Future Starbucks at 16 York in Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Despite closing down a number of Canadian stores in recent years, coffee giant Starbucks is back in growth mode in the country opening new locations, new concepts and its first-ever collaboration with a First Nation.
As of January 1, there were 1,429 Starbucks in Canada – 956 company-operated stores and 473 licensed stores.
“We think there is no shortage of opportunity for Starbucks in Canada for sure,” said Shannon Leisz, Vice President, Operations and Business Development, Licensed Stores in Canada.
Shannon Leisz
“We’ve been in Canada for more than 35 years but there’s no two ways about it, there’s a lot of growth. There’s still very much that we can do around our growth strategy.
Re-opening Starbucks at Front at University in Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Re-opening Starbucks at Front at University in Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
“We’re continuing to look at ways to diversify, modernize and build and grow our portfolio to meet our customers in the way that is most meaningful to them. And that could be any time of day, any format, etc. When I think about what that means across Canada, we believe there is a role that we have to play really in all of our communities for growth. That could be expansion in urban, that could be continued growth in suburban and even remote markets. It’s hard to believe but there are still some communities and municipalities that don’t yet have Starbucks and we know that there’s a need and want for that.
“We’re excited. We’re definitely in growth mode and we’re excited to keep building on decades of experience and growth.”
She said part of any good practice is always looking at your portfolio and adjusting to the market.
“We had like a five-year trajectory on where we would want to re-position the portfolio through doing either strategic relocation or closure. So in 2020 when we really looked at what was happening as a result of COVID, we just saw that there was an opportunity to take that five-year transformation strategy and condense it into 18 months. And really that was intended to rapidly get ahead and evolve where customers needed us and wanted us, what their preference in demand was. So we took that opportunity to just do that in a much faster timeline,” said Leisz.
“Anything that we want to do is making sure that we integrate technology, innovation, how our customers want to utilize us. What are we thinking about in terms of urban re-entry for Starbucks especially in Toronto? In those dense, metro, urban, CBD (central business district) areas for sure we’re committed to bringing Starbucks back to provide more choice and more convenience for our customers.
“So we think about how do we create this ecosystem in this trade area that creates a blend of traditional Starbucks cafe locations with also new more convenient forward formats. If you think about downtown Toronto, we opened a store on Yonge and King and that’s an awesome cafe with seating but a block away from that we’ve got Commerce Court which is a pickup only. So again it’s this ecosystem we’re creating of how customers want to interact with us.”
Re-opening Starbucks at RBC Centre on Wellington in Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Future Starbucks at 16 York in Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
A new store will be at 16 York Street to service predominantly the financial community and tourists in the busy downtown core with a format that is optimized for Mobile Order & Pay. This will include a larger order hand-off area for partners to better serve customers, as well as some seating for customers while they wait for their handcrafted beverage to be made. Anticipated opening is Summer 2023.
Starbucks is also growing its licensed side and now operates at several university locations in a variety of store formats. It currently has stores that are licensed locations at schools like University of Western (two stores), University of Guelph (three stores), University of British Columbia (three stores), University of Calgary (two stores) and Dalhousie University (one store).
She said Starbucks has been known as an innovator and the company’s experience is finding new ways and impactful ways to connect with customers through integrating the very best of Starbucks with physical and digital customer experience through formats and designs.
“If we look to innovate even through how our designs show up and look, modern design is important because it really embraces familiarity and the Starbucks brand as well as variety,” said Leisz. “We try to really do our best to enhance that third-place no matter what format it is and create something that feels unique and memorable and special for each one of our stores.
“We’re poised for growth. We are excited. We think we have a big, long runway ahead of us and we really are excited about the growth and the development that we have to meet customers where they’re at and provide the very best experience for them.”
First Nation members of the We Wai Kai Nation gathered on Monday for a ceremonial ground breaking to honour the land that will become the site of a new Starbucks licensed location. (Photo credit Eric Kular)
In early March, Starbucks Canada and We Wai Kai Nation, in BC, broke ground on a new Starbucks store. The location will be operated by the We Wai Kai Nation, making this a first-of-its-kind collaboration for Starbucks in Canada.
Leisz said this marks the beginning of what is possible for Starbucks and First Nation communities in Canada. It is the first partnership with an Indigenous licensed operator.
“We believe companies have a position or something that they can all play an active role in around truth and reconciliation, learning more, being a good citizen. Just learning about Indigenous culture,” she said. “So last year there was a small group of us that had the chance to go to Cando which is the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers.
“So it really is about economic development and there we met Jason Wilson, (Manager of Economic Development for We Wai Kai Nation). Coming out of that we knew that there were things that we could explore on how we wanted to work together and this potential partnership. Through that discovery and conversation, we came together and we’re opening that first Indigenous-led cafe in Canada in Campbell River.”
The intent is to open the location by the Fall of this year.
Wilson said the We Wai Kai Nation (Cape Mudge Band) current population is approximately 1,200 citizens and about half live on reserve (split between Cape Mudge Village, Quadra Island and Quinsam Reserve, Campbell River), and the other half live off reserve. The We Wai Kai are part of the Ligwiłdaxw (Laichwiltach), the southern-most tribes of the Kwakwak’awakw peoples.
Tsixw’idaliła, traditional Ground Breaking Ceremony featuring We Wai Kai Nation Chief Councillorl Ronnie Chickite (middle left) and Starbucks Shannon Leisz (middle right). Photo credit Eric Kular
“The nation was looking to expand the service offering within its Quinsam Crossing development in Campbell River and was looking to add a business that would not only complement existing services, but also be its own draw for customers. A drive thru coffee shop seemed to fit nicely,” he said.
“Starbucks was chosen as numerous staff members and council members enjoy going to Starbucks – sometimes daily and there appeared to be an opportunity with one of the local Campbell River corporate owned and operated stores closing due to inability to add a drive thru. We reached out initially to see if there was an opportunity to lease land to Starbucks Canada, but there wasn’t an interest in adding another corporate store in close proximity. The discussion then led to a licensed opportunity and it was discovered very early in discussions that all though there were numerous Starbucks across Canada on reserve lands, none were operated by a First Nation. This led to We Wai Kai Nation signing the first such license agreement in Canada.”
