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 Ottawa retail leasing market has strengthened so far in 2022 and is not showing many signs of slowing down as there is more demand to move in than to move out.
A report by real estate firm JLL said asking rents have strengthened once more and the market remains tight due to the chronic lack of completions. This trend is expected to continue until deliveries approach pre-pandemic levels.
“Availability rates in Ottawa have decreased once more, following a trend that started over two years ago, having been interrupted once in Q1 2022 during Omicron. The availability rate is currently at a record low,” said JLL.
“The scarcity of current and future spaces in the market has in turn contributed to the steady rise in rental rates. Availability rates will likely continue to decrease throughout the remainder of the year, but at a slower pace than previously observed.”
Downtown Rideau (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
The report said the current construction pipeline will not bring many notable deliveries to market anytime soon. In Ontario specifically, there has been a strong push for multi-family projects which has in turn overshadowed the retail sector’s own needs for new projects.
“The construction pace has slowed. According to Statistics Canada, the cost of construction for shopping centres in the Ottawa-Gatineau area has increased once more, up three per cent QoQ and 13 per cent YoY. Other cities have faced similar increases and contractors believe that most costs won’t decrease in the short term given the rampant cost and lack of skilled labour. Aggressive interest rate increases have also created an environment where builders cannot secure cheap and reliable debt to finance their developments,” it said.
LeBreton Flats (Rendering: The National Capital Commission (NCC) and Capital Sports Development Inc. (CSDI))
Paul Ferreira, Senior Vice President of Retail with JLL, said Ottawa has one very large employer in the federal government and that has impacted the downtown retail sector.
Paul Ferreira
A growing presence of government employees at work leads to many other spinoffs.
The one new development area in Ottawa is the LeBreton Flats mixed-use project just outside the downtown core.
“Everybody has their eyes on that,” said Ferreira. “The National Capital Commission has been going through their process over the last year of making parcels available for development. We have the announcement of the arena coming to LeBreton Flats. That’s a big opportunity for the city in terms of creating place and what that means for retail, entertainment, food and beverage in the market.”
Aqueduct district at LeBreton Flats (Rendering: The National Capital Commission (NCC))
Bringing an arena downtown for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators on what will be the LRT line with other amenities will create an urban destination, he said.
“Much like in previous quarters, general retail and neighbourhood centres continue to pull most of the weight absorption-wise. Their vacancy rates have been steadily decreasing since the beginning of 2021 and should stabilize in the second half of 2022 given the lack of space there is left to absorb. As shopper hesitancy reduces and interest in enclosed spaces increase, more retailers should move into malls for the remainder of the year,” said JLL.
“Ottawa has continued to increase its volume of retail sales activity. Despite having faced a pandemic-influenced economy, Freedom Convoy demonstrations, and reduced foot traffic, retail sales in the city are 20 per cent higher than 2019’s YTD sales thanks to the pent-up demand accrued during the pandemic. This surpasses the 19 per cent growth seen overall in the country but lags Montreal’s 21 per cent and Toronto’s 24 per cent gains over the same time. While sales have increased since 2019, it is not a reflection of every single operator’s situation.
“The city has seen encouraging growth in numerous retail categories. Compared to 2021, sales for clothing and shoe stores have soared by 161 per cent and 133 per cent so far. Many more categories have encountered double-digit sales growth, such as furniture (38 per cent), building materials (37 per cent), general merchandise (25 per cent), and electronics (18 per cent).”
Parliament Hill in Ottawa (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Another factor in the retail sector in Ottawa is the growth in the tourist sector.
“Business owners in the central business district continue to expect federal office workers to return to the office. According to a study conducted by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, 60 per cent of their members are against a return to the office, and another 25 per cent would be comfortable with a hybrid approach. Only 10 per cent of members would prefer a full-time return to work. The sentiment is also echoed by other unions in the city,” explained the JLL report.
“Unions in the area are now fighting to include remote working in future collective agreements with the government. Even if an agreement is reached, retailers will still have to engage with other demographic groups, such as students and tourists, to pull people back into downtown Ottawa.”
McDonald’s is opening its latest walk-up window service restaurant in Calgary’s University District mixed-use neighbourhood as the fast-food chain continues to explore unique ways to reach consumers.
Alex Jones, Head of National Real Estate & Development, for McDonald’s, said in an email that construction is underway and the restaurant is expected to open in November.
