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Italian piano manufacturer Fazioli continues to delight the Canadian market with sales strong throughout the pandemic period.
Manuel Bernaschek, President of Showcase Pianos in Vancouver, which sells the brand, said more than 200 Fazioli pianos have been sold in Canada, with more than half of them going to Vancouver where there are many families that place a strong emphasis on the study of music, and having the best possible equipment.
“Vancouver is also home to one of the world’s largest collectors of art-case Fazioli pianos – the Westbank Development Company – who installs custom Fazioli pianos in many of their iconic buildings. Despite being sold out until 2024, the three Canadian representatives of Fazioli confirm that they currently have models in their shops for people to test and welcome everyone to come and see for themselves what all the fuss is about,” said Bernaschek. “Westbank bought 20 of them. So they’re the largest owner of Fazioli pianos in the world.
“Many piano companies will host dealer meetings from time to time, but the ones hosted by Fazioli are very special. In general, it’s the store owners themselves that come and attend, giving it a very special energy. When we are shown updates in the factory, and watch Mr. Fazioli’s eyes light up when he describes improvements he has made to the pianos, everyone has their camera out and is listening very attentively. You could hear a pin drop. Everyone recognizes these moments for what they truly are – this is history in the making.”
Showcase Pianos began in 2007. It currently has two locations in Vancouver and in Richmond. The Richmond location is 3,600 square feet and the one in Vancouver is 4,300 square feet.
“This business has really done well through COVID. I think people are stuck at home and they’re looking to what they’re going to do while they’re stuck at home and then they’re like ‘oh I guess I should get a better piano if I’m going to be playing piano all day’,” said Bernaschek.
He said Showcase Pianos sells about 10 Fazioli’s each year. Prices start at about $150,000.
In May, Paolo Fazioli celebrated the 40th anniversary of his piano factory in Sacile, a small town of 20,000 people just 45-minute northeast of Venice.
In speaking to his dealers at his factory’s Concert Hall, Fazioli explained that despite the continued increase in demand, the factory will not go beyond producing 150 units a year. Each instrument requires more than 2,000 man-hours to produce.
Fazioli Headquarters (Image: Manuel Bernaschek)Fazioli Headquarters (Image: Manuel Bernaschek)
“We do not want to compromise on the time it takes to produce exceptional pianos. Quality is what we value most,” he said to them.
The factory produced 150 units in 2021 and expects to do the same in 2022 and 2023. As of May, all Fazioli pianos are sold out until the beginning of 2024.
“When you’re on it, it’s like you’re hearing the piano for the first time,” said Bernaschek. “It’s clarity that’s beyond any other piano and then a dynamic range that’s beyond any other piano. So basically it can let you play softer than any other piano and more powerfully, more loud, than any other piano without feeling like you hit the limit or something went weird on the sound because you played too loud.”
“It’s their dedication to quality that really makes the difference. ‘The proof is in the pudding’ as they say. Their popularity is growing because pianists are discovering everything that is possible on a Fazioli – a dynamic range that is truly beyond anything else available on the market,” said Michael Lipnicki.
“In Canada, a few leading pianists own or perform on Fazioli pianos, including Angela Hewitt, Louis Lortie, and Marc-Andre Hamelin. These are the top classical music influencers in our country. Then you have jazz pianists like Herbie Hancock who insist on only playing Fazioli, and the Juilliard School in New York that broke away from their 80-year tradition of only buying one single brand to start buying Fazioli pianos, and this leaves many pianists curious to discover it for themselves,” said Mike Remenyi Jr.
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.
The development of residential buildings on under-utilized shopping centre land is no longer just a trend but has become the reality in the real estate sector these days.
More and more projects are coming together where big malls are finding the benefit of building more density on their properties.
The latest is CF Lime Ridge in Hamilton where Cadillac Fairview, the property owner, intends to build two 12-storey towers with 320 residential units as it also redevelops former Sears space in the mall.
Cadillac Fairview would not comment on the proposal but offered the following statement by email.
“Cadillac Fairview is pleased to confirm that we will be meeting with the City of Hamilton’s Design Review Panel to present our plans to backfill the former Sears space while adding new rental residential development in the adjacent parking field at CF Lime Ridge,” said the company.
