Canadian performance apparel brand DUER has officially opened its new flagship location in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood, replacing its first-ever storefront that opened in the city’s Gastown area in 2016.
Gary Lenett
The 2,100 square foot Kitsilano store is located at 1757 West 4th Avenue.
“I believe experiential retail is about to have its moment – far beyond anything we’ve seen before,” said Gary Lenett, Co-Founder of DUER.
“There’s a big market opportunity for brands like ours that can turn retail spaces into testing grounds offering a memorable experience for consumers.”
“We’ve created a space where people can feel, see, and touch our brand’s values,” said Nadia Gillies, Director of Brand.
“We’ve re-envisioned our retail spaces to be brand hubs where customers can be introduced to lifestyle brands outside of DUER – Rad Power Bikes will be stationed throughout as one example.”
DUER opened its first location in Vancouver with a Gastown storefront in 2016 and has since established Canadian physical brick & mortar stores in Calgary and Toronto.
DUER has continued to grow its global business throughout the pandemic, which has included significant investment in the US market with openings in Denver (2020) and Los Angeles (2021). The brand now has a distribution model of over 800 independent wholesale retailers and store-in-store offerings at REI and Nordstrom.
Since 2014, Retail Insider has been keeping a tally on international retailers entering Canada. In 2021, Retail Insider counted 21 international brands that entered the Canadian market by opening stores, and the momentum will continue this year. Despite the pandemic, the Canadian market is still a target for many international brands that do not already have stores in this country.
Twenty-one new retailers in 2021 is an impressive number all things considered given the pandemic, leapfrogging the 13 international brands that entered Canada in 2020 by opening stores.
The Toronto market was home to the overwhelming majority of new entrants in 2021 and for the first time, Nanaimo BC saw a retail first. In terms of location nodes, Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre saw a total of four new first-to-Canada retailers, Toronto’s Queen Street West saw three first-to-Canada retailers, and Toronto’s Bloor-Yorkville also saw three firsts in terms of retailer openings last year.
Our breakdown of geography in terms of the first-to-Canada retailers is as follows:
Toronto/GTA: 13
Vancouver/Lower Mainland: 3
Edmonton: 3
Montreal: 1
Nanaimo BC: 1
The following is Retail Insider’s count of the international brands that entered Canada in 2021 by opening standalone stores. The list is chronological from earliest to most recent openings.
Forever 21 (Kingsway Mall, Edmonton)
Forever 21 at Kingsway Mall (Image: Kingsway Mall)
In January of 2021, US-based fast-fashion brand Forever 21 re-entered the Canadian market with standalone stores operated by new licensee, Toronto-based YM Inc. The first of the new stores opened at Kingsway Mall in Edmonton. Several more subsequently opened and in April of 2021 we reported on the YM expansion of Forever 21 into Canada.
The move to open stores in Canada followed Forever 21’s shuttering all locations as part of a bankruptcy filing in 2019. YM Inc. acquired many of Forever 21’s leases after the retailer exited Canada. YM subsequently opened stores under various banners in the former Forever 21 locations including Urban Planet, Urban Behaviour and Stitches. Many of the Forever 21 stores saw few changes to the retail spaces following the shuttering of the original chain, possibly in anticipation of re-introducing the Forever 21 banner to the Canadian market.
Exterior of new Garret Leight store on Toronto’s Queen Street West. Photo: Katherine Barcsay
In February of 2021, US-based optical retailer Garret Leight California Optical (GLCO) entered the Canadian market with its first storefront opening in Toronto at 692 Queen Street West spanning approximately 950 square feet, including the in-house lab and the back office.
GLCO was founded in 2010 by Garrett Leight, the brand’s creative director and son of eyewear entrepreneur Larry Leight, who founded the luxury brand Oliver Peoples. Offering eyeglasses and sunglasses for men and women, GLCO aims to bring a modern spin to classically tailored eyewear, with a focus on quality craftsmanship.
The brand said in February that it had no plans for further stores in Canada. GLCO entered a very crowded optical market with numerous homegrown and international retailers fighting for market share.
Upscale Italian fashion brand Golden Goose, known particularly for its pricey sneakers, opened its first Canadian storefront in February of 2021 at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. More Canadian locations could follow with Vancouver expected to be a target.
The Toronto location is eye catching. The 1,600-square-foot store’s interior is immersed in metallic silver — the walls, floors, and ceilings are entirely covered with aluminium foil. Fixtures are made of galvanized steel and super mirror stainless steel. The retail space focuses on Golden Goose’s most iconic sneakers with a full collection for women, men, and children, as well as accessories and small leather goods which are only available in selected stores and not available elsewhere in Toronto.
The brand was founded in Venice, Italy in the year 2000 by Alessandro Gallo and Francesca Rinaldo. The company was owned by Italian fund DGPA SGR between 2013 and earlier this year when Golden Goose was sold to investment firm Permira.
Exterior of new Punt Roma store in Rockland Centre in Montreal. Photo: Rockland Centre
In March of 2021, Spanish fashion brand Punt Roma opened its first Canadian store at Montreal’s Rockland Centre. Barcelona-based Punt Roma features women’s fashions in sizes 8 to 24 at a mid price-point, with dresses priced in the $90-$120 range and shirts in the $50-$60 range, for example.
