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Shifts in Consumer Habits are Shaping the Future of Retail Risk Management

By
Retail Insider
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Dramatic shifts in consumer habits over the past couple of years have had a significant impact on how retailers are operating.  In addition, retailers continue to experience change related to shrink, fraud, and violent crime they are experiencing. Retail risk management and loss prevention professionals have also shifted their focus to these continuous issues that are putting people and profits at risk.

Retail Council of Canada is once again hosting its Retail Secure Conference, the largest gathering of retail professionals focused on risk management and loss prevention on March 21, 2023 at the International Centre in Toronto. This one-day conference brings together retail professionals, solution providers and other industry experts to discuss the most pressing security issues in retail.

“Retail professionals have been very active these past two years identifying the biggest challenges and threats we face collectively through the RCC member networking groups” shares Rui Rodrigues, Executive Advisor, Loss Prevention with Retail Council of Canada. “Hosting the Retail Secure Conference in person for the first time since 2019 is an exciting opportunity to come together to learn, discuss the most pressing issues and be energized while reconnecting with friends and colleagues.” 

The main stage program will include sessions addressing the future of retail and risk management, changing fraud trends, and how leaders are strategizing to build strong teams while planning for the changing skills needed for a modern workforce. Responding to cybersecurity incidents and the increasing violence in stores requires collaboration, not only across departments but across organizations to work collectively to identify best practices but also for the identification of patterns.

This year’s speakers include:

  • Dave Cheema Director, Asset Protection Best Buy Canada
  • Dina Yakhin,  Director of Asset Protection Gap Inc – Canada and International
  • John Armit, Detective Constable Canadian Anti Fraud Centre and OPP
  • Sean Sportun, Chair, Toronto Crime Stoppers
  • John Bellefeuille, Head of Loss Prevention and Occupational Health & Safety, Giant Tiger
  • Gwendolyn Jacquot, Asset Protection Leader Canada, 7-Eleven
  • Tony D’Onofrio, CEO of TD Insights
  • Harris Silver, Senior Director, Security, Canada Goose 
  • Paul Trickett, National Director of Asset Protection and Health & Safety, Staples
  • Rui Rodrigues, Executive Advisor, Loss Prevention & Risk Management, Retail Council of Canada

In addition to the main stage program, attendees will also enjoy focused breakout sessions and the opportunity to network with colleagues and experts in the exhibit and networking hall.

Attend RCC’s Retail Secure Conference on March 21, 2023 at the International Centre in Toronto. Register by February 21  to receive early bird rates. Retail organizations are invited to register their teams and receive a 20% discount on registration of groups of 5 or more. For information on exhibiting, sponsorship or registration please contact Retail Council of Canada at events@retailcouncil.org.

*Partner content. To work with Retail Insider, contact craig@retail-insider.com

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web For February 16th, 2023

By
Retail Insider
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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.

Dolce & Gabbana to Open Store at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Replacing Bloor Street Flagship

By
Craig Patterson
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Future Dolce & Gabbana at Yorkdale (Image: Dustin Fuhs)

Italian luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana will be opening a standalone store this year at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. It will replace a flagship store on Bloor Street in Toronto which has operated for almost a decade.

The Yorkdale Dolce & Gabbana store will span almost 3,500 square feet in a retail space most recently occupied by Aritzia-owned brand Wilfred. Other luxury brands are located adjacent — Valentino operates a store on one side and Emporio Armani recently opened a store on the other side. Holt Renfrew, which operates across the hall, features mall-facing concession brand stores for Gucci, Fendi, Dior, Prada, Chanel and others. 

The new-concept Yorkdale Dolce & Gabbana will feature marble throughout, including a marble facade primarily in black-and-white. The store will carry the brand’s range of women’s and men’s ready-to-wear fashions as well as bags, footwear, jewellery, accessories and fragrances.

Wilfred and Gucci at Yorkdale
Gucci (on the left) and the former Wilfred (on the right) at Yorkdale in 2022 – Photo by Dustin Fuhs

Yorkdale gives Dolce & Gabbana a greater opportunity to target new shoppers looking for entry-level products such as footwear, bags and t-shirts — The Bloor Street flagship has limited foot traffic according to a source, and its existing base of clients tend to buy bigger-ticket items.