“We believe that this new vision, which includes retail and residential space designed to enhance pedestrian connectivity, will strengthen the centre’s role as a vibrant, regional destination and we look forward to progressing these plans with the City.”
Tim Sanderson, Executive Vice President & National Lead, Retail, JLL Canada, said he wouldn’t call it a trend anymore in the industry but a reality of the marketplace.
“Many people took the time during COVID to go out and get the approvals necessary to add such density to their shopping centres. We’re seeing it across the board. We just did a call with our Capital Markets group and they were saying that every shopping centre that’s being sold these days across the country, there’s a valuation or portion of valuation that is attributed to how much density could be put on the site,” he said. “Can they add an office building? Can they add residential? Can they add seniors?
Tim Sanderson
“The beauty of adding residential is obviously that it comes with people and people are good for shopping centres and all of a sudden you’ve got a massive amount of people living above your retail and that’s good for the retailers.
“The downside is that it takes away parking space. It’s not always as easy as it may seem. There are old leases in a lot of these shopping centres in favour of anchor tenants that say I will have this much parking and I will have a corridor to the main highway or the road. Unless those retailers are prepared to give those rights up, which a lot of them aren’t always exactly willing to do so, it’s not always as easy as it can be.”
Sanderson said many of the shopping centres have excess parking space on their properties. Also public transit is better today and those sites are better serviced for consumers.
“One of the contributing reasons as to why it makes sense to densify these sites is the simple fact our retail is not overbuilt in this country. So a lot of these shopping centres are great dots on a map. They’re either centrally located or if they were built on the edge of town the town has now grown around them,” he said. “So they’re very attractive pieces of real estate and you can’t go and get those anymore. Adding residential or density, it’s almost like it’s a no brainer.”
For property landlords, it’s also a smart move to diversify their portfolio so they’re not solely reliant on retail for certain properties.
“Part of the trend we’re seeing is a shift towards rental residential,” said Sanderson. “The beauty of a shopping centre site is that one landlord or one group owns it and they lease it out. Once you build a condo tower you don’t own it anymore. There is a demand in the market these days for upscale if you will from what we’ve been used to in the rental residential market. Renting that out leaves you the landlord that flexibility.”
Doug Stephens, Founder and President of consulting firm Retail Prophet, said the densification of shopping centres is taking place because the value of the core asset is declining.
“That is happening because the value of the shopping centre from a cultural, social and commercial point of view is declining precipitously. And the reason for that if we sort of peel back the layers of the onion is because (smartphones) came along and essentially in concert with the internet became so many of the things that the shopping mall used to be,” said Stephens. “It used to be a gathering spot. It used to be a place where you go watch movies and entertainment. It used to be a place where you go and have a meal. And certainly used to be a place where you would start most of your shopping journeys.
Doug Stephens
“So in a remarkably short period of time, technology has stepped in to replace many of those social and commercial functions. Kids today meet online. They don’t hang out at the mall. So developers have this quandary of what do we do? We’ve got a core asset that’s declining in value. We’ve got a lot of asphalt that’s surrounding it that is hardly ever completely utilized. So how can we try to pump some value back into this as a real estate asset if nothing else?
“And we create a resident population that begins to use the mall to a greater extent because it’s essentially right in their backyard.”
Stephens said it makes sense to take empty real estate and make better use of it and create a higher value asset.
“My problem is we go back to Victor Gruen and the inception of the shopping centre. His vision was never just to sort of create a commercial environment and plunk consumers into the midst of this purely commercial environment where all you do is go there to shop,” he said. “His vision is that this really becomes the centre of a community, that it becomes sort of a cultural asset for the community, a place to gather and have great experiences. I think at its inception he even said to go see art and enjoy music and all kinds of different cultural things.
“This is a short-term measure that I understand intellectually but it doesn’t address the elephant in the room and the elephant in the room is the shopping centre. It still needs to be reinvented. It still needs to be reimagined from the standpoint of the truth that retail can no longer be the draw. If the fact, you have an Apple store, and a Nike store and a food court, if that’s an idea, that’s just not a sustainable value proposition for consumers. So they need to rethink this to become a place where you go to be entertained, to dine, to gather, a social environment, it really needs to become almost an entertainment and hospitality venue.”
