of The Blumz.
“At The Blumz, we offer brands that are hand picked by Anna and I based on our personal interest, love for the arts and travel destinations. We carry Maria Tash, Anita Ko, Jacquie Aiche, Kismet by Milka, and more. If you go onto our website, you are going to see all the different lines we carry. What that gives the consumer, is the ability to mix and match based on style and also on price points or budgets.”
The BLUMZ | House Of Fine PiercingsThe BLUMZ | House Of Fine Piercings
When someone goes in for a piercing, the team can recommend different types of jewelry based on the anatomy of the ear. Blum says it offers piercing jewelry that expands from the traditional piercing/tattoo shop.
“They don’t have to be jewelry that you normally would start off with and then kind of upgrade to something that is more fashionable later. The fact that we pierce with a needle, which is far more precise and much better for piercings – we can actually utilize fancy jewelry to pierce with from the start.”
The brand started selling jewelry online; however, after noticing an increase in jewelry and piercing trends, the owners decided to proceed with a brick and mortar store.
The Blumz Privè will offer a different experience than The Blumz and other jewelry retailers in Toronto as it will focus on a unique experiences that combines sight, touch, smell and taste.
The new concept will offer private shopping experiences that can also include menus designed by a number of Torontonian chefs. Unlike The Blumz, this location will require reservations.
“We are in the talks with some restaurants in Toronto to create an experience like no other. Since Elegance is a journey and jewelry has an intimate and sentimental connection with the body that wears it, yet often enough only created by association through sight and touch, at Blumz Privè we want to revolutionize the experience by tapping into the other human senses: smell and taste.”
Blum says the menu will be decided on where the jewelry is manufactured, what kinds of diamonds they use and will let the chefs create different dishes that will represent the region of the world where the jewelry came from.
“We are aiming to have this done for Valentine’s day in 2024, because for Valentine’s day you think of amazing dinners, chocolates, champagne and pampering.”
Anna & Ion Blum
Along with the mentioned locations, Ion and Anna Blum also own a tattoo studio, Black Line Studio, which is also in Toronto and has been operating for the past 17 years. Black Line is an “upscale tattoo shop” offering tattoos, body piercings and laser treatments. Consumers can book appointments or see walk-in availability.
“We have separated the businesses. So Black Line studio is focused on tattoos primarily, then The Blumz is focusing on jewelry and piercings, and the third one that will be opening will be more focused towards fashion jewelry.”
Anna Blum says the main focus right now is to focus on the three brands they have right now, but eventually would like to consider expanding.
“For the past 17 years, we have built different concepts such as Black Line Studio, the 350 Fahrenheit restaurant and a couple of furniture stores. As entrepreneurs, we always look at expanding and creating different concepts, but one thing that always brought us together is that love makes us “Blumz”.”
Foodtastic Inc., a leading franchisor of restaurant brands in Canada, has added another banner to its portfolio with the recent agreement to acquire Noodlebox, which it says is one of the fastest growing quick service restaurant brands in the country.
“We are delighted to welcome Noodlebox into the Foodtastic family,” said Peter Mammas, President and CEO of Foodtastic. “Noodlebox’s reputation as a top-tier quick service restaurant brand aligns perfectly with our commitment to providing exceptional dining experiences to our customers. We look forward to working closely with all our new franchisees and driving the growth of the Noodlebox brand across Canada.
Peter Mammas
“I think it’s an amazing brand. We had gone down on a trip to BC and we just happened to eat there. We actually talked to the owners and we were lucky enough to make a deal. But it’s great in the sense that it fits right into our strategy and portfolio and what’s even better, the food is just outstanding.
“It’s prepared on the spot. It’s fresh. It’s healthy. It’s tasty. You get a lot of value for your dollar. The portions are big. The stores look great. I mean what’s there not to like. That one I think is a homerun. It’s just a great concept and it just needs a scope of something like Foodtastic that we could take it coast to coast.”
