Home Blog Page 656

Alo Yoga Lands on Lululemon’s Home Turf with 1st Vancouver Store  

By
Craig Patterson
-
Alo Yoga at CF Pacific Centre (photo: Lee Rivett)

Los Angeles-based Alo Yoga is taking on Canadian brand Lululemon head-to-head as the US  retailer builds its first store in Vancouver. Alo Yoga is opening stores across the country and by the end of the year it will have a retail presence in the Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto markets, with Montreal also said to be a target market for Alo. 

The Vancouver Alo Yoga store will occupy a coveted position on the upper mall level of CF Pacific Centre, in a 5,400 square foot retail space between Canadian outerwear brand Mackage and French women’s fashion brand Maje. Retailers on the same floor include Canada Goose, Harry Rosen, Zegna, Jo Malone, Max Mara, APM Monaco, Aritzia and others. Alo Yoga will replace an Apple store which relocated within the mall to a much larger flagship location several months ago.

Competitor Lululemon operates a 3,530 square foot storefront downstairs at CF Pacific Centre, and the Vancouver-based brand also has a larger flagship store nearby at the southeast corner of Robson and Burrard Streets. Lululemon, with significant market share in Canada, has sales exceeding $8 billion USD. 

In comparison, Alo Yoga is a much smaller company globally, with sales exceeding $250 million USD. Nevertheless, Alo is being aggressive with its Canadian expansion which will see stores in major markets after opening its first location in Toronto last year. 

In Vancouver, both Alo and Lululemon will compete with Gap-owned Athleta, which recently opened a store on Robson Street as part of an expansion for the retailer across Canada. Athleta’s price point is lower than the two competitors as it targets different demographics, meaning that the market will likely support all brands.  

Alo’s first Canadian location opened in September of 2022 at the northeast corner of Bloor and Bay Streets at the base of the 60 Bloor St. W. office tower, where a Gap store had operated for years. Alo’s second Canadian location opened a couple of months later at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. Toronto has been deemed an important market for Alo Yoga — a CF Toronto Eaton Centre location will be opening soon, and later this year Alo will open a store at CF Sherway Gardens. 

Alberta will see at least two Alo Yoga locations opening this year. That includes a 6,100 square foot storefront at West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, as well as a store in Calgary at CF Chinook Centre. Landlords have told Retail Insider that Alo Yoga has also been looking for space on Ste-Catherine Street in Montreal, and it’s not yet known if the brand has secured a space there. Given the page and expansiveness of the expansion, the Ottawa market could also see a store potentially. 

Alo Yoga Construction Hoarding at CF Toronto Eaton Centre (Image: Dustin Fuhs)

In an exclusive article in WWD early last year, Alo co-founder and CEO Danny Harris said that the company is looking to open about a “half a dozen” more stores including Toronto. That expansion appears to be more extensive now, given how many locations are opening in Canada alone.

Early on, Alo Yoga chose street-front locations for its stores in the United States, though that strategy has clearly grown to include a significant presence in enclosed shopping centres. Canada is expected to have at least seven Alo Yoga locations by the end of the year and all but one will be in major malls, four of which are owned by Cadillac Fairview.

Alo Yoga has 30 stores in the US market at press time, which is up significantly from the 13 stores that Alo had when Retail Insider broke the news of its Canadian entry in early 2022. Alo’s website indicates that two more stores will soon open in the US. 

Alo Yoga was founded in Los Angeles in 2007 by entrepreneurs Danny Harris and Marco Degeorge who continue to own and bankroll the business. The company says that it makes “the most technologically advanced yoga clothing in the world” with a “studio-to-street” ethos. Home workouts are possible with Alo Moves, an at-home fitness concept with a $30 monthly membership for unlimited yoga, fitness and meditation.

Canmore-Based ‘Bolder Menswear’ Looks to Multi-Store Expansion in Calgary Following Strong Sales Growth [Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
-
Bolder Menswear (Image: Aspen Landing Shopping Centre)

After expanding to the Calgary market, Canmore-based Bolder Menswear is looking to continue to grow its retail footprint in the major metropolitan centre in Alberta.

Owner David Stratton, who also owns Stratton’s Jewellery in Canmore, said Calgary could eventually have three to five stores throughout the city following its introduction to the market about a year ago.