Image: Cadillac Fairview
Stephens said by building up and building out, property owners are increasing the scale of the real estate asset as well as increasing the market value of the asset. They’re also transferring the asset focus from being purely a retail, commercial focus to becoming residential. It takes them into an entirely different real estate class.
“The side benefit is you’re creating a resident population. You’re essentially replicating, if you will, a few blocks of a downtown core where if you live in that development that’s where you do your grocery shopping, that’s where you go to the tailor, that’s where you go to the shoemaker – all the things that people in cities have done for hundreds of years,” he said.
“So to an extent you’re really replicating a slice of urban life in the suburbs – a sort of suburbia 2.0. And it also I think fills an important need right now in many Canadian cities and that is a sensible level of density. We need greater density in most Canadian cities to provide housing for this enormously growing population.
“But to build resident population around a fundamentally decaying business concept, being the shopping centre, isn’t good enough in the long term. The shopping centre itself has to be reinvented.”
As larger video retailer stores close, Bay Street Video is thriving and serves customers globally.
Located at 1172 Bay Street in Toronto at the base of a 1980s luxury condominium tower, customers can walk into a time machine to rent or buy their favourite movie for the weekend. The location of the video store has been around for 40 years and changed ownership in 1993 to Bay Street Video. Now, the retailer is known to have the largest DVD collection in Toronto.
“We are a very profitable store, we view ourselves as the little store that could,” says Dwayne Aylward, the Bay Street Video store manager. “In this city, you see these types of stores closing, and we are thriving. It really confuses people when they find out we exist.”
Bay Street Video (Image: Shelby Hautala)
Bay Street Video has close to 40,000 titles, a number you can’t find anywhere else.
Customers can find newer movies, or you can buy an 80s classic – there is something for everyone. Bay Street Video has the largest collection in Toronto, and even possibly Canada says Aylward. They offer thousands of titles in DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UltraHD.
Surviving in a dying industry
Bay Street Video (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Video stores are becoming a dying industry and as streaming services are on the rise, Bay Street Video is having a harder time getting new releases on DVD.
“The biggest challenge is a lot of newer movies these days are only available on streaming service,” says Aylward. “People are hearing about a movie, and we have to say that movie is only available on Apple or Netflix. The hope is a company will get the rights to the movie and put it out on DVD, but that is not always the case.”
Bay Street Video tries to get everything they can on DVD, but as this is not always possible, they make it up with their huge collection. And their DVD collection has something streaming services do not: deleted movie scenes, extended movies, bonus materials, audio commentary, and all the classic movies.
“I know people who just browse Netflix just to look for something to watch and not necessarily watch anything, just passing the time. It is easy and I get it. They have a lot of stuff on Netflix, but they don’t have the classics or the similar experience of browsing,” says Aylward.
Bay Street Video (Image: Shelby Hautala)
Before streaming, people would be proud of their DVD collection or their books, but now everything seems to resort to online – taking away the experience of browsing in person and showing off their collection.
“In the past you would go into your friend’s home, and they would have DVDs on the wall, their books, their movies, and it was a representation of who they are and what they like. It was cool. Now with everything on our phones and computers there is a lot less of that,” says Aylward.
This experience is still possible at Bay Street Video as customers can buy and rent any movie they want, and if you can’t find it – they will order it for you.
Covid-19 challenges inspire new ideas
Bay Street Video (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
As Bay Street Video had to close their doors for a few weeks and limited customers to curb side pick up, they had to adapt quickly.
“We had to reinvent ourselves and adapt to the situation and how can we continue to survive as a store even though people are not able to come in,” says Aylward. “The most appealing thing about the store is people love to come in, browse, and spend time discovering things, so if you are not giving them the ability to come and look around then it does kind of hurt the overall experience.”
Bay Street Video used its website along with leaning into social media to advertise what new releases they had. With curbside pickup and their new social media strategy, the retailer was successful and really helped customers continue their browsing experience.
Covid-19 sparked an idea Aylward said they would have not considered before – shipping services.
Bay Street Video (Image: Shelby Hautala) Bay Street Video (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
“We have never done this before, but we were forced to because of the restrictions. And because we are a unique store, there are not many stores like this in the world. So, we started getting people placing in orders from all over, including Latvia,” says Aylward. “As far as we are concerned, we will adapt and change whenever necessary.”