Prior to the pandemic, the Montreal-based franchisee for Punt Roma said that he had planned to open five stores in Quebec and Ontario over a five-year period, and plans were halted once the reality of a changing world due to COVID-19 took hold. The franchisee was considering a downtown Montreal location amid a more gradual expansion when we interviewed him last year.
In April of 2021, value-priced Japanese variety retailer Daiso expanded into Canada with its first corporate store opening in downtown Vancouver. The retailer is testing the waters in Canada prior to launching a larger national expansion. JLL Canada represents Daiso in its further expansion into the Canadian market.
The 4,700-square-foot downtown Vancouver store is located at 810 Granville Street, which was formerly occupied by an Indigo Spirit bookstore. A wide range of products from stationery to cosmetics to home goods is carried in the Daiso store. Origami paper and other traditional Japanese items can be found as well — the product assortment is known to be of a high quality for the price point which has resulted in Daiso’s success with more than 5,000 stores globally.
In 2003, the Fairchild Group opened a franchised Daiso store at the Aberdeen Centre in the Vancouver suburb of Richmond which operated for about 16 years. In August of 2019 Fairchild converted the 23,000-square-foot space to an Oomomo nameplate and the Vancouver-based Japanese-themed variety retailer continues with its own store expansion throughout Canada.
The Source Bulk Foods (Image: Roncesvalles Village BIA)
Small-format Australian zero-waste grocery chain The Source Bulk Foods opened its first Canadian storefront on Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto in April of 2021. A second location subsequently opened in Vancouver and the expansion continues with new locations in Toronto’s Leslieville area as well as in North Vancouver for this year.
At the store, customers bring reusable containers to the front of the store to be weighed and recorded. Then, visitors fill the jars with one of over 400 items and once done, all is weighed to determine price. Retail Insider was unable to secure an interview to report on this store opening.
Size? (Toronto, 1000 Queen Street West)
size? Toronto – Photo by Dustin Fuhs
In the summer of 2021, UK-based JD Group expanded its ’Size?’ sneaker and apparel-focused retail banner into Canada with a storefront at the north-east corner of Queen Street West and Ossington in Toronto. A second Canadian location has officially been confirmed in Vancouver in a retail space on Bute Street about a half block south of Robson Street and more are to come — Jordan Karp of Savills Canada is handling the expansion.
Size? was founded in 2000 and is known for stocking limited-edition sneakers, fashions, and accessories that are primarily classified as ‘streetwear’, with some product launches classed as global exclusives. The retail concept was initially launched by JD Group to trial edgier product collections before introducing them to the mass market through the JD fascia. Size? currently has stores in the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain.
Main entrance of Athleta at Park Royal Shopping Centre in West Vancouver, BC (September 2021). Photo: Athleta and Mariel Nelms Photography.
San Francisco-based Gap Inc. announced in April of 2021 that it was expanding its women’s and girls’ brand Athleta into the Canadian market. In September of last year the brand opened its first store in Canada at the Park Royal Shopping Centre in West Vancouver, and in November a second location opened at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre.
Athleta was founded in San Francisco in 1998 and Athleta Girl was launched in 2016. The company says that its mission “comes to life through inclusive and sustainable product design, connecting with customers through unique experiences in stores, online and within local store communities.” It’s a message somewhat similar to competitor Lululemon.
More Athleta locations are expected for Canada, and the company is being tight-lipped on details.
In the spring of 2021, US-based denim and fashion brand Lucky Brand re-launched in Canada with physical stores after exiting the country about two years before. The company’s Canadian rights were acquired by Thriftys Family of Brands (Bluenotes, Aéropostale Canada) and more than 10 locations had opened by May. The first Canadian location was confirmed to have opened at the Vaughan Mills centre near Toronto.
The partnership with Thriftys Family of Brands also means a selection of Lucky Brand merchandise started to be carried in select Bluenotes and Thriftys by Bluenotes stores last fall.
Repair and Run at 363 Queen West – Photo by Dustin Fuhs
In the summer of 2021, French retail concept Repair and Run opened its first Canadian location on Queen Street West in downtown Toronto. The store opened in partnership with several of the people who founded Mobile Klinik, the Canadian chain of smartphone and tablet repair shops. More Repair and Run locations are expected and Retail Insider will provide updates.
US-based t-shirt retailer Big Frog opened its first Canadian store in Edmonton’s Windermere area in the fall and the franchised concept will see more locations open across the country. The expansion will start with the Edmonton and Calgary markets.
The plan is to have locations across Canada according to Big Frog, which is described as being a high-tech, light manufacturing retail garment decorating boutique which has 80 locations in 26 states in the US. The company started franchising in 2008.
Grace Loves Lace Toronto Showroom – Photo by Dustin Fuhs
In September of 2021, Australian bridal retailer Grace Loves Lace entered the Canadian market with a storefront at The Distillery District in downtown Toronto. The Distillery District is one of the top wedding venues in Toronto, which will allow for a seamless transition from the showroom into the event.
