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Oxford Properties Launches Online Shopping Platform ‘StyList’ for Malls [Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Image: StyList

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. 

The unique initiative is available at the real estate company’s properties at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto and the Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga.

“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:

  1. Search for your item of choice (for example, a black dress) 
  2. Narrow down your search by filtering by brand, store, colour, price and/or category. 
  3. Choose your desired item and add to your cart or wishlist (to be saved for later). 
  4. Checkout.  
  5. 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. 

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web For December 12th, 2022

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 three days.

Athleta Opens at West Edmonton Mall

By
Dustin Fuhs
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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.

Rock & Roll DTC Retail Concept ‘Clocks and Colours’ Opens 1st Storefront in Toronto [Photos/Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Clocks + Colours Ossington (Image: Clocks + Colours)

Clocks and Colours caters to men interested in rock & roll, motorcycles, tattoos and barber shop cultures.

Originally designed as an online direct to consumer business, the retailer has opened a new storefront in Ossington in Toronto with plans to launch the brand as well into the United States.

Shane Vitaly Foran, CEO, said the concept began in 2013.

Shane Vitaly Foran

“I launched my first brand, Vitaly, 12 years ago. It quickly found a home in the techno / underground electronic music world and that was totally fine by me. My background was more in the rock & roll / metal tattoo world though. I decided to launch Clocks + Colours as a brand that lived in that universe. 

“At its core, Clocks + Colours is a rock & roll brand. I wanted to offer extremely high quality products that were price fairly. What I found at the time was either costume jewelry garbage or incredibly overpriced – I wanted to fill that gap. It was ridiculous – men were getting overlooked. I wanted to fill the gap.”

Clocks + Colours Ossington (Image: Clocks + Colours)

The company’s primary offering is mid-tier sterling silver jewelry that is hand-crafted in Bali. 

“We’ve got a couple of wholesale accounts but it’s never really been part of the business,” said Foran.

The new flagship is at 154 Ossington Avenue. 

“It’s basically exactly where I’ve always wanted to have a store for the brand. I think it’s the perfect home for Clocks and Colours. Ossington has kind of always been the street in Toronto that’s reflected my identity. It has cafes and the retail stores that I like, the restaurants and bars that I like. It just felt like the right home,” said Foran.

Clocks + Colours Ossington (Image: Clocks + Colours)
Clocks + Colours Ossington (Image: Clocks + Colours)

“It has that rock & roll sensibility but at the same time people are relatively well put together and are quite aware of fashion and style. It checked all the boxes for Clocks and Colours.

“Brick and mortar was always part of the roadmap but until recently we didn’t feel we had a big enough product offering. We knew a retail store would serve us well though because it’s often difficult to convey quality online – sometimes things need to be picked up and felt… Tangible. It’s important when you’re selling things that can be north of $2,000. We also wanted to have a home for our community – somewhere we can host our core audience and strengthen those relationships.” 

Foran said the retail store is very strategically set up. There’s a Harley Davidson in the front window, signaling its motorcycle background. There’s a photo gallery that is a huge part of the brand’s DNA. There’s also at the back an entire setup for a band with guitars, amps, showcasing its rock & roll DNA. And there’s a section for Peter McKinnon’s brand Pirate Life.

Clocks + Colours Ossington (Image: Clocks + Colours)

“We really wanted to have a space where we could tell that story and show people what we’re all about, host events so that people can come see what we’re actually like,” he said.

The Ossington store is about 1,200 square feet.

Foran said the retailer wants to open more stores. A goal is to look next south of the border at places like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, potentially Austin.

“Those are all pretty serious considerations for us right now,” he added.

Decathlon Opens at CF Markville in Markham

By
Dustin Fuhs
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Decathlon Markham at CF Markville (Image: Decathlon Canada)

Sports retailer Decathlon has opened its next part of the ongoing Canadian expansion, a flagship store in Markham’s CF Markville shopping centre.

The 35,000 sq. ft. location features a focus on products for badminton, tennis, hiking and classic Canadian winter sports.