Leisz said it would be great for Starbucks to continue to expand with other partnerships like that with other First Nation communities.
“We really think that that moment that we had with We Wai Kai marks the beginning of what is possible for other First Nation communities across Canada,” she said. “I think it’s so important for companies like ours to continue to listen and to learn and work side by side with these communities and we hope to do more.”
Indochino, a global leader in custom suiting, had a record-breaking year of growth and key milestones for the business in 2022 as the brand continued its focus on profitability, achieving a seven-figure positive EBITDA, while simultaneously growing its physical retail presence and launching product expansions.
Image: Drew Green, INDOCHINO CEO
“Smart growth and innovation are core to Indochino’s DNA, and 2022 was an exceptional year for the business in both of these regards. Our focus on profitability and operating efficiency, while simultaneously investing in an industry-leading omnichannel customer experience, has put the business in a strong position for continued success. We look forward to continuing this momentum into 2023, as we debut our Spring collection and look to build upon the success of womenswear with a full omnichannel launch,” said Drew Green, CEO of Indochino.
The made-to-measure apparel brand added nine new showroom locations and eight locations in partnership with Nordstrom last year. It increased year-over-year net revenue by 40 per cent. Net orders in physical retail locations grew by over 50 per cent, while a continued focus on e-commerce infrastructure, features and experience resulted in a double-digit order growth for that channel as well.
INDOCHINO at Metropolis at Metrotown in Vancouver (Image: INDOCHINO)
The SS23 collection features the brand’s first-ever dual-gender campaign imagery and celebrates the personal stories that fashion brings to life. In conjunction with the collection’s debut, Indochino is also expanding its women’s offering to their e-commerce channel, following a successful rollout in select physical showrooms last fall.
Indochino is also expanding its custom apparel offering with a fit that celebrates the female form. This makes the brand the first to sell custom women’s apparel digitally on a mass scale. Throughout the Fall of 2022, Indochino was able to successfully pilot the launch of this new offering. With an overwhelmingly positive customer response, the retailer is supporting the omni-channel experience for its entire customer base. The first half of 2023 will see womenswear become available across the complete network of Indochino’s owned showrooms throughout North America.
In this video interview, Green discusses the record-breaking year, the women’s collection and the company’s growth plans.
The Video Interview Series by Retail Insider is available on YouTube.
The Video Interview Series by Retail Insider is available on YouTube.
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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 48 hours.
The former founder of DAVIDsTea has huge plans to grow his Mad Radish brand with a potential of hundreds of locations.
David Segal said the brand is all about fast, healthy food.
“We’ve been doing it now for five years. The menu’s full of bold flavours, really high quality, on trend ingredients, freshly roasted proteins every day from scratch, signature dressings,” said Segal.
“We want to provide every neighbourhood with healthy high quality fast food and a lot of the times healthy food it seems it’s like rabbit food and you have to compromise on taste. We think people want to live healthier, longer lives but they don’t want to compromise on flavour or the enjoyment of food. So it’s really important to us as well.
Image: Mad Radish
David Segal
“We’ve been battle tested through the pandemic and we’ve come up with a franchising model now. Most of our stores are corporate stores. Of the eight we have, seven are corporate stores. We have lots of our own skin in the game. We’re really focusing on simplicity of menu, really high quality food and ensuring that our franchisees can be profitable. And we’re now at the place where there’s decades of hospitality and retail experience behind Mad Radish. We’ve got simple, well-defined processes and we’ve lowered our build-out costs. We don’t use greasy, smelly fryers or expensive hoods. So it’s a really good model and we think there are a lot of neighbourhoods in Canada that would really benefit from high quality, healthy fast food.”
There are three in Toronto and five in Ottawa.
Segal said expansion is focused on Ontario for now but the company is open to development deals in other provinces.
Future Mad Radish in the Bay Adelaide
Centre (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
“We’re ready to go. We can go quick,” he said. “We’re obviously only going to award franchises to qualified people. Assuming the talent is there we’ll go as quickly as prudent to do,” he said.
“I think we could have hundreds of these things in Canada. At DAVID’sTea we had 200 speciality tea stores. This is a much bigger market. I think we can have hundreds of them. I think there’s a huge opportunity here.
“One of our biggest differentiators is we make our proteins fresh every day in an oven and from scratch. You can taste the difference.”
Image: Mad RadishImage: Mad Radish
The typical size of a Mad Radish location is about 1,400 to 1,600 square feet.
“We’re looking for neighbourhood locations. We also do five-day a week office stores and power centres,” said Segal. “Two of our stores in Toronto are in The Path (downtown pedestrian walkway). Two of the ones in Ottawa are in downtown. We do urban and suburban.”
During his time at DAVIDsTEA, Segal grew the company from a single store on Toronto’s Queen Street West to a $200 million retail giant. In June 2015, DAVIDsTEA became a publicly-traded company on the NASDAQ, and since launch, the brand has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Women’s Wear Daily, The Globe and Mail, and Fast Company.
Segal left DAVIDsTEA in 2016 and started Mad Radish – a quick service restaurant concept.
In 2017, David was named one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40.
In 2021, Segal also started Firebelly tea to create exceptional loose leaf teas tailored to modern living, and gorgeous tea accessories to shake up the category.
Imaginaire in Trois-Rivières (Centre commercial Les Rivières)
The history of Quebec-based retailer Imaginaire began in 1986 when Benoit Doyon acquired the Comptoir Timbre et Monnaies located in Place Laurier. At the time, the business was no bigger than 150 square feet.
Today, Imaginaire, a leading retailer of collectibles and pop culture merchandise, has six locations in its provincial home base with plans to expand into Ottawa with a new 20,000-square-foot store at the CF Rideau Centre opening in the Fall, around October.
