Kelowna-based Shop-Local network GetintheLoop has partnered with small business management platform Thryv to bring the company’s software across Canada.
The partnership will connect Canadian Small Businesses with a digital business communication tool, including automation and operational efficiencies.
“We’re very excited about this partnership and its many benefits to both organizations and, most importantly, local businesses,” said Matt Crowell, Founder and CEO of GetintheLoop. “Together, we immediately increase the value we can bring to local businesses across Canada and create extensive growth opportunities for our organization.”
Image: GetintheLoop
GetintheLoop is a digital shop-local community which brings consumers to new businesses through offers and rewards via an app and online platform. The Kelowna-based brand has been used across the country with over 6,500 business partners since debuting in 2013.
“Thryv is looking forward to supporting small businesses in Canada,” said Marie-Michèle Caron, president of International Markets for Thryv. “Our partnership with GetintheLoop is the jumping- off point to educating Canadian SMBs on how using a SaaS cloud-based operations tool can be both a financial and time efficiency. GetintheLoop’s understanding of the region’s SMB owners’ needs will be invaluable and owners’ familiarity with GetintheLoop makes this a perfect collaboration.”
Thryv has been used by more than 46,000 American SMBs to manage end-to-end operations, mobile solutions for business operations, including marketing, payments, analytics and more. Thryv also manages digital and print presence for over 400,000 businesses, connecting these SMBs to local consumers via proprietary local search portals and local directories.
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 several days.
adidas Future Location at The Well (Rendering: adidas)
Retail giant adidas is planning to open a new adidas Originals store in summer 2023 at the massive mixed-use development The Well in downtown Toronto.
Lesley Hawkins, VP Retail for the company, said the new store will fit in well with the new live, work and play project.
Lesley Hawkins
“The store concept that we will be bringing to life is called The Collection and is our new retail concept for adidas Originals. Our existing Queen Street neighbourhood store, located just east of Spadina on Queen Street West will transition to a new format,” she said.
“The Well will be the space that curates moments, captures culture and contrasts our past stories with our future vision.
adidas Future Location at The Well (Rendering: adidas)adidas Future Location at The Well (Rendering: adidas)
“The new space at The Well will be an expression of openness. There will be open archives, open collaboration, open source, because collecting is part of what we do. It’s how we track our story and for us we’re always searching, reinventing and innovating.”
Bordering Front, Spadina and Wellington, The Well is an extension of the urban vibrancy of King West. It is on 7.8 Acres and will include 320,000 square feet of total retail space, 1.2 million square feet of office space, 1.5 million square feet of new residential space and 1,700 condominiums and purpose-built rental suites.
“The Well is a transformational project and one of the most complex, multi-faceted developments Toronto has ever seen. It is a true example of choreographed city-building,” said John Ballantyne, Chief Operating Officer, RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust. “The Well’s carefully curated retail mix plays a vital role in establishing The Well as a vibrant destination for residents and visitors to Toronto. The flagship space adidas will occupy is among the most prominent corners on the property and sets the tone for the quality of experience our future guests can expect when they visit The Well.”
adidas Construction at The Well (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
adidas Construction at The Well (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
adidas Construction at The Well (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Hawkins said The Well will be the retailer’s destination for the urban lifestyle consumer in this new vibrant community and it will also appeal to the surrounding Greater Toronto neighbourhoods.
The store will be 5,800 square feet and is located in the highest profile, most visible space of the project, at the main entrance of The Well and surrounded on three sides by windows.
“It is literally right on the corner of Front and Spadina,” said Hawkins.
“It’s an incredibly high traffic area right in downtown Toronto as it is located amongst business, residential and retail buildings. It is also frequented by anyone attending sporting events downtown whether it be at the Rogers Centre or Scotiabank Arena.”
Image: The Well (courtesy of RioCan and Allied REIT)
The Well is a joint venture between RioCan and Allied Properties REIT. The retail space is about 79 per cent leased or in advanced stages of negotiation. Some finalized leases include:
Arcadia Earth, 17,501 square feet;
Sweat and Tonic, 24,000 square feet;
HealthOne, 15,000 square feet;
Shoppers Drug Mart, 16,000 square feet;
adidas, 5,759 square feet;
Bailey Nelson, 818 square feet;
Prince St. Pizza 1,559 square feet.
The office space is 98 per cent leased and occupancy has started. Some of the office tenants include: Shopify, Index Exchange, Spaces, QuadrangleFinanceit, Konrad, Warner Music Group, Dyson, Unity Intuit, PointClickCare.
