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Maska Mode Opens Permanent Downtown Storefront with Plans for More [Interview/Images]

By
Shelby Hautala
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Maska at First Canadian Place (Image: Ruscio Studio)

Maska, a luxury women’s ready to wear fashion store, opened another location at the First Canadian Place in the Toronto Financial District two months ago.

This will be the second time Maska has been located at the First Canadian Place, but the first time it has had a permanent location there. Maska has been in Canada for twenty years as it opened its first location in Quebec.

“When we started at First Canadian Place, I just thought it was a great location. There was so much traffic, and it was easy to build a clientele since it was the same people working there every day. We just love First Canadian Place and love the energy, so we decided to make it permanent. Of course, Covid put a delay on everything and has maybe changed the dynamic a little bit because people are not working in the office as much, but we just love being here and are excited about the new store as it represents the brand,” says Rebecca Cohen, Human Resources at Maska.

The new location will offer a newly renovated 1,450 square foot space and will provide the same products which are imported weekly from Italy. The space will offer an updated fitting room, maintain a fresh look, and “the materials and colour palette were carefully selected to create a soft and elegant shop environment. Few things say Italian better than simple terrazzo floor tile, which is the only floor finish found throughout the entire shop,” says Robert Ruscio, the President of Ruscio Studio.

Everything Made in Italy

Maska at First Canadian Place (Image: Ruscio Studio)
  • Maska at First Canadian Place (Image: Ruscio Studio)
  • Maska at First Canadian Place (Image: Ruscio Studio)

Cohen said before Covid, she would go to Italy every two weeks to find products for the boutique. Maska offers unique products that are only from Italy. Customers can find women’s clothing and accessories.

Robert Ruscio

“Maska offers women’s ready-to-wear fashion garments and accessories imported directly from Italy. Their collections are inspired by the latest European runway trends and are always unique and stylish for today’s professional, on-the-go woman,” says Ruscio.

“Perhaps less prominent yet essential to complete an outfit are the accessories. Footwear, purses, belts, and jewelry are displayed in three specific areas. The storefront welcomes shoppers with tiered pedestals featuring the latest accessories; the fitting room area includes a lit niche wall specifically designed for this purpose and the cash desk integrates a display drawer that showcases belts and costume jewelry,” says Ruscio.

The items you see in store do not last long and Cohen recommends customers to buy when they see it as once an item is sold out – it tends to be sold out and won’t be seen again. Maska receives new inventory from Italy every week and is high quality at a reasonable price point.

“Before Covid, we were traveling every two weeks to Italy, and we were buying on the spot. Certain collections are pre ordered, but other times you are buying as you see it. So, it is a very

fast paced environment and ever since Covid, we have been doing it more remotely, but it is still the exact same concept,” says Cohen.

Future Plans

Maska at First Canadian Place (Image: Ruscio Studio)
  • Maska at First Canadian Place (Image: Ruscio Studio)
  • Maska at First Canadian Place (Image: Ruscio Studio)

Maska currently has 16 locations in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. The brand also has an ecommerce business which gains attention internationally and throughout the US. Aurora Realty Consultants is acting on behalf of Maska for its expansion, with Jeff Berkowitz acting on behalf of the retailer in the First Canadian Place deal.

Image: Jeffrey Berkowitz

“We have been working with Maska to help with their real estate for around 15 years. They are quite unique – they are fashion forward, it is colourful, and so we are actively looking for markets where people are looking for this type of fashion,” shared Jeff Berkowitz, President of Aurora Realty Consultants.

“The reason why they decided to try something at First Canadian Place is they feel the women that are working in these professional office environments who want to be modern, well dressed and they want to be confident – and there is a large group of that demographic in a place like First Canadian Place.”

The boutique is an important element for Maska as Cohen said the company wants to keep the boutique feel alive and doesn’t have plans on changing anything. As stores continue to expand into larger formats and more people are shopping online, Cohen said it is still important to shop in-store and experience the boutique.