The first Bolder Menswear store opened in around 2005 and Stratton took over the brand in January 2020. The Canmore store is located on Main Street. For about seven years, it shared space with the jewellery store. In July 2021, Bolder moved to its own location about half a block down the street.

“Sales doubled and tripled every day from that point forward. The day we moved it down was July 1 (2021). We were walking down the street with clothing on clothing racks and opening a new store. Store sales doubled that day. Even with that setup of moving stuff that day.

“Since that point, the worst month we’ve had was better than the best month that they had in the previous 10 years.”

Bolder Menswear

A store opened in the Calgary neighbourhood of Aspen Landing in February 2022 and it has grown to the point where it could outsell the Canmore store, which is “pretty impressive,” said Stratton.

“We don’t sell suits. We call it smart casual. So if you’ve got a really nice shirt and you don’t want to wear a tie with it, we’ve got that shirt for you. We do a lot of bright colours, very nice-fitting shirts, sort of in the mid to high range, starting at about $150 for a nice long-sleeve knit shirt to up to right now about $600 for a limited edition Robert Graham shirt, ” said Stratton.

“We find that guys once they get into a better quality shirt they get into pants as well – we do a nice line of pants called 34 Heritage – and we also have some very nice sports jackets if a guy needs to dress up.

“It’s a different feeling when you come in. Part of the thing is when you come into our store the shirts are all out. Everything’s on the counter. It’s hung up. It’s all steamed. It’s all ready to be tried on. We carry a full range of sizes right from small through XXXL. And in some of our brands we do special orders right up to six and seven XL.”

Bolder Menswear (Image: RMV Creative)

The Canmore store is about 1,700 square feet with the Aspen Landing one at about 1,900 square feet.

“What we discovered after having the store in Calgary is the market it serves tends to be within a certain area that’s going to come and you’re really not going to reach much beyond that,” said Stratton. “When I go to a brand I call it the difference between a commitment and an interest. Somebody may have an interest in a brand so they can put the brand name up there. I would probably carry the entire line.

“What we’re looking for now is a complementary location but we don’t want it so close to the existing location that it’s going to cannibalize sales from the original location but it’s going to be close enough that any kind of physical advertising that we do will benefit both stores.”

Fairfield Commercial Real Estate Inc. has been retained as the exclusive leasing representative for Bolder Menswear in the Calgary market.

His other business Stratton’s Jewellery in Canmore is just over 2,000 square feet.

“We carry products from different designers that you will not see anywhere else,” said Stratton. “We have three or four designers in the store that only deal with us. We’re their only retail outlet and if they decide that they want to go further and start expanding their lines we help them do that. We can help them on how to set their wholesale prices, how to approach other jewellers, how to do all these things. We want everybody to be successful, to be successful as we are.

“We are the agents for Birks in the Bow Valley. We have the largest Birks shop-in-shop in Canada right now out here in Canmore.”

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web For May 1st, 2023

By
Retail Insider
-
Canadian Retail News From Around The Web

News at a Glance

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.

Grand & Toy launches ‘brand refresh’ as it narrows focus to business customers (CTV)

‘A recognition of what indie bookshops do’: Canadian Independent Bookstore Day invites readers to shop locally (CBC)

‘Supply chain bullying’: Inside the food fight between Canada’s grocery giants and their suppliers (Toronto Star / paywall)

Car dealer overpricing exposes loopholes in regulation and an ‘uptick in deceptive practices’ (Globe & Mail / subscribers)

Laval-based Couche-Tard signs agreement to acquire 112 U.S. stores (CTV)

Vancouver given low ranking for downtown recovery after COVID-19 (BIV)

This Toronto comics shop has been around for 35 years. Its popularity is about more than just superheroes (Toronto Star)

Richmond Night Market back in business with full scale reopening (CBC)

London’s Salvation Army thrift store to close its doors this summer (CTV)

Quebec’s minimum wage rises to $15.25 on Monday (Montreal Gazette)

Candy is dandy at these local shops serving up nostalgic sweets: Andrew Coppolino (CBC)

Popular Burnaby bowling facility facing closure after more than 60 years in business (CBC)