The Toronto location is at 39 Parliament Street. The company has 16 showrooms in Australia, the UK and the US. It’s unknown if more Canadian locations will open.
Celine at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre (Photo: Craig Patterson)
In September of 2021, LVMH-owned luxury fashion brand Celine opened its first standalone Canadian storefront at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. It’s unknown if more standalone stores will open for the brand in Canada and Vancouver would be a likely market if it did. Celine also operates several concessions in the Canadian market within Holt Renfrew stores.
Celine’s Yorkdale location is across from Holt Renfrew’s enlarged flagship at Yorkdale in an expansion wing of the mall that opened in 2012. Celine occupies just over 2,200 square feet in an L-shaped configuration.
Celine is known for its womenswear and in the fall of 2019, the brand also launched a menswear line for the first time. The Yorkdale Celine store recently added some menswear. LVMH has owned Celine since 1996. The Celine brand was founded by Céline Vipiana in 1945, and was considered to be one of the first luxury brands in the industry.
In Canada over the past couple of years, Celine has expanded its direct-to-consumer operations through luxury retailer Holt Renfrew. Celine’s concessions at Holts are separated into categories in dedicated departments, with separate shops for leather goods and accessories, women’s ready-to-wear, and men’s ready-to-wear.
Oscar Wylee at West Edmonton Mall (Image: West Edmonton Mall)
Australian eyewear retailer Oscar Wylee expanded into Canada in the fall of 2021 with six store locations and more to come this year. Its first storefront opened in September at West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, and a second opened in October at the Halifax Shopping Centre in Halifax. The brand says that is it known for its high-quality, affordable eye glasses and eye test services. Oscar Wylee already has over 100 stores and over 800 team members across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Broker Tony Flanz of Think Retail is working with Oscar Wylee in Canada.
The family-run company began as an e-commerce business and in 2015 after acquiring the company, brothers Jack and Bob Teoh opened the brand’s first physical stores in Australia. The stores are designed with a clean and modern aesthetic that aim to create a relaxing experience.
A joint-venture program allows the company to grow by partnering with optometrists to offer patients quality professional eye care and an exceptional retail experience. Designs are considered to be “modern, fresh and fashion-focused” and the brand is known for its “2 Pairs From $199” price point for both its optical and sunglass ranges.
Specsavers Store Exterior Woodgrove Centre B.C. (Image: Specsavers Canada)
In early 2021, UK-based discount eyewear retailer Specsavers quietly entered the Canadian market by acquiring a chain of optical stores in British Columbia. The first branded Specsavers storefront subsequently opened in November at Woodgrove Centre in Nanaimo BC and many more are said to be on the way. Incredibly, this week the company confirmed that it would be opening 200 more Canadian locations.
Specsavers was founded nearly 40 years ago in the U.K. by optometrist husband and wife team, Doug and Mary Perkins, who set out to provide best-value, quality eyecare to everybody. There are now more than 2,300 Specsavers locations serving 41 million patients and customers in the U.K., the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand – and now Canada.
Acquired stores in British Columbia will be converted to Specsavers banners into March of this year, and a much bigger expansion is planned in Canada as the retailer looks to gain market share from competitors. This will be one to watch as it could put competitors under as it has in Australia and other new markets it has entered.
In November of 2021, unique Miami-based luxury multi brand retailer The Webster officially entered the Canadian market by opening its first international storefront in Toronto’s Bloor-Yorkville area. The impressive space spans three levels.
The Webster’s new Toronto storefront at 121 Scollard Street measures about 6,500 square feet. The pink brick exterior is adorned with a neon light of The Webster logo while a flamingo wind vane sits at the top peak of the structure in honour of the mascot created by iconic fashion illustrator Michael Roberts.
It is the eighth storefront for The Webster which was founded in Miami Beach in 2009, and the first international location for the retailer which is seeing remarkable success and sales growth even over the course of the pandemic. Founder Laure Heriard Dubreuil for years developed relationships with key brands and obtains some merchandise via consignment. Prior to founding The Webster, Ms. Heriard Dubreuil lived in Paris and worked as a top merchandiser for Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent.
It is currently not known if any more locations for The Webster will open in Canada.
UK-based sports fashion retailer JD Sports expanded into Canada in November of 2021 with a storefront at CF Fairview Mall in Toronto. More locations will follow including Guildford Mall near Vancouver and next year at West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton with leasing being handled by Jordan Karp of Savills Canada.
JD Sports began in 1981 with its first store in Bury, Greater Manchester, and is now in 20 territories around the world with almost 900 stores globally including Ireland, Singapore, South Korea, and Portugal, to Germany, France, and of course the UK and US. JD Sports is a sports fashion retailer of branded sports and casual wear, combining globally recognized brands such as Nike, adidas, Puma and The North Face, with strong private labels such as Pink Soda and Supply & Demand.
Dozens of stores are expected for the Canadian market over the next several years with details to follow.
In the fall of 2021, Italian luxury menswear brand Isaia opened its first standalone Canadian store in Toronto’s Yorkville area. The Toronto flagship opened in a unique heritage building at 77 Yorkville Avenue. An upper level spanning more than 1,500 square feet includes rooms housing the brand’s range of ready-to-wear, made-to-measure clothing, leather goods, accessories and footwear as well as a tailor shop. The lower level includes a social space resembling a bar spanning about 800 square feet called the Vesuvius Lounge with windows facing onto Bellair Street.