Alex Jones
“The restaurant will be 4,000 square feet and features a full-sized lobby, a full-sized modern kitchen and specialized service areas to focus on delivery, digital, dine-in and walk-up guests,” he said.
“The restaurant features a walk-up window instead of the traditional Drive-Thru due to the high foot traffic at University District. It is not uncommon to include walk-up windows in urban areas as they are typically reserved for downtown style sites and smaller storefront style restaurants. However, this McDonald’s will have a full-sized lobby, a full-sized modern kitchen and specialized service areas to focus on delivery, digital, dine-in and walk-up guests.
“Given the nature of the restaurant and the community it serves, it features a walk-up window prioritizing delivery, digital and dine-in for guests. This location does not include a Drive-Thru.”
Image: McDonalds Canada (Maj Mack)
The University District, located just west of the University of Calgary campus and close to the Alberta Children’s Hospital and Market Mall, is a 200-acre community with housing being built for several thousand residents as well as retail, food and beverage and commercial real estate uses.
“These walk-up style restaurants are common for McDonald’s restaurants in Canada in vibrant, urban centres that cater to businesses and students. We’ve seen great success with similar restaurants in student-first areas like McDonald’s UBC location in Vancouver and the new restaurant downtown Kingston, Ontario at Princess and Division,” said Jones. “At McDonald’s restaurants, we want to meet guests where they are and provide an easy, seamless, and convenient experience. Since University District is a vibrant community with high foot traffic, the walk-up style restaurant was the right fit for this community.
“The storefront inspired restaurants are especially common in urban areas where we see a higher demand for walk-up service and delivery, namely student and business areas. They feature specialized service areas to focus on delivery, digital, dine in and walk-up guests.
“The past couple of years have taught us that our guests want options when it comes to how they get their McDonald’s favourites. As a leader in delivery and as part of our digital transformation, we will continue to explore restaurant concepts that will allow us to better accommodate our guests in vibrant, urban city centres.”
Rendering: McDonalds Canada
Usman Tahir Jutt
Usman Jutt, McDonald’s Calgary franchisee, said the restaurant is designed with students in mind.
“The walk-up design will provide a one-of-a-kind, easy and convenient place for people to grab all of their favourites from McDonald’s,” he said.
“We have always believed in delivering an exceptional community experience each step of the way in University District, so we are excited to be home to a walk-up McDonald’s,” said Maureen Henderson, VP of Community Experience, with the University of Calgary PropertiesGroup which is spearheading the University District development.
Maureen Henderson
“Whether it’s a student on the go, a nearby employee looking for a quick meal break, or a group of seniors meeting up for a weekly coffee, McDonald’s will provide convenient options for everyone to enjoy wherever they wish. It’s a perfect complement to our innovative community design, and we are confident McDonald’s will feel right at home in U/D.”
Canada’s first McDonald’s restaurant was in 1967 in Richmond, British Columbia. It has about 1,400 Canadian restaurants today.
Ontario-based Darwynn, which is building an end-to-end fulfillment ecosystem, is taking possession of its new facility in BC on November 1, further expanding the company’s offering into Western Canada.
The 112,000-square-foot facility will utilize Darwynn’s fulfillment platform including automated guided vehicles (AGVs), automated storage & retrieval systems (ASRS), and a software solution that provides visibility and insights to retailers.
The company has also appointed an Advisory Board, comprised of eight industry leaders, to help its future growth.
“Global supply chain issues and the pandemic fuelled the need for an innovative fulfillment solution,” said Reza Bafandeh, CEO of Darwynn. “We’ve seen a lot of growth over the past year, and this is an extremely exciting time for the company. With the Advisory Board and upcoming facility opening, Darwynn is strategically positioned to provide nationwide access to its fulfillment platform that will enable companies of all sizes to effectively compete in e-commerce.
“We’re seeing a heightened level of appetite for space and fulfillment in BC, specifically around the GVA (Greater Vancouver Area) . . . It has a fairly sized population and customer expectations are starting to also remain high even post-pandemic. From our perspective, we thought it would be right. A while back we made the decision to come to Vancouver and we’re very excited to take possession of a building in Surrey.
Reza Bafandeh
“We plan on growing into the facility. We’re going to have clients from all around the world. Canada. The goal of the solution is to provide service to retailers of all sizes so they can store their products, have their product fulfilled and have their product distributed to their clients either nationally, provincially or even locally.”
