Retail Insider is re-working a few things at the back-end and will be publishing news stories after July 11. In the meantime, we’re still publishing our daily Canadian Retail News From Around the Web.
We hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far.
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.
Bed Bath & Beyond website to return in Canada after bankruptcy (BNN)
Canadian shoppers want their slice of $50M bread price-fixing fine (RCI)
Grocery costs: Why are stores owned by the same companies charging different prices? (CTV)
Strike at B.C. ports could do ‘major damage’ to Canadian economy, experts warn (Global)
Petro-Canada payment problems continue, but company says it’s ‘making progress’ on fix (CBC)
Vancouver retailers enduring ‘bumpy ride’ but resilient: Colliers (Pique)
Casual Lebanese eatery Zaatar W Zeit coming to Park Royal (North Shore News)
Hillberg & Berk, a Canadian women-owned jewelry brand, is celebrating its 16th anniversary this year, will be opening a new location next month, and has plans to double its footprint in the next five years.
“It has been exciting over the last 16 years, having retail stores for just over a decade now and the journey to continue to expand across the country has been incredibly exciting. The company started at my kitchen table making jewelry and when I discovered my passion for creating jewelry for myself and others. I was absolutely hooked on the process, making it, and sharing it with others and that is how Hillberg & Berk started,” says Rachel Mielke, the CEO of Hillberg & Berk.
Before the company started, Mielke said it was difficult to find good quality jewelry for a low price and was inspired to create high quality products at accessible prices, as having nice jewelry shouldn’t break the bank or be dull.
“Having started the company in the prairies and growing up there, I can really relate to wanting to find high quality products that are well made, but also priced well and priced fairly. We obsess over the quality of our jewlry and we make pieces that you can wear for different occasions and on a daily basis.”
Consumers can find a variety of products such as earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings. Mielke says consumers can wear many of the products in different ways as you can find earrings that are two sided, necklaces that you can customize, and consumers are given the chance to create personalized jewelry.
Hillberg and Berk’s products have been noticed nationally and globally as Mielke was asked by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan to design a brooch for the late Queen Elizabeth and was commissioned a second time by the Government of Canada to create another brooch for her again, this time in honour of the Queen’s Sapphire Jubilee.
Currently, Hillberg & Berk has 14 stores in Canada and this July, it will be opening its 15th store in Upper Canada Mall in Newmarket, Ontario.
“We are excited to continue taking our brand across the country, and one of the ways we do that is by finding new spots for our presence in malls. So we have been talking to landlords and looking at different locations. We review the opportunities we get offered in malls in conjunction with our digital sales, we are looking forward to opening this July in Upper Canada Mall.”
Hillberg & Berk Story
Over the last three years, Hillberg & Berk has completed nine projects including new stores, renovations, and has rebranded the store under a new concept that was designed by Kaben Architecture and Design.
Along with these projects, Mielke says there are two more store renovations which will also occur this summer: Centre Mall in Saskatoon and Southgate Mall in Edmonton.
Jeri Brodie of Aurora Realty Consultants represents Hillberg & Berk in terms of real estate needs in Canada.
Mielke said the team had redesigned and rebranded the business and was ready to roll the new concept out, but then Covid hit. Knowing Canadians would return to stores, Mielke said she decided to push through the expansion plans and opened the first store under the new concept in March 2021 in Calgary.
“When I started the company 16 years ago, the aesthetic of the brand was black and white, it felt very classic and strong. As we have evolved, we wanted to bring something that was fresh, engaging and inspiring to our store. We are a brand that is about supporting and uplifting our customers, which is primarily women across the country and we wanted to create and design a store that was reflective of a space that felt exciting, inviting, and beautiful.”
The new concept has clay over the majority of the store space, custom fixturing with woodworking detail, lighting is bright and welcoming, and has a new palette of different shades of pinks and corals.Unlike traditional jewelry stores, Hillberg & Berk does not place jewelry behind glass as the brand wants consumers to be able to interact with products.
“Most products are in the open and we encourage customers to interact with the product, to try it on, to have fun, we have tried to remove the intimidation of walking into a jewelry store. We want to create an experience that is very welcoming and let our customers just have fun with the products and really interact with the jewelry.”
