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.
Lagging consumer confidence means retailers and retail landlords will need to prioritize the consumer experience to drive growth in 2023, according to a report by the retail experts at Colliers Real Estate Management Services.
“Consumer confidence is one of the main indicators of the consumer’s willingness to spend, especially on discretionary purchases. According to Nanos Research, this metric has been declining over the past few months and currently resembles the confidence felt in 2008, during the Great Recession,” says the report.
“In order to see continued sales growth in 2023, retailers and retail landlords must prioritize the consumer experience. The type, quality, and ease of service, along with the range of promotions, and entertainment available, must be tailored to each retailer’s customer base. An enhanced consumer experience also includes sophisticated omnichannel retail, whereby there is harmonious service between all potential points of sale, including in-store and online.”
Nordstrom at CF Toronto Eaton Centre (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Adam Jacobs, Senior National Director, Research, Colliers, said the retail industry is experiencing record high sales for this year.
Adam Jacobs
“You could say okay that’s adjusted for inflation, it’s maybe not as high as it looks. But it’s not going down. We’re still at a point where retail is trending upwards. We had the all-time shock to end all shocks during COVID but you know one of the weird silver linings of COVID was we all ended up saving a lot of money and paying off some of our debt and having a little more cash in the bank and we’re kind of reaping that in retail now,” said Jacobs.
“There’s the big pent-up demand they call it or catch up spending. I think this has still been a year that has beat expectations and it’s hard to remember that we’re still in the first year of recovering from lockdowns. I’m in Ontario and it was only eight or nine months ago that we were actually lifting restrictions.
“When we look at the foot traffic measures there’s still an upward trajectory there for a little while longer.”
Figure 1: Retail sales (Year end 2016-2021, Jan-Sept 2022) and forecasted retail sales (Oct-Dec 2022). Source: StatsCan and ColliersFigure 2: Apparel sales and forecasted apparel sales prior to COVID. Source: StatsCan and Colliers
Jacobs said the e-commerce business was massive during the pandemic but it’s still a little bit behind the US in terms of how built out the sector is.
“E-commerce. There’s still some room to grow there. We’re still a little bit behind some other countries in that area.”
In 2021, total retail sales were the highest on record, reaching $680 billion, said the Colliers report.
“Following what we predict will be a strong holiday season, we expect retail sales to exceed $730 billion in 2022, an increase of seven per cent,” it said.
“E-commerce sales have stabilized at six per cent of total retail sales, falling from the pandemic high of approximately 11 per cent. After a surge in 2020, e-commerce has stabilized at six per cent of total retail sales. This percentage is growing annually, but poses little risk to brick and mortar sales, which are also increasing. E-commerce as a percentage of total retail sales is expected to rise to around 10 per cent by 2025 . . . e-commerce and brick and mortar retail need to be seen as collaborative partners in creating omnichannel retail, where all potential points of sale drive overall growth.”
Figure 3: Overall retail sales growth and inflation adjusted growth, by category. Source: StatsCan and Colliers
Colliers said apparel is currently among the healthiest retail sectors, with sales in 2022 up 27 per cent compared to 2021. It was one of the hardest hit retail categories between 2020 and 2021.
“As in-person work, travel, and social activities have increased, apparel has seen a comeback. Spending on apparel has increased 27 per cent year to date in 2022 compared to 2021 and 52 per cent compared to 2020. This is particularly good news for enclosed mall owners and tenants, where apparel tends to encompass the majority of their merchandise mix,” it said.
“Inflation is not affecting each category of retail equally, with apparel among the least impacted and gas and groceries among the most impacted.
Loblaws Queen Street (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Total retail sales in 2022 are predicted to increase seven per cent compared to 2021, yet only two per cent when adjusted for inflation. That said, inflation is not affecting each category of retail equally. Apparel is among the least impacted, as a 27 per cent increase in sales year to date becomes 25 per cent when adjusted for inflation. Gas and food are among the most impacted. In 2022 year to date, gas sales rose 35 per cent, but only seven per cent when adjusted for inflation. A one per cent increase in food spending is down (seven per cent) when adjusted for inflation.”
Jacobs said debt is increasing, people are borrowing more and they’re not saving as much.
“So far we haven’t seen that affecting retail sales but there is a possible headwind where people get a little tapped out on borrowing, they feel like they need to save. The thing about inflation is that it’s not evenly distributed,” he said.
But increasing food prices, for example, squeezes people’s budgets.