“Deciding on opening a Decathlon location in CF Markville in Markham was a no-brainer for me,” said Bjorn Bosmans, Ontario Leader for Decathlon Canada. “It is another great community in the Greater Toronto Area where we can sustainably share the benefits and pleasures of practicing sport. We are looking forward to building strong ties with the community and showing them everything Decathlon has to offer.”

Decathlon Markham at CF Markville (Image: Decathlon Canada)

CF Markville and the community of Markham has been on the radar for the France-based retailer, as it checks all the boxes for prime expansion.

“It means we can continue our mission to make the pleasure and benefits of practicing sports accessible to the many customers in the GTA, “said Marie-Lou Blais, Communications Leader at Decathlon Canada. “With our new location in Markham, you only need to drive approximately 20 minutes to discover a Decathlon location within the GTA. The store is located close to the 401 Highway and therefore, makes it more accessible and convenient for the people of Markham.”

“Decathlon Markham is a larger location within the GTA with the purpose of providing a wider range of products to the community. With that being said, we look forward to creating solid ties within the community and have our products showcase what they can do with the incredible community partners we have met, and look forward to meeting. We have seen an enthusiastic response during our opening weekend about our multiple test zones and we feel this location has a strong potential to demonstrate the quality behind every product.” 

Decathlon Markham at CF Markville (Image: Decathlon Canada)

The store opened to the public on Black Friday, November 25th, 2022.

“Behind the scenes was a team of passionate Decathlon teammates who have been working for months upon months to bring life to Decathlon Markham. The store is in great hands under the leadership of Angela Henein, and ready for this upcoming gift giving season,” shared Blais.  

Decathlon Markham is the latest store to open in the GTA as part of the Decathlon Canada expansion, joining a list of locations that include Burlington, Vaughan, Brampton, Scarborough and the ‘Decathlon City’ location at Union Station in Downtown Toronto.

Decathlon Markham at CF Markville (Image: Decathlon Canada)

With this being the last opening for 2022, the brand looks to next year as an opportunity of growth within the Canadian retail market.

“We are ready to welcome and share our passion for sports this winter season. We are currently working on plans toward a 2023 expansion and further connecting with the GTA community,” said Blais.”

With more than 1,700 stores in over 60 countries around the world, Decathlon is a world-renowned brand that designs, manufactures, tests, and sells apparel and equipment for over 65 different sports. Decathlon teams provide a complete sports experience through in-store gyms, product test areas and sports classes, as well as physical and virtual activities for the community. 

Decathlon Canada, represented by real estate advisory firm Oberfeld Snowcap, has fourteen current Canadian locations.

Sephora Continues Ongoing Canadian Store Expansion with 100th Location [Interview/Photos]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Sephora Canada marked its milestone 100th opening with special in-store celebrations at Sephora Crossroads Station Shopping Centre

It’s been a year of growth for Sephora Canada with more aggressive expansion expected in the near future.

The retailer recently opened its 100th store location at the Crossroads Station Shopping Centre in Winnipeg. 

Since the opening of Sephora Canada’s first retail location in 2004, the leading omni-beauty retailer has rapidly expanded its brick-and-mortar presence across the country, with the goal of making its in-store experience accessible to the sprawling Canadian beauty community. In 2022 alone, the retailer opened 14 new stores in Canada, including flagship doors such as Sephora Toronto Union Station, the retailer’s first store inside a major Canadian transit hub.

On November 18th, Sephora Canada marked its milestone 100th store opening in Winnipeg, Manitoba at Crossroads Station Shopping Centre with a $100,000 donation to Native Women’s Association of Canada and celebrations from coast-to-coast

Thomas Haupt, the newly appointed General Manager of Sephora Canada, said the new Winnipeg store opening is an important milestone for the company.

Thomas Haupt, Country General Manager, Sephora Canada

“Expansion and getting a physical presentation in more communities across Canada has been the number one focus for the team,” he said. “What’s interesting is we learned through the pandemic our online business like many folks . . . grew tremendously. What we’re happy to share is that as we came out of the pandemic we’ve seen (online) business maintain and our store traffic and store sales really tremendously grow.