Inflation Hits Canadians with Gluten Intolerance at the Grocery Store in a Big Way [Op-Ed]

By
Sylvain Charlebois
-
Photo: Gluten Free Living

Most Canadians don’t know that May is Celiac Awareness Month. Almost 400,000 Canadians have been clinically diagnosed with celiac disease. That’s about the size of a city like London, Ontario. For those with celiac disease, eating gluten-free food is far from a lifestyle choice. They must eat gluten-free food, full stop. Cross-contaminated food is also off-limits, which is why Health Canada has made it mandatory to label products that contain gluten. This represents a huge win for those Canadians affected. Anything containing gluten, which contains wheat, rye, or barley is labelled. But gluten-free products are incredibly expensive.

The cost of gluten-free food products remains a significant challenge for individuals with celiac disease and for gluten-intolerant consumers. In fact, research suggests that gluten-free products can be up to 150% to 500% more expensive than their gluten-containing counterparts. For example, gluten-free bread is 240% more expensive, according to Celiac Canada, and gluten-free pasta is 160% more expensive.

This difference in price can result in a significant financial burden for an individual. The extra cost for choosing gluten-free compared to regular foods can easily exceed $1000 per year. This can be especially challenging for those with limited financial resources, especially these days with already higher food prices.

A recent survey from Celiac Canada suggests that some people with celiac disease had to begin accessing food banks after their diagnosis, due to the cost of gluten-free food. In fact, many had to go to a food bank at least once a month. For someone with the disease, not having access to affordable gluten-free products is like not having access to affordable medicine they need to survive.

In the same survey, a significant proportion of respondents expressed that the cost of gluten-free food has increased, compared to that of pre-pandemic levels, leading to financial challenges for many. This underscores the significant burden that the cost of gluten-free food places on individuals and families living with celiac disease in Canada.

It is also important to note that celiac disease is a highly under-diagnosed condition. In fact, it is estimated that up to 85% of individuals with celiac disease remain undiagnosed. This is a disturbing trend, given the potential long-term health consequences of untreated celiac disease, which can include poor absorption of nutrients, osteoporosis, and an increased risk of certain types of cancer. Having celiac disease can be costly in more ways than one.

Some groups are advocating for the “grocery rebate” to be enhanced for people with the disease. At first glance, it seems like a measure that could help. But it may not be an ideal solution to subsidize those who need to buy these products. Such an approach could potentially make these products even more expensive. Rather, giving incentive to companies to focus on gluten-free products would increase competition and put pressure on companies to reduce their prices. That’s exactly what’s happening with the plant-based section at the grocery store, for both dairy and meat alternatives. More options and supply will eventually bring prices down.

The taste of some of these products leaves a lot to be desired as well. Some improvements have been noticeable in recent years, but it is still a work in progress. We have seen some improvement over the last decade or so, but more needs to be done.

Economically though, it’s hard to get food companies excited about a limited market of about 400,000 people. More awareness around the disease is critical in order to decrease the number of undiagnosed sufferers. In recent years, we have seen some celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian and Jessica Alba claiming that they are either allergic or intolerant to gluten. Many of these stars have made gluten-free products a part of a new lifestyle. Some celebrities have the disease, but most don’t. If more celebrities speak out, it can create more awareness of the need for gluten-free products, as long as we can clearly distinguish between a dietary choice and having the actual disease. Recognizing both markets can only build a better case for food companies to consider the gluten-free market.

More affordable, better tasting non-gluten products is what many Canadians deserve. While some need these products, others just want them, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Recognizing needs and wants can certainly lead to more food innovation.

Grocery Market Concept L’OCA to Open 1st Location Near Edmonton with Plans for Multi-Store Expansion [Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
-
Image: L'OCA

A new grocery/market concept is launching in Sherwood Park, Alberta, just outside of Edmonton, with plans to expand the brand to other locations.

L’OCA Quality Market, an experience-based, artisanal market, will open its flagship store in Spring of 2024 in about 45,000 square feet.

“We’ll have the most comprehensive prepared foods offering in Canada with literally hundreds of items prepared by some of the best chefs in Canada. And our restaurants will deliver an exceptional quality experience that meshes with the offerings in our market,” said Josh Thatcher, President, L’OCA Quality Market.