The brand is priced at the high-end with suit jackets in the $3,500-$5,000 range, sweaters typically in the $1,000-$1,700 range, dress shirts are priced from $500, and trousers that start at about $675.
In an interview, CEO Gianluca Isaia said that he would like to open a second Canadian Isaia store in Vancouver, noting the strength of the market. Similar to Toronto, the brand would seek out a unique retail space ideally with heritage elements and other unique design features.
The Isaia brand is recognizable by its tiny red coral logo which is considered to be a good luck charm in Naples. Isaia was founded by Enrico Isaia in Naples, Italy in 1920 as a fabric store. In 1957, brothers Enrico, Rosario, and Corrado Isaia relocated the business to a village near Naples and converted the brand to a men’s tailoring company. The business continues to be family run with 18 stores operating globally as well as stockists in some of the world’s most prestigious multi-brand stores.
Alexander McQueen (Toronto, Yorkdale Shopping Centre)
Alexander McQueen at Yorkdale Shopping Centre (Image: Alexander McQueen)
In December of 2021, Kering-owned, UK-based luxury brand Alexander McQueen opened its first Canadian storefront at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The boutique features a range of apparel, bags, footwear and accessories. The 4,000 square foot store’s design was conceived by creative director Sarah Burton in collaboration with the architect Smiljan Radic. Inside, McQueen clad mannequins hang from the ceiling throughout the store which the brand says references the narrative of the runway collections.
McQueen is located in the mall’s former J. Crew space between Montblanc and Burberry boutiques in the mall’s original luxury wing. It is not yet known if Alexander McQueen will open any more Canadian stores. The Vancouver market would be the likely next target for a standalone store, as would Toronto’s Bloor-Yorkville area.
The Alexander McQueen brand was founded by fashion designer, Lee Alexander McQueen, in 1992. He tragically died of suicide on February 11, 2010 at the age of 40.
In December of 2021, US-based electric car brand Lucid Motors opened its first showroom in Canada at CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver. The store is in a retail space vacated by fashion brand Michael Kors. The storefront is located at street-level facing onto W. Georgia Street, allowing for vehicle access directly into the showroom.
A second Canadian location is under construction at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre and several more are expected.
Lucid Motors is a new luxury electric vehicle company based in Newark California. The design of the Lucid Air, the company’s first vehicle, is said to have been influenced by the state of California. The interior of the Lucid Air including its colours, materials and finishes, is said to be inspired by the diversity of landscapes and geography of the state creating a “post luxury” aesthetic, according to the company.
In December of 2021, historic upscale New York City-based optical frame and sunglasses brand MOSCOT entered the Canadian market by opening its first standalone store location in downtown Toronto. After testing the market, a Montreal location could follow according to the family-owned business which spans five generations and has just 18 stores in 12 cities globally.
The Toronto MOSCOT storefront opened at 153 Cumberland Street in Toronto’s upscale Yorkville area spanning more than 800 square feet replacing SEE Eyewear that occupied the space for about three and a half years. The MOSCOT store’s interior references historical elements found in the retailer’s stores in New York City including photography and a bright yellow colour scheme. MOSCOT’s full range of glasses frames are now available for the first time in Canada in the new store with some styles costing into the hundreds of dollars a pair.
Besides the retailers above, Retail Insider also reported on several first-to-Canada food and beverage concepts and we were first to report on Kisses From Italy and Jon Smith Subs entering the Canadian market with locations.
Retail Insider will continue to track international retailers entering Canada in 2022. This year is expected to see more than in 2021 given what brokers are saying in terms of interest from international retailers, and we have already reported on several of them. And next week we’ll report on new international entrants that have already opened in January, kicking off a positive start to the year at least in terms of store openings.
Parkland Corporation, a leading operator and consolidator of convenience retail and fuel marketing businesses, announced Tuesday it has entered into an agreement to acquire M&M Food Market, a premium, restaurant-quality frozen food retailer.
The acquisition includes over 300 well-located standalone franchise and corporate owned stores, over 2,000 M&M Express locations, and a well-established rewards program with approximately two million active members.
The deal is worth about $322 million, which will be funded out of existing credit facility capacity, said Parkland.
Ian White
“This acquisition provides a platform to grow our food offer, expand our proprietary brands, and advance our digital and loyalty strategy,” said Ian White, Parkland’s SVP Strategic Marketing & Innovation, in a statement. “Consistent with our commitment to create convenience destinations, M&M’s national store network, and innovative approach to food preparation and menu development positions us to offer high-quality food that complements our growing quick-serve restaurant offerings.
“We will grow these capabilities in all our operating regions and bolster our digital connection to customers by combining M&M and JOURNIE rewards programs. We look forward to bringing ON the RUN and M&M together to help customers make the most of every stop.”
White said the ON the RUN brand and its convenience store format is a critical component to the Parkland strategy.
Image: M&M Food Market
“We see M&M playing a significant role in bolstering our desire to become a convenience destination for our customers. M&M actually combines two great brands and teams with a proven track record of success and growth,” he said.