Mielke says the brand won the RCC award for digital experience and especially for its loyalty program which was lauded last year through Covid. Hillberg & Berk’s web presence increased during the last three years and has allowed them to maintain their e-commerce platform and its new loyalty program.
“Customers will find our online experience easy to use and they can really see the product well online. You can get to know more about the brand online, and we are also thrilled that we won this award specifically focused on our loyalty program, which we were excited that in the first year, we were able to sign up 61,000 customers.”
Mielke says the loyalty program is easy to use, can accumulate points quickly and can see rewards quickly – all things needed for a brand’s loyalty program to succeed. Mielke says consumers get points with every purchase, but you don’t need to purchase to get points.
“We also give out points for doing things like reading our blog because our blog really features incredible people in our community. We love when customers read our blog and get to know our brand and the people we are featuring. Customers can also get points by signing up for our newsletter, so it just helps our customers be able to accumulate points quickly and be able to redeem them.”
This years’ expansion plans include opening a Upper Canada Mall location and two renovations; however, Mielke anticipates the brand will double it’s foot print within the next five years.
As for locations, Mielke says as they have a good retail presence in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta – she would like to expand further into Ontario and British Columbia over the next five years as she sees a lot of growth opportunities. Mielke says she is always open to what locations might work well for the brand and takes it deal by deal.
As the brand continues to grow, donating to charities has always been a priority. Mielke says the brand gives 20 percent of its profits back to organizations that “support, uplift, and empower women.” Over the course of 16 years, Mielke says they have donated over 10 million in cash and product to different charities and organizations. The brand has also started working recently with Dress for Success, Native Women’s Association of Canada, and the Canadian Center for Gender and Sexual Diversity.
“We are proud of the community work that we have been doing as a result of the support customers have given our brand. When I started Hillberg & Berk and launched the products I was passionate about making, there was a real overwhelming response. And now we are thrilled to be able to share our incredible jewelry with a much broader customer base across the country as we continue to expand.”
As the cost-of-living continues to climb, the second-hand economy is experiencing a surge.
PayPal’s recent Resale Renaissance Report, polling 2,000 Canadians, revealed the reselling movement has gone mainstream, with 73 per cent purchasing pre-loved items to make their money go further. Clothes (38 per cent), books (21 per cent) and furniture (20 per cent) top Canadians’ thrift shopping lists, turning one person’s trash into their own treasure.
“With prices soaring, it’s no surprise we’re seeing a boom in the second-hand economy,” said Malini Mitra, Director of Communications, PayPal Canada.
Key findings from the report include:
In this video interview, Ariana Kertsanis, a Gen Z Canadian reseller with over 22,000 followers on Poshmark, discusses her experiences in the second-hand economy that is growing in popularity online.
The Video Interview Series by Retail Insider is available on YouTube.
The Video Interview Series by Retail Insider is available on YouTube.
Connect with Mario Toneguzzi, a veteran of the media industry for more than 40 years and named in 2021 a Top Ten Business Journalist in the world and the only Canadian – to learn how you can tell your story, share your message and amplify it to a wide audience. He is Senior News Editor with Retail Insider and owner of Mario Toneguzzi Communications Inc. and can be reached at mdtoneguzzi@gmail.com.
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Earls Restaurant Group is opening a new California-inspired brand in Metro Vancouver in July.
Birdies Eats & Drinks is set to take over the former Earls Bridge Park location at 3850 Lougheed in Burnaby.
“We see an opportunity in the market for a casual, fun concept with high-quality, addictive food and drinks at an inviting price point,” said Marshall Fuller, Director of Operations at Birdies. Kristin Vekteris, Chief Brand Officer at Earls, said the new concept comes with a sunny attitude and a laid back atmosphere.
“The atmosphere is casual, laid back. The menu is light, bright, fresh, ingredient driven, flavour driven – food at an approachable price point,” she said.
“We think there’s a bit of a gap in the market and that there’s a white space and opportunity for a more casual, relaxed atmosphere that has elevated food.”
The new concept will open July 7.
“Burnaby is a really up and coming, vibrant area of the city. There’s lots of young couples, young families. It’s becoming extremely dense. The population is growing rapidly,” said Vekteris. “It’s one of the most up and coming areas in the Greater Vancouver Area.”
The restaurant is just under 8,000 square feet and will have 263 seats, 75 of which are patio seats.
