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Restaurant Chain ‘Kisses From Italy’ Opens 1st Canadian Location with Plans for Massive Expansion: CEO Interview

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Image: Kisses from Italy Montreal

The unique Kisses From Italy restaurant brand has opened its first location in Canada and is planning a massive expansion in the country.

The U.S.-based restaurant chain operator, franchisor, and product distributor with locations in North America and Europe has opened in Montreal.

Image: Kisses from Italy Montreal

Claudio Ferri, Co-Founder, CEO and CIO of the company, said it offers a quick-service menu and a unique take on traditional Italian delicacies with an All-American flair. Kisses from Italy offerings include sandwiches, salads, Italian roasted coffee, coffee-related beverages, and an array of other products. In November 2020, Kisses from Italy launched its retail branded products for distribution in stores across Canada. Currently, products are being offered in grocery stores and retail food stores.

“Right now the sky’s the limit,” said Ferri, who started the venture with partner Michele Di Turi, President, Co-CEO and Co-founder.

“We’re born and bred Canadian Montrealers and we founded the company in the U.S. So our base of operation is really South Florida. We have an office in the Miami area and our first location was founded in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in May 2015,” said Ferri.

The company has three corporate owned stores – two in Florida and one in Bari, Italy.

It opened its first US franchise in June in Chino, California and its first Canadian location in Montreal in November.

“When we started it from day one the goal was to franchise the model eventually and the reason why it was important to really state that at the beginning was we were conscious that we had to do it so everything needed to be simple and replicable from the beginning,” said Ferri.

“And the goal was to take the company public. Kisses From Italy is a publicly traded company in the US.”

Last year, Kisses From Italy announced the signing of a multi-unit deal for Canada for up to 100 franchise locations, in 2020 with Demasar Management and Denis Senecal, who has over 25 years of experience in the business and finance sector, and became the first operating Canadian franchisee in the company’s history.

“The plan right now is franchise across North America, continue model distribution for products because we do have Kisses From Italy retail branded products in about 40 stores across Ontario and Quebec right now.”

Di Turi said “ this feels like a defining moment in the Kisses From Italy growth story. The team continues to work hard and push forward with the goal of growing Kisses From Italy across North America, but being given the opportunity to witness a Kisses From Italy opened in the city where we were raised is amazing and a true honour.”

“It is exciting to be part of the team bringing Kisses From Italy to Canada. The product offerings, which we are excited to serve and were heavily inspired by the food scene in Montreal, will serve the local community and overall customer base well. The past year has presented many challenges and obstacles, but we made it. The team is looking forward to serving our community, family and friends, and I am confident that this will be the first store of many to follow,” said Senecal.

Ferri described Kisses From Italy as a fast casual quick service restaurant.

“Our call sign right now is traditional Italian sandwiches with a modern twist. We’ve been to Italy a few times. Our families are still there so we took like the street food in Italy and modernized them,” said Ferri.

“It’s a quick service deli concept. So you kind of get the speed of a fast food quick service restaurant but you get the quality of that deli restaurant feel.”

Decathlon Canada Launching First-of-its-kind Concept Store at Union Station in the Heart of Toronto [Exclusive]

By
Sean Tarry
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Decathon City at Union Station facade (Image: Decathlon Canada)

Amid a changing retail landscape and accelerated digitization of the world around us, Decathlon Canada is launching a bold new City concept store at Union Station in the heart of Toronto. As part of its continued expansion, the brand’s new location will boast a smaller footprint than its traditional large-format stores, offering a curated experience to satisfy the quickly evolving behaviour of a consumer who’s increasingly seeking ease and convenience in their shopping experience. The concept signifies the first of its kind in Canada. And, according to Julien Duchateau, Ontario Leader for Decathlon Canada, it represents a significant opportunity for the brand to reach more Canadians through a unique and differentiated offering.

“We feel extremely fortunate to be opening a location in the heart of the biggest city in Canada,” says Duchateau. “And we’re excited to be coming with a concept that is a departure from the experience that we offer in our larger flagship stores. It will be a completely unique Decathlon experience, one that will introduce the brand to Torontonians in a really compelling way. And, it allows us to bring sports to our urban customers, engaging with the hyper-local city core, inspiring them to get active and engage with the brand in a whole new way.”