Noodlebox (CNW Group/Foodtastic)
Mammas said he thinks Noodlebox could be a 215-unit chain just in Canada.
“I think there’s just an enormous opportunity in this. Asian Thai is a great category. It’s probably under-served throughout Canada with the exception of maybe Quebec. There’s a great deal of opportunity in that category,” he said.
Over the next year, including Noodlebox, Foodtastic expects approximately $1 billion of North American system sales across a network of over 1,200 new and existing stores. Foodtastic continues to drive growth through strategic acquisitions, new store development, and innovation.
“We are always on the lookout. Our goal is to actually triple this company in the next five years. We’re going to do that organically. We have plans to grow organically at roughly 10 per cent and on top of that we want to be purchasing three, four great brands every year to get us to that goal of tripling the company in five years.”
Foodtastic’s diverse range of brands includes popular names such as Freshii, Quesada, Second Cup, Pita Pit, Milestones, Fionn McCool’s, Shoeless Joe’s, Benny, La Belle et La Boeuf, and Monza.
Image: Noodlebox Airdrie
Noodlebox started as a food cart in Victoria, BC’s Chinatown in 2001.
Its unique style of Southeast Asian street food was so popular that people waited hours to get their fill.
Dustin May
“We believe that Foodtastic is the perfect home for Noodlebox, and that together we will continue to uphold the values and quality that Noodlebox is known for,” said Dustin May, CEO of Noodlebox.
“Noodlebox has thrived with 46 locations now open and a further 50 in the development pipeline, and we believe that Foodtastic and our Noodlebox leadership team will create a bright future for our dedicated franchisees, team members and loyal guests.”
Mammas said Foodtastic looks to acquire other food establishments that fall into two categories. One is like a Noodlebox where the company thinks the brand is amazing, well run, the financials make sense and it can use its platform to grow that brand. The other category is to buy brands it thinks it can fix.
“There’s a lot of brands that we bought in the past like Second Cup, Milestones and Freshii that we looked at and said ‘you know what, we think we could fix these brands and bring them to where they need to be and once that’s done we can actually grow them’,” he said. “The first one we did with Second Cup and we fixed that brand quite quickly within 12 months. We stopped the hemorrhaging and actually now it’s going to be the first year in probably a decade that Second Cup is going to have net new additions in their pipeline. We’re going to actually open more stores than are going to close this year, which is the first time that’s happened in a decade.
“The second one we acquired was Milestones and . . . they were an under-supported brand within Recipe. It was something that we knew very well because I used to own Baton Rouge. So I knew that segment really well and I looked at it and thought just by changing a few little things I think we could take that brand up. In the first year that we took it over we changed the menu, we changed a bit of the look, we changed the whole marketing, we changed the strategy of where that brand was going and right now it’s probably the number one brand in Foodtastic and we just opened some new stores and we’ve actually brought the concept to Quebec and the Quebec store has been open now for eight weeks and for the last four weeks it’s been the busiest restaurant in the whole country.
“We’re really good at fixing brands and once they’re fixed, growing them. And then you have Freshii that we just bought this year. We’ve only had it for a few months. So we’ve identified what we want to fix there. All the new ideas, the menu upgrades are going to be launched shortly and over the next six months. Again, I think that’s another brand that starting mid next year we’re going to be able to do like Second Cup and open more stores than are closing. And again that hasn’t been done since the last five years at Freshii as well.”
Prime Energy Drink Halloween Display in the US (Image: Jeff Doucette / Field Agent)
Has Halloween in Canada gone stale? The general manager of Field Agent Canada, Jeff Doucette, says yes. Doucette discusses what is missing from the shelves in Canada for Halloween, how retailers are decreasing excitement by overlapping seasons and how we can bring back excitement.
Jeff Doucette
Just like consumers saw the back to school shopping hit stores earlier, Halloween came out earlier this year as Doucette says some retailers were stocking their shelves with Halloween products in August. Although retailers were prepared earlier this year, Doucette is noticing a lack of innovation and for next year – Canada needs to up its game.