Image: The Well (courtesy of RioCan and Allied REIT)
According to the developers, a previously published economic impact report on The Well by The Altus Group revealed that annual benefits from the ongoing operation of The Well’s commercial and retail spaces, and the management of the property, will generate more than 23,000 person-years of employment and over $300 million in income by households. In total the estimated annual economic benefit from the on-going operations of The Well add up to approximately $939 million in economic activity for the city.
Once complete, The Well will offer space for 5,000 new office jobs, 1,200 new retail jobs, and over 1,700 new residences split between three signature condominiums and three purpose-built rental residences.
Applications for the adidas Canadian expansion will be available on the adidas Career Portal.
Optometrist-owned and led eyewear retailer Specsavers continues to aggressively expand its footprint across Canada with the recent opening of six stores in Alberta with big plans for growth in the future.
Bill Moir, Managing Director of Specsavers Canada, said the six Alberta locations are part of 200 clinics opening in Canada by 2024, all equipped with Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) technology as part of every standard eye exam. He said Specsavers locations are equipped with the latest imaging and clinical technology for comprehensive eye exams, such as 3D eye scans through hospital-grade OCT technology.
During an interview at the recent store opening at the CF Market Mall location in Calgary, Moir said a complete pair of glasses start at $69 which is one of the company’s big draws.
“The key point of difference for us is OCT with every exam, glasses starting as low as $69 and the fact that the stores are actually owned and operated by local store owners who are part of the community,” he said.
Image: Specsavers Canada
Founded in the U.K. nearly 40 years ago by optometrist husband and wife team Doug and Mary Perkins, there are now more than 2,500 Specsavers healthcare businesses across 11 countries serving 41 million patients and customers. The brand announced its launch in Canada in 2021.
Specsavers said it is driven by its purpose of “changing lives through better sight” and aims to transform the way Canadians see accessible eyecare by offering exceptional service, clinical equipment and expertise, as well as affordable and quality eyewear.
The company has at least 20 stores in BC and six stores in Alberta. A seventh store in Alberta was scheduled to open soon.
“We’re opening about two or three stores a week now across Alberta and BC,” said Moir when he was in Calgary recently near the end of September.
“By the end of the year we should have just over 50 stores across Canada. We’ll be in three provinces, BC, Alberta and Ontario as well. Ontario we should open around the end of October. The aim is to get to 200 stores in the next two years. We’re on track to open about 100 stores a year. That’s what we’re averaging about two stores a week that we’re opening.”
Image: Specsavers Canada
Stores are about 2,000 square feet with three test rooms in a typical store.
“They’re designed to be much higher volume because we have a very attractive proposition and very affordable eyewear,” said Moir.
“The aim when we get to 200 stores is we want all customers to be able to access the brand easily. We look at where there are high concentrations of population. We tend to focus more in urban areas and maybe market towns or big outlying towns because that’s where the need for optometry is greatest, more than kind of big, expansive city centre locations. We’re more of a community-based retailer.”
The retailer is looking at enclosed shopping centres, streetfronts and outdoor shopping centres in its expansion.
Bill Moir (Image: Specsavers Canada)
There’s a growing trend in the market these days with more eyewear stores opening up – sometimes several in the same enclosed mall.
Is there a point of saturation in the market?
“I think there are a lot of eyewear outlets in Canada. I think there’s a lack of differentiation. It’s based on the fact that a smaller number of players own multiple brands. So, often you’ll go from one shop to another shop and you see the same brands, you see the same sort of pricing, you’ll see a very similar proposition,” said Moir.
“And I think there’s a lack of choice for Canadian consumers. So even though there’s lots of different names over the door, I think there’s actually a lack of choice. So what we’re doing is coming in with something very different in the market. We’re the only people including OCT in every part of the eye exam. We’ve got a very consistent practice on that to make sure we’re giving excellent clinical care and we’re the only people who have really high quality eyewear offering starting as low as $69 for a single perfectly pair of glasses.”
Retailer Penningtons describes itself as Canada’s premiere destination for plus-size fashion, ranging from sizes 14 to 32 and the company has launched a major, wide-ranging revitalization that includes new branding.
All 90 of the retailer’s stores across Canada will be labeled ‘PENN.’ with a new logo and a strategy of growth in the near future.