“For Parkland, a big component of M&M is their food first culture and their ability to allow us the opportunity to support our convenience as a destination but do it through a quality food offer. It will be complementary to our branded food program as well.”
The existing M&M locations will continue as the company has a “terrific” franchise network and standalone business, added White.
“By combining the M&M business and the ON the RUN business, we’ve got a very strong value proposition,” he said, adding that bringing those together can form a new concept to meet the needs of the changing convenience consumer.
“The way to think about this is a scenario in the future . . . as people spend more time at convenience stores with a place they want to go versus have to go. What we want to be able to do is provide an environment where there’s a branded food offer, where there’s seating, where there’s opportunity for take home that M&M would provide in a welcoming and sort of enjoyable environment.”
ON THE RUN
Currently, M&M Express is in 140 Parkland locations.
“We’ve committed to 50 ON the RUN standalone locations by 2025 and we think combining that standalone ON the RUN location with an M&M’s would be very beneficial,” explained White. “We see the ability for between 20 and 30 per cent growth over the next five years with the M&M brand and even more than that combined with ON the RUN.
“We think there’s hundreds we’ll call it of broader application to the M&M Express program and probably between 200 and 300 locations that are applicable for the ON the RUN network.”
White said the current M&M leadership will remain in place as it’s an important component of the transaction.
In Canada, Parkland has 1,994 retail company and dealer sites, 632 in the US and 655 internationally.
Parkland sees a long runway of growth opportunity with M&M. Currently, Parkland has about 350 ON the RUN flagship convenience stores and is on track to grow that to 1,000 over the next few years with M&M playing a key role and contributing to that growth and being part of these new stores with great opportunity in Parkland’s US and international business.
Andy O’Brien
“Parkland’s ON the RUN brand is a convenience retail leader and we are excited to combine our two offerings,” added Andy O’Brien, CEO of M&M, in a statement. “M&M and its franchise partners share Parkland’s customer focus and passion for quality food. The combination of our innovative food capabilities and Parkland’s more than 3,000 retail locations in 25 countries creates an immediate runway of growth and expansion opportunities.
“Today marks the start of a bold new chapter for our company and stands as a testament to the vision and tireless work of our dedicated team. After a comprehensive examination of our experience, our products, profitability, dedicated franchise partners, impressive store network, and our business strategy, Parkland concluded that M&M will be an essential part of achieving their long-term goals in the food industry.”
M&M Food Market was founded in 1980. It rebranded in 2016 including the name change from M&M Meat Shops, a new store design, new products and packaging, a new website, and newly trained Meal Advisors. It is headquartered in Mississauga with locations in all 10 provinces, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories.
Parkland is a leading convenience store operator and independent supplier and marketer of fuel and petroleum products. Parkland services customers across Canada, the United States, the Caribbean region and the Americas through three channels: Retail, Commercial and Wholesale.
Photo: M&M Food Market
Parkland said the acquisition represents one of many steps it is taking in its retail diversification strategy to expand its proprietary food offer, customer reach and innovation pipeline.
“Led by an experienced management team who have a proven track record of growth and a food-first culture, M&M will create quality food options that our customers can consume fresh-from-frozen, both on site and on the go, and prepared from frozen at home. We will leverage these capabilities throughout our existing network and soon to be launched standalone ON the RUN convenience locations,” said the company.
Parkland said the acquisition enables key elements of its strategy:
Advances its enterprise food strategy by adding a proprietary brand, experienced team, franchisee network, and a scalable fresh and fresh-from-frozen food growth platform across all our markets. “We will leverage M&M’s expertise and track record of developing successful menus in its innovation kitchen to evaluate and develop additional fresh and quick-serve food choices across our network.”;
Advances its digital strategy and creates a premier Canadian loyalty program by combining JOURNIE and M&M’s reward programs which has two million active members. It will create extensive cross-promotional opportunities and form one of Canada’s premier loyalty programs;
Enhances its ON the RUN customer value proposition and M&M Market is integral to it growing On the Run network, bolstering its in-store, e-commerce and home delivery offers, and supporting its standalone convenience concept;
M&M leverages a well-established, highly efficient food preparation and distribution network, requiring limited capital investment to efficiently serve its retail locations;
M&M’s royalty fee-based operating model creates a ratable stream of cash flow. Parkland aims to grow M&M’s Canadian annual run rate Adjusted EBITDA to approximately $55 million in three years.
Searchlight Capital Partners acquired M&M in 2014 and today it operates 315 franchised stores and over 2,000 M&M Express locations through innovative partnerships with top retailers including Rexall, Beaudry-Cadrin and Home Hardware.
“We are excited about the next chapter for M&M and applaud Parkland’s innovative integrated retail approach that is poised for strong expansion of the brand,” said Erol Uzumeri, Founding Partner of Searchlight Capital, in a statement. “We extend our warm appreciation and gratitude to M&M’s stellar management team, employees, and franchise partners as they have established M&M as a high-quality, trusted food brand for Canadians nationwide.”
The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022.
M&M Food Market was advised by RBC Capital Markets, CG Sawaya Partners, and Goodmans LLP.