“Our product offering will be a first of its kind combining scratch produced, unique, and everyday quality products made in house, from Canada, and around the world. The space and experiential environment will put our food artisans on display, be fun, engaging and reconnect people with the creation of amazing, fresh, artisanal food from scratch. In everything we are creating we have put the guest experience first and foremost and our amazing company culture really celebrates the ‘artisan at work’ and lands our team members in a place where they are excited to share their love in every experience. All this combines to bring a new, proudly Canadian, one-of-a-kind destination to the market.”

Image: L’OCA Sherwood Park

Thatcher said embedded in the experience is a full service market with a butcher shop, bakery, patisserie, coffee roasting, a full grocery assortment of the best quality products from Canada and the local environment as well as around the world, a massive deli, market style produce with many local options, and a specialty department that has cheeses from around the world.

Also, it will include two full-service restaurants (Pyro and Oro) which will be an integral part of the experience. Pyro is a casual concept with a wood-fired grill. Thatcher said it will be the largest one in Canada with seating around the cooking area where customers can interact with chefs as they’re preparing meals. Oro will be a modern Italian dining experience.

L’OCA’s tagline is ‘Do Food Differently’. The name means goose in Italian, bringing out a whimsical element to the brand. It also embodies the company’s philosophy as a throw-back to traditional food culture that it wants to breathe some new life into – the old world tradition for fantastic quality food.

Image: L’OCA

And the goose is a Canadian goose because the company is proudly Canadian in supporting national and local products.

“I’ve personally been working on this project for a year and half,” said Thatcher.

“The people of Sherwood Park are amazing people and it’s a great community. It’s a great location physically along the main corridor and the people of Sherwood Park and the community in Edmonton in general is under-served by our type of concept.

“We have an aggressive growth plan. Currently we’re quite advanced on our second and third locations but that’s all I can say right now.”

He said the plan is to expand beyond the Edmonton area market.

When asked how many locations the brand could eventually grow to, Thatcher replied: ”I’m not going to say that right now but it’s quite a few.

“There’s nothing like this in Canada and I dare say North America for what we’re bringing to the table. What will resonate with customers is everything we do is centered around the guest experience. So we plan to bring exceptional value to the experience of reconnecting with food on a new level. We’re breathing new life and bringing back to life in some cases the old world traditions of artisanal food, bringing it together in one spot so that consumers will enjoy reconnecting with food. Our mission is to make life delicious by bringing that joy, reconnecting people with that food experience and sharing the love really and putting artisans on display.

“So within the framework of the market everywhere we can you can see the production . . .  There’s a real experiential interaction that consumers just don’t have. And beyond that we are investing heavily in the guest experience by investing in our team members. L’OCA is going to be an amazing place to work and that allows us to connect with customers in a way that no one else is doing.”

Tofino chef Paul Moran, 2019 winner of Top Chef Canada and a former Michelin Star recipient, has been brought on board by L’OCA.

Pattison Food Group Launches 1st Restaurant Concept in Vancouver [Photos/Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
-

The Pattison Food Group has opened its first restaurant venture – the Wildlight Kitchen + Bar, a new premium-casual concept in West Point Grey in Vancouver.

It features Chef Warren Chow.

“Wildlight Kitchen + Bar is an approachable, premium-casual concept serving modern, regional dishes that celebrate the diversity of the West Coast,” said Justin McGregor, General Manager, Restaurants.

“Thoughtfully constructed and deeply satisfying, the menus at Wildlight focus on sustainable regional and seasonal ingredients, including produce from nearby UBC Farms, fresh Pacific seafood and ethically raised meat.

“Wildlight is inspired by our love of the ocean, forests and the shoreline of beautiful B.C. One of the most unique things about Wildlight is our people. We have an incredible team with such diverse culinary backgrounds and experiences.”

Wildlight (Image: Jonathan Thompson)

McGregor said the company has been keen on opening a restaurant for many years, but the right opportunity hadn’t presented itself. 

“We were fortunate to secure an amazing location in the UBC area and simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity. We are passionate about great food and supporting local growers and producers from the West Coast. For over 100 years we have been supporting local farmers, wineries and other producers through our grocery banners. Moving into the restaurant space seemed like a natural fit to continue this experience from farm to fork,” said McGregor.