Anthony Doyon, Owner of the brand, described the retailer as a one-stop shop for collectibles.
“We sell puzzles. We sell board games. We sell books. Animes. We sell comic books. Everything collectible from the Royal Canadian Mint. Coins. So we sell sports cards, hockey cards, trading cards like Pokemon,” he said.
The family-run business was started by Doyon’s father and mother. He and his brother Dave bought the company in 2016.
Imaginaire at CF Rideau Centre (Rendering: Imaginaire)Imaginaire at CF Rideau Centre (Rendering: Imaginaire)
The company’s biggest location is in Quebec City with a 28,000-square-foot store. Most locations are between 15,000 and 20,000 square feet.
“The business is good for us. The customer likes the experience,” said Doyon. “Ottawa is our first outside of Quebec. For us it was kind of strategic to start learning how the brand and the stores are doing outside of Quebec and what products we have to change.
“There’s lots of French Canadians in Ottawa, and Ottawa being just by Gatineau, so it was more of a half step instead of a big step if we were to go into Toronto. We’ll be able to learn and I think we’ll learn a little bit slower than if we would have gone directly to Toronto or any other city in the province of Ontario.”
Imaginaire at CF Rideau Centre (Rendering: Imaginaire)Imaginaire at CF Rideau Centre (Rendering: Imaginaire)
Doyon said the company does have expansion plans for the next few years, particularly in Quebec.
“We want to give it some time for Ottawa, a year or two, to see how the brand’s doing and how it’s going to do it outside Quebec. If we do good, yes we have plans to extend outside of Quebec more,” he said.
“If it’s very good the first year, maybe the plans are going to be quicker. We like to be in the malls. So we’re looking at the great malls. Rideau Centre is the best mall in Ottawa. The malls where we want to go, they need to have some empty big space.”
The retailer said its mission is to offer hobbyists and collectors a wide selection of products in their favourite genre.
And its vision is to become the nationwide leader in all aspects of collecting, gaming and hobbies – having the most competent and skillful personnel and the widest selection of products to best suit customer needs.
The new store in Ottawa will be located adjacent to Simons on floors 3 and 4 of Rideau Centre and will have an area of approximately 20,000 square feet, making it one of the largest specialty stores in the region. This first store outside Quebec represents an investment of $3 million. Imaginaire also plans to hire between 50 and 60 qualified employees, who will be trained to provide the same level of exceptional service that has made the company famous in Quebec.
Imaginaire at CF Rideau Centre (Rendering: Imaginaire)
Customers can expect to find a wide selection of products, including sports cards, board games, puzzles, trading cards, action figures, books, comics, graphic novels, manga, and other pop culture merchandise. Imaginaire is also an authorized dealer of numismatic products by the Royal Canadian Mint.
“Whether you collect cards or coins, are a die-hard fan of Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel Comics, or just looking for something fun to do with friends and family, Imaginaire has something for everyone,” said Benoit Doyon, founder of Imaginaire.
The store also offers a vast collection of titles in English and French, catering to all interests and ages. In addition, Imaginaire is a bookstore authorized by the Quebec Ministry of Culture, which guarantees the authenticity and quality of its products.
“We will have plenty to delight French-speaking manga, comic, and graphic novel enthusiasts in the region to browse or order in-store. We also have an active online and virtual community, and we are very responsive to customer recommendations for new products.”
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 48 hours.
Sales came roaring back to Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre in 2022 after pandemic lockdowns hammered the retail industry. A new report from ICSC indicates record-breaking sales per square foot at Yorkdale for 2022, while overall sales at the centre surpassed $2 billion for the first time.
The ICSC report shows Yorkdale’s sales at $2,226 per square foot, surpassing previous numbers in Retail Council of Canada’s shopping centre studies that were published from 2016 up to 2019.
The two million square foot Yorkdale Shopping Centre also saw sales surpassing $2 billion for the first time, making it among the top performers globally for a major fashion mall. A decade ago we reported that Yorkdale was the first mall in Canada to surpass sales of $1 billion.
“For almost 60 years, Yorkdale has been a leader in the industry with its unrivalled mix of first to market, luxury, and flagship retailers, that attracts both brands and shoppers from across Canada and the world,” said Bradley Jones, Head of Leasing and Operations, Oxford Properties.
Holt Renfrew, left, currently operates several luxury brand concessions at Yorkdale with entrances facing into the mall including Chanel, Brunello Cucinelli, Dior, Fendi and Gucci. To the right in the image are storefronts for Tiffany & Co., Celine, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta and Valentino. Photo: Dustin Fuhs.In 2016, Richemont Group opened four luxury jewellery/watch boutiques at Yorkdale including Piaget, Vacheron Constatin, IWC and Panerai. All four are in a space formerly occupied by a Williams Sonoma store. Photo: Dustin Fuhs.
Yorkdale launches more first-to-Canada retailers than any place in the country. Landlord Oxford Properties said in a statement that 53 new retailers have opened at Yorkdale over the past five years. Of those, 29 retailers were first-to-market, and over half of those are in the luxury category. The high sales per square foot at Yorkdale can be attributed partly to the performance of the many luxury brands that are located at Yorkdale, with some of those retailers doing tens of millions of dollars in sales annually. Other productive retailers boosting the mall’s performance include highly productive locations for Apple, Tesla and Canada Goose, among others.
“Yorkdale is the destination where designers choose to open first in Canada. The centre has welcomed an impressive number of first to market luxury retailers and destination food and beverage offerings over the last few years,” said William Correia, Director, Yorkdale Shopping Centre. “Yorkdale continues to elevate the shopping experience to draw visitors from across Canada and internationally with the centre’s sense of discovery and sophistication.”
Yorkdale has been beefing up its food and beverage offerings, including a soon-to-open Earls restaurant that joins several other full-service options including a busy location for Canada’s only Cheesecake Factory. Upscale offerings such as Ladurée (which will soon be expanding its offerings) serve shoppers as well as retailers that purchase items as gifts for customers. The mall also has a busy third-level food court which has recently seen renovations as well as the addition of new vendors such as Chick-fil-A.