The shipping service has allowed the world to experience Bay Street Video and the 40,000 titles they offer. Next, Aylward said they are looking at expanding their online presence by a possible Shopify store where customers will have more of an online shopping experience. With this, customers globally can find and enjoy the movie they have been looking for.
“A lot of times people come into the store and say they have been looking for a movie for 40 years and could not find it, and we say they should have started their search here, says Aylward. “If we don’t have it, we can find it for you as we like the challenge.”
PenguinPickUp, a growing network of convenient “one-stop pick-up” for all ecommerce purchases including groceries as well as outbound courier services from its courier company partners, has expanded from its Toronto base to now operating as well in Vancouver.
Brad Baker, the company’s Vice-President of Operations, said the company has recently opened two locations in Vancouver as the concept aims to make the last mile in retail less complex and less expensive.
The company, which began in 2014, has 33 locations across the country in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. Five are in Quebec, two in BC and the remainder are in Ontario.
Welcome to Vancouver PenguinPickUp (Image: JLL)
“Whilst we’ve been in business a number of years now, we still very much operate with a startup mindset.” Said Baker.
Brad Baker
“Our service offer is that we help solve the last mile problem for both retailers and consumers. Consumers can simply have their online purchases sent to us, and trust that their parcels are held safely and securely, ready to be picked up close to where they live or work when it’s convenient for them. As well customers can choose PenguinPickUp as the collection point when you shop online with our retail partners.”
“For retailers, who Offer Click and Collect or Delivery we are a great last mile solution, in that we’re a way that they can reach more customers, particularly in dense, urban markets, with less stops. Helping them to remove time, expense and complexity out of the last mile.”
For example, looking at the Vancouver market, explained Baker, a customer living in the west end of the city could order from IKEA one day by 7 p.m. and the item will be ready in PenguinPickUp’s location by 2 p.m. the next day.
Image: PenguinPickUp
Image: PenguinPickUp
Image: PenguinPickUp
“We’re growing very rapidly. In fact this year we’re opening on average about two stores per month. By the end of this year it’s our goal to have nearly 50 stores, including our third site in Vancouver which is already underway, and we’ll continue to open somewhere between 15 and 20 new stores a year,” said Baker.
“E-commerce has surged in the last couple of years, and there’s a real need to solve many of the challenges it’s created. Consumers are shopping more and more online, and many are worried about porch pirates or perhaps are living in a condo building where they don’t have a concierge and packages may be left unsecured and unattended. Or even if they have do a concierge many buildings are overflowing with packages as they’re not designed to handle the volume of e-commerce we are seeing today. The surge in e-commerce, has also put pressure on reverse logistic and returns, we provide a great solution for retailers in that respect, and are a convenient place for customers to drop their returns off at.
“For retailers, if you can reach thousands of customers through PenguinPickUp stores downtown in one stop, that’s more effective from a cost and environmental impact.”
“In addition to these services our associates aim to provide a world-class customer experience every day and are intensely focused on delivering our service standards of Focused, Friendly and Clean.
“We are excited to bring our service to Vancouver, we’ve already served many customers and can’t wait to meet more. If PenguinPickUp can be a solution for your retail business, please reach out.”
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.
Gastown Steam Clock at Water Street and Cambie Street in Downtown Vancouver. Photo: Lee Rivett
Retail Insider continues its Photo Tour series to provide a window into retail hotspots across the country that are continuing to see changes while dealing with the after effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This edition takes us to well-known Gastown neighborhood in Vancouver, beginning with Water Street, then West on Cordova Street and then onto West Pender Street. Gastown is known for its whistling Steam Clock and retail mix ranging from high end boutiques to souvenir shops – all framed with historical buildings. The area is also seeing a resurgence with new retailers opening stores — including Miami-based luxury multi-brand retailer The Webster which is on the hunt for a Gastown store.
History of the Gastown Neighborhood
The history books for the Vancouver area notes that Gastown was Vancouver’s first neighborhood. A saloon owner, “Gassy” Jack Deighton, known for the gift of gabbing (or “gassing”) was the cornerstone of the neighborhood in the mid 1800s and the surrounding area became colloquially known as “Gassy’s town”. The name evolved over time to become “Gastown”.