“One thing we’re seeing, everything related to going back to life in public is back in a big way. Clothes, food and beverage, shoes, entertainment. All of that stuff has been going really strong,” explained Jacobs.
Seven locations in Alberta have been transformed into licensed restaurant formats and adult patrons can now enjoy freshly prepared meals from 7-Eleven Canada with chilled beer, wine, seltzers or coolers by dining in, ordering takeout or delivery. (CNW Group/7-Eleven Canada)
The 7-Eleven convenience store brand in Canada is expanding some of its restaurants into licensed locations with dine-in seating areas.
The initiative has been launched in seven Alberta stores where customers can enjoy freshly prepared meals with chilled beer, wine, seltzers or coolers.
Marc Goodman
The company plans to roll out the concept in the near future to more locations including in Ontario.
“7-Eleven really is a restaurant that happens to sell convenience store items,” said Marc Goodman, Vice President & General Manager of 7-Eleven Canada. “We have this rich legacy of being a restaurant model here in Canada. It really comes from our global experience as an operator of over 80,000 locations globally.
“We’re innovators of high quality, fresh food, proprietary beverages in the neighbourhoods that we serve all across the world. The goal is to continue to grow as a restaurant and to grow our licensed restaurant format. It’s a natural extension to what we already do well.”
Its licensed restaurants include:
8210 – 160 Avenue, Edmonton
6975 Ellerslie Rd., SW, Edmonton
1704 Millwoods Rd South, Edmonton
14110 – 127 Street, Edmonton
4602 – 50th Avenue, Rocky Mountain House (dine-in and takeout only; no delivery)
101 West Haven Blvd., Leduc
10002 Franklin Avenue, Fort McMurray
“We’re looking to expand to Ontario as well,” said Goodman.
“It’s quite disruptive to an industry that looks to us as a convenience store. We are a food first organization. So we really are a restaurant first that happens to sell convenience store items. Two markets that we’re looking to obviously grow and continue to change perception are in Ontario and Alberta.”
All 7-Eleven staff at these new licensed restaurant formats are ProServe trained.
There are three convenient ways to enjoy the new 7-Eleven Canada licensed restaurants, says the company:
Dine-in: To experience the new dine-in option, you can drop by the new 7-Eleven licensed restaurants between 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. to enjoy a meal paired with a refreshing drink.
Takeout: If you’re on the go and looking for a one-stop shop for hot foods and alcoholic drinks, you can visit any of these locations between 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., seven days a week.
Delivery: For those that don’t want to leave the comfort of their home and are in the delivery range, you can place a delivery order through UberEats, DoorDash or SkiptheDishes between 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.
“Consumers turn to us for value, for meals. We’re trusted in consumers’ minds for food and that is what we do first. We’re a food first organization . . . Consumers are looking for alternative, quick serve, fresh with high value products. And that’s what we offer,” said Goodman. “We’re looking for more ways to provide them convenience. The ability to pair your meals with a beverage . . . that’s something that our consumers have been asking about.”
The company has about 620 total locations in Canada.
Open 24/7, 7-Eleven is located in Terminal 1 International Arrivals (CNW Group/7-Eleven Canada)
Recently, 7-Eleven opened its newest convenience location at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Open 24/7 and located in Terminal 1 International Arrivals, the store will serve travelers and airport employees.
The company currently has five stores in airport locations.
“As a leading retailer, our goal at 7-Eleven Canada is to meet our customers where they are with what they need, and our latest store opening inside Toronto Pearson International Airport will provide both airport employees and travelers with all their on-the-go needs,” said Goodman. “We’re excited to serve the thousands of travelers and airport employees every day as we continue to expand our footprint for the years to come.”
The newly opened store is located as people step off the aircraft. 7-Eleven previously had a smaller location close to its new store which offers an expanded array of fresh food, proprietary beverages and a larger assortment of drinks and snacks.
7-Eleven at Toronto Pearson Airport
Ian Clarke
“Since 2013, 7-Eleven has been a staple at Pearson’s Terminal 1—for arriving passengers, their friends and family and our employees,” said Ian Clarke, Chief Financial Officer and Acting Head of Commercial and Business Partnerships at the Greater Toronto Airports Authority. “We’re delighted to be celebrating the opening of 7-Eleven’s all-new location and the convenience it offers everyone at the airport just in time for the traditionally busy holiday travel season.”
Goodman said the company is constantly looking to innovate and find new ways to provide more convenient ways for customers to shop.