French bakery concept Ladurée opened its first Toronto location at Yorkdale in late 2017. Photo: Dustin Fuhs.Italian jeweller Bulgari recently expanded and renovated its Yorkdale location, which is one of the top in North America in terms of sales. Photo: Dustin Fuhs.Luxury menswear retailer Harry Rosen operates one of its largest and most productive stores at Yorkdale. Photo: Dustin Fuhs.Swedish fashion rand Acne Studios opened its first store in Canada last year at Yorkdale. The unique store design is inspired by a temple, including a low-height entrance leading into a cavernous space. Photo: Dustin Fuhs.
Yorkdale is an interesting case study in consumer shopping — in 2020 Louis Vuitton opened a 7,000 square foot standalone store in the mall while maintaining its concession presence at Holt Renfrew. Despite the new standalone store, sales at the Holts concession are said to have remained stable, speaking to a market expansion for the luxury Vuitton brand in the mall.
Jewellery brands are said to be doing gangbuster sales, although some luxury fashion retailers such as Alexander McQueen and Valentino are said to not be meeting sales targets at Yorkdale. Regardless, the offering of luxury brands at Yorkdale are unmatched in Canada, surpassing the offerings of Toronto’s Bloor-Yorkville and downtown Vancouver in terms of the number of luxury brand stores available.
More luxury and big brands will come to Yorkdale over the next couple of years with plans to “re-merchandise key corridors to make room for more brands,” according to Oxford Properties. There’s already buzz that more than one big-name concession could exit Yorkdale’s Holt Renfrew store to open a standalone flagship presence in the mall.
Italian luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana will soon join other luxury brands near Holt Renfrew at Yorkdale. Photo: Dustin Fuhs.Central corridor at Yorkdale — sources say interesting new things will be coming to this wing with details to follow. Photo: Dustin Fuhs.Another new retailer set to open at Yorkdale. Photo: Dustin Fuhs.
The Holt Renfrew store at Yorkdale is said to be the second top-performing location in the chain, surpassed only by the highly productive downtown Vancouver flagship store at CF Pacific Centre. The Yorkdale Holt Renfrew store will be seeing some changes, according to the retailer — the store’s restaurant will shut next month and phased renovations to part of the store are expected to be completed by mid-2025. More details will follow according to Holts.
Yorkdale is also anchored by one of Hudson’s Bay’s top stores, located in a box that originally housed a Simpsons department store until 1991. Anchor Nordstrom, which opened in 2016, will shut this summer and its receiver is currently advertising a clearance sale to coincide with the retailer’s exit from Canada. One big loss is the closure of a Delvaux concession at Nordstrom — the Belgian luxury brand is considered to be one of the top in the world in terms of quality (with prices to match), and it remains to be seen if Delvaux will move either into Holt Renfrew or open any standalone stores in Canada.
Yorkdale’s first luxury wing leads to the main entrance of Holt Renfrew. Photo: Dustin Fuhs. Looking down into the mall from the second floor of Holt Renfrew Yorkdale. Photo: Dustin Fuhs. Chanel will soon open an elevated boutique beauty space at Holt Renfrew Yorkdale. Photo: Dustin Fuhs.
Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre is in a constant state of flux with new retailers and other offerings continually being added to the mix. Retail Insider will continue to report on new stores as the dynamic centre continues with its transformation.
The ICSC study listed other top shopping centres in Canada in terms of sales per square foot in 2022. Other malls in the top five included CF Pacific Centre in downtown Vancouver at $1,678 per square foot, CF Toronto Eaton Centre in downtown Toronto at $1,367 per square foot, CF Sherway Gardens in Toronto at $1,245 per square foot, and Square One in Mississauga which saw sales of $1,226 per square foot last year. Yorkdale ranked fourth in North America according to ICSC, with three shopping centres in the US surpassing Yorkdale’s sales per square foot numbers last year.
The Women’s National Basketball Association has launched a new platform with Mastercard to support Canadian female entrepreneurs ahead of the league’s first game in Canada.
“WNBA Goods presented by Mastercard” is a new retail platform designed to promote and empower Canadian female entrepreneurs as 10 women-led or owned Canadian small businesses have a range of original, limited-edition WNBA merchandise ahead of the sold-out WNBA Canada Game presented by Tangerine, featuring the Chicago Sky and the Minnesota Lynx playing a pre-season game on Saturday, May 13 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
“The WNBA Canada Game presented by Tangerine will not only mark a historic moment for women’s sports in Canada, but also presents an opportunity to showcase and celebrate successful women across so many different industries,” said NBA Canada Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Leah MacNab. “This program unites talented female entrepreneurs and offers WNBA fans new and unique Canadian merchandise.
Scents by Fay (Image: WNBA)Image: wnbacanadagame.com
“We were incredibly thrilled to bring the first WNBA game to Canada. A big part of the values behind the WNBA are around women’s empowerment and sort of hero-ing women athletes and also entrepreneurs. It made sense to partner with Mastercard because they’re already deeply committed to equal access for women and they recognize the impact this game will have on the professional sports landscape but also on this ability to draw attention to small women-led businesses in Canada.
Leah MacNab
“We are excited about this platform because it essentially aggregates a handful of really, really different businesses that are offering probably our widest selection of both price point and product categories that we’ve ever put forward in Canada. Every consumer that we drive to that micro site is actually going to transact on the individual businesses’ platforms and the hope is they will add new customers for life. We’re hoping to get repeat customers for these businesses and just sort of use the megaphone of our brand to make people aware of them.”
The full range of products is available at WNBACanadaGame.com and can be purchased through each retailer’s website. Prices for the collection range from $9 to $495 CAD, and a portion of proceeds from the sales of all items will be donated to the Canada Basketball Foundation (CBF).