Fast and convenient digital experience

Future Decathlon Canada location at Union Station (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)

The brand’s City concept, opening in Summer 2022 as part of the ongoing transformation and development of Toronto’s Union Station, becomes Decathlon’s twelfth location in Canada and fourth in the Greater Toronto Area, joining locations in Burlington, Vaughan, and the newly opened store in Brampton. Despite its modest 3,500 square feet of real estate, commuters to and locals within the city will be able to access more than 7,000 of the brand’s products, featuring a seasonal rotation of top performing items, representing nearly its entire range of innovative sporting goods across 65 different sports. In addition, the same expert associate advice that Decathlon has become known for through the years will be available in the store. And, as a way by which to keep up with a rapidly changing consumer, the store will also offer same-day click-and-collect. It’s an offering that Jaylone Lee, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Decathlon Canada, says is a “distilled version” of the Decathlon experience within a fast, easy and convenient model.

“Decathlon City at Union Station is going to be a jewel box of a store, with all of the essential elements of the brand,” she says. “An all-access approach to sports is a central theme at Decathlon. At our City location, consumers will enjoy a digital experience that’s fast and convenient. We intend to include services like accepted returns from other locations, as well as seasonal services like skate sharpening, ski waxing, and eventually bike tune-ups. In addition, the store will also offer extended hours to suit the action of the area. Like a sports team with a deep line-up, Decathlon is able to offer these services with the support of nearby GTA stores in combination with the dedicated staff at Union Station. The result is a meeting place between Decathlon’s online store, its services, and its retail flagship locations, making this a truly special concept.”

Transformation and development

Image: Decathlon City in Bologna, Italy

Operating more than 1,700 stores in over 60 countries around the world, Decathlon is a globally-renowned retailer whose inclusion in the transformation of Union Station is significant to its ongoing development. The brand is sure to draw foot traffic from its legion of admirers throughout the city as well as from those curious about the concept. Working with the City of Toronto and Osmington, Beau1eigh has been the firm responsible for conceptualizing the vision and retail redevelopment strategy for the revitalization of the iconic and historic landmark over the last number of years. And, as Neasha Schlamp, Retail Leasing Manager, explains, the capture of Decathlon represents a massive accomplishment for the entire project and everyone involved.

“While a large focus at Union Station has been on celebrating the independent operators that help comprise our city’s retail landscape, it’s been equally important to incorporate globally recognized banners into the merchandising mix in order to create an all-encompassing retail environment,” she says. “Decathlon was a major win for the station as it represents a category of retail that is typically only seen in large format stores. However, at Union Station, the ability to offer their entirety of products in just 3,500 square feet through the click-and-collect format will position them as a major player in the sports and lifestyle category within Toronto’s financial core. The ability for same-day pick up also adds an element of convenience that will be unmatched. We’re confident they will become a significant addition to the station.”

Believing in the vision

Decathon City at Union Station facade (Image: Decathlon Canada)

Decathlon, which was represented by commercial real estate advisory firm Oberfeld Snowcap, joins a growing list of other unique and innovative brands that are taking up space and opportunity at Union Station, including the likes of Sephora, Peace Collective, Dresden, Cabin, The Detox Market and an eclectic spread of food and beverage assortment. The addition of the leading sporting goods brand highlights the positive trajectory of tenant acquisition for the project and a sign of the landlord’s intent to create a uniquely exceptional mix of retail offering at one of the most frequented areas of the city. And, considering the momentum which the project is consistently building, the transformation and development of Union Station is only just beginning.

“Decathlon is yet another example of a major international player choosing Union Station and believing in the vision,” asserts Jean-Francois Nault.

Uniting under the banner of sports

So much more to come, indeed. When considering similar transformational projects happening across the country, few match the impressiveness of Union Station’s development and the work being executed by partners. For Decathlon, the location presents the perfect testing ground for its City concept and, according to Duchateau, an opportunity and unique venue from which to do what it does best: promote an active lifestyle and the exploration and discovery of new sports within an incredible and differentiated brand experience.