“This is a brand new brand. It was created by a small team at Earls. The operations are completely separate from Earls and it’s a brand new concept. We’re based in Vancouver and this is our first Birdies Eats & Drinks location.”
Will there be more?
“Right now, we’re just focusing on opening our first one. We haven’t even had any guests in the door yet. So we’re just really looking forward to introducing customers to the first Birdies Eats & Drinks. But we did build it for scale. We’d love to open more. But really the focus is let’s just get this first one open and share it with customers and see what the response is,” said Vekteris.
“That said, we haven’t even opened yet and we already are having a pretty incredible response from customers who did a pop-up (recently) and people are really excited about the concept. They feel it’s something different and fresh in the market.”
The company said the concept will also feature a Provisions area where customers can purchase ready-to-eat meals, ingredients and sauces.
The day-to-day operations of Birdies will be run by a new team creating a more laid-back, fun and casual feel when dining at Birdies.
“Being able to create a menu from scratch was pretty exciting. So we started with the menu and then we built out the brand, the drinks, the design of the restaurant,” said Vekteris.
“We did a lot of research on how people want to dine today, how people want to eat and drink and be in restaurants. And we spent a lot of time in California and we got some information from Australia. We were really inspired by those markets which are ahead in terms of trends. So we got the idea of sunshine, beaches, fresh ingredients, fun times, really high quality food and great service.”
The menu at Birdies was designed for how people want to eat today.
“Developed by notable Chef David Wong, the Birdies menu is shareable and healthy-ish with indulgent options that leave you satisfied. Ingredient and flavour driven, this menu makes it difficult to choose, with notable options like the Oh So Sticky Korean Ribs, Thai Noodle Salad and Rigatoni Arrabiata. Brunch lovers can look forward to decadent items like the Poached Pear Dutch Baby Pancake and Aloha Bowl, available on the weekends from 10 am to 2 pm, as well as half priced bubbles on Saturdays and Sundays during Brunch hours,” says the company.
“Birdies bar program leans into the sunny vibe with an emphasis on fresh-squeezed juice, crushable cocktails, sustainably grown wines, sessionable beers, and delicious spirit free drinks. The menu was developed by Beverage Director David Stansfield and Katie Ingram, Vancouver Magazine’s 2020 Bartender of the Year. Margaritas makeup the heart of the cocktail menu. The classic fresh squeezed Margarita features fresh lime juice and 100% agave tequila. It comes individually on the rocks or in a retro, shareable two-litre dispenser.
“The stylish, mid-century modern inspired restaurant, designed by Emily Stadnyk and Creative Director Elly Chronakis, includes touches of greenery, colorful fabrics and bright interiors, as well as sunny, California-inspired art from local artists. Next to the bar is a garage style door that opens onto a gorgeous sun-filled 1785-square-foot patio, perfect for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of their day and soak up some sun while enjoying a bowl, salad or one of Birdies’ signature dishes and shareable margaritas with friends.”
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.
Alimentation Couche-Tard reports rising profits as acquisition push continues (Financial Post)
Aldo Launches the Ultimate Barbie Shoe Collection (WWD/Yahoo)
Buffalo Wild Wings ends its Canadian operations (BNN)
Indigo reports $49.6M full-year loss compared with $3.3M profit a year earlier (CTV)
Reaction to Competition Bureau study into Canada’s grocery sector (Global)
Aisle 24 Market opens new Ajax, Ont. location (Grocery Business)
The Body Shop Celebrates the Government of Canada’s Ban on Cosmetic Animal Testing (Newswire)
Canadians to save at the pump this long weekend compared to last year (CBC)
Jollibee Red Deer, Alberta New Store Opening on June 28 (Foodgressing)
“According to the Competition Bureau, Canadian grocery shoppers require additional foreign players like Aldi and Lidl to lower food prices in Canada. But one may wonder why a foreign grocer would choose to invest in Canada, given the presence of an exclusive club of price-fixing executives who have manipulated market conditions for years with impunity.”
The Competition Bureau’s call for increased competition in the Canadian grocery sector is stating the obvious. Canada is home to numerous oligopolies that dominate various industries, with only a few companies holding significant market share. In the grocery sector specifically, five major players control nearly 80 percent of the food retail market. While some oligopolies function more effectively than others, their success depends on the companies behaving ethically, which is precisely the issue plaguing the grocery sector in Canada.