Sasha Krstic
“Mastercard is thrilled to help bring this inaugural game to Canadian fans,” said Mastercard Canada President, Sasha Krstic. “We’re deeply committed to enabling equal access for all girls and women to pursue their dreams. As an official partner of the WNBA Canada game and presenting partner of WNBA Goods, we’re celebrating the historical impact this will have on women’s professional sports and proudly continuing our support of women-owned small businesses in Canada.”
The WNBA Canada Game will also air live in Canada on Sportsnet and TSN, and in the U.S. on WNBA League Pass.
The game will draw more than 19,000 people in attendance.
“I’ve been at the league 18 years next week and in that time every single one of our business metrics has just skyrocketed upwards. Our viewership this year on U.S. matchups, games that don’t involve the Raptors, are up over 20 per cent year over year. Raptors’ ratings have been up over 60 per cent over the last four years. So Raptors have grown even more quickly,” said McNab.
“But to see the other teams grow is really impressive for us as well and that is a big part of our mission to grow the entire ecosystem of basketball. At the youngest levels we have grassroots participation starting to comeback. It was really affected during the pandemic when gyms couldn’t be open to the public. We now almost have the same number of kids. Pre-pandemic we had 20,000 kids in our Junior NBA program. We’re getting closer to that number this year and I think we will achieve it next season.”
Sponsorship has also grown for both the NBA and WNBA.
Stacie Cohen, Senior Director, Branded Attractions at the NBA, said the overall NBA fan base is enormous, approaching about one billion fans around the world.
Stacie Cohen
“But less than one per cent ever get to go to an NBA game. So for us we wanted to create unique touch points from our brand for those who don’t have access to the sport. In doing so, we looked at all our different types of fans,” she said. “There are so many segments of fans . . . There’s this large fan base that truly are in it for the culture and celebrity of the NBA, getting as close to the players as possible, as close to their lifestyle.
“That’s really where the NBA Courtside Restaurant came to be. Bringing people into the community of the NBA.
“Retail as an attraction is not only a pretty great revenue driver but it also delivers on fan expectations.”
NBA Courtside Restaurant in Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)NBA Courtside Restaurant in Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Cohen said the NBA celebrates community.
“I think NBA fans are pretty solid fans. It’s not a brand that you come in and out of. Representing their favourite team or their favourite player really just representing the community affiliation with the NBA is a part of how our fans express themselves,” she said.
“The NBA has really infiltrated culture. For us, we just don’t see it as a sport. We see it as an impact on culture and that’s why when we created the restaurant it really was a statement of culture of the NBA and not just the sport.”
Below is an overview of the 10 women-owned Canadian small businesses and their products, participating in the new retail platform:
BARBAYS: Hair scrunchies featuring the WNBA logo
Born out of a demand for high-quality scrunchies and hair accessories, founder Adrienne Decaire’s vision is to build Barbays into a fashion-forward Canadian brand while maintaining small-town family values.
CUP OF TÉ: Loose-leaf WNBA-themed tea and tea accessories
Driven to overcome challenges from an accident that left her paralyzed, founder and owner Taylor Lindsay-Noel launched Cup of Té with the goal of providing the world’s finest loose leaf organic teas and teaware.
MAKEWAY: “It’s Just Basketball” sweatshirt and sweatpants
Co-founded by Shelby Weaver and Abby Albino, both long-standing members of Toronto’s basketball community, Makeway is Canada’s only standalone women’s sneaker and streetwear boutique.
Cup of Te (Image: WNBA)
MOOD UNKWN: Hydrating under-eye masks
Founded by Raman Gidda in the midst of the pandemic, Mood Unkwn was created to emphasize the importance of daily self-care. Their products were made for all genders and skin types and designed to suit any lifestyle.
NAKED BEAUTY BAR: WNBA logo nail decals
NAKED owners and sisters Julia and Gabrielle Bautista built a nail shop in downtown Toronto designed to redefine the self-care experience, with community-building at its core. NAKED has also expanded into an eponymous skincare and lifestyle product line to fit its community’s needs.
RASHELLE: Hand-pulled rugs featuring the WNBA logo
Rashelle Campbell (she/her) is a Nehiyaw Iskwew multidisciplinary designer who exemplifies a diverse standard of beauty, producing limited-edition, small batch rugs. She believes in embracing thoughtful handmade slow work that has notes of nostalgia and joy.
SANTA ISLA: Hand-beaded jewelry featuring WNBA imagery
Santa Isla’s owner Jess Sanchez works in partnership with Embera Chami artisans of Colombia to make playful jewelry that sparks joy, while honoring Embera’s weaving practices and cultural significance.
Tonic Blooms (Image: WNBA)
SCENTS BY FAY: Aromatic Candles featuring the WNBA logo
Founded by Furhana Glass-Smith, Scents by Fay is a hobby-turned-business born out of the pandemic, using clean, natural ingredients to create unique candles and handcrafted home décor pieces.
THE GIVE & GROW: Planters made out of Official Wilson® WNBA Balls
Owned & operated by Olivia Ho, The Give and Grow is a women-led initiative developed with one purpose: growth. Their one-of-a-kind basketball planters combine a passion for sports and community.
TONIC BLOOMS: On-demand florist showcasing a WNBA-themed bouquet
Co-owned by Corrie Pollock, Tonic Blooms is Toronto’s on-demand florist, offering curated bouquet designs and indoor plants through a seamless delivery experience in as little as two hours.
Ren’s Pets, a leading Canadian specialty retailer of pet food and supplies, has been named the Pet Product News, 2022-2023 Omnichannel Innovator Retailer of the Year Award winner.
“We are proud of all of our brick-and-mortar expansions,” said Larissa Wasyliw, Vice President of E-Commerce and Marketing. “Our stores are part of our omnichannel strategy, and customers like the convenience and simplicity of being able to shop online as well.”
“Our stores are clean, the floors are polished, we don’t have live animals or any aquatic, so the stores smell great,” said Scott Arsenault, CEO of Ren’s Pets. “With the tiered concept, unlike a grocer, customers can see that food is at the back, or where the frozen foods are located. Toys and treats are in some of the gondolas.”