Podcast [Interview] Speaking with Sean Tarry, New Editor-In-Chief of Retail Insider the magazine
Craig and Sean discuss this year’s launch of the Retail Insider the magazine, including what it will entail and how it will fit into an expansion of the Retail Insider Media business in 2022.
The Interview Series podcast by Retail Insider Canada is available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Also check out our The Weekly podcast where Craig and Lee discuss popular content published on Retail Insider which is part of the The Retail Insider Podcast Network.
Retail Insider content discussed this episode:
Sean Tarry, Editor-in-Chief, Retail Insider the magazine
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Background Music Credit: Hard Boiled Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
January 18, 2022 —Montréal, Quebec—Rose Buddha, the renowned Montréal eco-friendly clothing brand, is proud to introduce a new financial partnership with the cofounders of Frank And Oak, through funding from the Noble Pace investment fund.
Image: Maxime Morin
This collaboration coincides with Rose Buddha’s 5th anniversary, a milestone the brand intends to mark with an ambitious growth plan. In the years ahead, the team envisions becoming much more than a clothing company. Over the course of 2022, they will announce several major growth initiatives, including a revamping of Méditations Rose Buddha, one of the most downloaded meditation apps in Quebec.
“We launched Rose Buddha in 2016, with an initial investment of $300. Today, our sales turnover is more than $5 million. We need to work with the best if we want to keep serving our customers and fulfilling our mission,” says Maxime Morin, Rose Buddha cofounder and president.
Ethan Song and Hicham Ratnani—entrepreneurs and Noble Pace partners
Ethan Song and Hicham Ratnani
Ethan Song and Hicham Ratnani are the Canadian duo behind the well-known brand Frank And Oak. Founded in 2012, Frank And Oak designs conscious, fashionable clothing through sustainable, eco-responsible processes. The B Corp certified company has become popular in both Canada and the United States. In 2020, it was sold to UCG, an American investment fund.
“This will be our first investment with our Noble Pace fund. We created Noble Pace so that we could continue to support businesses that strive to make a positive impact on our planet. Rose Buddha won us over with their team and their values. We believed in the company’s potential to expand its identity and establish itself as more than a clothing brand,” says Hicham Ratnani, now a Rose Buddha partner.
“For us, it’s amazing to have Ethan and Hicham on board. Long before Rose Buddha came to be, we were loyal clients and obsessed with the brand—yes, we loved the clothes, but their values also really spoke to us,” says Rose Buddha cofounder Madeleine Arcand.
A new addition to the Rose Buddha management team
Marie-Ève Lemay, fashion designer and yoga teacher
Marie-Ève joined Rose Buddha as a project manager in March 2021. Her experience in the fashion world includes over five years at Logistik Unicorp Inc., where she worked as a technical designer, garment designer, and product development coordinator. It didn’t take long for her to become a cherished member of the Rose Buddha family. The management team has recently welcomed her as a partner.
“I love being able to count on Marie-Ève’s talent and I’m thrilled to have her on board as a partner. Beyond her flair with fashion, she completely embodies Rose Buddha’s values,” says Maxime Morin.
Lise-Marie Cayer and Stéphane de Sampaio, among Rose Buddha’s first collaborators
Lise-Marie and Stéphane have been part of the Rose Buddha adventure from the beginning. For the past five years, the powerhouse duo has run Fil et Crayon, a Montréal-based company offering a range of à la carte services in the apparel and branding industry. A cherished collaborator, Fil et Crayon was instrumental in several of Rose Buddha’s flagship products. Before founding Fil et Crayon, Lise-Marie was a key player behind the brands Voyou and Blank. So, she’s well versed in the challenges of retail and fashion.
Dominic Gagnon, serial entrepreneur and cofounder of Connect&GO
Dominic Gagnon
A prominent entrepreneur in Quebec’s tech world, Dominic Gagnon is known for his role as president at Connect&GO, the global leader in smart bracelets for leisure, sports, and entertainment. The active, well-rounded investor is also a major player at Centech where he works as an Entrepreneur in Residence. On top of that, he serves on the Board of Directors at Zù, a unique and creative not-for-profit founded by Guy Laliberté. You can read Dominic’s blog every week at LesAffaires.com.
“I chose to invest in Rose Buddha because I could see they had a fabulous team with the potential to build a strong brand throughout Quebec, Canada, and internationally,” says Dominic Gagnon, new Rose Buddha partner and board chair.
Leading experts to support dynamic growth
With the arrival of these new partners, Rose Buddha is ready to launch a major growth plan that stays true to the brand’s core values. In the last year alone, the company has grown more than 400% and 2400% over four years.
About Rose Buddha
Rose Buddha is a B Corp certified company that creates long-lasting athletic wear and accessories out of recycled materials and natural, organic fabrics. From idea to shipping, each product is made in Canada, following fair trade, ethical practices that respect the brand’s creators and the planet.
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.
Specsavers Store Exterior Woodgrove Centre B.C. (Image: Specsavers Canada)
Specsavers, the world’s largest optometrist owned and led business, is investing $100 million to open 200 locations across Canada by 2024.