“We are always open to expansion, and for the time being we are focusing on making everything perfect in Canada and making sure everything is running as it should. But we are looking to make the expansion into the US as we have a lot of customers over there. There are also definitely things in the works for Ontario and I am unable to speak about them now – but there is more coming,” says Cohen.

“It is important for people to see that the boutique experience is still here, it is rare to find it but it is definitely something we are looking to keep. As fun as online shopping is, there is something different about being able to go into a store and have someone help you. It is an experience I think that is worth keeping around,” says Cohen.

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Sherlock Clothing Expanding ‘Envy + Grace’ Banner with Focus on Ontario Stores [Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Image: envy+grace

Sherlock Clothing, with its roots in Atlantic Canada, is in expansion mode these days with plans to continue growing its business, particularly in Ontario.

The retailer has under its umbrella three different brands – Envy + Grace, PSEUDIO and Samuel & Co. 

“We’re a husband and wife duo. I started Envy 22 years ago but about five years sold it to my husband with his company so that we could expand,” said Nancy Holmes. “Sherlock Clothing is a company my husband (Glen) started 38 years ago.

Image: envy+grace
Image: envy+grace

“Sherlock started with the PSEUDIO store concept 38 years ago. About five years ago it purchased Envy from my company which was Samuel & Co. apparel. At the time, I only owned nine Envy stores when I sold it to my husband. Now there are 16 Envy stores opened with a couple more on the horizon.

“The concept became Envy + Grace when we decided to expand into Ontario. So it was Envy on the east coast for 22 years and then we opened a store in Kelowna, BC, and we were unable to get the trade name Envy in British Columbia, somebody else had already owned it, so we came up with the name Grace who is named after my grandmother and we had eight Envy’s and one Grace. So when we decided to open in Ontario we thought we would marry the two together and become Envy + Grace. Our first Ontario store opened in November of last year.”

All stores are now branded as Envy + Grace. PSEUDIO currently has 33 stores open today and Samuel & Co., which is strictly east coast, has nine. PSEUDIO is located in Atlantic Canada, Ontario and Alberta.

Image: Pseudio

“Envy grew out of Samuel & Co. because Samuel & Co. is a very mature brand. It targets more the career and I wanted to have a fun, fashion forward branded store. So that’s how that started. We’ve remained that. We’re always on the hunt for whatever current trends are, whatever the girls are looking at on social media, the looks that females aspire to be,” said Holmes. “We have a little bit of an edge. We have some romantic. We’ve got sexy. And then we still have like the cool, casual look. So basically Envy + Grace is just about what’s trendy, what a girl wants right now.

“PSEUDIO is unisex. That would be the biggest difference. It caters to more definitely a denim house. It carries a lot of branded fleece, branded apparel and dabbles in fashion where Envy would be just full on fashion. East Coast lifestyle is a massive thing down here. And actually does very well for us out west. Honestly, there’s so many transplants in Ontario that it’s got really good traction right across the country because it’s got such a big presence online . . . More of a casual brand than Envy would be. Casual with a little bit of fashion.

“Sam is your classic career and casual. She’s the girl who grew up, got a big girl job, maybe pushing a baby stroller, or the 50-year-old that is traveling a lot and is looking for just stylish, good quality clothing.”

  • Samuel & Co at Charlottetown Mall (Image: Samuel & Co)
  • Samuel & Co at Charlottetown Mall (Image: Samuel & Co)

Holmes said continued growth is expected with the Envy + Grace and PSEUDIO brands. 

“We bit off quite a bit in one year by opening up that many stores in Ontario. Considering we only opened in November (2021) and it’s September, we opened 16 stores in the past year. For Envy + Grace, eight have opened in Ontario in the past year . . . We’re super excited to be part of Ontario, the reaction has been fantastic. The fashion girl is loving us. We couldn’t be happier. 