Ren’s Pets in The Junction (Image: Ren’s Pets)Ren’s Pets in The Junction (Image: Ren’s Pets)
Recently, Ren’s Pets opened its latest store in Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the company’s 48th location, and its sixth store in Eastern Canada. There are already Ren’s stores in New Brunswick in Dieppe and Fredericton.
“The Maritimes are a key part of our strategy for store locations, and we’re so excited to have the doors open to a store in Saint John,” said Arsenault. “We know how passionate the pet owners are in this community, and couldn’t wait to show them the premium food, treats, and toys Ren’s has for your Pet’s Best Life.”
The company was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Guelph, Ontario. It was acquired by the Legault Group in August 2021.
In this video interview, Arsenault discusses the company’s recent award, its growth plans and trends in the pet industry.
The Video Interview Series by Retail Insider is available on YouTube.
The Video Interview Series by Retail Insider is available on YouTube.
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Craig's Cookies at Yorkdale Shopping Centre (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Craig Patterson sits down with Craig Pike of Craig’s Cookies. They discuss how Pike got started, how the business grew into multiple stores, and how he’s planning to expand the business under a new franchise model.
A transcript of the conversation can be found below.
If you prefer to listen to the audio version, it is available below:
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Craig Patterson 0:03 Welcome to the Retail Insider Video Series. I’m your host, Craig Patterson, and we’re joined here today with a special guest. This is Craig Pike. He’s the founder of Craig’s Cookies, which has a few locations primarily in Toronto as well as I think now in Newfoundland?
Craig Pike 0:17 Yeah, we have a location in St. John’s.
Craig Patterson 0:20 St. John’s, Newfoundland, where you’re from welcome, Craig.
Craig Pike 0:23 Oh, thanks for having me. Greg.
Craig Patterson 0:25 Tell us how you got started. Because I think you’re from Newfoundland originally, is that correct?
Craig Pike 0:29 I am, I was born and raised in St. John’s. I moved to Toronto in 2004. To go to theater school, I went to George Brown. After I graduated, I was working in the city doing independent theater. I ended up working at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake. I was there for four seasons. And then I moved back to the city in 2012. And in 2013, I was working at a restaurant downtown and they fired everybody. And I had a month off of work, and I needed to pay my phone bill. So I thought I would sell cookies for fun. And I hopped on Facebook and Instagram and at the time, Facebook and Instagram were relatively new and definitely no one was even marketing on Instagram. So I thought it would be a really great free tool to be able to get the word out about this pimped out bake sale that I was starting. And in a month I sold 200 dozen chocolate chip cookies, delivering them on my bike around the city and I went away, did some theater, came back and started selling cookies again while I was bartending and acting. Did that for about five years. In 2018, I opened my first location in Parkdale and now we have five locations across the GTA as well as you said, in St. John’s Newfoundland.
Craig Patterson 1:51 Holy cow, can you take us through a timeline of when these stores opened? Parkdale obviously was the first one I think was Church Street the second?
Craig Pike 1:58 Absolutely, yeah. So technically, for the first four years starting in 2013, I was selling cookies on my bike, but also doing flea markets in the city (Parkdale flea, the Bellwoods flea) and I would literally sell cookies on the side of the road on a sidewalk. I’d wake up at midnight or one of the morning, bake a dozen cookies every eight minutes, do that for seven hours, put them all into Zip-lock bags, went and sold them for six hours and then I would head home. So I did it for about four years.
Craig Pike 2:30 And then in 2017, I was approached by EnRoute magazine (which is a magazine that Air Canada used to offer) and they put me onto the cover as a cookie company story that we’re doing. They matched me up with a Montreal-based cookie store. That kind of opened up a business to more of a Bay Street crowd. Before then it was definitely friends and family delivering cookies to people’s homes and neighborhoods. Now I noticed (starting in 2017, after this article came out with EnRoute) I was doing a lot more corporate gigs, catering, and business work. So that led to a relationship with William Sonoma. They reached out and asked if I would do a pop-up shop. So I went in and I made some cookies and got up at one in the morning and the whole dozen every eight minutes and went up to Yorkdale Mall. And we sold that I think in like two hours. They asked me back a month later. William Sonoma, I’m not really sure if you or your listeners know, but they had little kitchens inside of their locations. So I thought, well, this is a great opportunity that I can actually bake on-site and not have to wake up one morning. Still, they were totally on board with that. So the next time I came back, I just bought my ingredients and baked on site and the smell of the freshly baked cookies wafted into the mall. So people were coming in asking “What’s that smell?”. We sold a bunch of cookies, but also William Sonoma was selling products as a result as well. So they saw a really great opportunity and invited me to be part of a six month permanent pop up shop.
Craig Pike 4:14 So in November of 2017, I took a huge risk and they rented me this little like 6×3 foot space where I could put two little Breville ovens, a mixer and a cutting board and sell cookies there. And it got to a point where after two months, we were doing really, really well but I was also rehearsing a play. I also conduct a choir called ‘Backfire’ in the city and I just was burnt out. I couldn’t I couldn’t keep up with it. I almost stopped “Craig’s Cookies” because it’s not necessarily my passion. The Arts is really where my passion is. And then this space became available in Parkdale. It was 300 square feet. I’d always thought that I was going to open something I want it to be small to feel like you’re going into your grandmother’s kitchen to grab a cookie. So when I looked at it, and I thought it was perfect. The landlord, you know, didn’t necessarily need much background checks based on his integrity, but that’s a whole another story. So between the jigs and reels, you know, I have $4,000 in my bank, I gave my bank draft, and I gave him all of my money first and last month’s rent. And I thought I could just open a cookie shop. And very quickly, I learned that it would be a lot more than just $4,000 to open a business in Toronto. So I was able to start an online fundraiser, somebody came on board and was able to lend me some money who found out about the store opening just from the public. We opened our first location on April, the eighth in Parkdale so that in 2018.