“Over the past couple of years, we’ve done a complete deep-dive into our business that included hundreds of hours of consultation with our customers,” said Michael Strachan, PENN.’s President, in a statement. “We wanted to find the right way to position the company for the future in order to attract new customers who have changing attitudes while still respecting the needs of our long-standing, loyal customers.”
Reitmans (Canada) Limited operates the Penningtons stores across the country as well as 235 Reitmans stores and 77 RW&CO locations.
PENN. Campaign (Image: Penningtons)
Rosalba Iannuzzi, Vice-President Merchandising, Design and Technical, said women today are not willing to be defined by their size.
“There are no limitations. Our customer comes to us looking for solutions and comfort. We achieve this by offering fabrics that suit her needs, and through a relentless focus on fit. Fit is a feeling, not a size. She also comes to us so she can always be on trend, and that’s exactly what we are giving her. We use our expertise to ensure the clothing we offer looks – and feels – good on her,” she said.
Rosalba Iannuzzi
“What’s happening with the brand is really about a changing attitude among women who wear plus clothes. What I’m proud to say is for us we don’t see any limitations. Women today do not want to be defined by their size and in fact that’s how we relate it back to setting no limitations for her. She comes to us for options and comfort and so that is what we want to deliver. The big change would be that. It’s not a mindset of limitations because you’re plus or defining her because she’s plus.
“We are experts at what we do because we analyze and listen to our customers very closely. So we are experts in the plus field. We don’t limit her because she’s plus and we really want to offer her the freedom of finding options from head to toe.”
PENN. Store Interior (Image: Penningtons)
The company said the comprehensive PENN. refresh includes store renovations, new stores, enhanced customer service, new and refined product programs, expansion and changes to e-commerce and new branding and marketing. PENN. has also revived the fashion-forward Addition Elle brand which is available in all PENN. stores and at www.penningtons.com.
“As part of a dynamic three-year plan, the company will add 10 new stores in key markets with an emphasis on growing its presence in Ontario and Quebec. PENN.’s growth strategy will concentrate its efforts on key aspects of the business including Apparel Growth, Real Estate Acquisition and driving awareness of its rebranding, all to attract and introduce new customers to the brand,” explained the company.
“We’re breathing new life into a successful brand,” added Kathy Tsolakos, Vice-President, Marketing, Visual Presentation and E-Commerce. “It’s what’s driven our extensive overhaul including product design and offerings, digital growth, brand perception and positioning, and marketing. We love seeing our customers become excited about the changes we are making. And we’ve done it all by listening to them.”
Penningtons has been around for more than 70 years.
PENN. Store Interior (Image: Penningtons)
Iannuzzi said the retailer is bringing consumers its history and its authenticity but making it clear that there is a change in the brand – an evolution.
“What we’re doing in terms of merchandising is being able to offer all her needs and all her moments. When we call ourselves the one-stop shop, we really can dress you from head to toe, from the inside to the outside,” she said. “And when I go back to moments, we can capture everything that she needs for wear to work, for casual wear, for weekend wear, for active wear and her special occasions . . . and all her intimate moments with sleep wear and sweat. So it’s really about being able to cater to all her needs.”
Iannuzzi said the new branding has started across the country. Opening up new stores will be focused in key markets such as Ontario and Quebec but with a growth strategy throughout the Canadian landscape.
“A lot of the changes in the product is what you’re already seeing in stores as of now but it will keep evolving,” she added.
“We do have plans to open up more locations in the next three years which is quite positive in the retail landscape of today.”
“Life is a precious gift given to us from the creator. The physical form of life is merely an instrument or a vessel that we must nurture and protect as this is our individual sacred lodge. The key is to unite the physical and spiritual aspects of the self which creates a balanced holistic self,” says the Indigenous cultural educator, facilitator and artist, based in Toronto.
“This process requires time, patience and understanding of the unique kinship one has with the land and all its spiritual entities. It is through this reclamation of the self, true happiness and heightened consciousness manifests itself.”
As he reflects on the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation (Friday September 30), Kwandibens will be thinking about some of the horrifying issues the Indigenous community has experienced for a very long time but also how for some entrepreneurs and business owners there’s more opportunities today to succeed than there were years ago.
“The Every Child Matters movement and the need to reflect on that day I think for me is a little personal because my family, all my aunts and uncles, have all been in residential schools. So it’s a day for reflection. It reminds me of those who have passed that have not had their voices heard,” he said.