Former “Gassy Jack” statue in Maple Tree Square in downtown Vancouver in Gastown. The statue was vandalized and removed in 2022. Photo: angelvancouver
The area prospered with the lumber and seaport industries growing as well as the arrival of the railway connecting the region to the rest of the region and country. The balance of the 1800s saw department stores arrive in the area, including Spencer’s, a Hudson’s Bay Company warehouse, Woodward’s, Fairbanks Morse, and Army and Navy stores. Food retailers like Malkins and Kelly Douglas also set up bases to begin trading from as well.
Archive photo of Dominion Trust Building and the Flack building at Cambie Street and Hastings Street in downtown Vancouver in the 1900s. Photo: Vancouver Archives.
Gastown fell into decline through the Great Depression and fell into disrepair until an effort to preserve Gastown’s history and architecture began in the 1960s. Buildings were renovated and streets were paved in brick to make the area appear even more historical in terms of visual elements. The neighbourhood continued to see revitalizing efforts and was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2009. In reality, it continues to struggle with crime and vagrancy given its proximity to the socially challenged Downtown Eastside.
Breaking Up Gastown
The Photo Tour of Gastown is broken into three main sections. The tour starts at the Waterfront Station in the downtown core and heads eastward on Water Street to Carrall Street. After a visit to Maple Tree Square, the tour then touches upon the Woodward’s development at West Cordova Street and Abbott Street, before wrapping up in the Victory Square neighborhood.
Overview of Gastown in downtown Vancouver. Map: Google Maps with overlay by Retail Insider.
Water Street
Woodward’s Complex
Victory Square Neighborhood
Water Street in Gastown
Waterfront Station is a an historic public transportation facility and the main transit terminus for transit lines including Skytrain, West Coast Express and Seabus. Within it are several food vendors and restaurants which is the start of the Gastown retail tour. Waterfront Station is also next to the Harbour Centre with its “Lookout” tower atop the office building making it a prominent landmark on the city’s skyline. A Sears store operated at Harbour Centre in the 1980s and from the 1950s to 1970s Eaton’s operated a large store in the building formerly occupied by upscale Spencer’s.
Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Harbour Centre in downtown Vancouver (May 2022). The building was once home to a Sears department store in the 1980s and before that, Eaton’s. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Water Street (From Richards Street to Cambie Street)
The typical downtown Vancouver street layout follows a militant grid format; however, Water Street in Gastown begins a series of radical non-confirming streets that jut out at 45 degree angles to follow the shoreline. The photo tour began at Waterfront Station on West Cordova Street, which is one of the militant grid streets, and continued east to encounter the first 45 degree, non-grid street branching off called Water Street.
Water Street (from Richards Street to Cambie Street) in Gastown in downtown Vancouver. Map: Google Maps with overlay by Retail Insider.
Water Street at West Cordova Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Steamworks Brewpub in “The Landing” on Water Street at West Cordova Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Buro Coffee Shop on Water Street at West Cordova Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
The northern building at 375 Water Street is called “The Landing” with the iconic Steamworks restaurant. In years past, the space housed a Polo Ralph Lauren/Polo Country Store as well as brands such as Snowflake furs and Rogers Chocolates. Across the street is a ‘Flatiron-like’ building with a Buro espresso bar in the ground level.
The first city block of Water Street (300 block) between West Cordova Street and Cambie Street includes several souvenir shops for tourists, but also a retailer featured in Retail Insider:
Herschel Supply on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
The city block includes several retailers such as the Whitecaps Official Store, Little Mountain Vancouver and Vancouver-based fashion brand The Latest Scoop which opened next to Gastown’s historic Steam Clock.
The Latest Scoop on Water Street at Cambie Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Little Mountain on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
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The Whitecaps Official Store on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Trees Cheesecake Restaurant on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Honey Gifts on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
One historical building on this block is linked to the Hudson’s Bay Company and is currently a family-run souvenir store named “Hudson House Trading Company”. Built in 1894, the Romanesque Revival style building with round-arched windows, brick facades, and rough-dressed stone trim was the Hudson’s Bay Company Warehouse.
Hudson’s Bay Company Warehouse (now “Hudson House Trading Company”) on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Water Street (From Cambie Street to Abbott Street)
Continuing on from the historic “Gastown Steam Clock” is at the corner of Cambie Street and Water Street. The block is actually the street’s “100 block” as Water Street, given its configuration, lacks a 200 block.