“It’s been very exciting, it’s been very hectic. We are very optimistic with business going forward. The pandemic, while it was a terrifying time for retail, looking back it allowed us to take stock more of our business. Dial in better with our product mix, who our customer is, refine the business and has been very solid.”

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

US-Based DTC Furniture Brand ‘Burrow’ Expands into Canada [Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Image: Burrow

US-based Burrow, a direct-to-consumer furniture brand, is expanding into the Canadian market and have a warehouse in the Greater Toronto Area to facilitate shipping to its Canadian consumers. 

Kabeer Chopra

“The idea for Burrow was inspired by our frustrations with the furniture industry – and more specifically, problems that both myself and my co-founder Stephen Kuhl experienced when buying furniture. We knew there had to be a better way to shop for, ship, live with, and move furniture. Oftentimes, people wait months for furniture to ship and hours for the delivery truck, only to spend even more time with a toolbox and complicated assembly instructions. Burrow was founded to solve all these problems. 

“Burrow is an American furniture brand that values function and form in equal measure. We recognize that furniture is an investment so we’ve set out to create high-quality products that will last, from one home move to another,” said co-founder and CTO, Kabeer Chopra. “Growing up in Montreal, I’ve gained an appreciation for sensibility. And that’s why we started Burrow in 2017: to offer timeless designs that make life easier. Our products are constructed using durable, stain-resistant materials, they’re easy to set up, and built upon modular systems that flex as you move homes or grow.

“When we launched our first modular sofa in the U.S. in 2017, our goal was to alleviate all the typical pain points around the furniture-buying experience. We set out to create a product that was intuitive, simple to assemble and disassemble, functional, and customizable. During our design process, we consulted customer research to understand exactly how to engineer a sofa that was comfortable, convenient, and could grow with peoples’ needs overtime – especially as they evolve from their first apartment in the city to a family house in the suburbs. We’ve continued to apply this same philosophy into each subsequent sofa design – and still survey thousands of customers to inspire all the other products and categories we offer around the home.”

Image: Burrow

He said everything the company does is driven by customer feedback, from finding ways to make the delivery and assembly process easier to determining what products it should develop and launch next. 

“This customer-centric approach has allowed us to keep functionality at the center, while also creating products that are design-forward and complimentary to a variety of personal aesthetics. Burrow products are delivered fast in easy-to-move boxes, designed to assemble quickly with no additional tools, and built to last – giving you more time to enjoy everything your furniture has to offer,” explained Chopra.

“Having grown up in Montreal, I’ve seen first-hand how Burrow’s core values align closely with Canada’s appreciation for functionality and sensibility. In our conversations with Canadian friends, family and potential customers, we found that many of them expressed similar pain points as their American counterparts, from delayed delivery and difficult assembly to a lack of product options and customizability. We’ve been perfecting our process in the U.S. since our first sofa launched in 2017 and are ready to bring this simplified furniture-buying experience to consumers all across North America.”

Chopra said the company has been planning this expansion over several years to ensure that Canadians would enjoy the same fast and free shipping and easy delivery that it offers in the U.S. Starting this month, Canadian customers will be able to purchase products directly from www.burrow.com/en-ca. All products will ship directly from its warehouse in the greater Toronto area.

Image: Burrow

Products include modular sofas, easy-to-assemble wall shelves, coffee tables, credenzas, and more. 

Stephen Kuhl

“Since launching in the U.S. in 2017, our decisions have been motivated by customer feedback. In conversations with Canadian friends and family, we learned there were similar frustrations around the traditional furniture-buying process – from a lack of product selection to delayed delivery,” said Stephen Kuhl, co-founder and CEO of Burrow. “We’ve been thoughtfully planning this expansion to make sure we could offer Canadian home and condo dwellers alike the complete Burrow experience. As we expand our assortment in the years to come, we’re focused on simplifying the modern furniture shopping experience and bringing it to an even broader demographic.”