“We are committed to providing our guests with the best food experience. Entering the full service, premium restaurant space allows us to increase the talent of the culinary teams across the Pattison Food Group.”

Mario Negris and Martin Moriarty of Marcus & Millichap Canada worked with Pattison Food Group for this concept.

Wildlight (Image: Jonathan Thompson)

He said the vibrant Point Grey community and growing leləm̓ Village was the perfect location to bring Wildlight Kitchen & Bar to life.

“We feel what we have created at Wildlight is truly unique, and is a beautiful addition to the community in UBC and West Point Grey. Right now our focus is on sharing our story about Wildlight with the people in these communities, but we are always looking for opportunities to grow our business,” added McGregor.

Established in 2021, the Pattison Food Group is a Jim Pattison business and Western Canada’s leading provider of food and drugs. The Pattison Food Group includes Save-On-Foods, Buy-Low Foods, Quality Foods, Everything Wine, Pure Integrative Pharmacy, Imperial Distributors Canada Inc., and other Jim Pattison Group specialty and wholesale operations. Its businesses employ more than 30,000 team members in its nearly 300 food and drug retail locations and share a passion for giving back to the communities where they do business. 

Image: Wildlight
Image: Wildlight

French-trained Chef Chow, who is fresh off a gold medal win with Community Catering Team Canada at the ExpoGast 2022 Culinary World Cup, has crafted dishes for the University Boulevard location that reflect the bounty of beautiful British Columbia.  

“Diners can expect to see stunning West Coast seafood, like juicy gin-steamed mussels from Salt Spring Island and Sheringham’s Seaside gin with njuda butter and cherry tomato, or Wildlight’s signature pescatarian charcuterie board, perfect for sharing, featuring housemade salmon pastrami, beet cured ling cod, marinated mussels, smoked albacore tataki, cod rillette, pickled sea asparagus, warm olives, rye, poppadom and nori crackers. Other offerings include Wildlight chicken wings with shishito, garlic, charred lime, and nuoc cham caramel; seasonal risotto with farmer’s choice vegetables; steak frites; pan-roasted Rossdown Farms chicken; and West Coast seafood chowder,” says Wildlight.

“Wildlight’s all-day menu is paired with a beverage program that features B.C. craft beer and cider, an extensive selection of top B.C. wines by the glass or bottle, and creative cocktails. The drinks program showcases regional spirits and ingredients, and includes a pair of cocktails on tap, handcrafted libations like the Almond Joy (with Odd Society Wallflower Gin, house-made orgeat, and The Woods Amaro), and thoughtful zero-proof creations. The restaurant also offers daily happy hours, and will soon be introducing weekend brunch, all with an aim of becoming a staple go-to no matter the day or time. “

Pop-Up Retail: INLAND Comes to Former Club Monaco Space on Bloor [Interview with Sarah Power]

By
Retail Insider
-
INLAND Spring location at 157 Bloor Street in Toronto. Photo: INLAND

Craig speaks with Sarah Power, Founder and Creative Director of INLAND, about the new Canadian designer marketplace launching later this week. The conversation also includes a discussion of experiential pop-up retail and its benefits.

The Interview Series video podcasts by Retail Insider Canada are available through our Retail Insider YouTube Channel where you can subscribe and be notified when new video episodes are available.

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.

Transcription:

Subscribe, Rate, and Review our Retail Insider Podcast!

Follow Craig:

Follow Retail Insider:

Listen & Subscribe:

Share your thoughts!

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/

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web For April 28th, 2023

By
Retail Insider
-
Canadian Retail News From Around The Web

News at a Glance

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 closes Canadian stores 4 days early leaving some stuck with worthless gift cards (CTV)

Say goodbye to the dress: Kleinfeld Bridal to close in Hudson’s Bay Toronto store (Global)

Grocers among retailers poised for AI sales bump (BIV)

DAVIDsTEA confirms voluntary delisting from NASDAQ (Grocery Business)

Indie bookstores redefine reader’s retail shopping experience — and become part of the community (The Star)

Atlantic retailer Paul Simmonds to receive Retail Council of Canada’s Independent Retailer Lifetime Achievement Award (Newswire)

LCBO to phase out paper bags, 15 years after trashing plastic (BNN)

Endy hires Julia Cooper to lead marketing (Strategy)

It’s ‘The End’ for city’s last video store (Kingston Whig Standard)

Phoebe in Fabricland: The good kind of materialism comes to Toronto’s Mink Mile (Canadian Jewish News)

Rudsak Upgrading its Fleet of Stores in Canada with Entertainment, While Expanding Internationally [Feature Interview]

By
Shelby Hautala
-
Image: Rudsak

Canadian outerwear brand Rudsak is looking to expand internationally while giving a new look to its locations in Canada.