“We always look to continue to expand our footprint in years to come,” he said.
“The number of people that Pearson employs is equivalent to being the 87th largest city in Canada. It’s a large community and it’s a community that needs to have quick and quality service.”
And with all the travellers as well, “it’s an amazing number of people that we can serve, and provide food and drinks to those who trust our brand and know our brand globally.”
The Grid, an entertainment business that specializes in immersive experiences through Virtual Reality, E-Sports, interactive learning, all with the goal of improving both physical and mental health, was first launched in Whitby, Ontario but has plans to grow the offering beyond the southern Ontario town.
Geoff Eisfeld, founder of the concept, said The Grid was his creation and the idea just keeps evolving.
“It started out that it was supposed to be a fitness, nightclub kind of a place with video games and exercise equipment and that evolved over the years into more of a mainstream event venue with high tech video games and virtual reality,” he said. “It’s not like I set out to create what it is today. It keeps changing and growing.
“And now we’re at the stage where multiple locations and businesses all over the world want a piece of what I’ve created. But in a nutshell it’s a gaming, physically active entertainment venue. Lots of video games where we encourage physical movement through sports and basketball and even virtual reality.”
The Grid Whitby (Image: The Grid)
The first location opened in September 2017 in south Whitby, just east of Toronto. The Grid is located in an industrial plaza in the town and is in about 4,700 square feet.
“We’re in the process of finalizing a deal to get keys for a new building that’s about 12,000 square feet February 1,” he said. “So we’re moving from an industrial plaza which was the business growing, and learning the ins and outs and kind of figuring where we fit in society. We know where we belong. So we’re moving into regular retail plazas that are in communities next to schools and Walmarts and things like that.
“The issue with a lot of entertainment businesses is they don’t have enough clientele or customers to sustain them and pay high rents in commercial plazas. So they go industrial. That’s away from the customers. So it’s hard for people and families to get to these places regularly enough for it to actually be beneficial to them as a whole. After school kids can ride their bikes over and come and play and learn and grow instead of a Saturday because it’s raining they drive half an hour out of the city to find a trampoline park or things like that that are in cheaper real estate.”
The Grid Whitby (Image: The Grid)
The second and new location will be open seven days a week.
Eisfeld has extensive event industry knowledge and connections throughout North America. All that can now be funneled into this business venture.
“We’ve had interest in Colombia, Australia, UK. US like crazy. Florida, Miami, California. I’m very outspoken in the industry and gravitate towards anyone who is willing to listen and wants to be part of this. I don’t need to sit back and make all this money and raise all that capital,” he said.
“It’s more just the impact of kids and society. So that’s what we’re chasing. We want to be the biggest impact possible at a time when society and kids and families need it. They need an outlet that isn’t just video games. It isn’t just organized sports. It isn’t an after school learning program. They kind of have to put all three together and kids will want to be here every single day. They join us online. We’re actually a full accredited high school in the New Year with our new location. So we get all of our high school credits. Fully licensed. Better education system than the current public system and we use a lot of technology in really connecting with the kids.”
After 15 years in the mainstream event industry, he was in a key leadership role at his company. But he just felt he wasn’t being financially compensated enough for what he was delivering. He left his job and went off on his own for a couple of years as an independent contractor.
Working from home, he had lots of free time and he funneled his free time into exercise, playing with his family, creating a new home dynamic.
“I built a home fitness entertainment room in my house. In about 60 square feet. So you picture the average furnace room. It was black and neon and fog machines and mirrors and TVs. My kids, the three of us, would go in and play while my wife was at work,” said Eisfeld.
“As we started posting content, because we’re all about creating and sharing, the industry and anyone who would see what we were doing were asking when I’m open for business, when could they book time. They were really trying to book play time in my little room at home which was nothing. I wasn’t going to have anyone just come over and play.
The Grid Whitby (Image: The Grid)
“So the fact that everyone thought that my little room was a business kind of got the wheels turning and made us realize what if we actually made this a business and I actually supported my family with video games and fun and activities versus chasing weddings and event planners and things like that. I shifted focus.
“For five years I didn’t have any employees. Every party, every crumb on the floor had to be vacuumed. Every paint. Everything had to be fixed by me. Every child. Serving the pizza. Entertaining the kids. Just by myself. Unless I had large groups and I asked a friend or a family member or my son to come help. I didn’t have actual employees until February of this year. It’s been a fun five years of playing and learning and changing the business.
