Retail Insider is streamlining its Canadian retail news from around the web to include a handful of top news stories that can be viewed quickly during the day. Here are the top stories from the past three days.
While total Canadian retail sales increased 10 per cent in the first half of the year, apparel only sales, during the same period, increased 42.9 per cent, according to a report by Trendex North America, a marketing research and consulting firm.
The report indicated that men’s apparel sales (+58.6 per cent) increased at a faster rate than women’s apparel (+38.3 per cent).
Also, apparel sales in the first half of 2022 were 5.7 per cent greater than in the pre-Covid period of January-June 2019.
“The two dominant trends in the first half of 2022 were the lack of growth for activewear/loungewear sales, and the significant increase in dress apparel sales. In the first half, men’s dress apparel sales increased 112.5 per cent, while the same category for women increased 49.8 per cent. Both increases were the largest in the respective gender segments,” said the report.
“Ecommerce sales continued to struggle in the first half as consumers lost all inhibitions as to shopping in malls/stores. During the period, total e-commerce sales fell 18.1 per cent.
Ren’s Pets Online Ordering at Liberty Village (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
“During the first half of the year there was concern that the overall increase in the inflation rate would cause consumers to cut back on their discretionary purchases including apparel. The concern, while logical, did not manifest itself year to date. The torrid increase in retail apparel sales in the first half of 2022 will not be repeated in the second half, as apparel retailing almost returned to normal at the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2021. Trendex is forecasting that apparel sales will increase 7.5 per cent in the second half of 2022 and by 19.4 per cent for all of 2022. Trendex forecasts are based on the assumption that apparel prices in the second half of 2022 will not increase by more than two per cent (y/y) and the overall rate of inflation will fall to 4.5 per cent from 5.5 per cent. An increase greater than six per cent in the overall rate of inflation would almost certainly negatively affect spending on apparel. If Trendex’s estimate for all of 2022 is correct, it would mean that apparel sales in 2022 would end up being 6.1 per cent greater than in 2019.”
Randy Harris, president and owner of Trendex North America, described the Canadian apparel market as experiencing “incredible growth.”
Randy Harris
“The first major reason is that in the first half of the year there were no pandemic restrictions on shopping compared to a year earlier. So people came back to the malls with a vengeance, if you will,” he said.
“Secondly, men’s sales were extremely strong in the first half of the year and that is due to the fact that men’s dress apparel, suits and sportcoats, had extraordinary growth because people have returned to the office and therefore they have to buy more dress clothing.
“The same thing happened with women’s dress clothing but to a far lesser extent. What we do see parenthetically is the growth for what I would call leisure apparel has ended in the first half of the year as people return to the work environment. Now in the process, they have substituted buying comfort clothes with dress apparel and that is much more expensive per item. The units might be the same but the dollars spent per unit has gone up drastically.”
Harris said the only disappointing spot in the first half was the decline of e-commerce.
Top Top Markham (Image: Tip Top)
“Some people will say that consumers are simply coming back to the stores instead of buying online. But some people who don’t buy online stopped buying apparel during the pandemic.
“The fact that people are coming back to the stores is helping all age groups and causing all age groups to buy more,” added Harris. “The other thing that people don’t recognize is when people tend to go into stores in Canada to buy apparel, they tend to buy multiple items as opposed to going on and ordering a specific item online. So the incidence of multiple purchasing in-store is greater than online.
“There’s also a lot of promotional selling going on as retailers are trying to adjust their inventories in time for the holiday season. Their inventories are out of whack in a sense over the last two years and now they’re starting to get everything back in order but in order to do that they have to have promotions.”
Harris said the opening up of tourist travel to Canada has increased the luxury apparel market in the country.
“What we have here is an alignment of planets where six or seven things came together to boost apparel sales. Now the bottom line is that the growth in the first half continued, at least through August, and apparel sales were up 37.4 per cent but as we move into the end of the year, the growth rate will slow down dramatically because by the fourth quarter of last year a lot of shopping restrictions had been lifted if not all of them. And that’s why we had a very, very strong Christmas season for apparel last year because in effect there were no restrictions on in-store shopping,” explained Harris.