“We want to get Torontonians moving through this central hub acting as a point of connection, a place for events, and see where this experience can take them. At Decathlon, we want to make the positive impact of sports accessible to the many, putting it in front of people, right in their path, and invite them to move, or continue to fuel the practice of their favourite sport. Union Station provides us with the perfect access point for our new City store experience, and we look forward to meeting people and bringing the community together to stay active, uniting under the banner of sports.”

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Northland Village Mall in Calgary to be Redeveloped by Landlord

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Northland Village Mall (Rendering: Primaris)

Redevelopment plans for the Northland Village Mall in northwest Calgary have been talked about for a number of years but the project is now ready to move forward in early 2022 that will see the mall transformed into an open air shopping centre.

The Primaris owned property will be about 400,000 square feet of retail space and services, anchored by Walmart, Winners, Best Buy and Good Life, and will include 230 rental residential units.

Northland Village Mall (Rendering: Primaris)

The first phase of the redevelopment is expected to be completed by 2023 with the entire project finished by 2025.

The mall originally opened in 1971.

“We started a process to work towards a (demolishing) of the centre quite a number of years ago – probably eight or nine years ago. The first plan was a lot more ambitious. It was going to be a much larger multi-storey project with residential on top. We were basically tearing the entire mall down, save the Walmart and redoing the whole thing. That was 2013, 2014,” said Patrick Sullivan, Chief Operating Officer of Primaris, which is a division of H&R REIT.

“We had a Whole Foods deal that was essentially done and it was just subject to us getting building permits finished and we didn’t get our permits for over three and a half years and at about the two, just shy of three year mark, Whole Foods came to us and said ‘there’s a regime change going on and if you don’t remove your conditions soon, the regime change is going to actually walk away from Alberta’. We never got our permits so that’s why we lost the Whole Foods deal. It was very, very unfortunate.”

But on the positive side the market had started to change around that time in Alberta, the economy had started to take a nosedive, construction costs spiralled out of control.

Northland Village Mall (Rendering: Primaris)
Northland Village Mall (Rendering: Primaris)

“With the loss of Whole Foods we kind of shelved the much more ambitious plan and went to a smaller, (demolishing) version and spent the next few years trying to revise our plans with the city and get permits again,” said Sullivan.

“Where we’re ending up now is 400,000 square feet of retail and we’re retaining Best Buy where they are, we’re retaining basically what’s known as the Eaton’s block which is where Winners currently is and the rest of the mall will be demolished and we sold two acres to Deveraux Homes to build 230 rental units.”

Walmart is under renovation and will stay. Fountain Tire, A&W and CIBC will remain on the site owned by Primaris. A McDonald’s is also on the property but the fast food chain owns that particular site.

The parkade will stay as well but the rest of the enclosed mall structure will come down in the Spring.

“We’ll build it as we pre-lease it basically once we have committed tenants,” explained Sullivan. “But right now for a lot of the area where the mall exists today it will probably be three years before anything is ready for possession.

Northland Village Mall (Rendering: Primaris)

“Winners is going to move to the lower level into the old Future Shop space and GoodLife is going to move into the Winners space. So we have to keep the structure in place for GoodLife until Winners is actually done moving. That’s why there’s a delay in kind of redoing where the current existing enclosed portion is.”

Northland Village Mall is located just a few kilometres from CF Market Mall. Sullivan said the northwest part of Calgary doesn’t need two regional shopping centres in close proximity.

“Northland has always been the weaker enclosed shopping centre. At one point, I think back in 2008 we had at its peak occupancy pretty close to being full. It was doing well,” said Sullivan. “But it’s really just been a struggle to maintain the occupancy. It’s been a struggle to get the tenants going in, especially right now with tenants rationalizing their store counts. They certainly don’t need to be in both properties. North Hill Centre is not next door but it’s still in that same trade area too. So you’ve really got too many enclosed mall properties in that area.

“Right now with the cost structure the way it is in enclosed malls they really don’t need the multiple stores in that trade area. So we’ll (demolish) the shopping centre. It will get smaller. We’ll have a bunch of large format tenants and then we’ll have a lot more service retail.”