He said Darwynn is at the core of the company’s name and change, or reaction to market demand, is what it strives itself on.
“We believe we have a solution that’s exceptionally agile and quick to turn around. So if we see the demand we will always react to it,” added Bafandeh.
“I think this is going to put us at a very strategic position to provide a very unique offering. Space and facilities of being able to do fulfillment at the scale that we’re going to be able to do are not so common to come by, especially in British Columbia, given the state of the market. So I think not only from our presence but also the combination of what we offer from hardware to software to execution, we’ll be positioned to have a very compelling offer within the market and also help raise the bar.”
Image: Darwynn
The company said its end-to-end fulfillment ecosystem is equipped with cutting-edge technology and automation that enables companies to compete more effectively in eCommerce. The Advisory Board will provide guidance to the company’s executive team through its continued growth and development as a leader in the Canadian fulfillment industry.
New members of the advisory board named were:
Dr. Tina Dacin – Stephen J.R. Smith Chaired Professor of Strategy and Organisational Behaviour, Queen’s University, Smith School of Business
Jim Defer – Chief Financial Officer of Tribe Property Technologies, former CFO at DDS Wireless and SunSelect Produce, and former Head of Investment Banking at P.I. Financial Corp.
Elsie Li – Chief Financial Officer for Central City Brewers & Distillers, and Founding Partner at ALNA Packaging Ltd.
Jon Rosenberg – Founder & Chief Executive Officer of the Strongpoint Group, former Senior Vice President of Operations at Indigo and previous COO of GoBolt Logistics
Amir Sahba – Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Thinkingbox, Technology Entrepreneur and Venture Capitalist
Jim Slomka – Executive Vice President at Grocery Business Magazine, former member of the Senior Leadership Team at Clorox Canada
Dr. Ma Song – Senior Vice President at JD.com, and Founder of Qiyi Technology
Jerome Vallet – Worldwide Director at Kering and former global executive at Carrefour Group
Deloitte Canada’s Holiday Retail Outlook reveals consumer spending nationwide will substantially drop this holiday season to levels below 2020.
According to the report, Inflationary pressures along with economic uncertainty are disproportionately impacting Canadians across different income levels and spending cuts will impact restaurants, travel, groceries, and will span across several sectors as consumer sentiment continues to wane.
The report shows Canadians are tightening the purse strings and are pessimistic about the year ahead, with about half expecting the economy to get worse over the coming years. We have seen consumer sentiment oscillate through the past four years with things starting to look more optimistic in 2021. However, consumer holiday spending outlook is down again, said the Deloitte report.
Bath & Body Works at CF Toronto Eaton Centre (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Marty Weintraub, Partner, National Retail Leader at Deloitte Canada, described the report as coming at “an interesting point in time” to be looking at what consumers are going to be spending for the holiday season.
Marty Weintraub
“What we see this year, and by the way it’s not a huge surprise because of what’s going on around us both economically, geo-politically, we’re just in a little bit of an extreme situation. We thought 2020 was sort of quite extreme being our first holiday season heading in but . . . we have some additional extremities coming up,” said Weintraub.
“Spend going down may not surprise folks but the magnitude of the spend coming down is quite high . . . People are extremely anxious about what could happen. We’ve (the general public) been using the R word (recession) off and on and with all of that uncertainty we’re just seeing that buttoning down, earlier than ever shopping – 26 per cent of Canadians will finish by Black Friday.”
The report found:
Almost half (48 per cent) of Canadians expect the economy to be worse in 2023, and four in 10 (41 per cent) have seen their household finances worsen this year;
Overall holiday spending will fall 17 per cent this year, to $1,520, with the biggest cuts in non-gift electronics (-55 per cent), travel (-30 per cent), and non-gift clothing (-27 per cent);
Canadians will shop early and hunt for deals to stretch their holiday budget: One in three (37 per cent) will shop earlier this year, with 46 per cent believing it will help them get better deals. They’ll shift to other brands if their preferred one is too expensive (72 per cent), buy from retailers that sell at the lowest possible prices (70 per cent), and seek out sale items (69 per cent);
Rising prices and supply issues may impact consumer trust and brand loyalty: (76 per cent) of survey respondents expect prices to rise this holiday season and, worryingly, 68 per cent question if retailers may be raising prices more than needed, a concern that has been creating tensions across industries. Additionally, supply chain challenges have trained consumers to find substitutes, with 61 per cent indicating they’ll try new brands if what they want is out of stock;
Consumers want to buy goods that express their values—but some are skeptical: Four in 10 (44 per cent) consumers are willing to pay up to 10 per cent more for sustainable/ethical products or services. Others won’t pay more because of affordability issues (47 per cent), challenges in identifying genuinely sustainable/ethical products (41 per cent), or the belief that their purchase choices won’t have a meaningful impact (28 per cent);
51 per cent of customers say they will favour shopping in-store this holiday season (up slightly from 49 per cent last year), and those who will are planning to visit more stores: 5.9 on average, up from 5.3 last year but shy of pre-pandemic levels (6.4 in 2019). And more are planning to host formal meals this year than last (41 per cent versus 35 per cent).