Dolce & Gabbana opened its Canadian flagship store at 111 Bloor Street West in Toronto in July of 2013. The 7,000 square foot store had been quietly for lease for years and it will shutter in the summer to coincide with the opening of the Yorkdale store.

Hiring for the Yorkdale Dolce & Gabbana store will begin in a few months, and we’ll update this article with more information.

Dolce & Gabbana womenswear and menswear can be found at several Holt Renfrew stores in Canada as well as at Saks Fifth Avenue in Toronto. Harry Rosen carries some of the menswear line. 

Dolce & Gabbana on Bloor
Dolce & Gabbana at Bloor Street (Image: Dustin Fuhs)

The Dolce & Gabbana brand was founded in 1985 in Legnano, Italy, by designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The house specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, accessories, and cosmetics and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear.

Yorkdale is now home to the the most extensive and comprehensive clustering of luxury brand stores in Canada, making the mall one of the top on the continent for its selection of big-name brands. More luxury brands are said to be on the way and we’ll be reporting on these periodically when new information becomes available. 

Dolce & Gabbana at Bloor Street (Image: Dustin Fuhs)

Vancouver-Based Furniture Retailer ‘Sundays’ Expanding into Calgary Market After Successful Ontario Store Launch [Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Sundays Vancouver Showroom (Image: Sundays)

Vancouver-based furniture store Sundays is expanding and opening a showroom in Calgary this year. 

It will be the brand’s third Canadian showroom. The company has locations in place in Vancouver near South Granville on West 6th Avenue and in Toronto on Ossington Avenue.

Sundays will bring its thoughtfully designed furniture to customers in Calgary in its very own showroom – giving existing and new customers alike the chance to see and feel its collection in person. The store will be located at The District at Beltline development in downtown Calgary with neighbours including 33 Acres, Central and DeVille Coffee. 

Future Sundays Calgary at The District at Beltline (Image: CBRE)
Future Sundays Calgary at The District at Beltline (Image: CBRE)

The Calgary store will be the brand’s largest at 4,000 square feet. The Toronto store is 2,188 square feet while the Vancouver store is 1,865 square feet.

Barbora Samieian

“We have had a partnership with Socality House on 17th (Avenue SW) which featured a few of our pieces and over the last year, year and a half, we have continued to observe increased e-comm sales in Calgary and Alberta,” said Barbora Samieian, Co-Founder, Director of Brand and Community for Sundays.

“Calgary is our third biggest sales driver in Canada behind BC and Ontario. And we’re really starting to see our customers resonate with the brand and what we observed in both Vancouver and Toronto with the showrooms is having those physical locations where customers and also trade partners can touch and feel the product, see the quality of our pieces in real life just really helps drive sales and build trust with the brand.

“We’re still a fairly new brand. We’ve only been around since late 2019. It just seemed like a great next market to put a physical showroom.”

Sundays Calgary is being built by CREATE and Way of Normal (the newly branded commercial arm of Fort Architecture). 

The retailer launched in November 2019. 

Sundays at Socality House in Calgary (Image: Sundays)
Sundays on Ossington (Image: Dustin Fuhs)

In a previous Retail Insider story, Samieian said: “An interesting time to launch a new business. The model was just to be a direct to consumer model with everything in stock. That was sort of our motto. We’ll stock a very curated selection of items and in November of 2019 we started with living room only – some sofas, coffee tables and a few end tables.

“Eventually we started expanding our living room collection and then we got into dining and bedroom as well but still a very tight and focused line. We started with just ecommerce but during COVID there were all of these empty spaces because restaurants were leaving and other businesses were shutting. So we actually started a little pop-up – a showroom – in Vancouver in about May or June of 2020 and we saw from that kind of experiment – it was like a two to three month lease – there was a lot of interest for customers to be able to touch and feel our furniture. So we’ve since opened a permanent showroom in Vancouver. That opened in the fall of 2021 on West 6th Avenue, South Granville, just off of the main furniture row in Vancouver.”