Primaris is the Canadian retail division of H&R REIT, one of Canada’s largest diversified real estate investment trusts with an enterprise value of over $14 billion. Primaris owns and manages 17 regional enclosed shopping centres and 14 retail properties across Canada encompassing approximately 10 million square feet.

Additional Renderings

Northland Village Mall (Rendering: Primaris)
Northland Village Mall (Rendering: Primaris)
Northland Village Mall (Rendering: Primaris)

Cadillac Fairview Adding Grocery Stores to Shopping Centres as T&T Supermarket is Announced for CF Fairview Mall: Interviews

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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T&T Supermarkets coming to CF Fairview Mall in Winter 2022 (CNW Group/Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited)

An increasing number of supermarkets are opening their doors in prime shopping centres as mall landlords see the benefit of having a grocery store as an anchor tenant.

The latest is T&T Supermarkets, which recently announced its newest location in the CF Fairview Mall in Toronto, part of the Cadillac Fairview portfolio.

Image: CF Fairview Mall

“This is what I think is becoming the pattern that is really interesting,” said Tina Lee, CEO of T&T.

T&T Supermarket CEO, Tina Lee.
T&T Supermarket CEO, Tina Lee.

T&T currently has 29 stores across Canada with locations – it’s mall locations including Promenade in Thornhill, Ontario, Lansdowne, Richmond, BC, Metrotown in Burnaby, BC, Willowbrook in Langley, BC, and West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton.

“If you start to line up mall after mall after mall and what we do to the mall before and after in terms of foot traffic, it’s a pretty amazing story  . . . We are very open to going into more malls. The question is whether the malls are open to it.

“Cadillac Fairview is certainly no small potato. And T&T as a business and a banner we’re very open to it. We’ve had a successful track record at it and we would look at every mall opportunity that is put in front of us. I would imagine shopping malls are going through a transformation coming out of this pandemic and should there be anchor space opening up in different regional malls, that people should call me.”

T&T Supermarket at Willowbrook Shopping Centre
Image: T&T Supermarket at Willowbrook Shopping Centre

Also, with a trend toward densification in many shopping centres across Canada by various property owners, a grocery store as an anchor becomes an even more important part of that process.

The new store at Fairview will open in the winter of 2022 in over 36,000 square feet in the former Sears space on the ground level and it features direct TTC access and can be accessed via the mall’s new corridor.

“T&T Supermarkets is at the forefront of Asian food innovation – always sourcing new and trendy items, as well as ensuring we stock the traditional favourites that are important to the communities we serve,” said Lee. “We’re excited to become a part of CF Fairview Mall and look forward to bringing new business to the area – our stores are destinations, attracting customers from all over the region.”

T&T Supermarkets is the largest Asian supermarket chain in Canada, operating stores in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. T&T Supermarkets was founded in Vancouver in 1993 and is now led by second generation successor Lee. T&T Supermarket is headquartered in Richmond, BC, with offices in Toronto. It is owned by Loblaw Companies.

T&T Supermarket at Willowbrook Shopping Centre

Cadillac Fairview said the addition of a major grocery brand at CF Fairview Mall stems from the 2019 strategic vision of partners CF and TD Asset Management Inc. to repurpose the centre’s department store space, improve pedestrian access to the nearby Don Mills subway station, and introduce new retail brands and food and dining offerings to reinforce the leadership position of one of Canada’s best-performing shopping centres. The redesign and transformation to CF Fairview Mall, totalling some 200,000 square feet, opened in Fall 2020 with new store openings continuing through 2022.

Michael Peiser

“T&T is a highly popular, best-in-class grocery brand and we’re delighted to partner with them and open a store location at CF Fairview Mall as the premier food destination for miles around,” said Michael Peiser, Director, Development, Cadillac Fairview. “The addition of T&T Supermarket, with its unique brand positioning, dramatically reflects how CF Fairview supports the needs of this growing and dynamic local community.

“We knew prior to going into the pandemic, and if you look at our higher strategy as an organization, we’re really looking at differentiation and diversification for our retail assets. And in both those fronts, having grocery is fundamentally important because it drives traffic and it also has repeat traffic.”

He called it “commodity shopping” which includes grocery stores, banks, and anything a consumer would deal with on a weekly basis. Those retailers are fundamentally important but during COVID they have become even more important.