Rudsak currently has twenty-two stores in Canada, and instead of placing resources into opening new stores, the retailer will be improving the stores it currently has in the country. 

“We are really focusing on retail to modernize and renovate our stores as we want to give our stores a more modern image. 2023 is a good year for us and we are excited to be also expanding internationally in e-commerce that allows us to now ship everywhere in the world and creates more brand awareness,” says Evik Asatoorian, the founder of Rudsak.

Modernizing Stores and Perfecting Customer Service 

Image: Rudsak

Alex Kocun, the Vice President of Operations at Rudsak, said the company is focusing on reconstructing its current stores in Canada to include modern finishings, central furniture, digital windows, incorporated LED windows, will update mannequins, clothing displays, add modern tables, and the store will be redesigned to have a more open concept for consumers. 

“Customer experience is really our main focus as well. We are going to modernize the payments so the old cashier is going to disappear as we now have portable devices and there will be more one on one. The customer from the start will be welcomed and will be able to have one on one interaction with our employees, and that will enhance the customer experience,” says Kocun. 

Omnichannel Updates 

Image: Rudsak

On top of the new renovations, Rudsak will also be improving its omnichannel experience for consumers, making a seamless shopping experience online and in retail stores. 

Rudsak will start using Shopify as its e-commerce platform as of next month and Asatoorian said it will improve and elevate consumers’ experience as it will enable new shopping features such as online orders, pick ups, shipping from the warehouse, and consumers will be able to book stylist appointments. 

“Consumers will be able to book appointments with our stylist from our website, so we will be able to improve our relationships with our clients and it allows us to take a new step in adding more depth to different products categories, so you can meet with a stylist in the store and really experience that personalized shopping where they are really being able to complete the look that they want at Rudsak,” says Kocun. 

Along with the updates with the e-commerce platform. Rudsak is also going to be relaunching its warehouse as it is looking to rebrand products to be more focused, clear, and more of an outdoor luxury brand. Asatoorian said they are going to be very selective, but already have a few stores in Canada where they will start wholesaling with and are also going to be wholesaling in the United States and see where it goes from there. 

Entertainment Concept 

Image: Rudsak

Rudsak has been known to also include an entertainment aspect to its stores, such as having an area of the store with fake snow where consumers could interact more with the products and the brand. This concept, Kocun said, is something they are looking to expand in Canada. 

“We are trying to add entertainment areas in our stores. We did a concept with fake snow and the consumers loved it. They were interacting with the concept, taking selfies, and sharing photos on their social media pages. We want to create a fun activity in our stores because it is all about experience – and we really want to improve that,” says Kocun. 

As adding entertainment areas in all stores will take some time and planning, Kocun said they will start to expand the concept gradually and will start with its flagship stores, but eventually the goal would be to have an entertainment area in every store in Canada. 

Rudsak International 

Image: Rudsak

Rudsak has announced it will be expanding into the US market as it has seen growth in the US retail and online. It will be opening its second store in Fall of 2023 in Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island in New York and as previously mentioned, will be launching wholesale in the US as well. In addition to expanding into the US, Rudsak has also added a pop-up store in China. The pop-up store is currently open and the company will be looking at opening permanent locations in the future. 

Rudsak was founded in 1994 when Asatoorian opened its first store downtown Montreal. Since then, the brand has grown with the presence of both physical and digital stores with a luxury outerwear variety for men, women, children, and unisex options. Consumers can also notice Rudsak’s focus on sustainability as 95 percent of its products have been made from recycled materials, such as recycled leather and fabrics and staying sustainable is important to the brand while moving forward. 