Water Street (from Cambie Street to Abbott Street) in Gastown in downtown Vancouver. Map: Google Maps with overlay by Retail Insider.
The 100 block of Water Street between Cambie Street and Abbott Street includes several souvenir shops for tourists and retailers featured in Retail Insider including:
Maison Kitsuné: Paris-based fashion and music brand (and café) opened in August 2021 at 155 Water Street spanning about 2,400 square feet with about 30 feet of street frontage.
Kit and Ace in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Maison Kitsune and Cafe Kitsune on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Future 5,000 square foot ‘Oak + Fort’ location at 151 Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Current/Closed 2,000 square foot ‘Oak + Fort’ location on previous city block at 355 Water Street (just beyond Gifts and Things, circled in red) in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
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Vancouver Souvenirs location on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Imperial Fur and Gift location on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Starbucks location on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver at 199 Water Street (May 2022). In 1992-1994 French luxury brand Sonia Rykiel occupied the main floor. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Before leaving this city block, a brick building was demolished on the corner that used to be home to the “Flying Pig Gastown” restaurant and “The Australian Boot Company”.
Former Flying Pig and Australian Boot Company on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Google Streetview (January 2022) of former Flying Pig and Australian Boot Company on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver. Photo: Google Streetview.
Water Street (From Abbott Street to Carrell Street)
Across Abbott Street from the former Flying Pig is the local Lamplighter Public House which begins the last block of Water Street for this photo tour. This is the “00” block with upscale multi-brand retailer Secret Location occupying 1 Water Street.
Water Street (from Abbott Street to Carrell Street) in Gastown in downtown Vancouver. Map: Google Maps with overlay by Retail Insider.
Lamplighter on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
The “00” block of Water Street includes several souvenir shops for tourists, and also retailers featured in Retail Insider:
Filson on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
CNTRBND on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Native Shoes on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Aesop on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Other retailers include 28 Water pop-up space, John Fluevog, gravitypope, Roden Gray, and Secret Location.
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John Fluevog on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
gravitypope on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
28 Water Street on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Roden Gray on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Secret Location on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Michelle's on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Maple Tree Square
Water Street ends at an awkward intersectio, named “Maple Tree Square” where Water Street, Carrall Street, Alexander Street and Powell Street meet. Once home to the now-vandalized “Gassy Jack” statue, it is now an open-air square considered the birthplace of Vancouver.
Maple Tree Square (off of Water Street) in Gastown in downtown Vancouver. Map: Google Maps with overlay by Retail Insider.
Maple Tree Square in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Maple Tree Square in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
The city square includes a couple retailers featured in Retail Insider:
Le Labo on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.Former RAINS/Noble Gentlemen on Water Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Woodward’s Complex
With a nod to Vancouver’s history with former homegrown department store retailer Woodward’s, the Woodward’s Building is a historic building originally constructed in 1903 for the Woodward’s department store. The redevelopment was completed in September 2010. The “W” neon sign sits on top of a replica Eiffel Tower which was removed before demolition of the original store. A new replica tower features energy-saving LED technology.
Woodward’s Complex on West Cordova Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.Woodward’s Complex in Gastown in downtown Vancouver. Map: Google Maps with overlay by Retail Insider.West side of Woodward’s Complex on West Cordova Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
The Woodward’s complex is home to a London Drugs, Nesters Market grocery store, JJ Bean Coffee as well as other financial, health and food services.
London Drugs at the Woodward’s Complex on West Cordova Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.Nester’s Market at the Woodward’s Complex on West Cordova Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
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Atrium at Woodward's Complex on West Cordova Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
JJ Bean at the Woodward's Complex on West Cordova Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Woodward's Complex on West Cordova Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Woodward's Complex on West Cordova Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Wayfinding Signs at Woodward’s Complex on West Cordova Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Victory Square Neighborhood
Victory Square is a Gastown neighborhood named after its namesake park located between West Hastings and West Pender Streets bounded by Hamilton Street and Cambie Street.
Victory Square with the present day Dominion Trust building on the mid/lower centre and the Flack Building on the right in front of the Woodward’s Building in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.Victory Square Neighborhood in Gastown in downtown Vancouver. Map: Google Maps with overlay by Retail Insider.