Burrow has been named one of the 10 most innovative retail brands in the world by Fast Company, and one of the 50 best inventions of the year by TIME. Headquartered in New York City, it has stores in New York City, Boston, Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Villeroy and Boch Marks 275 Years as Consumer Preferences Shift for Tableware in Canada [Interview]

By
Shelby Hautala
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Image: Villeroy & Boch

Villeroy and Boch, a luxury tableware company, will be soon celebrating its 275th anniversary – and a lot has changed during the years, especially when it comes to popularity of tableware sets.

Victoria Rogulska

Starting in 1748 by two prominent European craftsmen, Jean-Francois Boch and Nicholas Villeroy, the company became worldwide known for its high-quality designs of porcelain and tableware products. 

“It is a family-owned business focused on excellence in quality and design. That’s why generations after generations, our consumers choose tableware by Villeroy and Boch. Historically we have a big consumer fan base in Canada due to appreciation of the Made-in-Germany high premium porcelain and vast distribution across retailers and specialized stores,” says Victoria Rogulska, the Head of Marketing at Villeroy and Boch. 

Although Villeroy and Boch only has an eShop, customers who are looking for its luxury tableware designs can find its products, such as popular collections, at the Hudson’s Bay. 

“Today we are investing in our eShop business in Canada which allows us to focus on our consumer’s preferences and needs. Additionally, we have a strong in-store presence across flagship Hudson’s Bay stores, where new and popular collections are showcased.” 

Image: Villeroy & Boch

Villeroy and Boch sell a variety of high-quality products such as dinnerware, serveware, glassware, flatware, and it also sells tableware sets. However, it has been noted that young people today have lower interest in sets like their grandparents probably had and are more interested in style and statement pieces. 

“Customers are looking for style, innovation, quality, and, of course, European craftmanship. Also, consumers are interested in interior design, food, and traveling. They are entertainers who love to turn every dining experience into something special. Consumers are looking for high-quality dinnerware collections and, of course, the best value propositions. At the same time, they are no longer just looking for complete dinnerware sets but also for home accessories, statement pieces, and gift ideas for every occasion.” 

Rogulska said its most popular design right now is historical classical dinnerware collections and are “pleased to see a high demand for the newest award-winning porcelain sets, like La Boule and Manufacture Rock.” Villeroy and Boch products are also known for the perfect wedding gift, housewarming gift, and it has an option to create a gift registry. 

Villeroy & Boch (Image: William Ashley)

For its 275th anniversary, Villeroy and Boch will be celebrating by launching its new unique porcelain collections. 

As for customers not being highly interested in tableware sets anymore, Villeroy and Boch is not the only ones seeing this new trend. An article from the CBC, along with others, have stated seeing the trend of Millennials not being interested in buying or inheriting tableware sets – which brings the questions of why the trend is changing and where will all these tableware sets go if being left behind? Stay tuned for an in-depth article discussing the changing popularity and what it means for the future for tableware. 

As for Villeroy and Boch, Rogulska said dinnerware is its most popular category in the business, and it is “being accompanied by home, accessories, statement pieces, and gift ideas.” The company keeps up with the latest trends by continuously updating its eShop. 

“We are constantly optimizing our eShop and will be launching new programs that will benefit our loyal consumers. Our eShop helps us to connect with our consumers, share inspirational ideas, and new lifestyle trends, and tell the story about our Brand and collections.”  

Chatters Salons Opening New Concept Locations in Canada and Renovating Others [Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Image: Chatters

Chatters, Canada’s largest salon-based retailer, continues to expand its presence across the country with new concept stores. 

“As we continue our expansion, we are devoted to listening to our stylists and guests, better anticipating their needs, enhancing our in-salon experience, and selecting the best beauty and hair care items available on the market,” said Greg Moreau, President & CEO of Chatters. 

“Fostering an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming environment for our stylists and their guests, and providing an exceptional customer experience is Chatters’ top priority.”