Image: sundays-company.ca

Samieian said Socality, a coffee shop and community gathering place in Calgary will continue to have some of Sundays furniture to experience the brand in real life. 

“We will no longer be driving customers to Socality House but rather invite them to our showroom. Having said that, the partnership with Socality House has been really great. I think we’re very aligned – community minded businesses. We’ll still continue to partner on the creative side. They’re very plugged into the content creator community in Calgary. So we’re already planning some potential activations that we can do in the showroom once we open.”

The showroom in Calgary is expected to open in mid-April.

“We don’t have anything hard, penciled in for the remainder of 2023,” said Samieian. “However, we are going to be watching the response to this Calgary showroom closely and how it does and how it spills over to our e-comm sales. And how the retail store performs on its own and that sort of halo effect into our e-com sales in Calgary and I think based on that analysis if we continue to see the kind of trends that we’ve seen in Toronto and Vancouver, I think come late summer we might start looking for a fourth Canadian location.”

John Moss, Senior VP at CBRE, is the leasing contact for The District at Beltline.

Insolvencies Rise in Canada and are Likely to Continue Upward Trend in 2023

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Shuttered H&M on Queen Street (Image: Dustin Fuhs)

The total number of insolvencies (bankruptcies and proposals) in Canada was up year-over-year for the second straight month. 

Those in debt are already struggling. The highest number of Canadian insolvencies since March 2020 was reported last month. And while the total number decreased by 18 per cent from that dizzying height, the year-over-year trend is one of financial struggles – and will likely continue so for 2023.

Some key findings:

  • The total number of insolvencies in December 2022 was 13.8 per cent higher than in December 2021. Consumer insolvencies increased by 13.4 per cent, while business insolvencies increased by 23.3 per cent;
  • For the 12‑month period ending December 31, 2022, the total number of insolvencies increased by 11.9 per cent in comparison to the 12‑month period ending December 31, 2021;
  • Consumer insolvencies for the 12‑month period ending December 31, 2022, increased by 11.2 per cent in comparison to the 12‑month period ending December 31, 2021.

Read the report Insolvency Statistics in Canada — December 2022.

Here’s a video interview with Jasmine Marra, Vice-President, Bromwich + Smith, who discusses the implications of the growing number of bankruptcies.

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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Also check out the other series offered by Retail Insider, including The Weekly podcast and The Interview Series, which are both available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Podcasts, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Simplecast and other podcast players.

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UFA Co-Operative Expanding with New Stores [Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Future Red Deer UFA (Rendering: UFA)

Following a record-breaking year the UFA Co-operative (United Farmers of Alberta) is growing and expanding.

The organization, which was built for farmers by farmers, was founded in 1909 and today has grown to more than 120,000 member-owners and its network comprises 113 bulk fuel and Cardlock Petroleum locations, 34 Farm & Ranch Supply stores and a support office located in Calgary. 

Recently it announced it is building a new store and Cardlock in Red Deer and it has launched its new e-commerce marketplace.

“Red Deer is a vibrant and strong market, and we are pleased to be able to enhance our service offering to its residents with the improvements we are making,” said Glenn Bingley, Vice President, AgriBusiness and Supply Chain, UFA. “The investment UFA is making reflects our commitment to members and customers in the region and aligns with our aim to be the most trusted supplier of products and services in the markets we serve.”

Scott Bolton

“UFA has a responsibility to support the farmers and ranchers who feed the world. It’s a responsibility our co-operative takes seriously, and (this) ultimately is an investment in agriculture, which is critical, not only to our members’ and customers’ success but to economic recovery,” said Scott Bolton, President and CEO, UFA.

 “UFA is in an ideal position to shine a spotlight on the agriculture sector and its importance, not only to Canada but to the world. Our members and customers are the driving force behind western Canadian food production, and it is strong, diverse, and poised for significant growth. The opportunity in front of us is why we are making considerable investments that enable farmers and ranchers to ensure food security on a global scale. We know the prairies are a place of abundance and the truth is the economic success of everyone in the Canadian food system depends on the success of our farmers and ranchers.”