“Halloween has been out for a while, we start to see it creep into the stores in September, or even August. The back to school candy gets repositioned to Halloween candy, so we have been seeing the candy and all of that stuff out there for quite a while. But, we have not seen a lot of innovation this year in terms of new things for Halloween or anything unique and in fact – we are now already seeing Christmas,” says Doucette.
Halloween Display in the US (Image: Jeff Doucette / Field Agent)
Doucette visited the United States weeks before Halloween and noticed a difference in excitement and innovation. Doucette says Halloween in the US was more prevalent, there were no Christmas products on the shelves and instead, had a huge Halloween selection compared to Canadian stores. Meanwhile in Canada, retailers have mixed Halloween with Christmas.
“Retailers have brought Christmas in sooner and it kind of overlapped with Halloween. Sometimes you see some overlap, but when I was at Safeway there were more advent calendars than there were Halloween products. And it just seems a bit out of context.”
“Seasonal Creep Up”
Holiday Decorations at Dollarama (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Doucette says seasons tend to get earlier and earlier and is reaching a tipping point in retail. As inventory becomes available and gets pushed through the supply chain – everybody wants to be first and it is just getting too early: “right now is on my mind.”
“It is way too early for me to get my head around buying an advent calendar, it just seems a bit out of sorts. We know Halloween is an important holiday for retailers and everybody wants to be out there and be first. But it just seems like Christmas is now taking over and is starting to take over the stores. It seems disjointed.”
Christmas Display at Indigo Bay/Bloor on September 25th, 2023 (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
One reason why Doucette thinks seasons, like Christmas, are being pushed up is because retailers do not want to be last and miss out; however, it is not in line with what consumers are expecting to see in stores. Doucette said the normal flow would be to have Halloween, Remembrance Day – and then you would see Christmas, “and it seems like everyone has just pushed everything up a lot earlier in the cycle.” A second reason would be for consumers who have a tight budget; however, Doucette says it is unlikely people who are currently on a tight budget will be buying an advent calendar in the middle of October.
In a time where retailers are looking to connect with consumers, Doucette says by pushing up holidays like this will cause the reverse effect. Rushing through holidays can cause consumers to become confused, distracted or have a less enjoyable time shopping for the current holiday.
“Retailers are forgetting most consumers do not want to be shopping ahead of holidays, or skipping holidays. When people are focussing on Halloween – their focus is on Halloween, not getting a tree.”
Loss of Excitement
Holiday Preview at Bath & Body Works in CF Toronto Eaton Centre (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
By joining holidays, Doucette says it can cause a loss of excitement and also be exhausting for consumers.
“The Halloween excitement gets cut off by Christmas taking over. I understand if retailers don’t want inventory sitting around and waiting to get out the door, but it just seems like a lot of retailers have gone too early into the next holiday causing consumers to be less excited and more distracted.”
As a change for Halloween for this year is already too late, Doucette’s advice to retailers for next year is to slow it down, manage one holiday at a time and allow consumers to enjoy shopping for each holiday.
When comparing Canada and the US, Doucette said “it was quite interesting to compare and contrast the two” as in the US, the stores did not even have enough room for Christmas products yet as it was filled with Fall and Halloween products.
“Maybe Canada is Stale”
In terms of product creativity, Doucette says retailers in Canada should try and do more. Ideas he had in mind, sparked by his trip to the US, included Halloween theme products, more Halloween themed dog products and treats, and an increase in innovation for Halloween decorations.
“One thing I saw while in the US, which was kind of interesting, was Halloween themed Prime energy and hydration drinks. They had a whole display setup in their stores around Halloween for specific Halloween skews. So that was something I have not seen in the past, of having energy drinks be included in the Halloween experience.”
This is just one example of how brands can be more innovative for Halloween, and also other holidays.This way, consumers would be less distracted and more excited.
Christmas on the Right and Halloween Clearance on the left at Winners in Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
As for decorations, Doucette says he is not seeing anything new or exciting.