“What we’re learning through our (online) business is we have a lot of consumers in homes and cities where we don’t have stores. So as we look forward, we’ve yet to say to say a number, we want to stop at X number of stores, but at this time we’re going to continue at least with 15ish new stores a year in the upcoming years as we find the right deals and the right locations to make that work.”

Haupt described Canada as a very wide and vast territory and when the retailer launched here in 2004 it was focused on the “obvious” cities – Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.

Sephora Crossroads Station Shopping Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba

“Over the last few years, the expansion focus has been reinforcing those markets as well. We have some work to do in Montreal. But getting outside of the major cities and outside what I would call the obvious malls,” he said.

“We’re now basically in every major, regional mall in every major city. We’re looking at the next level. Those suburb locations. We’re really interested in what we call a drive-on mall. So this is where you have, not an inside mall necessarily, it’s a line of stores or shops. You park out front. Sort of very convenient for you to run into your favourite store and set up stores.

“We’re finding great success in these drive-on mall locations that are in more of a neighbourhood setting and less of a big mall.”

Jeff Berkowitz of Aurora Realty Consultants represents Sephora for its real estate selection in Canada.

Beauty STUDIO at Beauty STUDIO at Sephora Crossroads Station Shopping Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba

Haupt said about 5,000 square feet of retail space is the retailer’s sweet spot. But it does have stores as large as 10,000 square feet. 

“We are exploring a new concept – a really smaller store concept that could be as small as 2,500 and 3,000 square feet,” he said, adding the intention is to get into more neighbourhoods.

“We have to be a bit more agile and flexible in what that looks like.”

He said the retailer is also interested in exploring more transit hubs after opening Union Station in Toronto this year which has been a “runaway hit.”

“We weren’t sure it was going to happen. We weren’t sure how the consumer who was clearly in transit would react to stopping at Sephora and interacting with us. It has been incredible. We have some work to do to refine the assortment as we learn what the client wants when they’re on the go a little more easily,” he said. “But even what surprised us is we have a very strong buy online, pick up in store . . . We didn’t think people in a transit mindset would have interest in that. It’s been incredible. They’ve absolutely embraced it.”

Union Station Sephora (Image: Arash Moallemi / Sephora Canada)

Haupt said there are a number of reasons why the retailer is resonating with Canadian consumers. First, 70 per cent of its brands are exclusive to it.

“That’s definitely I would say a competitive advantage to keep our loyal brand enthusiasts with us,” he said. “We also know a big driving reason to get into brick and mortar is the experience. So we hear from our clients all the time that they really appreciate what our beauty advisors, the folks that work in our stores, what they’re able to provide with expertise, with knowledge and with really directing. We really have two types of customers that come in. Those who are there and don’t necessarily want to be helped. They want to be part of that exploration process. I call it the hunt. They sort of walk in and as you see our stores, they’re a place where you can explore, and touch and feel and experiment.

“And then we have others who come in specifically looking for help . . . Since we’ve come back from COVID we’ve been recommitted to the welcoming greet at the door. What we hear from many clients because our store is so experiential and so grounded in you exploring, many people need help . . . Many people need some guidance. We have found that by having that sort of air traffic controller at the front not only does it help with the welcoming feeling . . . and it really has supported in giving clients great direction to head them towards where they might want to go.”

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web For December 9th, 2022

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.

Podcast [Interview] Shopping Centre Redevelopments in Canada

By
Retail Insider
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Podcast [Interview] Shopping Centre Redevelopments in Canada

In a special edition podcast, Craig interviews Rafael Lazer, CEO of Almadev. The discussion includes Almadev’s transformation of the Galleria Mall in Toronto into a complete community with housing, as well as a general discussion of why mall owners are intensifying sites amid a housing crisis in Canada.

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.