Future Red Deer UFA (Rendering: UFA)

Bingley said the current Farm Store in Red Deer will be replaced by a new one.

“Red Deer is a major market. A really strong farming and ranching community for UFA. Ultimately we made the decision to relocate to a better location. As you know in retail, it’s location, location, location. We’re moving into what we feel is a much better location right beside a nice anchor retailer with Costco. So a really good retail traffic area,” he said.

“And much better access we believe too for not only our existing members and customers but it’s a better location also for other members of the community in Red Deer. Better access off of Highway 2 both north and south and good access from the 2A on the west. Overall it’s a better location. Our old location served us well but the store is over 20 years old. The area is kind of more of an industrial area.

“We just think that when we look at our overall Red Deer market for us being a major market with a strong farming and ranching community, we have not really optimized our market potential in Red Deer. We believe fundamentally moving to a better location will help us do that. And the new store gives us an opportunity to really bring new products and services to our members and the community and we’re very confident we’re going to do that.”

The new 16,000-square-foot Farm Store, which is scheduled to open in late fall of 2024, will have an expansive yard, with a chem shed located on site and for easy pick up, there will also be a three-bay drive-through warehouse. The future Cardlock will feature state-of-the-art high-speed pumps with clear and dyed fuel, wide lanes, DEF, and Dieselex® Gold, UFA’s exclusive premium diesel offering.

“One of the strengths of our co-operative is we have a really broad product offering, a very diverse product offering. So for us it just made sense and the primary focus was relocating the Farm Store but while we’re doing that we have a very strong Cardlock network throughout Alberta and this gives us an opportunity for our members for convenience to also put a Cardlock on site. It was a natural,” said Bingley.

Weyburn UFA Groundbreaking (Image: UFA)

UFA is also expanding its Cardlock locations in Saskatchewan with new ones opening in Weyburn and Yorkton this month. 

“That’s kind of the first new sites in our petroleum business expansion into Saskatchewan. We’re really excited about those openings,” said Bingley.

“For us, it’s expanding our petroleum business into key markets in central and eastern Saskatchewan. This is part of a multi-year strategy to build out additional petroleum locations.”

Bingley said UFA may look in the future to expanding its Farm Stores into Saskatchewan as well. 

“With our Farm Stores we’re continuing to focus on really growing same store sales, really organic growth, continuous improvements in our product assortment and offerings. And we’re really excited to launch our MarketPLACE platform which is a natural extension of our e-commerce business that we started two years ago,” he said. 

UFA MarketPLACE

UFA MarketPLACE provides a larger selection of products for customers/members to purchase online, which are provided by an assortment of vendors through UFA.com. These trusted vendors handle fulfillment and customer service for the items they sell.

Last year, UFA enhanced its e-commerce offering with BOPA (buy online, pick up anywhere). That gave customers the ability to order inventory not only at the store of their choice but also from its distribution centre. 

“MarketPLACE is an online shop and it gives our members and customers access to really that endless aisle to provide more selection, more vendors, more brands and more products for what they’re looking for and what they need. And the great part about it is we’re working with existing vendors that support us today in our Farm & Ranch stores in our current e-commerce offering. We’re getting more access to more of the products that they have available – increasing that online assortment,” explained Bingley.

“We’re really excited about it. We think it’s going to be a great new business opportunity for us and it’s really going to complement everything that we’re doing today in our brick and mortar stores.”

French Fragrance Retailer ‘Adopt’ to Enter Canadian Market with Stores [Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Image: Adopt

Adopt, a fragrance retailer based in France, is looking to expand its brand into the Canadian market.

The retail strategy is to open several Quebec locations in the next couple of years. Ideal spaces are 500 to 800 square feet in enclosed malls and along busy high streets. 

Marcel Rinaldy

“We are convinced that there is a huge potential in the Canadian population – open minded people with a French culture, knowing that the fine fragrances are coming from France,” said Marcel Rinaldy, President of Groupe 3M, who will be the Canadian partner/developer of the brand.

“Adopt makes the revolution in the perfume universe. Adopt is making the French Fragrance Revolution! The brand offers high quality perfumes at very accessible prices. It also distributes cosmetics, body care, skin care and home care.