The neighborhood includes a couple retailers featured in Retail Insider:
Avenue Road on West Pender Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Avenue Road on West Pender Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Major Interiors on West Pender Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.Major Interiors on West Pender Street in Gastown within downtown Vancouver (May 2022). Photo: Lee Rivett.
We had a very interesting photo walk around the Gastown neighborhood in downtown Vancouver and we hope you enjoyed coming along with us. Don’t forget to check out our other retail photo tours and thank you for taking this tour with us.
Discover More Related Retail Photo Tours From Retail Insider:
EXTERIOR OF SOBEYS GROCERY STORE. PHOTO: SUPERMARKET NEWS
Sobeys recently decided to dump Air Miles and start its own loyalty program. Empire, Sobeys parent company, is opting to join the Bank of Nova Scotia and Cineplex as co-owner of the Scene+ program. This latest move by Sobeys is no coincidence. As we brace for higher food prices and cope with a post-COVID workforce still trying to figure things out, loyalty will probably be the next major battle ground for Canadian grocers.
The Scene+ program at Sobeys will start in Atlantic Canada in a few months, and the cross-country roll out will end by early 2023. The partnership with Air Miles will officially end soon after. That’s fast. Most Sobeys-owned stores, including its online service Voilà will have the program. Given how the market is changing right now, this move was critical and perhaps long overdue.
Since March 2020, 26% of Canadians have switched the primary location where they purchase food on a regular basis, according to a recent poll by Angus Reid. Many have moved or have opted to change their grocery shopping location for one reason or another. Having more people working from home has also triggered behavioural changes where grocery shopping is concerned. And with food inflation at 10% these days, consumers are either trading down or changing food shopping habits almost weekly. With higher food prices, everything is negotiable. Where people buy food, and what they buy is constantly changing these days, and keeping customers engaged with brands and stores is going to be challenging over the next several years. Coupled with the fact that younger consumers are rarely keen on being dedicated to any brands or stores these days, consumers need to be hardwired to become loyal, more than ever.
Sobey’s in Brighton, Ontario (Image: Field Agent Canada)
Sobeys quick roll-out will serve the company well, as it needed a better loyalty program. PC Optimum is by far the most popular program where foods are involved. More than 63% of Canadians use the PC Optimum program, followed by Air Miles at only 18.3% according to a recent survey by Caddle. Interestingly, the current Scene program is 6th on the list, at a measly 1.9%. The gap between PC Optimum and the rest of the field is enormous. What’s more important, while 58% of Canadians use loyalty programs at the grocery store every week, 73% of us are influenced by what kinds of benefits these programs can offer us.
With few promotions going on at the grocery store and higher prices, Canadians will seek any help they can get. And food prices aren’t about to drop anytime soon.
Air Miles is a versatile loyalty program used by many retailers. But for Sobeys, it became just an invisible advantage few really cared about. Sobeys never really had control over it. With the high number of miles you could collect, the program became confusing for both members and retailers, including Sobeys. But knowing that Metro, one of Sobeys’ main competitors in Eastern Canada, also had a deal with Air Miles was becoming increasingly awkward in an era in which getting customers back, and back again, will be challenging. The market is just not the same as it was in 2020 when the pandemic started. Consumers are now economically challenged in many ways and a strong loyalty program can allow Sobeys to empathize with a struggling public.
With higher prices and an acute focus on private labels, Loblaws, with its PC Optimum program, clearly has an advantage Sobeys wanted to address. While Sobeys is getting its “private label” act together, it also needs a program to push its own brands like Compliments and Panache. Loblaw’s private labelling strategy, along with President’s Choice and No Name, has left the competition in the dust.
Air Miles (LoyaltyOne) Headquarters in Toronto, Ontario (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Only time will tell as to what the program will look like and how it will get consumers to buy more often at Sobeys. But seeing Empire/Sobeys, a Nova Scotia-based company partner with the Bank of Nova Scotia was anything but a surprise. Even if Scene doesn’t have the clout of a PC Optimum program, it has the potential to do well. Scene has 10 million members, but the awareness of the brand is frankly lacklustre and few use points. Sobeys’ network could change that. It also needs a unique name, a different one, to make it Sobeys’ own.
Regardless, for Sobeys, working with Air Miles was like rowing against the current. Sobeys was likely just waiting for its contractual obligations to end, so it could move on to bolster a program it can better control.
ReSuit, a new fit-based, peer-to-peer clothing app, has been launched to revolutionize the way people buy and share clothing.