Image: EJ Kwandibens
“It’s an opportunity for society to truly pause and reflect on what has happened, what has transpired and what can society do in terms of moving forward because I think we need to move away from pointing the finger of blame and I think we need to start looking at solutions and how can we create alliances and relationships to educate one another, to understand the history.
“And this is what it’s all about. It’s really about getting society to truly understand truth, the history as it happened through the storytelling of the Indigenous population. A lot of people are becoming tired of hearing this. It’s unfortunate that’s the mindset of some people but the Indigenous population is in the place where we get to speak truth and get to speak about the experiences of which they were never told before in the way they are today. That’s a great, beautiful opportunity for both the Indigenous population and Canadian society to come together and learn together and embrace what was and how do we move forward to what is in a good way.”
What really bothers Kwandibens is that when Canada first got wind of the 215 children burials on a Kamloops residential school property, it really shook the country, and also the world, but now he said we’re at 10,000 and we hear nothing. That bothers him.
“It’s not about the number. One child’s death is one child’s death too much,” he said.
Image: EJ Kwandibens
Kwandibens is a member of the Loon Clan and is of Northern Woodland Anishiinaabe (Ojibway) of the Waahbiidaahgaah (Whitesand) First Nation community which is a part of the Robinson Superior 1850 Treaty region located 21 hours north of Toronto.
EJ has over two decades of work experience for cultural awareness development in healthy living. He has worked across many sectors such as, Educational Institutions, Correctional Services, Social Services, Child Welfare and Mental Health. He advocates the power of change through Indigenous Cultural Modalities.
The values and principles guiding his Indigenous ways of knowing and being stems from intergenerational knowledge transfer. Oral traditions form the foundation of Aboriginal societies, connecting speaker and listener in communal experience and uniting past and present in memory. The philosophy of “Miino Biimaahdizewin: Balanced Good Life” is a reclamation of the self and one’s ability to be interconnected through a holistic cultural lens, he says on his website.
Image: Ej Kwandibens
Image: Ej Kwandibens
For the Indigenous community, people live with the truths of the past every day. He said Canadian society should continue to educate itself throughout the year on how we can all do better to create more understanding and compassion for one another.
“Because we still have the mindset in society that the Indigenous population is viewed as lesser than and that’s unfortunate. Not everyone shares that view but there’s a great amount of population that does and we have to start shifting that mindset,” he said.
“Now I realize we can’t change everybody’s minds. There’s going to be the minds that are never going to be able to move forward and progressive but those who are willing to learn and understand and be open, those are the ones we have to engage with and educate with.”
Manitobah (Image: Lindsay Rowan)
Kwandibens believes the environment today is better than it was years ago for Indigenous businesses and business owners to grow and succeed.
“There’s definitely progress and a shift and change to include and support Indigenous businesses in mainstream, whether it be small businesses, self-employed businesses, there is a shift to support those initiatives now more so than ever before,” he said.
“And how that’s being supported through the various different funding grants and proposals and sponsorships from different banks and institutions that are putting in place these different resources and financial incentives to support small Indigenous businesses. And there is a segment of the population that is utilizing that and accessing that which is wonderful.
“Now we’re seeing these Indigenous designs and apparel, different clothing and artifacts that are now shifting into mainstream outlets. A perfect example is Manitobah Mukluks. They support local Indigenous artisans who specialize in beadwork and instead of mass producing beadwork from China they’re utilizing localized artists who create the beadwork on say moccasins, mukluks and mitts and hats. So Manitobah Mukluks is a perfect example of how it’s reaching mainstream and the Indigenous population is right behind them, supporting them.
“Even five, 10 years ago we didn’t see as much support or visibility of Indigenous businesses as we see now. So there is progress, there is change, there is a shift to see more of these types of ventures go mainstream.”
Video Interview: The Growing Appeal Of Pop-Up Stores in Canada
Liza Amlani, Principal/Founder, Retail Strategy Group, and Co-Founder, The Merchant Life, discusses the growing interest in pop-up stores.
Amlani talks about why the retail sector is seeing a rise in these stores, where they can be found, the formats they are appearing in, sectors of retail using them, the length of time they stay open and setting the stage for permanent stores.
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.
German luxury brand Escada has shut its last Canadian store, exiting the market after decades. At one time Escada had a network of stores across the country, including its Plaza Escada concept, and was poplar among affluent women.