Hudson’s Bay Queen Street Holiday 2022 (Image: Dustin Fuhs)CF Toronto Eaton Centre on Black Friday 2021 (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Weintraub said 71 per cent of Canadians are likely to shop at Amazon this year versus 62 per cent last year. He said 43 per cent will start their holiday shopping in November versus 35 per cent last year. Everyone is starting earlier and will be done earlier this holiday shopping season.
“Recent holiday seasons have seen Canadian consumers cycle between cautious optimism and concern. This year, they’ve been exposed to a seemingly endless cycle of negative news, including economic uncertainty, high inflation, rising interest rates, geopolitical upheaval, general “pandemic hangover,” new or resurgent diseases, and more. It will be hard for Canadians to find reasons for optimism when there is so much Ambiguity,” said the report.
“Across income brackets, consumers have seen their buying power shrink. They’ll be looking for ways to stretch their dollar this holiday season. For some, that may mean choosing new products; for others, it might mean spending more time looking for the best deals. While some will strive to make purchases that reflect their sustainability and/or ethical values, others question whether they can afford to do so or whether they feel equipped to identify products that are genuinely sustainable and/or ethical.”
Best Buy Black Friday 2021 (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
The report said a growing number of Canadian consumers are signing up for Amazon Prime: 47 per cent say they’re now Amazon Prime members, up from 40 per cent in 2021 and 37 per cent in 2020. However: 59 per cent of shoppers expect their Amazon holiday spend to remain the same this year.
“After a couple of years of having to keep their distance from other people, Canadian consumers want to connect—with friends, families, and even fellow shoppers. Half of survey respondents (51 per cent) say they prefer to shop in-store this season, up slightly (49 per cent) from last year, to interact with products, take advantage of better prices and promotions, and avoid shipping costs. They’re planning to visit more stores, too: 5.9 on average, up from 5.3 in 2021, but still shy of pre-pandemic levels (6.4 in 2019). They also plan to spend more than half (56 per cent) of their holiday budget in a physical store, compared to 41 per cent online,” added the report.
“Canadians from coast to coast to coast have been through a lot these past few years and although they’re resilient, they’re understandably fatigued. Even as fears about COVID-19 fade, consumers are living in a highly charged state of anxiety, with recessionary concerns, inflationary pressures, and rising interest rates top of mind. These economic and financial concerns are likely leading Canadians to focus on their personal finances and short-term needs, which is reflected in the planned reduction in holiday spending.
“Retailers will need to do more than sharpen prices to win the hearts of consumers this holiday season. If communicated in a genuine and authentic manner, they can offer moments of respite by demonstrating empathy and an understanding of what their customers are feeling. The holiday period can be stressful in the best of times, and consumers will be making tough spending decisions as they work to take care of their families’ needs.”
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.
Video Interview: Inflation To Impact, But Not Reduce, Holiday Spending [Survey]
Jennifer LaForge, GM, Rakuten Canada, discusses the impact rising costs and inflation will have on holiday spending this year.
LaForge talks about the importance of sales and promotions such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the circular economy, loyalty and cash back programs, and the popularity of gift cards.
The Video Interview Series by Retail Insider is available on YouTube.
Connect with Mario Toneguzzi, a veteran of the media industry for more than 40 years and named in 2021 a Top Ten Business Journalist in the world and the only Canadian – to learn how you can tell your story, share your message and amplify it to a wide audience. He is Senior News Editor with Retail Insider and owner of Mario Toneguzzi Communications Inc. and can be reached at mdtoneguzzi@gmail.com.