There are 114 locations in Canada. 

Image: Chatters Trinity Commons
Image: Chatters Trinity Commons

In November, with the opening of a new concept store at CF Chinook Centre in Calgary, that will mark the company’s fifth new concept – four of them remodels and one a new flagship location in Brampton, Ontario.

“It’s probably been a decade since we’ve done a full, new elevated concept,” said Moreau. 

“We were excited to get started pre-pandemic and then we took a little bit of pause. But it did give us time. We’ve got about 1,200 hairstylists across Canada. We wanted to create a really dynamic environment while allowing our stylists to showcase their talent, their creativity.”

The elevated experience, for example in the Brampton store, includes privacy areas for customers. 

Chatters Orchard Park Shopping Centre, Kelowna BC

“As we’ve been elevating our product offering, a lot of effort has gone into what we’re calling Style Consciously,” he said.

The brand said it’s about making mindful choices that positively impact a customer’s health, lifestyle and environment. Style Consciously is broken down into four pillars: clean, cruelty-free, vegan and sustainable. Each pillar has its own clearly defined guidelines developed to help customers choose cleaner, greener, kinder products and brands. 

Chatters also recently opened in its first enclosed mall at the Orchard Park Shopping Centre in Kelowna.

“We’re hoping to do between 10 and 15 projects per year for the next three years,” said Moreau. “It would be a mix of new locations and upgrading existing locations.”

Chatters Orchard Park Shopping Centre, Kelowna BC

The new Brampton flagship is an example of the new concept for the brand as it features private salon rooms for clients wanting an individual experience. A testing bar exists where customers can try out products before making a purchase. 

The company’s expansion kicked off in Sudbury, Ontario and Edmonton, Alberta in July and continued in Brampton, Ontario with the opening of their flagship location at Trinity Commons. 

The elevated experience in the Brampton store was brought together through the expertise of award-winning salon store designer, Sandra Fiore of Fiore + Greco Design Inc.

“When we developed the layout and color palette for Chatters, a priority was creating an aesthetically pleasing environment that would be enjoyed by the wide range of clientele that Chatters caters to. Since they are such dynamic spaces, a cohesive interior concept was very important for the Chatters brand,” she said.

“We used accent lighting, wallpaper and benches to frame the various experience areas including the demo bar, retail, and professional service stations. A material board of cement, wood, white, black, and grey was combined and used evenly throughout the space for aesthetic continuity. Fiore also mentions, “the layout was optimized for functionality and flow within the space for both customers and staff to enjoy. It was also done with the knowledge that the space planning and design concept would be brought into many other locations in the future.”

Chatters on the lower level of CF Chinook Centre
Chatters with the Old Concept at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
  • Old Concept at Chatters Edmonton (Image: Chatters)
  • Old Concept at Chatters West Edmonton Mall (Image: Chatters)

In addition to its new Sudbury, Edmonton, and Brampton locations, Chatters will be opening and refreshing several other locations across Canada in the coming months. This includes more locations across British Columbia, Alberta, the Greater Toronto Area, Guelph, and Kitchener in Q1 of 2023.

Chatters Hair Salon was established in 1991 in Red Deer, Alberta, as a small, stylist-founded haircare destination and quickly became one of the most reputable salons across Western Canada. Over the last 31 years, Chatters has expanded to other areas of the country, with a strong focus on Ontario. Leading the Chatters Eastern Canada expansion is the opening of the Toronto based headquarters this fall.

“This office encapsulates Chatters’ growth through the continued development of creative functions such as buying, planning, ecommerce, and marketing. Chatters’ vision is to constantly evolve with their customers and that means expanding salon locations, providing private rooms for those who require them and creating gender-free service menus that are inclusive to all,” said the company. 

Oberfeld Snowcap is acting on behalf of Chatters for its expansion.