Escada shut its last remaining Canadian store in Montreal earlier this month, located at 1214 Sherbrooke Street West across from the Ritz Hotel. The store operated there since the year 2000 and the brand was formerly housed within the Ogilvy department store.
The Montreal closure follows last month’s shuttering of Escada’s storefront in Toronto at 131 Bloor Street West. Sales staff in the Montreal store weren’t aware that their location would also be closing when asked following the Toronto closure.
Prior to its closure, hours at the Montreal Escada store had been reduced to just a few hours a day. On Monday to Saturday, the store was only open from 10:00am to 4:00pm, and on Sundays the store was open from noon until 4:00pm — just four hours. That information was from Google as the Escada corporate website has been down for weeks with the website saying “COMING SOON”.
Empty display windows at Escada in Montreal. Photo: Maxime FrechetteEmpty Escada store in Montreal. Photo: Maxime FrechetteImage: escada.com
We reported last month that the Toronto Escada store on Bloor Street had closed and that rent hadn’t been paid. Prior to the downtown Vancouver Escada store closing last year, signs posted also indicated rents were also outstanding. Escada has struggled in recent times under the corporate umbrella of Beverly Hills California-based Regent LP — Regent acquired Escada from the Mittal family of India in 2019. In January of this year Escada America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing ramifications of the pandemic and failed lease negotiations with some landlords.
Escada once operated a network of stores in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal. That included the multi-brand Plaza Escada concept stores from the early 1990s into the mid-2000s — Plaza Escada housed brands including Escada, St. John Knits, Laurel, Crisca, Apriori, Kemper and Cerruti 1881.
In Toronto, Escada once had a presence on Hazelton Avenue into the 1990s prior to relocating to prestigious Bloor Street West. In 2007, the then 13,000 square foot Plaza Escada at 110 Bloor Street West saw a $3 million renovation, justified by high sales at the time. In 2012 Escada relocated to The Colonnade at 131 Bloor Street West in a much smaller space, dropping the ‘Plaza’ in the name along with the other brands carried in the former Plaza Escada location across the street.
Vancouver’s history with Escada is particularly unique — it was the first city in the world to get to test out the Plaza Escada store concept when one opened at the Sinclair Centre at 757 W. Hastings Street in 1990. The store spanned in excess of 16,000 square feet over two levels with interiors designed by Yabu Pushelberg including a sweeping staircase and several rooms housing various categories and brands. A tea room at the centre of the store had an upside-down canoe with a marble tabletop displaying various teas — one may have been lucky enough to have been served by the head of Escada Canada, Russ, who would pop into the store to greet guests occasionally.
Former Escada store at 131 Bloor St. W. in Toronto. Photo: Dustin FuhsFormer Escada store at 131 Bloor St. W. in Toronto. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
In 2011 Escada relocated its Vancouver location to a much smaller storefront at 710 Thurlow Street in the city’s new ‘Luxury Zone’ with frontage on prestigious Alberni Street — again doing away with the Plaza Escada branding as well as the other Plaza Escada brands. The Thurlow Street Escada store shut last year and was replaced by a temporary Gucci pop-up store while Gucci’s standalone Fairmont Hotel Vancouver location was updated and expanded.
Edmonton was also an important market for Escada at one time. In the late 1980s into the early 1990s Escada operated a downtown storefront at the prestigious Manulife Place. In 1992 Escada unveiled a much larger Plaza Escada location at a new adjacent downtown mall called City Centre, which was subsequently rebranded as Commerce Place — the plush Plaza Escada store featured beautiful white carpeting which would unfortunately need to be cleaned regularly because of Edmonton’s harsh winters, resulting in the winter closure of a street-facing entrance. In the mid 2000s Escada moved back into the Manulife Place across from Holt Renfrew before Escada exited Edmonton in 2018 — Holts itself shut in January of 2020, also exiting the Edmonton market entirely.
Escada had a concession presence in the Ogilvy department store in Montreal in the 1980s and 1990s prior to opening the standalone location on Sherbrooke Street which recently shuttered. The 1214 Sherbrooke Escada store was branded as ‘Plaza Escada’ from the year 2000 to 2003, and it was smaller in size compared to the other three Canadian Plaza Escada locations at the time. Branding shifted to just Escada in mid-2003.
Montreal Gazette advertisement, August 18 2001
The Escada brand also had a presence in the late 1970s and into the 1980s in stores such as Eaton’s in Canada. Escada’s price point appeared to be more in the ‘contemporary’ range at the time and was even available in some suburban Eaton’s stores.