CF Fairview Mall has been local landmark for over 50 years (CNW Group/Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited)

Consumer surveys indicated that the number one thing they wanted to see in Fairview was a grocery store and an ethnic grocery store was quite popular.

Fairview has more than 190 retailers and dining options and has been a local landmark since opening its doors in 1970.

Here’s a list of other CF shopping centres which have supermarkets:

  • CF Rideau – Farm Boy
  • CF Promenades St-Bruno – Avril + Marche des Promenades
  • CF Sherway Gardens – Pusateris within Saks
  • CF Toronto Eaton Centre – Pusateris within Saks
  • CF Fairview Mall – Walmart
  • CF Shops at Don Mills – McEwens / Metro
  • CF Markville – Walmart
  • CF Champlain – Sobeys & Walmart
  • CF Market Mall – Safeway

Cadillac Fairview is a globally focused owner, operator, investor, and developer of best-in-class real estate across retail, office, residential, industrial and mixed-use asset classes. Wholly owned by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, CF manages in excess of $35 billion of assets across the Americas and the United Kingdom, with further expansion planned into Europe and Asia.

The company’s Canadian portfolio comprises 69 landmark properties, including the Toronto-Dominion Centre, CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Tour Deloitte, CF Carrefour Laval, CF Chinook Centre and CF Pacific Centre.

Amazon Releases Impact Report Showing Significant Growth for Canadian Sellers [Exclusive]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Image: Amazon

The number of Canadian sellers on Amazon who surpassed $1 million in sales grew by more than 38 per cent this year and nearly 240 Canadian sellers surpassed $1 million in sales for the first time, according to the 2021 Amazon Canada Impact Report. 

“Our presence now extends from coast to coast to coast, and the benefits of our investments are enjoyed by more Canadians than at any time in our history,” said the report.

“We know that our investments bring broader responsibility—and can unlock opportunity. Our facilities help revitalize cities and neighborhoods. Amazon.ca creates virtual shelf space for more than 40,000 third-party sellers from each province and territory—up from approximately 35,000 during the same period last year—most of which are local small-and medium-sized businesses.”

In its report, William Chu, of West End Coffee Roasters in Vancouver, said: “Amazon allows us to focus on what we do best— roasting fresh specialty coffee, sourced from all over the world, and providing an amazing coffee experience. By handling order fulfillment with fast and free delivery services to our customers, we have been able to share great coffees with all the coffee enthusiasts in Canada. It allows us to stick to our roots and continue to provide fresh and high-quality products for our active customers who like to enjoy great-tasting coffee at work and at home.” 

Stella Benson, of Benols Beauty in Calgary, said: “I was previously in the finance industry but am now a mother of three with a husband who travels a lot as an engineer. In 2017 I started searching for a business opportunity that would allow me to set my own schedule so I could have more flexibility and freedom to be with my family. After researching, we found ASM (Amazing Selling Machine), joined it, and started selling on Amazon in June 2017. We decided to offer products that would provide a flawless look, with bold, beautiful eyes and face in minutes. Additionally, we wanted to focus on products that are high-quality, all at an affordable price.” 

Image: 2021 Amazon Canada Impact Report

Key highlights from the Amazon report include:

  • Canadian sellers sold almost 110 million products (209 every minute);
  • Almost 4,000 Canadian sellers had over $100,000 in sales, up nearly 24 per cent year over year; 
  • More than half of all Canadian sellers took advantage of Fulfillment by Amazon;
  • It now employs 39,500 Canadians in addition to the indirect jobs the retail giant creates across industries including construction, logistics, retail, healthcare, and food services;
  • In 2020, Amazon donated more than $10 million to charities focused on “Right Now Needs” (such as food, shelter, and basic goods for children and families) and computer science education for underserved and underrepresented students. Charities it supports include Breakfast Club of Canada and the organizations affiliated with Amazon Future Engineer, including Canada Learning Code, Kids Code Jeunesse, TakingITGlobal, and FIRST Robotics.

“Since 2003 Amazon.ca has made its virtual shelf space available for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to reach millions of customers, build their brands, and grow their businesses. Amazon helps SMBs sell their products online, use the cloud to launch and scale their businesses, create voice apps, and publish their own books. Amazon Web Services (AWS) helps tens of thousands of Canadian startups, customers, and partners enrich their communities and the world,” said the report.