CF Toronto Eaton Centre (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
The Trendex report also looked at what has been recently happening with Hudson’s Bay in Canada, posing the following question: “Is Hudson’s Bay flailing along to simply generate topline sales, or is there a credible long-term strategy underlying its numerous new initiatives since being taken private?”
“Recently Mark Cohen (X-Sears Canada, CEO), indicated that many of HBC initiatives have been designed to address the underperforming space in its stores. This publication is in complete agreement, however the question is whether each initiative will, in fact, increase its stores’ productivity, while not detracting its image. From Trendex’s perspective, many of the initiatives HBC has undertaken are consistent with the objective of increasing its stores’ productivity,” said the report.
“Closing its “mausoleum” stores in Winnipeg and Edmonton were no-brainers, and if truth be told, should have happened at least five years earlier. Given the proximity of HBC’s Bloor St. store to its flagship store, closing the store also seems to be long overdue.”
MEC at Hudson’s Bay Queen Street (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Potential winners of The Bay’s initiatives include launching a marketplace and adding MEC (Mountain Equipment Corporation) shop in shops.
“Even though there are already a number of e-commerce marketplaces, what sets HBC’s offering apart is that its marketplace customers can use their Bay credit card and acquire Bay loyalty points. This initiative has the potential to significantly increase sales, especially with existing customers and those that are not traditionally HBC customers,” said Trendex.
“HBC’s sporting goods business is underdeveloped as a consequence of both the strength of the segments’ competitors and the profile of the HBC customer. For this partnership to be successful, it needs to be implemented in markets in which MEC does not have a presence and be highly publicized.”
The Trendex report said only time will tell on the retailer’s initiatives with its spin off e-commerce including partnering with children’s reseller Rebelstork.
“As HBC’s infant’s apparel/equipment business is minimal, therefore this initiative becomes a means to increase its sales in the segment. However, after sharing the revenue the direct sales benefits will be minimal unless it leads to additional infants’ sales,” said the report.
And Trendex listed the following as “Just Plain Bad Initiatives” – adding Forever 21 shop in shops and Zellers.
“Previously this publication has made no bones about its view of the decision of HBC to replace its Top Shop/Top Man boutiques with Forever 21, a failed retailer. Why HBC thinks that young women will beat a path to its new fast-fashion shop in shops is a mystery. It should be noted that already three of the Forever 21 shops in HBC have been replaced by MEC shop in shops.
“Easily the most misguided of The Bay’s initiatives is adding Zellers shop-in-shops, at least for now, in a limited number of its stores along with adding Zellers products to its Marketplace. Speaking in favor of the initiative was Tanya Mark associate professor at the university of Guelph, who noted that, “The Bay needs to attract and retain customers to be successful, Zellers will bring in a new customer and increase the value of the shopping basket for those who already shop at HBC”. To which Trendex responds, “au contraire”. While the plan to add a Zellers section to HBC’s Marketplace is logical, having a shop in shop for Zellers branded products runs the risk that HBC’s image will be denigrated, and Zellers purchases could cannibalize HBC’s sales.
“Some pundits have questioned whether HBC’s recent initiatives mirror those of Sears Canada in the period just prior to its demise. From this publication’s perspective the situation of both retailers, is only at best, marginally similar. As others have rightly noted, Sears Canada’s downfall was directly attributable to: Being starved for investment capital by its U.S. parent, a failure to capitalize on the potential for e-commerce and its post Marc Cohen inept leadership. HBC needs to be acknowledged for its willingness to undertake initiatives, but it needs to also recognize that some might result in a short-term gain but a long-term loss.”
Retail leasing in Vancouver continues to be robust with vacancies continuing to trend downwards and the expectations for the second half of 2022 continue to stay strong, as the retail market has been resilient throughout the summer months, says a new report by commercial real estate firm JLL.
Asking retail rents have stabilized over the summer but are expected to slightly rise over the following months. Due to the current tenant demand we are seeing, net rents are expected to feel slight upward pressure while vacancy rates decline even further,” said the report.
“The retail space has become even tighter as availability further drops from the previous quarter and developers postpone construction due to an increase in construction costs,” said JLL.
“Food services and bars have made a tremendous comeback over the summer and sales have been trending upwards . . . Enclosed malls are continuing to thrive with increased consumer confidence and a desire to be in a more social setting. In aggregate, sales per square foot in major malls have surpassed pre-pandemic numbers in Q2 2022. Completion of mall re-developments will further enhance the enclosed mall shopping experience.