“I don’t sell products. I sell time and experience and therefore I can charge almost anything and I have very little overhead.”
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.
Maison Mercedes, a Mercedes-Benz signature storefront, will be open from November 18 to December 24, 2022 at 100 Bloor St. West in the heart of Yorkville, in Toronto. Shoppers at Maison Mercedes can purchase luxurious outerwear, jewelry, handbags, and premium accessories from Canadian fashion brands. (CNW Group/Mercedes-Benz Canada)
This holiday season, Mercedes-Benz has opened its doors for a short time to bring a new interactive concept retail to Toronto.
Located at 100 Bloor Street West in Toronto’s Bloor-Yorkville Neighbourhood, Mercedes-Benz has opened a luxury space with Maison Mercedes spanning 8,000 square feet. The storefront, once occupied by a Pottery Barn store, recently opened and is only open until December 24th.
“We built Maison Mercedes to immerse guests in the incomparable world of Mercedes-Benz luxury while highlighting three of our key specialty brands: Mercedes-Maybach, Mercedes-AMG, and G-Class. We are proud that Maison Mercedes brings together the world’s most desirable cars, Canadian fashion, and luxury retail under one roof,” says Nikhil Ondhia, the Vice President, Brand Marketing, and Digital Experience for Mercedes-Benz.
“Like a runway presentation by any tradition-rich fashion house, Maison Mercedes aims to transport its guests to another world; in our case, a luxurious world that is unmistakably Mercedes-Benz. Luxury has always been at the core of the Mercedes-Benz. With Maison Mercedes, we are inviting visitors to experience a sensorial exhibition of luxury, while interacting with the world’s most desirable cars this holiday season. Interactive Experience.”
Interactive Experiences
The MANUFAKTUR Marketplace, a highly interactive world inspired by the new MANUFAKTUR program from Mercedes-Benz, which allows customers to customize their vehicles with over a million possible combinations of high-end interior and exterior appointments. The MANUFAKTUR Marketplace includes luxury retail with small luxurious items from Mercedes-Benz and other fashion brands. (CNW Group/Mercedes-Benz Canada)
Maison Mercedes is featuring two interactive areas: the Haute Universe and the MANUFAKTUR Marketplace. The Haute Universe, inspired by the Mercedes-Maybach, is a “luxurious, dreamy, sensational world where minimalism feels like maximalism through the use of otherworldly shapes, textures, and colours.”
Nikhil Ondhia
The centrepiece for the Haute Universe can be viewed from the Maison Mercedes display window and is the Concept Mercedes-Maybach Voiture. The Haute Universe includes the Mercedes-Maybach S 580 Sedan where guests are allowed to get up close and experience the luxury car. There will also be a trained retail staff to provide a guided tour of the Mercedes-Maybach S 580.
In addition to the car, the space has a Dolby Atmos interactive installation, giving customers an immersive feel and audio experience – Dolby Atmos, as of 2022, will be in all Mercedes-Maybach models. “In the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class Sedan, 31 speakers, two amplifiers, and eight sound transducers place sound directionally in space, creating a 360-degree immersive listening experience.”
The Haute Universe, within Maison Mercedes, signifies a luxurious, dreamy, sensational world, inspired by the sophisticated luxury of Mercedes-Maybach. (CNW Group/Mercedes-Benz Canada)
“It features striking, fashion-inspired colour and material combinations reminiscent of the world of haute couture. The Concept Mercedes-Maybach Haute Voiture is making its Canadian debut within the Haute Universe. Maison Mercedes is not only a brand experience but a destination for retail luxury and the Haute Universe features selections from the Mercedes-Maybach Icons of Luxury collection and Canadian brands SENTALER, MAS, Hestia Jewels, and Alan Anderson.”
The second interactive space, MANUFAKTUR, is connected to the Haute Universe where guests can walk through an LED-lit tunnel where it offers a different experience. The MANUFAKTUR showcases the G-Class and Mercedes-AMG where customers have the option to customize their vehicles and decide on over a million interior and exterior options. The program is inspired by the new MANUFAKTUR program from Mercedes-Benz, creating the option to make the vehicle more personalized to what the customer wants.
The MANUFAKTUR Marketplace
Maison Mercedes at 100 Bloor St. West (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Mercedes-Benz is mixing luxury cars with luxury retail offerings. While customers are taking a look at cars, they can also shop.