Also check out the other series offered by Retail Insider, including The Weekly podcast and The Interview Series, which are both available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Podcasts, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Simplecast and other podcast players.
Jill Yoga, a Canadian brand under the parent company of Ranka, has recently opened its new concept store at Hillcrest Mall in Richmond Hill.
The Ranka Group of Companies, formed 45 years ago to cater to a market asking for reasonably priced apparel and home product, added Jill Yoga under its umbrella to focus on active wear for women and girls. Jill Yoga opened its doors on October 1st and unlike other retailers, the new concept store will have a retail space that will include a yoga studio where customers can enjoy free yoga classes.
Yoga Studio
Jill Yoga at Hillcrest (Image: Jill Yoga)
The Yoga Studio started before the pandemic and was only once a month, now it has expanded to multiple classes every week.
“Our first pop-up location was at CF Shops at Don Mills three years ago and once a month we would have yoga classes and it was well received. Mothers would come in with their daughters, grandparents, and family would come in to do yoga together. This time around, we thought we would incorporate a studio space right into the store so we could have classes all week and it would be part of the retail experience. The pop-up at Hillcrest Mall is our first experiential pop-up. I say that because the pop-ups we have had previously, did not have the studio space inside,” says Nina Snow, the Creative Director of Jill Yoga.
The yoga studio is in the back of the store and can be expanded depending on the size of the class. Jill Yoga has partnered with three instructors, one is Little Yogis and is Toronto based. This group focuses on children’s yoga, ages three to six, will be sending instructors to the studio, and will have two sets of classes for different ages. One class will be for toddlers and the other class will be focused on children six years of age and above. The instructors will be focusing on yoga activities and will sometimes bring in toys and offer mindfulness activations.
Jill Yoga at Hillcrest (Image: Jill Yoga)
Jill Yoga has also partnered with two individual yoga instructors, and they will be focusing on bringing classes that are for mom and baby class, family class, and kids play which will include different activities for kids and not just yoga.
“The mom and baby class during the week will be interesting for the moms and babies in the area who are at home. Yoga for kids is an amazing thing. The world and their lives are so full of distraction and being able to give them skills such as focusing, mindfulness, and the ability to get off their devices for around 30 minutes are things they can carry with them every day. This is a wonderful practice that kids really enjoy.”
All the classes offered at Jill Yoga are offered free of charge as part of the retail experience at Jill Yoga.
Fashionable Clothing for Women and Kids
Jill Yoga at Hillcrest (Image: Jill Yoga)
Jill Yoga has a wide variety of products including active wear for women. Clothing sizes go all the way down to six months old. Customers can also find a wide variety of yoga accessories such as yoga mats and bags.
“We do fashion active wear, and it is all ages. It is for women and girls and starts at six months and goes all the way up through women’s sizing. It also gives a unique opportunity for a mom and daughter to match. So, we have a Mommy and Mini line, and it is adorable. We see it in a lot of classes, where people come in and dressed in Mommy and Mini – dressed alike and doing yoga together.”
Jill Yoga’s products, such as the Mommy and Mini line, are also carried at Hudson’s Bay stores across Canada.
What is Next for Jill Yoga?
Jill Yoga at Hillcrest (Image: Jill Yoga)
Snow said the goal will be to open five new stores within the next two years. The difficult task will be to find a retail store that will also include a studio space so all its stores can continue with the new yoga studio concept.
“We do plan on moving forward with it, we just haven’t had a chance to decide where, when, and to put a plan together. But we would like to go forward with the experimental location where we do have a studio in the space. We are hopeful that the next expansion will be opening five stores within the next two years. We will venture out of Ontario, but the first few will be in Ontario, and we will see how it goes.”
Jill Yoga is also looking at expanding its class selection to add more breathing classes for kids, mindfulness, and “we really want to see what we can bring to the area in terms of health and wellness.” Snow said one thing it will be bringing in is dance classes for kids.
“We have the permanent studio space in the store, so we are looking at a wide variety of health, wellness, mindfulness, and interesting classes that will be posted on our site. We are coming out of the pandemic, and everyone has been inside – so, it has been well received. Kids can come out and have fun. We are bringing fun back and it is combined with a great retail experience. We are putting the joy back into yoga.”