Loblaw, Empire/Sobeys, and Metro hold the reins as dominant grocers in the market. Although these companies are well-managed, the Competition Bureau’s recent report highlights some of their practices aimed at maintaining market dominance. One notable aspect of the report is the endorsement of the Grocer Code of Conduct. While the Code itself is not directly related to the Bureau, it significantly contributes to enhancing competition. By providing a platform to address supply chain disputes, the Code serves as a necessary disciplinary measure against grocers who abuse their market power, granting food manufacturers more influence. Consequently, independent grocers gain access to a wider range of products and increased protection. Ultimately, the Code offers consumers more choices and potentially more stable retail prices, making it a positive development worth applauding.
Additionally, the report emphasizes the need for all levels of government to participate in making the food market in Canada more competitive. This point cannot be stressed enough. Many consumers are unaware of how territorial grocers can be when expanding into small cities and towns across the country. They may acquire plots of land to prevent competitors from opening stores nearby, and shopping mall leases may include terms that restrict the operation of other food retail outlets. While seemingly insignificant to city councils and mall managers, these measures can have a considerable impact on market prices. In contrast to the United States, where the intricacies of mergers, acquisitions, and their effects on consumers are closely scrutinized, Canada lacks a similar level of attention to such matters. This discrepancy needs to be addressed.
The report suggests that Canada should tackle interprovincial barriers to attract external players like Aldi and Lidl, two German-based grocers that have already been operating in the United States for several years. The ways, means, and locations for selling food products vary significantly between provinces, and labour laws also differ. When Walmart entered the Canadian market in 1994, it faced challenges and made mistakes along the way. Walmart Canada now has over 400 stores across the country, but it took years. On the other hand, Target’s entrance into the Canadian market in 2014 failed miserably due to the intricacies of our market, and this experience has served as a lesson for many companies worldwide, including Aldi and Lidl.
Entering the United States is considerably easier, even for Canadian businesses. This fact is exemplified by Canada’s own T&T, operated by Loblaw, which is currently expanding into the American market where competition is even more intense. Greater opportunities, less bureaucracy, and a more flexible fiscal regime contribute to this favorable environment. However, the most significant aspect is America’s clear understanding of competition as a concept, with an unwavering commitment to eliminating monopolies and oligopolies. Americans view competition as an essential aspect of the market and are vehemently opposed to excessive consolidation, philosophically.
In Canada, too much competition can indeed become an issue. Our love-hate relationship with the concept has resulted in the establishment of crown corporations and “legal cartels” in various sectors, including dairy, eggs, poultry, and maple syrup, to name a few. We have grown accustomed to these marketing mechanisms, at least until prices become a problem for consumers. At that point, we expect the government to intervene. This conflicting attitude towards competition poses one of the greatest challenges for the Competition Bureau.
The desire for increased competition and the attraction of more players to the grocery sector necessitate that the Competition Bureau takes effective action. The food industry is currently grappling with a genuine problem of a price-fixing culture, which erodes consumer trust. We are now discovering that the bread scandal is about more than just bread. These revelations are making Canada a less appealing place to invest. Executives at Aldi and Lidl can read the headlines. Instead of granting immunity to executives or waiting for companies to confess, it is time to investigate and pursue legal action against companies that choose to violate the law. In the United States, engaging in collusion can result in imprisonment. It’s that simple.
Retail Insider has learned that Toronto-based Rabba Fine Foods will be opening a new location in the shuttered Fresh City Farms at Bay Street and Gerrard Street in Toronto.
The 5,600 square foot grocery store is in the base of The Livmore, a 43-storey 595-unit rental tower at 55 Gerrard West. Rabba will service a community in transition, with a number of residential proposals in the area.
A 1,840 square foot section of the original Fresh City Farms has been made available for sub-lease by CBRE, with an opportunity to compliment the area and a 24-hour grocery store neighbour.
Growth and density will be a long-term factor in the decision for Rabba to open in the neighbourhood.
The most significant long-term development will be the future of Canada’s largest hotel property, The Chelsea Hotel, which under a renamed “Chelsea Green” proposal will potentially add 1,700 residential units, brand new hotel with retail and office space.
For competition, the surrounding city block could be the most significant density of grocery brands in the entire city.