Bill Moir
The company said the funds will cover 100 per cent of start-up costs for independent Canadian optometrists and opticians to launch community-based clinics and stores while creating 2,000 jobs across the country.
“We are placing a significant investment behind our offer of an alternative model that enables Canadian optometrists to put patients’ needs first while owning a thriving business and gaining access to cutting-edge technology,” said Bill Moir, General Manager, Specsavers Canada.
“By way of example, when Specsavers entered the Australian market, the advanced technology used by our professional partners doubled the national rate of detection of glaucoma, and increased diagnosis of other health conditions.”
Specsavers Store, Coquitlam Centre, B.C. (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 2,300 Specsavers locations across 11 countries caring for 41 million patients and customers.
Specsavers currently has four stores in Canada – Kelowna, Nanaimo, Coquitlam and Chilliwack. The first two stores opened in Nanaimo and Coquitlam in November.
The company bought BC-based Image Optometry in March 2021 and will start to transition more of them to the Specsavers brand. Moir said 12 more will be opening by April.
“The aim is to become the market leader in the country by the end of 2024 and in order to do that we will need to have a strong base of 200 stores and we’ll need to be in all the major provinces,” said Moir.
He said Specsavers’ intent is to reverse the current trend of consolidation in the Canadian market where a small number of large players – owned by financial institutions, frame manufacturers, or large corporate parents – now own many of the once independently owned optical businesses and clinics in Canada. Through this new investment initiative, Canadian optometrists and opticians will have an accessible opportunity to own a Specsavers clinic and optical store with the cost of establishing each business, which averages $500,000, covered by Specsavers.
Trevor Thomas and David Bishop of JLL are working with Specsavers on the store rollout including negotiating store leases.
Dr. Scholfield on December 11, 2021 as he opens the doors to his independently owned clinic and Specsavers store with retail partner, Seija Gilks in Nanaimo, B.C. – one of 200 clinics and stores set to open across Canada by 2024. (CNW Group/Specsavers Canada)
Specsavers Store, Woodgrove Centre, B.C. (Image: Specsavers Canada)
“We’re ensuring that Canadian optometrists and opticians will be able to advance their careers through the best clinical equipment through professional development opportunities and also put in place a really comprehensive administrative and marketing and financial support for them to own their own business,” said Moir.
George Minakakis has spent over 20 years leading global brands in the Optical Industry.
George Minakakis
“Specsavers entry into Canada has been anticipated for years. Their brand has been wildly successful in many markets. They have also been able to take significant market share rather quickly. Australia being one of those markets. Their business and consumer model, marketing and pricing strategies are an attractive value proposition to consumers. And favourable to single location operators that may want to join the Specsavers team,” said George Minakakis, principal of Inception Retail Group Inc., advising Businesses and Private Equity in the Retail, Restaurant, and Healthcare sectors.
“If their Australian and UK markets are any indication of volumes you can expect these locations to potentially generate $350-$500 million in revenue. That’s a lot of sales that will be stripped away from existing operators large and small. Most optical chains have moved consumers to the upper tier of eyewear spending and consumers have felt that they are overpaying. Specsavers will change that paradigm for many. Their focus on eyecare is just as good as any independent optometrist and retail chain.
“Capturing market share in Canada will not be a walk in the park. Most major chains will respond. Their strategies will need to be as attractive and more than a simple offer and brand message to offset the powerful marketing Specsavers will unleash. In the final analysis we will quickly see who is prepared to compete with them. My advice to optical retail chains: raise the bar on your talent and bring experienced people to the table. I also expect a few retail chains to come up for sale because of this new entry in the Canadian marketplace.”
Pablo Cheese Tarts (Edmonton)
Construction: GH Construction
Photo: BB Collective
The unique Pablo Cheese Tart concept, featuring Japanese pastries, desserts and baked goods, continues to expand its footprint across Canada.
Hugo Lin, the company’s President, said Pablo Cheese Tart is planning to have a variety of options for the consumer.
“Mainly we make pastries. We originated in Japan in Osaka. The CEO actually started the company around 2010. What we sell basically is cheese tarts and anything related to cheese,” said Lin.
“The name actually comes from Pablo Picasso. The thing is that food can be a type of art as well. It’s not just about the taste but also the presentation. That’s why he uses the name.”
Image: Pablo Cheese Tart
Image: Pablo Cheese Tart
The company began in Canada in 2017 with a location on Dundas Street in downtown Toronto, which was recently announced to be closing as of January 22nd. Currently, the pastry shop has four locations in Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Hamilton.
The company is planning to open a new location in Markham in March followed by one in the Newmarket/Aurora area in July. It is currently confirming the location for that site. Pablo has a location secured in Vancouver with an opening in July this year. There is also a site in Saskatoon that will open by the end of this year.
Lin said the company is planning to expand its offering of products with more Japanese pastries, desserts and baked goods.
“In terms of future expansion, a US store was supposed to be opening last year before the pandemic started but after the pandemic everything had to be paused because of logistics and everything,” said Lin.
Pablo Cheese Tart on Dundas Street in Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
“But once the pandemic is over we want to resume the opening for the US side as soon as possible. In Canada, we are hoping to place a couple of more stores in Winnipeg and Montreal. We import some of our ingredients directly from Japan so after the pandemic started we’ve had a lot of logistics issues. So we want to make sure that all stores that we open would basically have no issues regarding the inventory or the ingredients. It will take time for us to make sure that we won’t have any problems.”