Related Retail Insider Articles

Developer Launches EVER Square Retail Complex at the ‘Gateway to Edmonton’ [Interview/Renderings]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
-
EVER Square (Image: EVER Real Estate Developments)

A new retail complex is being launched on the Gateway to Edmonton with multiple national tenants planning to take up shop in EVER Square, a seven building development.

The site, being developed by EVER Real Estate Developments, will be located on Calgary Trail and Gateway Boulevard, just north of Whitemud Drive and will be the future home of national franchises, local wellness providers and professional firms in the real estate industry.

“Our objective is to build a destination for Edmontonians. Whether you’re visiting the site as an employee, wellness patient, or restaurant patron, you’re first taking advantage of the convenience, and then the additional amenities on site. The business mix is therefore very important, and our team is working to bring unique, first-rate companies to EVER Square,” said Sam Narayan, Partner and President.

EVER Square (Image: EVER Real Estate Developments)

The development consists of a six-storey professional office tower with underground parking, four national drive-thrus, a lube service station, and single-story retail building. Construction is currently underway for the approximately 110,000-square-foot site and is anticipated to reach substantial completion in Q3 2024.

Sam Narayan

“We acquire land and primarily build retail and multi-family assets in the city and surrounding areas. Over the last 10 years we’ve done over 12 or 13 projects and over the last two years since launching the new company, we’ve really now stepped it up because we’re comfortable with our projects. The latest one is EVER Square. Outside of that, currently we have one that’s called EVER @ Ellersie where we’re building approximately 23,000 square feet. Again, medical oriented. We have one going on the west side of Edmonton called EVER on 170. We have one closer to here on 51st Avenue called EVER on 97 and now we’re getting into our multi-family development which is called EVER Living. That will be coming onboard towards the end of the year.”

EVER Square (Image: EVER Real Estate Developments)

Tenants at EVER Square will include:

  • Fillmore Construction
  • Great Canadian Oil Change (Valvoline)
  • EVER Square Medical & Pharmasave
  • Stacked Pancake House
  • Oodle Noodle
  • Osmow’s Shawarma
  • RE/MAX Excellence Commercial Division
  • EVER Real Estate Developments

“This land we acquired two years ago from the group of individuals who had it for about two decades. They did have some significant plans on it but over time they decided to sell and we were able to acquire it,” said Narayan.

“We went through rezoning to make sure it fits our needs. We’re building seven buildings at the site. One is a five-storey building with a rooftop patio. The rooftop patio came from a lot of the office tenants that we have who are looking for amenities for their staff. We do have underground parking of 127 stalls. Surrounding that we’ve got drive-thru’s and retail CRU base.”

He said site servicing on the site has been completed and they are in the process of building the parkade which is well underway and expected to be completed over the next 30 to 45 days and then the vertical component of the building will come. By August of this year, the entire buildings should be up and Q2 of next year is when it is being projected to be turned over to tenants.

Image: EVER Square

“Our team has experience working on a project right across the street called South Trail Plaza which was 60,000 square feet and demand was pretty significant. There were a lot of tenants in here which we couldn’t accommodate. That gave us the idea to explore this site – a vacant site that really is sitting in the middle of Edmonton, 15 minutes away from the airport, eight minutes from downtown and 15 minutes away from West Edmonton Mall,” said Narayan.

“So the site looked very good and when we did our due diligence, took it to the market to understand, what we found is a lot of the tenants wanted to be here – not only be here but to open their flagship location. So we have office tenants that are moving locations and coming to this site in order to be at a location that becomes flagship.

“We have retail tenants who are putting their first location in Edmonton because of this site because this is really the Gateway to Edmonton when you’re coming in from Calgary this is the gateway and they all want to put their sign on the street. And when we found that, that’s what made this project viable and we decided to move forward and today we actually have more tenants than we can put in.”

Narayan said the office market remains tough in Edmonton’s core. But all the office space in the EVER Square development is spoken for.

As for the economy, he said the company is bullish on the Edmonton market.

“The economy today is tight. It is certainly a lot of work to put it together but we’re a company that is in this long-term. We’re not a company that builds and sells assets. We build and retain and we’ll be retaining this for the next generation. So we’re bullish.”

1...655656657...1,333Page 656 of 1,333