“Adopt is unique. It proposes the wider range of the market with more than 150 fragrances of high quality 100 per cent made in France, created by the greatest perfumers, at an accessible price for all and respecting our planet.”

Image: Adopt

Rinaldy and his team are working with Tony Flanz of Montreal-based real estate firm Think Retail to expand the Adopt brand into Canada.

The brand has more than 180 stores in metropolitan France with more than 50 locations in overseas territories such as French West Indies, Reunion Island, Mayotte, Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles, New Caledonia, Tahiti, Saint-Martin. It is also in more than 40 countries with 2,600 points of sale as a wholesaler in places like department stores.

Rinaldy described the origin of the brand as “the smell is our founding sense.”

“It is the first sense we develop, the one that brings us security and comfort and even allows us to form our first emotional bonds. The human being is able to distinguish no less than 1,000,000,000,000 different odors. However, the sense of smell has become the last of the senses used, supplanted by a world overwhelmed by sounds and images. From this fact was born a great conviction: the olfactory sense plays a key role in our well being, and perfume offers us the possibility of boosting our confidence and affirming ourselves. Perfume leaves an imprint of ourselves on all those around us. It plays an essential role in our memories, in our serenity and balance. Perfume is our greatest source of emotions,” he said. 

“From this conviction was born a fight. Dominique Monlun, who, more than 30 years ago, fought so that great perfumes would no longer be reserved for a privileged circle. In 1986, he trained as a perfumer with the greatest creators in Grasse and made this fight possible: he realized that the quality of a great perfume lies in the magic of its blends, in the rigorous selection of its ingredients, in the mastery of its production. Everything else – the bottle, the muse – is futile. That’s when Adopt Parfums, the first creator of fine fragrances accessible to all, was born.”

Image: Adopt
Tony Flanz

In a post on its website, Think Retail describes Adopt as a fresh, vibrant retail concept that aims to give everyone access to fine fragrances, without breaking the bank.

“Adopt stores feature complementary items, such as sprays, body creams, candles, essential oils, as well as a range of skincare products for the face. 

“The branding is electric—joyful, colourful and positive—with vibrant packaging and an ethos that appeals to generations of consumers, who are eager to express themselves in a variety of ways. The average customer is aged 34, with 37 per cent aged 18 to 25, 42 per cent aged 26 to 45 and 21 per cent over 45 years,” says the real estate company.

Image: Adopt

“In addition, products put the planet first, with sustainability practices throughout the value chain, natural ingredients, organic ranges and eco-friendly packaging, including perfume bottles made of 90 per cent recycled glass. 

“The brand has a strong social media presence — Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook — and works with a crew of influencers who promote Adopt and its values. A regular on the pages of fashion and beauty magazines, Adopt is a proven concept with a massive global footprint that includes 2,600 points of sale (kiosks, stores-in-stores and stand-alone stores) in more than 40 countries.

“Now celebrated global entrepreneur Marcel Rinaldy, president of Groupe 3M and owner of several successful brands, has purchased the Canadian rights to Adopt and is bringing this exciting and fresh retail concept here. The stores are beautifully designed, with a modern vibe and Think Retail is delighted to work with Rinaldy on Adopt’s market entry. This is a strong tenant that is sure to be a hit, driving foot traffic among a valuable demographic.”

Alo Yoga to Enter New Markets and Open Several More Stores in Canada

By
Craig Patterson
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Alo Yoga at Yorkdale (Image: Dustin Fuhs)

Los Angeles-based Alo Yoga will be opening more stores in Canada this year after entering the country with two stores in Toronto. The Toronto market will soon become home to four Alo Yoga locations while cities such as Edmonton and Calgary are up next for stores as well. 

Construction is now underway for a new Alo Yoga store at CF Toronto Eaton Centre in Toronto in a 6,100 square foot retail space recently vacated by Victoria’s Secret Pink. The store will be located on Level 2 of the shopping centre in a strategic location that has exposure from other levels in the mall. Remarkably, Alo Yoga will be located directly below competitor Lululemon, as per the photos below. A source with the company told Retail Insider that a location at CF Sherway Gardens is also on the way for later this year.