Lin said the concept resonates with consumers because it is different from the desserts or pastries that we traditionally have in Canada and North America.
“Our main goal, or focus, is to basically have a lighter texture of the dessert so you can actually eat more instead of feeling guilty and very full after eating the dessert. That’s why we tend to go with a lighter texture but still enjoy the dessert.”
An increasing number of retailers are using the visual discovery platform Pinterest to reach customers.
Brands such as IKEA and Indigo are tapping into the power of the platform’s reach with nearly 11 million monthly active users in Canada and 400 million globally.
Martin Svensson
“Pinterest is a visual inspiration platform,” said Martin Svensson, who is the head of retail partnerships at Pinterest. “With Pinterest you can discover useful and relevant things that inspire you to do things in real life.
“Things like where do I want to go on my next holiday? What should I cook for dinner tonight? All the way through to how do I plan for that kitchen remodel? All those things, all of those ideas, you can find on Pinterest. It’s really all about discovering things.”
Pinterest launched in 2010 and went public in 2019. The Canadian office opened in 2018 with the sales team and it has been growing ever since. In 2021, it had over 50 roles open across marketing, communications, engineering and sales and it is continuing to expand in 2022.
IKEA Canada on Pinterest.ca
Svensson said Pinterest is different from social platforms.
“It’s more of a visual discovery platform and we play very much in that search space where you come, you search and you can find content as well,” he said.
Svensson said Indigo is an interesting example of the type of work the retailer has done with Pinterest.
“In many ways they share our overall mission as well. Our mission is to inspire people to live a life they love where it’s Indigo’s mission to inspire reading and simplify their customer’s journey to a life with intention. So there’s a lot of synergies between our brands from that perspective,” said Svensson.
Indigo on Pinterest.ca
“And Indigo’s challenge was really to get away from the perception that they’re just a book destination or a gifting destination. That’s the way many consumers see them. So what they decided to do is really partner with us and focus on some of these key moments around the year where people spend a lot of time preparing or researching and planning.
“In their case, they wanted to really highlight the quality assortment of their home, wellness and kids products. We did an analysis together with them to understand if their consumers were actually users of Pinterest and there was a near match there. It was the most perfect match I’d ever seen.
“What we did with Indigo was really to highlight the trends and insights that they could lean into and really make sure that they harness the platform in the best possible way.”
For Indigo, that meant the retailer focused on moments in life such as Mother’s Day or back to school. Organically they upload Pins or content ahead of a moment to inspire Pinners with ideas which in turn encourages them to shop online or visit a store.
Indigo has also used Pinterest’s ‘Collections’ ad format that allows retailers to feature more than one product on the site.
Indigo on Pinterest.ca
“Our shopping format essentially means that for a retailer they can take their entire repository, or catalogue, or shopping feed, which will likely be the same feed that powers in-store availability across all of their SKUs and then upload that to Pinterest,” explained Svensson.
He said Pinterest’s retail team focuses on the top 27-28 omnichannel retailers in Canada and the vast majority of them use Pinterest on a regular basis such as Canadian Tire, Michaels, Lowe’s, RONA, The Bay, IKEA.
People use Pinterest throughout the shopping process to find new possibilities, refine their purchase criteria and most importantly, make decisions. Pinners are planners and are coming to the platform with intent. They are in a purchasing mindset so Pinners are open to businesses reaching them with ideas and ads. On Pinterest, businesses can reach Pinners early in their decision making process while they are actively considering what to buy and do next, but they are still trying to determine which products and services they want to try. In fact, 97 per cent of the top searches on Pinterest are unbranded—leaving a lot of room for brands to enter the conversation. This open-minded behaviour makes Pinterest especially effective for customer acquisition goals, added the platform.
Svensson said the Canadian sales team was launched at the end of 2018.
The Bay on Pinterest.ca
“The consumers were there. Not all retailers were yet there. But some of the more experimental ones, some of the ones that understood the power of Pinterest, they were already on the platform,” he said.
“And you had a lot of retailers who really understand the impact of the visual nature of Pinterest – the need to find a way to facilitate discovery and inspiration online. The Canadian buyers were there along with a number of clothing brands as well. We had lululemon. They were big proponents of Pinterest in those days and they still are all the way through to our friends in e-commerce like an Article which was one of the first furniture-related clients to really develop a presence on the platform as well.”
Svensson said Pinterest provides retailers with an opportunity to connect with consumers before they’ve made up their mind and picked the product and the category or the brand they want to pick.
“So if you’re in the business of doing customer acquisition, it really affords a wonderful opportunity for retailers to connect with prospective customers,” he said, adding that being able to connect with people at the right points in time allows a retailer to be part of their consideration list much sooner.
He said it’s very easy for retailers to get started on Pinterest. Creating a profile takes little time. The inclusion of shopping products is as simple as a retailer uploading its feed and Pinterest auto-creates Pins, or pieces of content, allowing the retailer to connect with consumers almost instantly.
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.