“To be honest, my feeling for this year is there is just not a huge amount of excitement. We have a huge data collection of seasonal displays and I just have not seen anything this year that really caught my eye in the Canadian space. I just see it as more of the same, I do not see anything exciting – not the most exciting answer, but there is a lot of truth to it.”
Bring It On For Next Year’s Spooky Season
As it is too late for this year for retailers to be creative, Docuette says there is hope for the future if retailers and communities change their ways.
Currently, Doucette says a lot of people just “copy and paste” what they did in previous years and make little tweaks, but to change the stale Halloween climate in Canada, people need to start seeing how other places are being creative for the season and try to stand out.
“There is no real innovation anymore. Maybe we need to start looking to the US for some ideas or other cultures that celebrate Halloween, and try it. I think everybody seems to have the same stuff and is taking the same approach – it is just not attractive and does not create much excitement for anybody.”
Recent news that final agreements have been signed for Calgary’s new Event Centre, which will become the new home of the NHL’s Flames, will be the catalyst for new commercial, retail and residential development in the city’s old Victoria Park neighbourhood just north of Stampede Park.
Today, most of that property is an urban wasteland made up of primarily surface parking lots.
But much of the land is held by private developers, who may now think of pulling the trigger on projects that have been on hold because of the long-drawn out process to move forward with a new Event Centre that will also be home to future major concerts.
Culture + Entertainment District
Michael Kehoe
“The publicly-owned Event Centre will be a major piece of the ongoing efforts to revitalize downtown Calgary and an important component of the new Culture + Entertainment District located in the Rivers District in southeast Calgary,” said Michael Kehoe, Broker of Record for Fairfield Commercial Real Estate in Calgary.
“The Event Centre will anchor the Culture + Entertainment District that will feature walkable celebratory / gathering public spaces along with private investment commercial opportunities such as hotels, restaurants, and retail over 10 acres. Expectations are high that unique dining and shopping venues will enhance the visitor experience for locals and visitors from all over the world.
“I am expecting that Calgary will learn from Edmonton’s commercial space success and challenges at Rogers Place and their Ice District along with other such projects across North America. I feel that it is important that a unique year-round Calgary destination be envisioned that will not be dependent only on event dates. The Calgary Flames, Calgary Hitmen, Calgary Roughnecks and Calgary Wranglers and major North American concerts will ensure a solid base of customer footfall and visitation. The long-term success of the Calgary Culture + Entertainment District will need destination food service and retail in an experiential and pedestrian friendly environment.”
Calgary Culture + Entertainment District (C+E District)BMO Expansion
Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) is spearheading the Rivers District Master Plan. It’s a commitment that supports Calgary’s downtown revitalization and growing a vibrant and welcoming city.
Kate Thompson
Kate Thompson, President and CEO, CMLC, said the addition of the new Event Centre and its supporting infrastructure is a significant step forward in realizing the vision for this dynamic community.
“The ripple effects builds on the previous waves that are ongoing right now. When we started the Rivers District Master Plan, there’s over 40 per cent of underutilized land in the area as vacant parking lots or as surface parking lots. So we see that and see a lot of potential,” she said. “That comes with all the infrastructure we’re building right now and the BMO (Centre) expansion (on Stampede Park). The Event Centre is the next layer of the District which really starts to catalyze development in the area.
“And you know with developers, developers and development crave certainty. So having the deal move forward, having a good budget behind it, support for infrastructure around it, is good for everyone in the District.”
Station Rebuild (September 2023)
In the entire Rivers District which is just south and east of Calgary’s downtown core, there are more than 50 unique landowners including some major developers and the City of Calgary, added Thompson.
Just north of the Rivers District is Calgary’s East Village, which is now a vibrant mixed-use neighbourhood. Years ago, like Victoria Park, it was an urban wasteland dominated by vacant and empty lots.
Years ago, there were plans to turn the main entrance into Stampede Park, called Olympic Way, into an entertainment district.