At one time, Escada was an iconic brand worn by celebrities and was even a staple on television shows with jackets accented by large shoulder pads. The brand has struggled in recent years as consumers have shifted to other brands.
Escada was founded in Munich Germany in 1978 by Margaretha Ley and husband Wolfgang Ley. The brand is now owned by Beverly Hills California-based Regent LP. Escada’s store count globally is now considerably less than it was a few years ago and earlier this year at least half of the US Escada stores were reportedly slated for closure following bankruptcy protection.
The exit of Escada in Montreal is another blow to Sherbrooke Street West, which over the past several years has seen almost every luxury brand shut down (including a Holt Renfrew store). Tiffany & Co. is the remaining luxury brand operating on the street (within The Ritz Hotel) and given that the brand has a concession very close by at Holt Renfrew Ogilvy, the future of the Sherbrooke Street Tiffany store is uncertain. The closure of Tiffany & Co. would mark the end of an era of decades of luxury retail on Sherbrooke Street as luxury brands cluster within the relatively new 250,000 square foot Holt Renfrew Ogilvy store on Sainte-Catherine Street West.
The retail industry is a unique one comprised of an array of players, operating in a multitude of categories and verticals, that are required to pivot and shift in response to an ever-changing market and evolving consumer behaviour and preferences. Today, merchants across the country not only need to contend with these changes and evolutions, they’ve got to adjust to them while also addressing impacts to their businesses related to inflated costs and a digitization of the retail environment that’s threatening to alter the landscape forever. Fortunately for Canadian retailers, they are all challenges that can be alleviated by Clik2pay – the leading direct-from-accounts payments provider. In fact, according to Mike Bradley, the payments innovator’s Founder and CEO, helping to overcome these obstacles is exactly why Clik2pay was founded.
“First and foremost, we want to make sure that retailers are able to take care of their customers’ needs,” says Bradley. “We know that Canadians want payment options at checkout when they shop online, and that includes the ability to pay for product and services directly from their own bank accounts. Currently, however, most merchants across the country don’t accept debit payments to complete online purchases. What results is a disjointed, unfulfilled and incomplete experience for the customer, and lost sales for the retailer. By enabling debit card transactions online, retailers are not only providing enhanced options that the customer’s seeking, they’re positioning their businesses in the best possible way for further growth and customer acquisition.”
Preferred method
Image: Clik2pay.com
In fact, the desire of Canadian consumers to pay for their online goods and service with their debit cards is so prevalent that the opportunities around making the choice available to them seem limitless. According to Clik2pay research, there were in excess of 5 billion Interac® debit card transactions that occurred in-store across the country in 2020. Further, 57 per cent of Canadians use their debit card at least once a week. And, when it comes to preferred method of payment, more than 40 per cent of the country’s consumers would choose to pay direct from their bank accounts, if the option was available, with 72 per cent of Millennials and Gen Z overwhelmingly preferring to do the same. It’s a trend that Bradley says merchants should start to take advantage of, adding that it only makes sense to enable online debit purchases lest they leave customer’s stranded within the experience.
“Considering the fact that Canadians prefer to pay for their purchases using their debit cards, merchants are really prohibiting their own growth by not making the option available online,” he asserts. “And, when you think of all of the Canadians who, for one reason or another, don’t have access to credit cards, merchants are essentially leaving them in the middle of the shopping journey with no way of completing their desired transaction. What results is a lot of abandoned carts, and disappointed customers that have not received the experience that they were looking for. Making debit available for online transactions helps to solve for these issues, and more.”
Ease of use
Bradley goes on to explain that not only does Clik2pay’s payment solution enable customers to pay for their purchases directly from their own bank accounts, allowing merchants to meet their needs, it’s also incredibly easy for customers to use.
“We leverage Interac e-Transfer – a service that reaches nearly every financial institution in Canada,” he asserts. “And, paying for purchases through Clik2pay couldn’t be easier. Customers simply click or tap the Clik2pay button from any device, scan a QR code and pay for their items, choosing the financial institution that they’d like to draw funds from to complete the transaction. It’s a service that provides customers with ease and choice, embedded seamlessly within the retail shopping experience.”