The space includes items from Mercedes-Benz and fashion brands such as Varsity Atelier and Luxury, Espelma Candles, Bankg & Olufsen, Cocobaby Silk Scarves, Jeffrey Levinson, Sarah Abaza, Sully & Son Co., Luxton, Thomasine, and the Toronto-based Mellis Chocolate.
One product that can be found is Varsity headwear, a Norwegian luxury brand, where costumes can continue the customization theme from their cars to deciding on details on their caps.
“Guests can choose from a range of premium and sustainable fabrics, rich colours, and unique fits. They will also be able to add a final touch of personalization at the diamond engraving station. The MANUFAKTUR Marketplace reminds us that fashion isn’t just about design, it is about elevating every detail to reflect a personal style. Customization, personalization, and self-expression are the core values and everyone is encouraged to be their own icon of Unique.”
Maison Mercedes at 100 Bloor St. West (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Maison Mercedes has also partnered with the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards to showcase Canadian design and for customers to shop Canadian brands such as SENTALER, Luxton, Sally & Son Co., Alan Womenswear Designer of the Year award, and LECAVALIER in the Maison Mercedes space.
“The relationship with CAFA helped us enrich our luxury retail offering at Maison Mercedes. To celebrate the opening of Maison Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz teamed up with CAFA to invite the Canadian fashion community into the space to enjoy a panel discussion that explored the relationship between a designer’s vision and an artisan’s craftsmanship in the pursuit to create luxurious rarities – whether that’s couture pieces of beautiful vehicles.
“We have seen consumers choosing Maison Mercedes this holiday season as a destination to explore the Canadian brands represented in the retail offering. Visitors will be transported to a luxurious world that surrounds them with the world’s most desirable cars, interactive installations, and lets them shop fashion and design brands from Canada and around the world.”
Maison Mercedes at 100 Bloor St. West (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Maison Mercedes at 100 Bloor St. West (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Maison Mercedes at 100 Bloor St. West (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Maison Mercedes at 100 Bloor St. West (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Maison Mercedes at 100 Bloor St. West (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Maison Mercedes at 100 Bloor St. West (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Maison Mercedes at 100 Bloor St. West (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Maison Mercedes at 100 Bloor St. West (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Maison Mercedes at 100 Bloor St. West (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Maison Mercedes at 100 Bloor St. West (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Maison Mercedes at 100 Bloor St. West (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Maison Mercedes at 100 Bloor St. West (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Maison Mercedes at 100 Bloor St. West (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Maison Mercedes at 100 Bloor St. West (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Maison Mercedes at 100 Bloor St. West (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Video Interview: Hunt On To Find Canada's Favourite Local Business
Colin Munro, Managing Director, Miconex, discusses a campaign currently on to find Canada’s favourite local business.
Munro talks about the details of the “Help Us Find Canada’s Favourite Local Business” campaign and why it was launched, the importance of supporting local business, what Miconex does, and its downtown gift card program.
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.
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.
Oxford Properties has launched StyList, an online shopping platform that allows consumers to search and shop from different stores with a single basket and single transaction.
“We know that the customer journey begins online with customers searching before they buy a product. We designed StyList to let visitors make the most of their time at our centres beyond shopping, to enjoy dining and entertainment amenities,” said Lucia Connor, Vice President of Marketing, Oxford Properties.
“By providing real-time live inventory from participating retailers, our customers can plan ahead before they shop in-mall or browse online and buy from multiple stores in a single transition. Our StyLists complete the transaction by shopping each store and packaging the items for in-mall or curbside pick-up at no additional charge for the service.”
Image: StyList
In 2019, Oxford launched a platform called ShopNow. It wanted to expand the search capabilities on its website to meet the growing trend of people researching online before buying products.
“We understood that the way customers were shopping they don’t necessarily come to the mall to window shop like we used to . . . We wanted to get to a place where we could support our customers in bridging the gap between online search and physical stores,” said Connor. “We had ShopNow and what it was able to provide is a listing of products.”
Lucia Connor
The online platform made it possible for customers to search store products at all its malls as a way of nurturing property-specific loyalty and engagement. To enhance the ShopNow platform and make shopping seamless, Yorkdale and Square One evolved the platform, now launching as StyList, Oxford’s first omni-channel platform that allows consumers to search and shop inventory with a single basket and single transaction. Guests may pick up the parcels at Yorkdale Guest Services/Square One Guest Services or curbside at no additional charge for the service.
“We were fine at search (with ShopNow) but after the pandemic we recognized that we really wanted to take it to the next level which is how can we further bridge the gap between our retailers and our actual stores that are available in our mall,” said Connor.