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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/

Mark’s Expanding Retail Brand Partnerships with Launch of Columbia Sportswear Shop-in-Shops [Interview/Photos]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Image: Mark's

Canadian retailer Mark’s, part of the Canadian Tire Group of Companies, has launched a new shop-in-shop concept with Columbia Sportswear in stores across the country.

The SIS concept will open initially in eight Mark’s locations. 

“Canadians work and play outside year-round through drastic weather conditions, and they need to be prepared for anything Mother Nature throws at them,” said PJ Czank, President of Mark’s. “Columbia is a leading brand in warm and cold weather apparel and footwear, and this partnership will help us meet our customers’ outdoor needs while providing a unique and tailored customer experience that compliments the communities we serve across Canada.”

Image: Mark’s

The Mark’s Shaughnessy location in southwest Calgary has opened in about 1,600 square feet and was chosen as the first SIS because of the city’s proximity to the Rocky Mountains and the active outdoor lifestyle of its local residents. In 2023, Mark’s will also launch seven other enhanced SIS locations in the following cities:

  • Langley, BC
  • Airdrie, AB
  • Edmonton
  • Saskatoon
  • Thunder Bay
  • Ottawa
  • Charlottetown, P.E.I. 

Each SIS location will feature an expanded assortment of Columbia products including Columbia’s proprietary thermal reflective warmth technologies, along with a range of women’s, men’s and kid’s apparel, footwear and accessories. The shops will range in size from 800 to 1,600 square feet, with dedicated product experts on hand to help customers select the appropriate gear to suit their needs.

Image: Mark’s

“As part of our journey to expand the appeal of the Mark’s brand, there’s people who traditionally wouldn’t think of shopping at Mark’s,” said Czank, adding the retailer believed it could appeal to a broader spectrum of Canadians by offering certain partnerships with leading brands such as Levi’s and Columbia and Timberland.

“About two years ago we opened a shop-in-shop (location) in partnership with Levi’s and it’s been very successful. And this partnership with Columbia is basically our plan to take it to the next level.

“We’ll start with the eight first – the ones we’ve got planned – and then as we open new stores if the space allows we’ll look to do these shop-in-shop concepts with Columbia for one because it is a leading brand.

Image: Mark’s

“We’re getting into the kids’ apparel with Columbia because we think it will be another opportunity for us to expand the appeal of the brand. In this first shop, there’s an expanded kids’ assortment as well. So we’re pretty excited about that because it’s one of the businesses we haven’t traditionally gone into. Research shows us that customers who would want to shop at Mark’s would want to be able to get winter apparel for kids.”

Czank said the company’s mission is to keep Canadians warmer, dryer, safer and more comfortable. Columbia became a natural partner for Mark’s. 

“We’ve been doing business with Columbia since 2014. This is just a natural extension. It’s a well-loved brand.”

Image: Mark’s

Mark’s currently operates 384 stores across the country. 

“We’ve been pretty stable. We closed a few of the underperforming stores and we just consolidated them into bigger store formats. We’re looking to open about six new stores by the end of 2023. Two of them will be typical Mark’s stores and four of them we’re going to be trying out something new but it’s a little early to get into the specifics yet,” said Czank.

“As the colder weather settles into Calgary and other cities across Canada, it’s the perfect time for us to expand our relationship with Mark’s,” said Dave Brulé, General Manager at Columbia Sportswear Canada. “Led by our new Omni-HeatTM Infinity reflective technology, Columbia has built our reputation on developing new innovations in warmth, and we’re looking forward to ensuring that everyone can enjoy the outdoors this winter.”

Video Interview: Canadian Retail Foot Traffic On The Rise

By
Mario Toneguzzi
-
Video Interview: Canadian Retail Foot Traffic On The Rise

Marie-France Benoit, Director, National Insight and Innovation, Avison Young, discusses the real estate company’s latest Vitality Index.

Benoit talks about how retail foot traffic was up in Canada during the Black Friday period, how Edmonton and Vancouver led major centres in the country, why foot traffic is increasing and what it means for the holiday shopping season.

Youtube video

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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