Walmart Fulfillment Services Launches in Canada for Marketplace Sellers [Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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John Bayliss, Executive Vice President, Transformation Officer, Walmart Canada; Sravana Karnati, SVP International Technology, Walmart International (Image: Walmart Canada)

Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) has arrived in Canada.

The initiative offers end-to-end fulfillment services and customer support, including returns, for Walmart Marketplace sellers at market competitive rates. 

Through WFS, participating sellers are able to offer two-day shipping and in-store pickup to customers.

Walmart said key benefits of the initiative include:

  • Walmart handles all storage and logistics: sellers ship inventory directly to Walmart, where items will be stored, picked, packed and shipped to customers;
  • Faster shipping than ever before using Walmart’s two-day shipping, which will be available to more than 95 per cent of Canadians;
  • Customer support and returns managed by Walmart, including option for customers to return Marketplace purchases in-store, following our standard returns policy; and 
  • No inventory requirements or minimums to participate – sellers of all sizes can leverage Walmart Fulfillment Services.
Image: Walmart Canada

“We’re bringing Walmart’s logistics, one of the best in Canada, to our third-party sellers, enhancing their opportunity on Walmart.ca while creating even more choice and better service for our customers,” said Daniel Farmer, VP Digital Platforms & Marketplace, Walmart Canada. “By empowering our sellers with more options for warehousing and fast shipping, we’re making it easier for sellers of every size to bring their products to our customers.”

Dan Farmer

Farmer said the company is very excited about WFS and its impact for both sellers on the Marketplace and for consumers.

“Growth has been accelerating year over year as sellers experience the Marketplace platform and get access to Canadian customers. More and more sellers see the value of the platform and they want to join,” he said.

Since its launch in 2017, Walmart Canada said its online Marketplace has seen exponential growth. Today, Walmart Canada’s Marketplace is home to more than 50 million items from more than 7,000 sellers, including thousands based in Canada.

Laurent Duray

“Walmart Fulfillment Services is the foundation to building the most convenient, affordable and fastest fulfillment ecosystem in Canada,” said Laurent Duray, Chief eCommerce Officer, Walmart Canada. “The launch of Walmart Fulfillment Services in Canada is a vote of confidence in omnichannel as we build a best-in-class experience for our customers with our Marketplace as an important growth driver.”

Image: Walmart Canada

Farmer said WFS really leverages Walmart’s unique scale and supply chain capabilities as well as the retailer’s store network to support sellers with warehousing, fulfillment, customer support, including returns for all orders that flow through the Marketplace.

“Sellers are typically smaller businesses, local brands and the advantage for them is to access Walmart’s supply chain capability as well as the store network for either pickups or return,” he said. “What goes along with that is competitive rates, fast service to customers, nationwide reach. Those are all the advantages for sellers on our platform.

“It gives them speed, reach but also efficiencies in being able to leverage Walmart’s capabilities to run their business.”

Farmer said overall e-commerce has become a more and more important channel to Canadians. 

“The Marketplace business itself allows Canadians to access more and more selection from Walmart from our seller partners and our seller partners need services to be able to reach more and more customers faster. So that’s really how all this fits together,” said Farmer.

“The growth in the e-commerce channel continues to accelerate, particularly since the pandemic. We’ve seen a lot of customers switch to the digital channel. How this service supports those customers is they get access to more and more selection, faster. So they will get access to two-day delivery for 95 per cent of Canadians through Walmart Fulfillment Services and our seller partners.”

Walmart Canada operates more than 400 stores across Canada, with 1.5 million customers each day.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web For October 13th, 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.

Tip Top Launches Canadian Store Expansion Amid Record-Breaking Sales [Interview]

By
Shelby Hautala
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Top Top Markham (Image: Tip Top)

Toronto-based Menswear suit and casual fashion retailer Tip Top has opened two new stores in Ontario, and is looking to open storefronts in Quebec – a province the brand has not been in for more than twenty years.