“It’s very much about activating that street edge and putting as many restaurants and retail as you can right at grade and I know the Event Centre will be motivated to do the same. Retail streets work the best when they’re double sided and they have something active on both sides so when you walk up and you walk down it creates the vibe,” said Thompson.
“So that will be really important. That continuity and I know everyone involved in the District gets that and is going for that.”
BMO Centre expansionBMO Centre expansion
The Rivers District development includes the Event Centre, the BMO Centre expansion, a new hotel and a pedestrian friendly Stampede Trail.
“It will be a very different place to visit in an eight-year time span which in city building is actually really quick. It just took awhile to get that eight years started,” added Thompson.
“I think physically in terms of our city taking 17th Avenue across Macleod Trail (across the LRT tracks) and connecting it into (Stampede) Park and extending our downtown into this area . . . starts changing how we view our downtown and how we use our downtown. The infrastructure will enable us to see our city differently and use our city differently than we do today.
“2024 is actually a huge year for the District in terms of $600 million worth of work coming online. The demo and all the infrastructure. It’s a really transformative year for how Calgarians experience our city and so I think we’ll start seeing a lot more land assembly based on the definitive clarity that developers see as ‘wait a second, this is not just changing, but it is changed’.”
Stampede TrailRiverWalk
The BMO Centre $500-million expansion is adding an additional 565,000 square feet of space in time for next year’s Calgary Stampede.
Joel Cowley, CEO of the Calgary Stampede, said the Event Centre will serve as a catalyst for development nearby.
Joel Cowley
“With the BMO Centre expansion coming on, that has already spurred some interest. We’ve heard from some local developers, particularly with regard to hotel development, and we need that for the BMO Centre to be successful. But also we talk about a new facility and kind of the vision for this is we worked with the city, the province and CSEC (Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation which owns the Flames), yes this will be an additional anchor for that Culture + Entertainment District,” said Cowley.
“We will definitely see additional development in this area whether it’s retail, restaurants, entertainment facilities and not just . . . the area where the Stampede operates but there’s a lot of land to the north of Stampede Park and the Culture + Entertainment District that would be prime for development as well for all of those purposes.
“So we’re really excited about that because it will really transform this area and will be a benefit as we book conventions because it will help us become established as a true tier one convention city with the BMO expansion but also with everything that will be going on near the BMO expansion. Look no further than Nashville as a great example of how you combine a convention centre in an entertainment district and the draw that has globally in terms of bringing in conventions and generating economic impact. So we’re really excited for what this means for the Culture + Entertainment District and for the Calgary Stampede.”
BMO Expansion Ballroom
Cowley said the current Saddledome building is fully programmed right now with three hockey teams, a lacrosse team and concerts.
“If we can surround it with other things to do, either before or post event, it really becomes a draw and it becomes a draw on non-event days which is what’s really exciting about this because of all the development,” he said.
“Right now it’s the Saddledome, it’s the BMO Centre, it’s whatever we might host. Obviously Cowboys Casino is there on the corner. But unless there’s an event happening, people aren’t coming into this area. With this surrounding development that we’re talking about, it will give people reason to come to this area even in the absence of an event.
“The space between Stampede Park and East Village I see a lot of development there. Both in terms of residential, hotels, restaurants, retail, nightclubs and entertainment centres . . . The new Event Centre is built on land that now belongs to the Calgary Stampede. Well, in essence we have traded that land for the land where the Saddledome now sits and so once the new Event Centre is open and functioning, the Saddledome comes down and the Calgary Stampede receives that land that we can further integrate into both our 10-day festival and our year-round programming. One thing in particular that excites me about that is the riverfront.”
The first hotel in the area is envisioned to be a 300-room building connected to the BMO Centre through Cowboys Casino. Cowley said the Stampede has two additional sites it would like to develop hotels on in the future. One at 12th Avenue and Macleod Trail which would be connected to BMO and another at 17th Avenue on Stampede Park in what is now called Weadickville.