Sobeys-owned Farm Boy opened at College Park in 2021, as part of a transformation which saw multiple Sobeys locations turn from one brand into another, including Queens Quay Terminal on the Waterfront.
Metro also has a location in the concourse level of College Park, next to the College Park TTC subway entrance.
Three blocks away, the 85,000 square foot Loblaw Carlton Street inside the iconic Maple Leaf Gardens includes a Joe Fresh, LCBO and a quick service restaurant concept called Globōl.
In the same complex as the grocery store is the Mattamy Athletic Centre. The 10-year old sporting facility features a 2,600 seat NHL sized arena on the third floor underneath the iconic Maple Leaf Gardens domed ceiling.
On a smaller, but not insignificant discussion point in the grocery side, IKEA Canada opened IKEA City in the former Bed, Bath & Beyond location at The Aura. Included in the 66,000 square foot store at the north-west corner of Yonge and Gerrard is a “Swedish Deli”, a mix of sit-down and grab-and-go options, including frozen foods.
For a community that is walking distance to Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), University of Toronto and seeing dozens of new proposals for condo developments that will rival the tallest buildings in the country, the space has a built-in customer base.
Fresh City Farms, the previous tenant, opened in the early months of the pandemic and Retail Insider covered the opening with an interview with Ran Goel, the CEO and Founder.
Fresh City was founded in 2011 as a city farm and retailer of farm-fresh, organic produce and prepared foods. In late 2018, the brand acquired Mabel’s Bakery, and its four locations (Roncesvalles, Queen West, St Clair West and The Junction). Fresh City then acquired The Healthy Butcher 2019, which had two locations before it shuttered its Queen Street West location and focusing efforts on the Eglinton Avenue West midtown store.
The brand continues to operate through Mama Earth Organics online and through its brick & mortar businesses.
The company’s first location was on Ossington Avenue, which has also subsequently closed – and Retail Insider has learned the retailer of that space, but was asked to hold onto the announcement for the time being.
CBRE represented the landlord for the Bay & Gerrard transaction and is also responsible for the transaction on Ossington Avenue.
Walmart Canada has opened its first high-tech fulfillment centre in Western Canada in Rocky View County, Alberta, just outside of Calgary.
It’s a more than $100-million investment in the 430,000-square-foot facility which will serve as a delivery hub for millions of orders for Walmart’s Western Canada customers, bringing the giant retailer’s two-day shipping to 97 per cent of Canadian households.
“We’re on a transformational journey to modernize our supply chain and today’s grand opening marks a major milestone for Walmart Canada,” said Gonzalo Gebara, President and CEO, Walmart Canada.
“Walmart Canada is an omnichannel retailer, people-led and tech-powered. We’re providing our supply chain associates with modern logistics technology to fulfill orders at exceptional speed. Every day, we’re enhancing our supply chain network. It’s a very exciting time at Walmart Canada.”
Highlights of the new facility, which is the third for the company in the Balzac area of Rocky View County, include:
“Time is the modern currency and we are more committed than ever to provide faster delivery,” said Patricio Dallan, Senior Vice President, Omni Supply Chain, Walmart Canada. “This new fulfillment centre is a game-changer. We’re working hard every day, testing, learning and scaling technology in our omni supply chain operations to exceed customer expectations and provide a more seamless shopping experience.”
The Rocky View County Fulfillment Centre is part of Walmart Canada’s larger $3.5 billion investment to revolutionize its best-in-class supply chain network and increase its e-commerce capabilities.
Walmart Canada has been present in Alberta since 1994 and today has 59 stores, four distribution centres and a new fulfillment centre employing more than 16,000 associates.
Walmart Canada is investing more than $100 million in store upgrades in the province over a two-year period to improve the customer shopping experience.
Walmart Canada works with close to 2,000 Canadian suppliers, big and small. Walmart Canada bought approximately $220 million worth of products from more than 40 suppliers located in Alberta in a recent 12-month period, a number the retailer hopes to continue to grow.
Gebara said the new fulfillment centre represents a significant investment in Alberta and the creation of more than 100 jobs.
“That’s a testament of the commitment that we have not only with the province but also with the country and how much we want to continue to grow and make a difference for Canadian customers, communities and for all our associates,” he said.