“Mixed-use developments with retail components are occurring in the suburbs because of land shortages and the high prices in the city. These developments in the suburbs are being pre-leased at a quick rate, which is contributing to the decrease in vacancy.”
Exterior Storefront of size? Vancouver. Photo: Lee Rivett
Trevor Thomas, Vice-President with JLL, said there has been an uptick in daytime population with many people returning to work in offices. What has also helped the retail market is the relaxation of travel restrictions and the return of cruise ships to the West Coast.
“The demand is outpacing supply which obviously puts upward pressure on rents. But one of the realities that a lot of the retailers that have been around for a while are facing today is these new market rents,” he said.
Trevor Thomas
“There are a lot of retailers waiting on the sidelines waiting to jump in for the right opportunity and so it really doesn’t give these retailers much leverage with the landlords in their renewals.”
Thomas said the market is going to continue to stay strong.
“We’re going to start to see a lot more new to market retailers landing in Vancouver. We’re certainly on the map. It’s on the radar for a lot of brands that aren’t here or are looking to expand. I think we’re going to start to see a lot more of that,” he said.
“I think we’re going to start to see a lot more off market deals with a lot of these pending natural expiries coming up. Retailers are pretty savvy of identifying places where they might be able to replace retailers. We’ve already seen that happening in the past quarter. We did a couple of off market deals on Robson Street.
“The vacancy in the last few years has only gone down. Vancouver kind of skated through this (pandemic). We didn’t have the mass closures and shutdowns. So the retailers on the street did well. There’s still a lot more vacancy in some of the enclosed malls, not necessarily the majors but in the B and the C malls.”
Park Royal (Image: Lee Rivett)
JLL said the trend to move in remains stronger than the trend to move out, as tenants are thoroughly searching for old and new vacant spaces to start their businesses.
“Interest rates are having a negative impact on construction as developers have put a pause on their development plans. As interest rates continue to rise, the costs for developers to take out construction loans also rise. This will put even more pressure on net rental rates in a retail market that is already seeing extremely low vacancies,” said the report.
“Demand for more talented employees is also leading to rising labour costs. These additional costs are being passed down by landlords to tenants, contributing to higher rents in new build retail assets.
“Desire for experiential retail has been increasing, as evidenced by the opening of a flagship store for Vancouver- based brand DUER. More consumers are looking to engage in retail that has some aspect of experience that will leave them with a lasting memory.”
Image: DUER
JLL said the sales per square foot will continue to trend upwards through the end of 2022. Foot traffic should gradually approach its pre-pandemic level by the end of 2022, as shoppers become less hesitant to go to physical stores. As a result of consumers spending more time hanging out and browsing in the malls, sales per visit should drop down in the second half of the year.
“Compared with the pre-pandemic level, the vacancy rate has slightly risen, but remains relatively low. The vacancy rate is expected to decline as leasing activities and openings increase, especially for those shopping centres which are renovating and will attract more tenants,” added JLL.
“Landlords are taking actions to add stronger food operators, such as casual/fine dining restaurants and international brands, inside shopping centres to attract more traffic. Some of the shopping centres, including The Amazing Brentwood, Willowbrook Shopping Centre, and Oakridge Centre are redeveloping new concept food courts/halls by providing more seating, outdoor patios, multiple access points, and updating lighting and décor. The new Courtyard at The Amazing Brentwood will be a benchmark for food court renovations in Canada.
“The mixed-use redevelopment projects for some shopping centres are already in progress. The mixed-use project at The City of Lougheed is arguably the largest redevelopment with a retail component in Canada, with Phase 1 coming in 2023. The redevelopment of Oakridge Centre started in 2019 and is expected to be completed between 2024 and 2027. The construction at CF Richmond centre is in Phase 1. The two-tower mixed-use redevelopment project at Park Royal is in the pre-lease stage.”
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.
Sherlock Clothing, with its roots in Atlantic Canada, is in expansion mode these days with plans to continue growing its business, particularly in Ontario.
“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+graceImage: 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.”
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 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, 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, 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.”
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 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.
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.