“The building itself (Event Centre) and the subsequent development is what seems to be capturing most of the attention but we’re really excited about the infrastructure improvements that are going to come about as part of the provincial contribution of this project,” said Cowley.
“If you look at an aerial view of Stampede Park and therefore the Culture + Entertainment District, we are surrounded by rivers and rails and that is not conducive to access and so you can have the most spectacular facilities in the world but if they’re not accessible they are not the most spectacular facilities in the world. And because of those rivers and rails we only have a limited number of routes to get into and out of this area.
“So to really get better at providing access to the area, whether it’s ingress or egress, you either add another artery so that you can get vehicles and buses and things in or you become more efficient on the roads you have. And the provincial contribution allows for both. The provincial contribution includes a new 6th Street underpass (at the rail tracks) which will complement the 4th Street underpass to get people in and out easier. 17th Avenue opening up to vehicle traffic for the first time since the 1980s will help in that regard. But also envisioned in the provincial contribution is improvement to roads both on Stampede Park and around Stampede Park. Making the roads better.”
After debuting in Montreal early summer 2023, Patty Slaps is ready to take its brand to the next level, with plans to roll out 40 locations in Canada in the next five years.
“Since opening on Sainte Catherine Street West in June, the smash burger restaurant has made headlines and earned rave reviews for its burgers that feature a carefully crushed beef patty, with gooey cheese, sauces and mouthwatering toppings, all housed in a decadent pretzel bun—you have to try it to believe it. And those fries!,” said Flanz.
Image: Patty SlapsPatty Slaps in Montreal (Image: Yelp)
“Patty Slaps has four co-owners— Ehsan Baghaki, Hamed Massoumi, Mohammad Mehmanchi and Keyvan Moradi—who possess a strong passion for good food and a strong vision for the future.
“In addition to next-level burgers and fries, there’s a well-curated drinks menu that spans unique soft drinks and beer, in cans or kegs, from an area brewery. This is next-level fast food dining, where people want to hang out and soak up the atmosphere.”
Image: Patty SlapsImage: Patty Slaps
Melina Yousefi, Brand Marketing Strategist with Patty Slaps, said the company has kept the menu very simple as it is focusing on quality.
Melina Yousefi
“We have plans to expand,” she said.
Yousefi said the brand wants to continue to expand in the Montreal area first then move into the Ontario market with about eight locations in the province and six in British Columbia.
“Customer experience is really important for us,” she said.
Image: Patty SlapsImage: Patty Slaps
Patty Slaps takes pride in its culinary artistry, she said. Every element of its food from its locally-supplied pretzel buns to housemade sauces are made fresh each day.
“Beyond crafting exceptional burgers, we’re dedicated to creating an atmosphere that fosters community and connection,” says the company. “Our social tables are a testament to our belief that good food brings people together. Whether you’re enjoying our handcrafted creations with friends, family or fellow burger enthusiasts, you’re in for an experience that transcends the plate.
“We’re not just about food; we’re about innovation. Our in-house artists pour their creativity into every graphic and animation, giving our brand a unique visual identity. Our cutting-edge technology, from our convenient self-serve kiosks to our user-friendly app, ensures that your experience is seamless and hassle-free. And we’re not stopping there – stay tuned for exciting seasonal offerings and creative collaborations that push the boundaries of burger perfection.”
Image: Patty SlapsImage: Patty Slaps
Flanz said the restaurant itself is cool and friendly, with a welcoming industrial vibe that perfectly captures the company’s simple, yet well-designed tongue and cheek brand. From décor to packaging, every detail is flawlessly articulated.
“The Patty Slaps team embraces technology with a self -automated ordering system that enables customers order their food using an iPad. When the food is ready, customers are called to the counter for pickup. Friendly staff can help if customers need help navigating the system,” he said.
“With a popular menu that satisfies foodies and hungry students alike, as well as strong brand offering, this is a company that’s ready for expansion. The immediate focus is on opening more locations in Quebec, specifically the island of Montreal, before moving further afield. Ideal spaces are about 2,500 square feet in high-traffic areas.”