“With our skilled talent and innovative technology that we’re bringing to this facility we’re going to be able to ship quite a few amount of inventory across this part of the country. This facility will allow us to operate and flow when we are at our maturity 20 million units a year and that makes a big difference for our customers because we will be able to continue to deliver our customer value proposition of everyday low prices. But now we will be able to offer it in the ways that our customers want to shop, however they want to shop, whenever they want to shop and wherever they want to shop, whether they want to do it in our stores or whether they want to do it online.”
Gebara said he’s also pleased that through this new facility the retailer will be able to provide fulfillment options for businesses who sell their items in the company’s Marketplace.
“So smaller businesses won’t need to build their own fulfillment networks to be able to get their items closer to their customers,” he said. “They can do it through this facility and through our network and we can leverage altogether the great development that we have here.”
Nationally, Walmart has more than 400 stores with 1.5 million daily customers.
“Alberta’s economy keeps moving forward thanks to investments like this one, from Walmart Canada. The opening of their new high-tech fulfillment centre means more jobs for Albertans, increased opportunities for Alberta retailers, and streamlined service for Western Canadian customers. Walmart Canada is already proving to be a good neighbour through their support for local community programs, and I look forward to continuing to work together,” said Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta, in a statement.
Gebara said Alberta is a very, very important part of the country for the retailer.
“We’re very happy with the business that we have here and we want to continue to grow it and we have the right environment to grow it,” he said.
Montreal-based coffee shop Pigeon has a unique and funny way to promote itself.
Its tagline jokingly refers to itself as the ‘world’s worst coffee.’
Since its humble beginnings it has grown to several locations in Montreal, expanded to the Toronto market and has plans to open more locations.
“We focus on quality and, in everything, we aim to make amazing stuff,” said Jonathan Dresner, Founder and Owner. “We started out very playful. I’m a restaurateur with other restaurant banners. I’ve started all these different concepts.
“When I did Pigeon, everybody loved coffee. Very passionate about it. And I wanted to get into it. I found that as I was sourcing beans and talking to different roasters and all this type of stuff, I found it a little bit uptight. Too uptight. Everybody was claiming they were the best and they were claiming that everybody else’s coffee was garbage.
“That trend kept happening. It’s like wine. There’s good wine and bad wine. Some coffees are darker or lighter. A little bit of fruit nodes. Some are bitter. Some are not acidic. People have different preferences . . . It’s coffee. I’m a customer. I like coffee. I like different types of coffee. So I said let me lighten this up and I put a sign on our window and I said we’re the world’s worst coffee. I trademarked that in North America.”
Pigeon became very popular in its first location in downtown Montreal about six years ago – it was basically an espresso bar. Before COVID, Dresner had signed a lease and location in a neighbourhood in Montreal where he wanted to do a coffee and cocktails concept.
“We were going to open up January, February or March 2020 and then we were just about to open and COVID locked us down. We only opened July 3, 2020 and Pigeon cafe and bar, the full restaurant, that just took off. We had lineups day and night. It was very very popular,” said Dresner.
“We sell our coffee online. We’ve been in a few grocery stores and eventually we’re going to work on that as well. The expansion we’ve done so far hasn’t been really from being too aggressive. It’s been more like opportunity coming, someone saying hey why don’t you open here, take a look, we want Pigeon here.
“There’s been so much demand.”
It has four locations now, three in Montreal, with the latest in Toronto on King Street as a full restaurant concept with coffee and cocktails.
“We’re going to keep expanding one by one,” said Dresner, adding he’s quite excited about the opening in downtown Toronto in Brookfield Place in the fall.
“That was one of the busiest Starbucks I think. Beautiful space. Obviously we want to do a really nice selection there. So hopefully people keep coming back to the towers coming back to work and we want to make something very special there.”
Another two are opening this year in the Montreal area.
“Hopefully if this Brookfield thing goes really well, we’ll be open to doing more of these espresso bars. Quick service coffee. Grab pastries and sandwiches and salads.”
Dresner said he’s never set target numbers with his hospitality brands in the past.
“But I think Pigeon could be very big. It’s a good name. We have a good product. We do coffee and food. I do plan to open in the States. I’d like to go around Canada. I’d like to bring it around the U.S. But how fast, how many, we’ll see,” he said.
“I take things one at a time.”
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