No Frills in Sydney, Nova Scotia (Image: Field Agent Canada)
“Following the path of many grocers around the world, Loblaw became the first Canadian grocer to voluntarily freeze food prices. While non-cynical Canadian shoppers will appreciate the grocer’s empathetic gesture, such a move was long overdue.”
For weeks now, many have called for Canadian grocers to voluntarily freeze prices for some main staples at the grocery store as we weather the current food inflation storm. Many Western economies have seen price freezes from grocers, including German giant Lidl and the well-known French multinational Carrefour. The first grocer in the world to do this was more than six months ago. Canada has had no grocer pursuing this strategy; none, that is, until now. As of this week, Loblaw Companies Ltd. became the first Canadian grocer to voluntarily freeze prices for a variety of food products.
In an unprecedented move, the number one grocer has frozen prices for over 1,500 privately labelled products sold across the country until the end of January 2023. For Canadian shoppers, especially the 25% who are having a hard time coping with food inflation, it was long overdue.
For months now, Canadian grocers—all of them—have been continuously criticized by consumers and politicians for price gouging. It even pushed Ottawa’s standing parliamentary committee in agriculture to launch an investigation on the matter just a few weeks ago. The industry desperately needed to do something for its own reputation.
Some of the criticism was expected, and likely deserved. Given what happened with the bread price fixing scheme, few consumers have forgiven the industry, even after all this time. In December 2017, Loblaw and Weston Bakeries admitted to having been part of a bread-price fixing scheme for fourteen years. Indeed, Canadians were able to apply for a 25-dollar gift certificate, but not one single person in the industry was fined or went to jail. Things would have played out differently in the United States. Americans don’t mess around with companies trying to undermine the free market.
In our grocers’ defense, though, financial numbers aren’t necessarily telling us that grocers are abusing their oligopolistic powers, even in the current inflationary environment. Many will want to believe it, but the evidence is just not there. Canadian grocers have done well, but gross margins have remained anywhere between 2% to 4 %. Loblaw’s numbers are slightly higher than usual this year, but it’s nothing like in other economic sectors.
Image: Loblaw
Take banking for instance. Last year, the Royal Bank of Canada alone made more money in one single quarter than what all Canadian grocers combined made during the entire fiscal year. That list includes Loblaw, Sobeys, and Metro. Banks are making a killing while shelter costs are also impacting food affordability. Many Canadians are paying more to have a roof over their heads, mainly due to higher interest rates. Paying more for shelter will compromise food budgets eventually. According to Statistics Canada, 56% of Canadians are currently concerned about whether they can afford housing or rental costs. Also, in a recent survey, more than 7% of Canadians are now using a credit card to pay for groceries without knowing when they will pay their balance back. Interest rates charged by banks add to these outstanding amounts.
While some will appreciate Loblaw’s empathetic gesture, the grocer’s latest campaign will likely bring some cynicism along the way. Some will state that freezing prices for a while is an admission of guilt by Loblaw. Not necessarily. Food inflation is a worldwide phenomenon. The entire global agri-food sector has been severely impacted by higher costs. Even if Canada has the third-lowest food inflation rate amongst G7 countries, Canadians could not have been spared. Some will also claim that other products will increase even more, penalizing those who don’t want to buy products that are part of the campaign. That is certainly a possibility, but freezing prices for more than 1,500 products for more than three months in food retail is quite the statement. Anyone involved in the industry will appreciate that.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for September, the next one, will be released this week on October 19. Even if Canadian grocers should have done this a while ago, Loblaw did choose the right week to somewhat tame the eventual barrage of profiteering accusations that always come with the CPI report. The report will likely remind Canadians once again that feeding ourselves has gotten more expensive.
In the grand scheme of things, Loblaw’s move was easy to execute. Negotiating with contract manufacturers which support the grocer’s brands is not that challenging. It just needed a plan. The campaign is powerfully symbolic and will show that grocers in our country do have a heart. Let’s hope other companies follow suit.
Amazon Canada is launching the return of the Amazon Designer Spotlight, which is an exclusive online fashion series celebrating six Canadian designers, hosted by celebrity stylist Brad Goreski.
Vickie Gu
“At Amazon, we are committed to fueling Canada’s fashion industry by giving locally-loved products a nationally accessible platform that helps them thrive,” said Vickie Gu, Head of Amazon Fashion in Canada. “Canadians rally around supporting small; this video series brings a sense of community to shopping from home by helping consumers feel connected to what they are wearing, and who they are supporting through these purchases.”