The two new locations opened in September; the first stores Tip Top has opened since the start of the pandemic. The first location is at CF Markville in Markham and is 2,300 square feet, and the other is in Vaughan Mills and is around 2,800 square feet.

“We have a lot going on right now. We came out of the pandemic and the opportunity was there to start looking at new stores, but in smaller footprints,” says Lance Itkoff, the President and CEO of Grafton Apparel, which owns Tip Top. “During Covid, we completely changed the merchandising within the stores towards total event solutions – we wanted to be the go-to for a special day, such as weddings, and the go to destination for events.”

Top Top Markham (Image: Tip Top)
Lance Itkoff

Itkoff said Tip Top has decided to open stores with slightly smaller footprints, making it easier to expand. Instead of opening 3,500 square foot stores, customers can now expect stores to be around 2,200 square feet which is the new Tip Top’s target store size.

“We are finding we are more efficient and can create a better experience for customers in the smaller box than we had in the larger box, so we are happy with the two new stores, and they have been doing great. The business is just way ahead of our expectations, and it has been a crazy ride.”

Event Solution Focused – A Perfect Suit for Your Moment

Top Top Markham (Image: Tip Top)

“About two years ago we set on this path – to put our focus on event solutions. If you came to the store right now, you would see our event shop. It is all about these perfect moments, perfectly dressed where we are featuring all our suit options in all different shirt and tie colours. Nobody else in the market is doing this. There are plenty of other people that have wonderful and nice suits – but nobody has the focus on total event solutions.”

Tip Top has also expanded its colour assortments in suits, square pockets, and ties – all to correspond with dresses and seasonal colours.

“We probably went from half a dozen colours of ties, to nearly thirty and they are all tied back to dress colours or the popular colours of the season. We currently have a dozen colours for shirts, and that is being expanded to twenty colours. Our customers are telling us that the more we give them, the more they are responding – so, we are just continuing to expand like crazy.”

Customers can also expect to see more collections in store as Tip Top is continuously adding new ones. This past fall, it had its biggest collection to date and Itkoff is looking to double it for next year and will hopefully be even larger by 2023.

Record Breaking Sales

Tip Top Bramlea (Rendering: Tip Top)
Tip Top Bramlea (Rendering: Tip Top)

In 2022, Tip Top hit its record-breaking sales, and it was not unexpected as people were adding more events to their calendars.

“We have had the wonderful tailwinds of the post Covid recovery with everyone putting events back on the calendar. I think there was a figure from North America that said in 2022 there was going to be 2.5 million weddings compared to 2.1 in 2019, so we already knew there was going to be somewhere around twenty percent more events on top of that coming out of this pandemic, and on top of that there were graduations and proms. We had a great fortune being able to in a marketplace where the need has bounced back strongly.”

Itkoff said as other suit retailers were not changing their merchandise to meet customers needs after the pandemic, his team knew they had to change as they “had anticipated the changing needs and wants of the consumer and made the necessary changes to mirror that.”

Expanding to Quebec After Twenty Years

Tip Top Bramlea (Rendering: Tip Top)

Tip Top’s future consists of expanding its OMNI capabilities and to expand more across Canada including Quebec.

Currently, Itkoff said Tip Top has around a dozen locations the team is working on and will share these locations once they have been finalized.

“We are in a wonderful position where the business that we have driven gives us the fire power to take advantage of whatever opportunities there are, so if there are one or six stores that become available – we are in a position to take action.”

Tip Top Bramlea (Rendering: Tip Top)

In terms of opening in Quebec, Tip Top is actively looking for the right store locations in the malls right now. Tip Top used to have two locations in Quebec, but it hasn’t been seen there for more than twenty years and customers from there can only shop online. Itkoff said he would love to open as soon as in the middle of next year, but it all depends on if the right location comes around.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to expand into Quebec, because it is a huge opportunity for us. I can easily see us getting to 20 stores in Quebec over the next three to five years.”