Sources in the know told Retail Insider that Alo Yoga will open a 6,100 square foot store at West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton. It will replace three smaller retailers next to Canada Goose. The retailers that Alo Yoga will replace include Untuckit, Call it Spring and AB Co. The three tenants in the units it’s replacing are all being relocated within the mall.

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

In Calgary, Alo Yoga is hiring for positions for a store at CF Chinook Centre. It’s not yet known where in the mall it will be located, and there are a handful of options in terms of guesses.

Given the extensiveness of the expansion, it’s expected that Alo Yoga will look to open at least one larger store in the Vancouver market if not more, and brokers have said that downtown Montreal is also a target for Alo Yoga on Ste-Catherine Street West. It’s not known if larger cities such as Ottawa might be in line for an Alo Yoga location and if it were the case, CF Rideau Centre would be a best guess given where other stores are opening in Canadian urban centres.

Alo Yoga will particularly compete with Vancouver-based Lululemon which has gained significant market share for athleisure in Canada with almost 70 stores. Both brands are known for quality and offer similarly-priced goods. The West Edmonton Mall Lululemon store is among the top in the chain and it could see a hit to sales if consumers find favour with Alo Yoga. 

Alo Yoga at Bloor Street in Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Alo Yoga at Yorkdale (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 rapid now given how many locations appear to be opening in Canada alone. 

As well, 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 five Alo Yoga locations by the end of the year and all but one will be in major malls.  

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.

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

Last Days of Victoria’s Secret Pink at CF Toronto Eaton Centre

  • Victoria’s Secret Signage, introducing Victoria’s Secret Pink into the CF Toronto Eaton Centre location (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
  • Shuttered Victoria’s Secret Pink at CF Toronto Eaton Centre (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
  • Shuttered Victoria’s Secret Pink at CF Toronto Eaton Centre (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
  • Shuttered Victoria’s Secret Pink at CF Toronto Eaton Centre (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
  • Shuttered Victoria’s Secret Pink at CF Toronto Eaton Centre (Image: Dustin Fuhs)

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web For February 14th, 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.

“Galen Weston is the poster boy for excess”: This economist blames supermarkets for astronomical food prices (Toronto Life)

Indigo website outage stretches into fifth day but payment system back up and running (CTV / Canadian Press)

SmartCentres set to build on ‘strong recovery’ in 2022 (Real Estate News EXchange)

Inside Ikea’s small-format store strategy: ‘The retail environment is changing’ (Modern Retail)

Prestige body care brand Maëlys launches at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada (Premium Beauty News)

Great Canadian Superstore, three residential towers proposed for Mayfair Lanes property in Saanich (Citified)

Shoppers Drug Mart takes part in N.S. Community Healthcare Clinic Pilot (Grocery Business)

Laser Clinics opens fourth Canadian location in Toronto’s Scarborough Town Center (Canadian Business Franchise)

Canada’s Darwynn taps robotic and automation technologies at new fulfilment facility in Ontario (Retail Technology Innovation Hub)

Inspired Cannabis Introduces the “House of Brands” at New Vancouver Flagship Store (Yahoo)

Podcast [Interview] Sonya Gill Discusses Ethnically Diverse Indie Brand Global Fashion/Beauty eCom Marketplace THE LNK

By
Retail Insider
-
Podcast [Interview] Sonia Gill Discusses Ethnically Diverse Indie Brand Global Fashion/Beauty eCom Marketplace THE LNK

Craig Patterson, Founder and Publisher of Retail Insider Media, sits down with Sonya Gill, founder of the world’s first global fashion/beauty eCom marketplace to only represent ethnically diverse indie brands called THE LNK.

Gill explains how the innovative marketplace came about and how global indie brands are able to get into the Canadian market through online channels. Sustainability plays a big role and the future looks bright for the rapidly growing platform.

The Interview Series podcast by Retail Insider Canada is 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 podcast where Craig and Lee discuss popular content published on Retail Insider which is part of the The Retail Insider Podcast Network.

Subscribe, Rate, and Review our Retail Insider Podcast!

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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/

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