“So we’ve added the functionality of live inventory. StyList now has the capability to review products that are available in stores. A really great filtering opportunity for the customer . . . We’ve added a customer amenity on top of that and this amenity allows a customer to now bring in products from one or more stores and add it to a single basket and then they can actually shop Yorkdale or Square One with a single transaction.
“The order comes through to our Customer Service Desk, they receive the order and then they go shopping on behalf of the customer, they group all of the products together and the customer is alerted via text or email whatever the customer selects as a point of communication. And they can connect. If there’s a price difference, if the size isn’t there by the time they go pick it up, they have an opportunity to communicate. And the customer is alerted when the order is ready for pick-up. They can come into the mall at a central location and we even provide curbside pick-up at valet.”
Image: StyList on Yorkdale.com
StyList can be accessed via Yorkdale.com or ShopSquareOne.com. The platform also includes a Wishlist feature, for consumers to save their favourites to purchase at a later time or share with family and friends.
Connor said there are about 65,000 products available at each of the malls.
She said the retailers need to have a live inventory capability in order to be part of the platform.
Yorkdale and Square One are the largest shopping centres in Oxford’s portfolio. They were also the first properties that piloted the first iteration of the concept as well.
Here’s how it works:
Search for your item of choice (for example, a black dress)
Narrow down your search by filtering by brand, store, colour, price and/or category.
Choose your desired item and add to your cart or wishlist (to be saved for later).
Checkout.
Wait for a pick-up confirmation email (within 48 hours), then pick up your items in-mall or curbside, at no charge.
Image: StyList on shopsquareone.com
Connor said Oxford will roll out the concept to other properties in the future.
“This is a test for us. We’re doing a pilot and so we will have the opportunity to expand it across our other shopping centres. Our other shopping centres have the ability, we call this a Wishlist, they still have the ability to select products and they drop it into a Wishlist and that tool really helps and re-enforces the ability to plan your visit so you know when you’re coming in the products are available in-store and you’re not just searching for the store itself.”
Oxford Properties Group, established in 1960, manages approximately C$60 billion of assets across the globe on behalf of its co-owners and investment partners. Oxford’s portfolio encompasses office, retail, industrial, hotels and multifamily residential and spans more than 100 million square feet in global gateway cities across four continents. Oxford is owned by OMERS, the AAA credit rated defined benefit pension plan for Ontario’s municipal employees.
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.
Athleta at West Edmonton Mall (Image: West Edmonton Mall)
Gap-owned performance lifestyle brand Athleta has opened a store in West Edmonton Mall as part of a Canadian expansion.
The brand opened in a 8,734 square foot Level Two, Phase II location that was formerly Abercrombie & Fitch.
Athleta expanded into the Canadian market with the launch of an ecommerce platform in August 2021 before opening the first company-operated stores outside of the US at Park Royal Shopping Centre in West Vancouver and in Yorkdale Shopping Centre.
Athleta at West Edmonton Mall (Image: WEM.ca)Athleta at West Edmonton Mall (Image: West Edmonton Mall)
The brand shared with Retail Insider during a June 2022 interview that the Canadian market would see five new locations by the end of the year with a continued expansion of stores coming in 2023.
“The addition of five new stores this year is an extension of our entry strategy and launch success. Athleta’s Canadian business is a key contributor to long-term growth, and we believe our store fleet growth strategy will get us there as we see Canadians return to in-store shopping,” said Jenelle Sheridan, VP and GM Athleta Canada.
“We have learned a lot about the Canadian customer since launch – including where our online demand is coming from as well as what she is most interested in from our brand. We’ve leveraged these insights, combined with the 30+ years of experience our sister brands (Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic) have operating in the Canadian market, to help inform our location selection for these five new stores in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.”
Athleta at West Edmonton Mall (Image: West Edmonton Mall)
Athleta at West Edmonton Mall (Image: West Edmonton Mall)
“We’re committed to growing our Canada business, including opening additional new stores in the market in 2023. We have a plan to expand our brand steadily throughout the country from coast to coast,” added Sheridan.
The future expansion will include CF Toronto Eaton Centre, taking over the former Massimo Dutti store, which shuttered this past fall. Massimo Dutti also shuttered its First Canadian Place location, leaving Yorkdale as the remaining Canadian location.
Retail Insider will continue to follow the expansion of Athleta as it grows throughout the Canadian market.