Craig Pike 6:15 That was supposed to be just me and one other person for two years, that was the business plan. I was going to give up acting and the arts for two years, and just really commit and see how this going to work. And like I have a really great career in theater but it was more that I was curious (at that point in my life five years ago) “What would happen if I if I tried this completely different thing?”. Within a week, BlogTO came by and did a little video. That video got 1.4 million views or something in like, the first month and we went from two employees to I think eight employees within four days. We were expecting to sell something like maybe $80,000 and cookies that year, and we ended up doing $600,000 in sales.
Craig Patterson 6:15 Wow!
Craig’s Cookies at 483 Church St (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Craig Pike 6:16 Which was which was wild. And you know, let’s six months later Nordstrom reached out and we started with our relationship with Nordstrom and at Christmas of 2018. Which has been long lasting, but until now.
Craig Patterson 7:32 Funny enough, I’d actually discovered Craig’s Cookies at Nordstrom at the CF Toronto Eaton Centre. It was a kiosk by the escalators. Because my name is, of course, is Craig. And I thought, Oh, these look great and I tried one and I thought, Oh my God, these are amazing. Are these special recipes or how did you come about creating these? Because people love them, and they’re delicious.
Craig Pike 7:59 To answer your last question very quickly, I opened the Church location and in 2019. The Bayview location, then opened 2020 during the pandemic during the Halloween weekend. And then in 2021, I opened Leslieville. And then in 2021, in the fall, I opened Yorkdale Mall. So that’s the kind of the timeline, of major part of our growth as far as ‘bricks and mortar’ that happened during the pandemic. The recipe is my mom’s recipe. It’s a really good chocolate chip cookie recipe, and then I kind of went bonkers and started putting stuff inside of them.
Craig Patterson 8:41 That’s amazing. How many different varieties of cookies (I’m not sure if I’m using the right terminology) are there?
Craig Pike 8:50 Perfect, it’s, it’s perfect. Everything is kind of the same dough and whether or not we put chocolate chips in it or not. And then if it’s the chocolate cookie, then sometimes we put a Mars Bar inside or Peanut Butter Cup inside. Sometimes you just don’t put chocolate chips in it at all, which then makes like a toffee cookie or a butterscotch cookie. But in total there, anywhere between 80 and 90 flavors at our locations, the menu board can only fit about 20 to 22 flavors at a time. So part of the charm is that there are different flavors every time you come in. So you get to try something new every single time they come to a Craig’s Cookies.
Craig Patterson 9:30 Amazing, amazing. How large are the stores typically? I’ve been to the one on Church Street and I mean, I’m not even sure what the square footage is. But the first one in Parkdale was 300 square feet. What typically are the stores now in terms of size?
Craig Pike 9:43 I mean, the store in Parkdale. 300 square feet. We used to like it was four but they used to sit around or stand around a table that was about the size of like a typical bathroom vanity and made hundreds of cookies. So three square feet was definitely not ideal. What we usually try to look for is a minimum right now of 1000 square feet per location.
Craig Patterson 10:06 No, no, that makes sense. Absolutely. Now, the initial expansion, it sounds like it was quite successful. You mentioned this location. Bayview, Parkdale, Church St, Bayview Avenue, which is I think in Leaside. Is that the part of Bayview that it’s located?
Craig Pike 10:19 I believe so. I feel like Leaside is this kind of like mysterious place where my phone changes, and I need a passport to go to. But I think yeah, I think that’s what it’s called the Leaside.
Craig Patterson 10:19 Yeah. And Leslieville, which is becoming a very hot area in itself. Is it Queen Street East?
Craig Pike 10:36 Queen Street East, yeah! I don’t have a business background. So I kind of just remember reading an article years ago about Starbucks, and the amount of time and effort their team spends looking into where they should open locations. So when I started expanding, I just started really thinking, “Well, where is there a Starbucks?”. If a Starbucks just opened in the neighborhood, then I should probably open to Craig’s Cookies in the neighborhood since they’ve done a lot of research on whether or not a neighborhood is viable. So don’t tell anyone, but I kinda piggyback on Starbucks. Its really brilliant way of doing things like that. We can all have opinions on coffee and flavor, and etc., etc., etc. but as far as that brand is concerned, and their ability to continue incredible customer service over so many stores across the world, it’s quite impressive.
Craig Patterson 11:38 Absolutely. I mean, and also Starbucks has closed a lot of locations, but that’s probably irrelevant. I mean, they chose locations that were considered to be optimal for the most part. A lot of them are successful, that’s for sure. There’s a bit of an expansion, I think, happening now with Craig’s Cookies. And it involves franchising. Can you tell us a bit about that?
Craig Pike 11:59 Yeah, absolutely. So, I opened six stores and what I’ve learned is that, in the last five years, there’s been so many great opportunities that Craig’s Cookies has been able to offer marginalized communities, local community centers, schools, arts organizations. But there’s also challenges that come with owning six stores and the HR around that and the day to day running an operations. So I got to a point where, after the pandemic, and about about a year ago, I thought, you know, I’m happy with the six stores now. This isn’t necessarily my complete passion (owning a business). I love so many things about it, I love being able to employ folks. I love being able to give people jobs, I love offering a safe, welcoming space for people to come and enjoy baked goods. But you know, my passion is the arts. So I was able to take a second and think, if there’s an expansion within the company, how can that then feed into a not for profit that I ended up starting this past August. Its called “That Arts Group” which is the parent company to “That Theatre Company” and “That choir”. “That Choir” is a professional ensemble that I conduct. And “That Theatre Company”, we have our first play being produced in a month. We start rehearsals in a week. And so with the growth of the company, you know, we’ve been getting so many inquiries about franchising over the years. Anywhere from Vancouver to Abu Dhabi. So there’s definitely interest. We started some really interesting, slow, but serious conversations about a year ago, and certainly within the last two or three months that things have really ramped up. And we’re in serious conversations about franchising, and it’s been really eye opening to me, it’s I’m learning quite a bit, but also really forcing me to reflect on how to continually have protection over the integrity of the brand as it grows. So not going too fast, but also recognizing the opportunities when they arise.