“Our team anticipated the changes that were coming post Covid in May of 2020 and we totally changed our merchandise, and we have more fall products on our shelves at this time than we had at the same time in 2019. It is all because our team made the changes that were necessary to win, and I don’t think anyone else in the industry has done what our team has done.”

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‘Good Earth’ Coffee Concept Rapidly Expanding Across Canada with Standalone Stores and Indigo Locations [Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Image: Good Earth Coffeehouse

Calgary-based Good Earth Coffeehouse is rapidly expanding its brand nationwide in part due to a growing partnership with Indigo Books.

“We are so pleased to be growing and reconnecting communities with exceptional coffee and fresh food served in a social hub,” said Nan Eskenazi, founder of Good Earth Coffeehouse. “We believe the human connection and interaction that takes place in our coffeehouses is valuable – as valuable as the coffee and food we serve.

Nan Eskenazi

“We have secured sites with Indigo basically from Victoria to Halifax and two of them are slated to open in November and there’s another three that will open in Q1 of 2023. Then another 10 to 12 will open across the course of 2023.

“We are just getting our feet under us and keeping our momentum going. A combination of the Indigo stores and quite a few institutional locations and then a few street fronts as well.”

The first Good Earth Coffeehouse opened in Calgary in 1991 by founders Eskenazi and Michael Going and today about 52 locations are open or under development. 

Image: Good Earth Coffeehouse

Good Earth has confirmed openings of new coffeehouses in various markets including opening in 2022 and Q1 2023:

  • Chapters – Chinook in Calgary, opening in November;
  • Indigo – Signal Hill in Calgary, opening in November;
  • Calgary Courts Centre in Calgary, opening in November;
  • Indigo – Fairway in Kitchener;
  • Indigo – Shawnessy, in Calgary;
  • Chapters – Westside in Edmonton;
  • The Bridge in Calgary;
  • University of Toronto in Toronto;
  • Yonge & Wellesley in Toronto;
  • Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga;
  • Mississauga Hospital in Mississauga;
  • Bay Centre in Victoria;
  • Victoria General Hospital in Victoria.

Additional openings in 2023 include Indigo and Chapters stores in Winnipeg; Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Oshawa, Barrie, and Cambridge; Edmonton, St. Albert, and Sherwood Park; Halifax, and Vancouver and SickKids Hospital in Toronto.

“By the end of 2023 we will have completed a dozen or more sites with Chapters Indigo locations and then another handful of sites that are a combination of street fronts and institutional partnerships,” said Eskenazi.

“I think we have just the right combination of brand attributes and brand values that are really relevant today. We’ve been actively pursuing sustainability for over 30 years and there’s always room to grow and change in that facet of our brand because things change and it keeps us really engaged on that matter, not just merely coming up with green washing slogans.

Good Earth Coffeehouse Sunridge Mall (Image: Good Earth Coffeehouse)

“Something we’ve always known, and it’s always been part of our DNA, that has been really a spotlight that has been shone on it over the last couple of years is the value of being a social environment, the value of creating a space where people do spend time and engage with each other. I think that’s the real goal at the heart of the Indigo relationship for us. Their customers want to linger, want to spend time and that’s a customer base we love to engage with – people that want to spend time with each other and create community. 

“Certainly, there are other business formulas heading off in a more transactional direction, partly as a result of the changes we’ve been through in the last three years in reducing the social relationship in favour of a more transactional relationship. But we just see the value in being a social hub, a place where people gather. I think that contributes to our longevity to be honest.”

Earlier this year Good Earth unveiled their contemporary café design inspired by earthy tones and natural textures creating an inviting coffeehouse for guests to gather. Since the launch of their new design, Good Earth has opened locations throughout western Canada including former Starbucks locations at Sunridge Mall in Calgary and Lawson Heights in Saskatoon. To date, the brand also opened in The Maclaren in Edmonton, and at the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George.

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