“In 2020 Amazon invested over $700 million (USD) and employed more than 10,000 people globally to protect our stores from fraud and the abuse of customers and sellers. Our investment led to some of the lowest fraud rates in the industry and protected sellers from frivolous and unsubstantiated claims.

“Amazon recently launched the Intellectual Property Accelerator (IP Accelerator) in Canada, making it easier and more cost effective for SMBs to obtain trademarks, protect their brands, and tackle infringing goods both in Amazon’s stores and the broader marketplace.

“Available to any brand selling in Amazon’s stores, IP Accelerator directly connects Canadian SMB owners with a curated network of local law firms charging reduced, pre-negotiated rates on key services, giving SMBs access to expert legal and general IP advice that may otherwise be cost- prohibitive or hard to find.” 

Amazon employs 10,000 full and part-time people in British Columbia and 22,000 in Ontario. There are also 1,400 employees in Quebec and 4,000 in the Prairies. 

Its two tech hubs are growing and now employ 3,500 people in Vancouver and 2,000 in Toronto.

The company’s first local delivery station opened in Dartmouth, N.S. in September.

Amazon has also announced  two major renewable energy projects in Canada: 

  • An 80 megawatt (MW) solar project in the County of Newell in Alberta. Once complete, it will produce over 195,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of renewable energy to the grid, or enough energy to power more than 18,000 Canadian homes for a year; and 
  • In June 2021 Amazon announced its second and largest renewable energy project in Canada—a 375 MW solar farm in Vulcan, Alberta. When it comes online next year, the project will bring Amazon’s solar energy capacity in Canada to more than 1 million MWhs, which is enough to power more than 100,000 Canadian homes for a year. 

The company said its DYB2 delivery station in Nisku (Edmonton), Alberta, is its first onsite Amazon solar rooftop in Canada, with 211 kilowatt photovoltaic to offset 35 per cent of the building’s energy consumption. 

“Amazon is committed to building a sustainable business for our customers and the planet. In 2019 Amazon co-founded The Climate Pledge—a commitment to be net-zero carbon across our global business by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement,” said the report.

In Canada, Amazon currently has 17 fulfillment centres, six sortation centres, two tech hubs, 35 delivery stations, two AMXL Delivery Stations, three corporate offices and one AWS region.

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Dustin Fuhs Appointed Co-Editor-in-Chief of Retail Insider

By
Retail Insider
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Dustin Fuhs Appointed Co-Editor-in-Chief of Retail Insider

Retail Insider is announcing that Dustin Fuhs has been appointed to the position of Co-Editor-in-Chief of Retail Insider. The promotion will see Fuhs, formerly Digital Content Manager with the publication, serve in the new role with Retail Insider Founder Craig Patterson who will also act for a time as co-Editor-in-Chief.

Fuhs has been with Retail Insider since October 2020 and has held several functions within the business, including coordinating digital content on Retail-Insider.com, social media, email marketing, content creation, visual asset development and most recently in a project management role with partnership growth.

In a statement announcing the promotion, Retail Insider Media Ltd. owner Craig Patterson shared his enthusiasm over the promotion and Fuhs’s new role with the publication moving forward.

“In a relatively short time, Dustin has shown tremendous initiative in helping grow Retail Insider since coming on board. His drive and ambition has helped grow the business and given the activities he has taken on, it only made sense to groom him to share the role of Editor-in-Chief with myself. I would like to congratulate Dustin on the promotion and thank him for his excellent work, and I’m looking forward to a continued close working relationship moving forward. In 2022 Retail Insider will celebrate 10 years as a publication and we will continue to make announcements around the growth and development of Retail Insider Media Ltd. as a multi-media business.

Fuhs’s promotion follows the announcement earlier this month that Mario Toneguzzi was promoted to Senior National Business Journalist with Retail Insider.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web For November 26th, 2021

By
Retail Insider
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Canadian Retail News From Around The Web

Top Stories: National

Central/Eastern Canada News

Western Canada News

Ladurée Opens Retail Space at Toronto’s Yorkville Village

By
Craig Patterson
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Photo: Craig Patterson

Upscale French bakery and sweets maker Ladurée has opened a retail presence at the central Oval in the Yorkville Village shopping centre in Toronto. The space which includes a display ‘carriage’ and display walls will be open for several months while Ladurée further strategizes its Toronto operations. 