Craig’s Cookies at 1332 Queen St W (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Craig Patterson 14:31 Absolutely. Is there a goal in terms of the number of franchise locations that we might see for Craig’s Cookes across Canada?
Craig Pike 14:38 Yeah, there really isn’t. It’s a good question. I think at the end of the day, I’m happy if there’s one if there’s one store that opens in a year, there are folks that I really enjoy and they stand behind the ethos and the culture of Craig’s Cookies. And if there’s 40 stores that can keep the integrity of what I’ve built them that’s also fine. I mean, it’s also kind of making sure that us at head office here, which is a small team of only five people, where we are prepared for that kind of growth. So while like I said, you want to take advantage of an opportunity, if it arises, you also want to make sure that you don’t grow too fast. Because if you do not have an infrastructure in place to be able to support it, then that’s where, in my opinion, in my little research, that’s where businesses kind of can begin seeing quite serious challenges.
Craig Patterson 15:33 And in terms of the baking with the franchisee be involved in that? Say, if they opened a location or what would be the plan there?
Craig Pike 15:40 You know, it’s pretty, it’s pretty exciting, because all of these kinds of decisions can be super fluid, and we’re learning as we go. But currently, all Craig’s Cookies are baked fresh on site. That is the that’s really important for the integrity of the product that all cookies are made and baked fresh on location. Right now all six stores, all cookies are made at each specific location.
Craig Patterson 16:07 Oh, yeah, no, that’s instead of having one centralized kitchen, which I know that some places will do. Like, I think Carlos Bakeshop everything is made in (the are only two locations that are standalone in Toronto) Port Credit. But I was at the one in Yorkville, and they said that it’s too small. They don’t make the stuff there. They just get it shipped. And it’s not that far anyways.
Craig Pike 16:27 Yeah, we make everything on site.
Craig Patterson 16:31 Yeah. In terms of the design ethos of the spaces, is there a sort of a consistent design? I’m just thinking like, you know, in the village and Toronto on Church Street, you know, there’s wood floors. At Yorkdale, the Yorkdale Shopping Center location has a large rainbow awning on the top. Are the locations – do you do foresee sort of a similar design or something unique for each location? Or what are you thinking? Any ideas there yet?
Craig Pike 16:54 Well, I feel like it’s twofold. I think that there’s the culture of crates and keys that meet that that needs to be represented with every location. Myself, being a member of the queer community and being a business owner. I think it’s important for me, and I think it’s also important for any business owner for their business to reflect their own values. So Craig Cookies is quite vocally and publicly a queer owned business. So when you speak of the rainbow colors, that Yorkdale, including the bipoc and trans colors, I did that on purpose, because I think I have an opportunity as a business owner to be able to give visibility to that community. And I decided to go bold with it. So as far as the culture, it’s really important culture stays the same at every location, but Craig’s Cookies remains a business that advocates for, for the queer community and marginalized communities in general. I would say as far as the look and vibe, the physical look and vibe of each location. Absolutely. You know, when I opened our second location, I remember. I mean, I’m kind of like a sponge. That’s the I think that’s the only thing I really had. Not the only but one of the things I had to offer to my growth of businesses, I kind of listened to everything that people say. And I remember somebody along the way said, if you’ve ever opened a second location, make sure it looks that like your first location and spend the time to do that. So then you’re building a brand and you’re building a visual for for your brand. Okay, cool. So when I opened the second location, I made sure it was same blue tiles, the same hardwood floor, stain countertop art on the walls, black and white checkered floors. So now all six locations have the exact same vibe. It’s hardwood floors up front, blue tiles, hardwood is the call back to my grandmother’s Victorian home. In St. John’s, the blue is for that ocean. Some people assume that its a cookie monster blue, but it’s that actually blue for the for the Atlantic Ocean, the black on my top and the back are just kind of stereotypical kitchen tiles to make you feel like you’re going to somebody’s home as opposed to a store. That is going to be something that’s in place and mandated moving forward with any franchise.
Craig Patterson 19:24 That’s terrific. That’s terrific. Do you think you’ll tie anything around the art into the business at some point given that that’s your passion as well?
Craig Pike 19:31 Yeah, what the opportunity is is to be able to then see how the cookie shop (my six locations and then also anything that’s coming from the from the franchisees) can then go back into the arts. Whether or not it’s financially or just visibility as far as being able to support the donations of cookies or other opportunities that might arrive.
Craig Patterson 20:04 Terrific. Terrific. Has anything else you want to talk about here in terms of Craig’s Cookies today?
Craig Pike 20:09 Oh, no, I’m good. Yeah. What’s your favorite cookie?
Craig Patterson 20:14 Oh, my goodness. I mean, that’s a tough one. I like the straight up chocolate chip ones. They’re just amazing. It’s I don’t know if I have a favorite because we’ve gotten you know, dozens at a time or bought purchased a dozen at a time and a different ones. And it’s sometimes hard to choose.
Craig Pike 20:34 It is hard to choose, it is hard to choose.
Craig Patterson 20:38 I’ll try not to be a glutton because, you know, kind of workout and go on a diet, but it’s hard when you got cookies out there.
Craig Pike 20:46 Exactly. And you got to enjoy life. It’s very true.
Craig Patterson 20:49 Well, thank you so much for joining us today. This has been Craig Pike. He’s the founder of Craig’s cookies, which is grown to six locations is now going to be franchising, which means there’s going to be opportunities to not only Craig’s Cookies, but to even perhaps own a franchise at some point. So I’ll put some information in the show notes here as well. Thank you so much, Craig, for joining us today on this video interview.
Craig Pike 21:10 Thank you, Craig. It’s pretty good to see you.
Craig Patterson 21:14 And I’m Craig Patterson. I’m the founder and CEO of Retail Insider Media. I’m the host of the Retail Insider Video Interview series. Thank you so much for watching, watching or listening. If you’re listening to this on your podcast channel. Take care and bye for now.
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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/