The app, co-founded by fashion industry veteran Nada Shepherd, who is the company’s CEO, and David Shepherd, who is CTO, allows users to rent, purchase or sell to a community of fashion enthusiasts who share their passion for sustainability.
Nada Shepherd
The concept was founded in May 2019.
“The idea actually had started much prior to 2019 and it’s evolved over the years,” said Nada. “It started with a third party app developer and then the pandemic hit which is interesting for a startup. There’s no playbook . . . Managing several third parties through a pandemic has proven challenging.
“Through that, we decided to, not pivot, but add a few features that were like phase two or three. We brought it in earlier. So that resulted in a delay longer than we anticipated and wanted but here we are. We’re launched and we’re ready to go.
“We’ve got an algorithm that facilitates an easier experience for the user. We’re one of the few apps that allow rental and resale.”
Image: ReSuit
David said one of the biggest problems in the clothing industry is that size labels have become meaningless for both men and women. The app asks people to take some body measurements and then that is matched up with people who have a similar shape and size. When a piece of clothing is listed on the app, people are asked how well it fits. Also, when something is rented people are asked how well it fits.
David Shepherd
“We use a bunch of AI (Artificial Intelligence), algorithms and techniques to then highlight to you, the borrower or the buyer, which items we think will fit you best based on your body size and shape regardless of clothing label,” said David.
“It’s all peer-to-peer. We don’t handle inventory. We don’t touch inventory.”
The app is available throughout the country on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
“Like everything it starts with an idea. It started with an idea around the time my daughter was born. So that would be 2012. It actually started before that when I was a clothing designer and when I closed my label in 2011 there was just a few things I walked away with of the industry . . . The model itself is quite dysfunctional. It’s really hard for a designer,” she said.
“It kind of started with this idea that there’s got to be a better way. Is it a clothing library? But that’s inventory. I’d sworn up and down that I would never do another business again related to inventory because when you’re a designer you’re counting buttons and threads. It’s really challenging. It’s tiring.
“I went to business school and kind of parked it and then it was the sustainability (aspect) that really started to connect some dots for me. I learned about TOMS Shoes and all these other models that are good and bad at the same time and there was a few, if you will, stakes in the ground that were important to me. I didn’t want to deal with inventory. I wanted to put something out in the world that was truly beneficial and helpful without creating waste.”
She said part of ReSuit’s ethos is that it’s going to give two per cent of revenue to a ‘Do Good’ fund. Her intention is to put it towards displaced garment workers. It’s a project that will take some time.
“The waste in the industry really got on her,” said David. “The idea of re-commerce and rental without carrying the inventory. Most, if not all, of the other major players in this space have inventory. So this combination of the rental, the resale, plus also the sizing issue, a lot of the waste and friction in e-commerce today is around high returns because of sizing.
“And when an item is returned different companies do different things with it. But most companies usually don’t recycle it back into their retail chain.”
Image: ReSuit
ReSuit
“Loving fashion and wanting to change it are not mutually exclusive. It’s because fashion is such an important part of our lives and cultures that it needs to evolve; in the way it functions and the way it impacts the livelihoods of others. It’s with that deeply felt conviction that ReSuit was created,” said Nada.
Being an ex-designer, Nada understands the pain points for retailers and designers. Part of this app, of putting stakes in the ground and finding solutions, was a goal to make the industry better for designers.
“What if they only did one size run of a collection one time, no sample set and that’s what they used and they rented it out? And that’s all they did. Would they make more money? Would their life be easier? Would they need these big facilities? That’s really the driving force behind rental. I’m curious to see how that model benefits the designer,” said Nada.
“I think there’s so much talent in this country and it doesn’t come to light because of the manufacturing challenges here. So a big part of our partnerships is reaching out to designers but also the cousins to the industry . . . the dry cleaners that are able to dry clean in a cleaner way . . . we’re really looking for partnerships in driving that forward. Stylists and other industry professionals.”
ReSuit currently has a promotion that users upload two items for either resale or rental or both and also purchase or rent an item. If they do that and email ReSuit, they will receive up to $50 in return for their transaction. So if they rented something for $20 for example they receive $20 back. If they bought something for $50, they would receive $50 back. It’s for the first 100 people that meet that criteria.