When it opened last week, the Yorkville Village Ladurée Carriage was already seeing exceptional foot traffic from visitors to the shopping centre. The high-density Yorkville area is home to a wealthy demographic and is also a draw for high-end shoppers from abroad. 

Ladurée’s Canadian licensee Olesya Krakhmalyova said in an interview that a priority for the Toronto market will be the construction of a pastry laboratory which will serve the Yorkdale Ladurée storefront as well as any others in the city with Ladurée freshly made pastries and cakes. Ladurée’s Vancouver pastry laboratory opened in the summer of 2018, complete with a chef from France. A Toronto pastry laboratory will need to have certain technical characteristics to accommodate a specific  oven and other pastry making equipment which will be brought from France according to Ms. Krakhmalyova. 

Photo: Craig Patterson
Photo: Craig Patterson

In March of 2016, Olesya Krakhmalyova opened Ladurée’s first Canadian storefront in Vancouver at 1141 Robson Street. A second store opened in December 2018 at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. A location that opened in February 2020 at the Exchange Tower in Toronto’s Financial District has yet to reopen due to the pandemic and reduced office foot traffic. The brand also operates Ladurée Carriage pop-ups at Square One in Mississauga, at Holt Renfrew in Vancouver and now at Yorkville Village in Toronto.

Founded in Paris in 1862, Ladurée is best known for its double-decker macarons, selling over 15,000 of them daily. Many Ladurée locations also sell ice cream, sorbets, jams, chocolate and candy, as well as branded accessories. Ladurée was purchased by French business group Groupe Holder in 1993, expanding Ladurée from a handful of locations to dozens of boutiques in 27 countries, including several in the United States.

The Yorkville Village Ladurée boutique installation was executed by Toronto-based construction firm Elevate Build Inc., the brainchild of industry veteran Paul Belanger. 

Canadians Returning to Shopping Centres and Brick-and-Mortar Retail in a Big Way: JLL Study

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Celebrated author Mark Twain over the years has been stuck with a famous quote he may or may never have said: The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.

You could say, the bricks and mortar retail industry is likely uttering those words confidently these days after the release of a new report by commercial real estate firm JLL.

CF Toronto Eaton Centre (Photo: Dustin Fuhs)

The 2021 Retail Holiday Survey, by the company, found that 85 per cent of shoppers say they are going to return to shopping centres this holiday season and they’re going to be spending more time and more money in those malls.

“This is a great news story. I think it means that people want to go out and be in that environment and not sit in their pajamas and shop online,” said Tim Sanderson, Executive Vice-President, Retail, for JLL.

“I think people have done a lot of that going on two years now and I think it gets a little tired. I do believe that we’re social creatures and we want to get out and we want to touch and feel product and we want to see other people.

“When you walk through a shopping centre and you see lots of people in a great mood – it’s kind of hard to see people smiling, we’re all wearing masks – but when they’re carrying bags and they’re enjoying themselves, everybody gets caught up with that.”

The report also found that 72 per cent of shoppers will visit physical stores to buy or pick up goods, which is higher than last year’s 64 per cent. It’s also higher even than pre-pandemic levels, when 67 per cent of shoppers visited physical stores.

The report said curbside pickup has found a niche, especially among intentional buyers. In 2021, 18 per cent are ordering online and driving to the store’s designated pickup area. This is the same percentage as last year when the option first appeared in the survey.

The Eataly Holiday Market in Manulife Centre (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)

“Canadians of all ages, genders, regions, and incomes are returning to shopping centres this holiday season. With a large majority of the adult population fully vaccinated, 85 per cent of shoppers reported that they’re going to do holiday shopping in shopping centres,” said JLL.

“Shopper hesitancy seems to be in steady decline in Canada as more people feel comfortable with resuming physical shopping activities, including those in enclosed malls.