Simple integration
In addition, because Clik2pay’s digital solution is powered by API technology, implementation into existing retail systems is just as seamless and easy as the experience it helps enable for customers. Whether a retailer is using Shopify, Adobe Magento, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Woo Commerce, or any other platform in order to help power their online store, Clik2pay’s integration allows for a simple plug-in and very little technical investment required on the part of the merchant. It’s a feature of the technology and solution that Bradley says is a differentiator for the company, and one that many businesses, particularly those of the small- and medium-sized variety, are finding either levels the playing field with their competitors, or outright provides them with a leg up.
“Retailers can be up and running, using Clik2pay and offering their customers the payments options their craving, in no time at all,” he says. “And, because implementation is so painless and easy, there’s no time wasted or attention drawn away from operating the business and servicing the customer. There’s no reason why debit can’t be the most used method of payment online. It just hasn’t been available until now. From that perspective, think of all of the ecommerce sales that retailers have simply walked away from because they haven’t been providing the right breadth of payment options to their customers. Clik2pay can really help bolster a retailers’ online sales.”
Reducing merchants’ costs
What’s more, by using Clik2pay, merchants everywhere will significantly reduce their costs as well. Bradley points to the $10 billion a year, or thereabouts, that merchants across the country pay every year in credit card fees as one of the biggest barriers to their growth and success. By removing a portion of that financial burden helps to also loosen the strain felt by those operating within the industry as a result of inflated costs.
“Clik2pay helps retailers become much more competitive immediately by helping to reduce payment fees by nearly 50 per cent,” he says. “Those are costs that can then, once eliminated, be reallocated to help the business grow. It can be invested in technology, staff, merchandise, or anything else that might enhance the store’s operations and the service that it provides to customers. It can be a really powerful tool to lower costs while attracting and retaining more online customers than could be imagined.”
Facilitating growth
Image: Clik2pay at eTail Canada 2022
Image: Clik2pay at eTail Canada 2022
A simple solution that integrates easily, it seems the opportunities that arise from leveraging Clik2pay’s service are innumerable. It’s something that’s recognized by Bradley. He sees, too, the incredible potential that this presents to he and his team with respect to the company’s success. However, he says that Clik2pay will remain focused on its goal – to make real-time payments easy for businesses and their customers.
“The retail industry in Canada has been facing a number of different challenges over the course of the past two-and-a-half years or so. We’d like to alleviate some of the pressure that’s been building up on merchants’ shoulders, unburdening them of unnecessary credit card fees and helping them open up their business to a whole new category of customers. And, in doing so, we hope to also enable further growth of the industry and facilitate the profitability of merchants in every province and territory across the country.”
For more information about Clik2pay and how it can help retailers reduce the cost associated with online ecommerce transactions, visit https://clik2pay.com/
Celebrations for The Distillery Historic District’s 190th anniversary kick off Thursday September 29 and run for a month and a half, celebrating the stories, people and iconic architecture behind one of Canada’s most beloved destinations.
“When we submitted our proposal to purchase the venue to the City of Toronto back in 2001, we made a promise,” said John Berman, one of the partners in the development. “Our vision was that The Distillery Historic District would be a centre for arts, culture, dining and entertainment; a space for independent business owners to be supported and succeed. We committed to building community over profit. Twenty years later, we are very proud to say, we’ve kept that promise.”
The Distillery Historic District opened in 2003 and is today widely regarded as Canada’s premier arts, culture and entertainment destination. It’s a national historic site, originally founded in 1832, brimming with creativity and creative people that can inspire dreams and help them come true. The 13-acre walking district is a dramatic fusion of old and new. An inspired blend of the largest collection of Victorian Industrial architecture in North America and stunning 21st century design and creativity. The result is an internationally acclaimed village of one-of-a-kind stores, shops, galleries, studios, restaurants, cafes, theatres and more, which was named one of The Coolest Shopping Districts Around the World by The Guardian, according to the District.
The Distillery Historic District (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
The District is owned by DREAM and Cityscape. Berman is a partner and owner of Cityscape. Cityscape purchased the Distillery in December 2001 and DREAM purchased half of the Distillery in October 2004.
“The area was a completely dilapidated site. It had never really been updated since the days of the liquor company and even then the buildings were more or less the same shape that they were in the late 1800’s. It had no services to the buildings to speak of,” explained Berman.
“It had a completely antiquated sprinkler system that was run originally through one of the old buildings on site. There was no sewage on site. The first toilet when we flushed it emptied onto one of the streets. The streets were muddy. There weren’t bricks on the street as people think . . . The buildings weren’t up to code and they were completely run down. But they had the beauty to them. They had never really been touched.”