The series takes Amazon.ca customers alongside Goreski as he unveils each designer’s personal and professional story in two-minute shorts dropping every day on the Amazon Canada Instagram channel (@amazonca).
The first video drops today at 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT, with the final video premiering on Saturday, October 22. All six designer collections are also available now for customers to shop and discover at amazon.ca/DesignerSpotlight.
“It basically takes customers and viewers alongside Brad as the videos basically (tell) their personal and professional stories. So each of the videos kind of goes through how they got their start. What inspired them to be a designer and then to where they are now launching their brands on Amazon,” said Gouveia.
He said the campaign is an extension of Amazon’s work with Canadian small businesses.
“We’ve offered virtual shelf space to Canada-based sellers, many of which are small businesses, for almost 20 years now. This is an extension of our work with small businesses, more specifically in the fashion category. It’s a way for us to highlight these great talents and designers across Canada by giving them a way to share their stories and also launch their collection. Five out of six of the designers are launching both their collections and brands on Amazon for the first time and one has already been selling on Amazon for a couple of years now,” said Gouveia.
Amazon Canada launched the 2021 Small Business Empowerment Report, which shared that from January to December 2021, Amazon selling partners in Canada sold more than 100 million products. This averaged more than 200 items sold every minute, with most third-party sellers being small- and medium sized businesses.
Amazon Designer Spotlight (Image: Amazon Canada)
Collections in each video are worn by influencers that are unique to each designer’s brand, connecting creatives in communities across the country. Designers also share in the videos how they are choosing to pay it forward to Canada’s fashion community through their Amazon-powered $25,000 give-back-grant.
“We just thought that was important because so many of these designers along the way they’ve needed funding or support to kind of get their brands off the ground as any small business does,” said Gouveia. “So this is just a way for them to kind of pay it forward and I think also for customers to know that what they’re supporting is also going back to a good cause.”
Image: Amazon Designer Spotlight
The six Canadian designers and recipients are:
L’Uomo Strano creates affirming wardrobes for gender-non conforming people and their allies. Designed by Mic. Carter [they/them] in Toronto, the brand is invested in how clothing can foster self-expression and a sense of community. Carter has shared their grant with the fashion department at Toronto Metropolitan University, offering education in communication, design, textile and material practices, and design leadership;
Hilary MacMillan is a fashion-first lifestyle brand, rooted in making a statement with size inclusive clothing and building women up. Designer and brand owner, Hilary MacMillan [she/her], pulls inspiration from her Scottish heritage, love of art, Canadian landscapes and design decades throughout history. Blanche MacDonald Centre is a worldwide recognized fashion, design, and beauty school in Vancouver, and the recipient of MacMillan’s grant;
Entin Gartini is an Indonesian brand based in Montreal that uses one-of-a-kind handmade batik designs created by Entin Gartini [she/her]. Gartini selected Dress for Success Montreal as the recipient of the grant. The non-profit provides professional attire and development tools to women so they can gain economic independence;
Valmora is a contemporary brand born out of Montreal. Matteo Valmora [they/them] is the Founder and Designer and strives to dismantle binary conceptions of menswear by inspiring men to seek non-gender conforming fashion. The recipient of the grant was not released. The grant recipient will be announced in the near future;
Hunter & Trove is a jewelry brand based in Vancouver, founded and designed by Yulee Harris [she/her]. Harris loves to create beautiful pieces that spark joy and create memories. Hitting close to home, Harris has selected the Jewellery Art and Design program at Vancouver Community College that educates students on the design, fabrication, and history of jewelry, as a recipient of the grant;
Mobilize Waskawewin is an Indigenous-owned streetwear brand based in Edmonton. Designer Dusty LeGrande [he/him] aims to bring representation for Indigenous peoples and strives to empower, educate and help others find identity. Mobilize Waskawewin is “street wear with a Cree flair.” The grant will be shared with The Next Gen Scholarship – a resource allowing for authentic sharing of knowledge, business, design, and art practices to break barriers by supporting the next generation of designers.
Belicia Chung
Belicia Chung, Marketing Manager at Amazon Canada, said all the designer stories are “very unique, they’re very touching. We have two gender non-binary brands. We have the first jewelry brand that we’re launching this year. So there’s a couple of first-time categories in designers that we’re launching this year.”