“This result demonstrates further progress compared with responses to the Bank of Canada’s previous consumer survey. In Q3, the Bank of Canada reported that about 75 per cent of respondents were willing to engage in at least a modest level of in-person activity.”

This fall, shopping centres across the country rolled out provincial health measures that have made dining safer and mitigated shopper hesitancy. Depending on the province, food courts and restaurants require proof of vaccination to access dining areas. After an initial drop in foot traffic, these food courts are expected to see increased visitation, especially during the holiday season, it said.

Best Buy Tech Wonderland at Yonge Dundas Square (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)

The JLL report said about half of shoppers say they will eat or drink in shopping centres and 37 per cent of them said they plan to spend on average 30 to 90 minutes when they visit a shopping centre.

The survey indicated that 31 per cent of shoppers would like to see shopping centres offer an online directory to discover and order products; 23 per cent wanted gift-wrapping services, 16 per cent want designated curbside pickup spots/services; 15 per cent would like events and shows; 14 per cent want online appointments to shop in a store; and nine per cent would like online appointments for the Christmas experience.

“Retail is going to get a lot more personal going forward,” said Sanderson. “ It’s your phone clicking and saying hey guess what we know you bought a pair of shoes six months ago, they’re probably getting a little worn out now, how about coming in. When they can track you and follow your habits, that’s one thing.

“You have a personal shopper. I’ll give a high end example of  Holt Renfrew. They’re big on that . . . That’s what people want. People want that personal connection, especially in fashion . . . I think the personalization of retail is going to continue and it’s only going to be enhanced through digital applications.”

The JLL report said Canadians plan to increase their gift spending budget by 11 per cent this year after having saved a significant share of income during the pandemic. The average amount Canadians plan to spend on gifts is $473.

AMAZON PRIME PACKAGE BEING DELIVERED

The JLL report also indicated that Amazon remains Canada’s top retailer with the preference of 32 per cent of shoppers while Walmart is second at 31 per cent.

Since 2019, the three most popular retailers in Canada have remained Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. In 2020, during the height of online sales, Amazon by far surpassed Walmart in shoppers’ preferences, said JLL.

“Year after year, Canadians’ top priority for shopping continues to be price, as indicated by 30 per cent of respondents. Most generations chose saving money as their top goal, with shoppers between 18 and 24 ranking it highest. In turn, shoppers between 45 and 54 more prefer to avoid the hassle and crowds,” added the report.

“Despite losing importance this time, getting friends and family what they want remains the second most important factor, especially for shoppers 55 or older. The pleasant surprise in 2021 is that more shoppers have put importance on having fun. For shoppers between 18 and 34, this ranked second.”

Sanderson said Canada remains a value-driven proposition when it comes to spending.

“People want to get stuff cheap,” he said.

The Bay Opens Technology Powered Pop-up at Toronto’s Stackt Market

By
Dustin Fuhs
-
Image: The Bay at Stackt Market (Exterior Night)

Canadian retailer The Bay has debuted an immersive pop-up shop in Toronto’s Stackt Market, a shipping container outdoor marketplace. The Bay is the digital spinoff of department store retailer Hudson’s Bay.

The Bay has created a digitally-integrated experience at Stackt which focuses on The Bay’s Holiday gift guide. Using the retailer’s See it, Scan it, Ship it technology, the pop-up carries more than 50 curated brands and allows customers the opportunity to simply scan a QR code.

Once the checkout is completed, the product is shipped directly to the customer’s chosen shipping address without having to carry around bags.

The Bay at Stackt Market (Image: The Bay)

“The assortment at Stackt has been thoughtfully curated to appeal to the local market, providing holiday inspiration to make shopping for the season effortless,” says Laura Janney, Chief Merchant, The Bay.

“I truly believe shoppers will be surprised and delighted to find all The Bay has to offer, especially with our new Marketplace. The Bay at Stackt is a fun and immersive experience that will help shoppers ring in the season – however they celebrate.”

Featured brands at the Stackt Market pop-up include Theragun, UGG, Zwilling, Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, Lesley Hampton, Herschel, SMEG, Paw Patrol, Eatable, YSL, Google, Grace & Stella and more.

The Bay operates TheBay.com, in addition to 85 Hudson’s Bay stores.

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