The Distillery Historic District (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
At the time, Cityscape, which was in the film business, was told by an old film scout that the company should take a look at the site which is now the Distillery District. Berman had lived in Toronto his whole life but really knew nothing about that area.
“It was gated off with wire at the top of the gate so you couldn’t get into it. And it was a rough area at the time,” he recalls. “There was nothing around it. There were needles on the ground. It was not an area you would want to walk in at night, put it that way. And as we walked through we were amazed.
“We had done a lot of heritage development at the time and that really was our expertise. We walked through and we found 47 heritage buildings one after the other – just gorgeous, gorgeous buildings. We saw all the potential. We walked one to another and my partners and I said wow can you imagine this as an art gallery, next one, can you imagine this as a restaurant. And we kept on saying that over and over again.
“It was really at the end of the tour that we came up with the vision for what’s now the Distillery District. We just thought this gives us the opportunity to build a whole centre for arts, culture and entertainment. Something completely unique for Toronto. Something that Toronto didn’t have and still doesn’t have – any walking areas. It was large enough to allow us to have that. It was large enough to allow us to have an entertainment area where we could have events outside and shows inside and animate the streets. We looked and we saw that restaurants could bleed onto the streets and animate the area. We saw galleries where you could have huge exhibitions and installations.”
The Distillery Historic District (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
The idea was an immediate hit with tenants who came aboard. There was a huge momentum and public spirit to work with the group to make the vision become a reality.
“When we first purchased it we said we were going to create the centre for arts, culture and entertainment. We’re going to have boutique owned stores, we’re going to have unique restaurants, we’re going to have galleries, we’re going to have entertainment spaces,” said Berman.
“That is what we have today . . . Looking back when we first undertook this work, we had no idea at all what a big undertaking it would be, we had no idea of the challenges, we had no idea of the issues we would run into and all the hidden costs and all of the other issues, we were almost fortunate in that we didn’t understand how big a challenge it was.
The Distillery Historic District (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
“Cityscape is relatively a small development group. The reason that the large, large development groups shied away from the Distillery, and weren’t interested in taking it on, was because it was a massive task but it’s something we really approached with enthusiasm. Virtually every tenant on site is a tenant that we found. That I literally cold called tenants saying we really want to bring you down. We would never let a tenant come down and see just the one space we wanted to show them. Every tenant we would make take a mini hour tour with us, seeing every building and understanding the whole vision – because they weren’t just renting the space, they were becoming part of the community. It was that community spirit that really started the Distillery going.”
To commemorate the anniversary, The Distillery Historic District is launching Distillery 190: Across the Ages, including a larger than life birthday bash outside under the canopy lights along Trinity Street and a new, curated, outdoor archival photo exhibit.
Follow The Distillery Historic District on social media for live updates on all celebratory activities: @DistilleryTO, #distilleryTO, #distillery190.
The Distillery Historic District (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
“As much as this we’re marking a milestone, more importantly, Distillery 190 is our way of saying thank you to the people of Toronto,” said Rik Ocvirk, Director of Experiences and Events.
According to the District, in 1832, James Worts and his brother-in-law William Gooderham emigrated to Upper Canada from the United Kingdom to establish a flour milling business on the shore of Toronto Bay. Their 70-foot tall windmill became a symbol of the new City of Toronto and their business grew to become an economic powerhouse and the largest distillery in the world.
It is one of Canada’s most recognizable tourist destinations, with 65 one-of-a-kind shops and award winning restaurants and cafes, and home to a vibrant art community.
Go Tours at The Distillery District (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
EVENT GUIDE: How Canadians can join in celebrating The Distillery Historic District’s 190th anniversary:
Distillery 190: A Photo Exhibit Across the Ages: To celebrate 190 years of the National Historic Site known as The Distillery Historic District, the founders have curated 25 sets of archival photographs to visually tell the story of this 13-acre collection of Victorian-era industrial buildings. From the architecture, to the businesses, to the fascinating people who worked here and roamed the streets, journey back in time and see the incredible transformation this space has undergone since it was founded in 1832 by distilling company Gooderham and Worts.
Tours start at 5:30 PM on weekdays and 2:30 PM on weekends
Price: $12+ HST per person.
Free tours to the first 190 people to sign-up, using code ATA22. Or, you can visit the online gallery of images and tour the exhibit at your own pace – available September 29. The exhibit launches Thursday, September 29 and runs until November 16.
