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.
Swiss watch brand Omega has relocated its Vancouver storefront at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. The new 1,937 square foot boutique was designed to be “brighter and more immersive” and builds on the presence that Omega has in the Vancouver market since opening its first store there prior to the 2010 Olympics.
The new Omega is positioned across the hall from its former location which opened originally as a pop-up in late 2009. In the new store, visitors are greeted by a grand chandelier which leads into a space characterized by red and gold with an additional chandelier towards the back of the store. Several lounge areas include a built-in library concept, as well as a champagne and coffee bar. The new store also boasts updated visual walls, display units and a dedicated watchmaking area.
The store’s design was said to complement the fine architecture of the Fairmont Hotel — along with glossy and polished touches of gold to highlight the entrance, the display windows were designed to reflect the building’s historic charms.
The store carries Omega’s collections of Speedmaster, Seamaster, De Ville and Constellation timepieces, along with accessories from fine jewelry to sunglasses.
Omega relocated the store to make way for the expansion of Gucci which is in the process of turning its Fairmont Hotel Vancouver location into a flagship. Prior to relocating, Omega occupied 2,300 square feet on the main floor of the hotel with windows facing onto West Georgia Street. Gucci will annex the space to create a 6,200 square foot flagship store that will open next year.
When it opened in late 2009, the Vancouver Omega store which spanned about 600 square feet was initially intended to operate for a few weeks. Strong sales saw the storefront expand and remain in the same spot for nearly 12 years, speaking to the strength of luxury brand retail sales in the Vancouver market. It continues to be the only standalone Omega storefront in Canada, and several jewellers also operate Omega shop-in-stores in major markets.
The nearby Luxury Zone in downtown Vancouver is home to various other luxury brands, including jewellers and watch brands such as Tiffany & Co., Panerai, Montblanc, Vacheron Constantine, IWC, Van Cleef & Arpels, Hublot, De Beers, Rolex, and soon Chopard and Tudor will join them. Next year Cartier will open on Burrard Street across from the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver when it relocates from 456 Howe Street.
GoodGood, a local commerce company that brings together curated items, local hard-to-find favourites, and specialty snacks through instant delivery and retail, has raised $6.5 million to fuel its continued growth.
Founded by Robert Kim and Kris Linney, GoodGood’s goal is to make it easier for neighbourhoods to access their favourite makers and artisans. The company has opened a pop-up cafe in the King West neighbourhood in Toronto with plans, to be announced in early 2022, to open a series of cafes and wine bars in various Toronto neighbourhoods.
“We want to bring these innovative products that makers have poured their heart and soul into directly to local neighbourhoods that otherwise might never have heard of them,” said Kim, co-founder and CEO of GoodGood. “Torontonians shouldn’t have to resort to Amazon or scouring multiple locations across the city to get great products. Canada, and more locally, Toronto, has a huge amount of entrepreneurs making incredible items, and we can’t wait to showcase them.
Image: GoodGood
The GoodGood team. From left to right, Leon Chiu, Kris Linney, Rob Kim, Stephen Young, and Shannon Mulligan (CNW Group/GoodGood)
“GoodGood is a cafe designed for discovery of the best food, drinks as well as gift items from local craft makers. You can come into one of our cafes in person or get our products delivered to you in under an hour when you place an order through the web or our mobile app that will be published in Q1 of next year. And our team is currently working on expanding across Toronto by summer of 2022 followed by a more broader expansion across Canada after that.”
GoodGood’s mission is to help neighbourhoods discover specialty treats, niche beverages, and ‘your next oh-my-god-I’m-obsessed favourite craft items’. The local commerce initiative will incorporate a physical presence and an online business.
The concept started in the summer of this year. The name of the company “just spoke” to the owners when they heard it. It represents the selection of food that the company offers as well as the socially responsible stance that many of the makers and customers have.
“It wasn’t anything specific but I would say given everything it just fit very well,” said Kim.
GoodGood (Image: Dustin Fuhs)Image: GoodGood
The funding to support growth comes from Golden Ventures, BKCM, Tet Ventures, Maple Ventures, and Canadian angel investors including Farhan Thawar, VP of Engineering at Shopify, and Chris Rickett, co-founder of Digital Main Street.
“Globally, we’ve seen the concept of localized quick commerce and instant delivery take off,” said Ameet Shah, general partner, Golden Ventures. “Rob and Kris are, without question, the best team to bring this concept to Canada. They have a demonstrated passion for local commerce, and are on a mission to bring a truly curated retail experience to Toronto.”
Kim and Linney launched the concept with help from Google, Ritual, and Shopify.
For the first time in Toronto, according to the company, locally curated coffees, specialty beverages, one-of-a-kind healthy snacks (and some not-so-healthy snacks), plus everyday favourites will be offered via instant delivery (60 minutes or less) to neighbouring customers. It said the same/next day delivery is available throughout Toronto, with instant delivery range quickly expanding.
GoodGood at 410 Adelaide Street West (Photo: Dustin Fuhs)
The GoodGood products will be available in brick-and-mortar locations, with local cafés and wine bars carrying items specific to their neighbourhood.
“I’ve spent a lot of time in commerce in general throughout my career. In the last good part of the decade when I spent time at Google and Ritual I really learned about the power of local and the community. When I realized that during the pandemic the industry or the market of the craft food and drink is quite large and it’s still growing rapidly fast, yet Canada has this little bit of lack in terms of providing education, discovery and access to these products, the opportunity spoke to me,” said Kim.
“There’s a huge demand for it on the consumer side and it’s not really easy to get these products in Canada especially in a local community setting.”
The first location is at 410 Adelaide Street West in Toronto.
“We have a few more locations that’s currently being worked on that will open in Q1 and Q2 of next year,” said Kim. “I would say before the summer of next year we’re looking at something like five to 10 locations across Toronto, making sure that we have good coverage in downtown east, downtown west as well as the actual downtown,” said Kim.
“We’re looking to expand in midtown as well as some of the other areas in Toronto first.”
GoodGood at 410 Adelaide Street West (Photo: Dustin Fuhs)Honey’s Premium Plant Ice Cream at GoodGood (Photo: Dustin Fuhs)City Seltzer at GoodGood (Photo: Dustin Fuhs)Come Back Snacks at GoodGood (Photo: Dustin Fuhs)Propeller Coffee at GoodGood (Photo: Dustin Fuhs)
Walmart Canada will eliminate single-use plastic shopping bags preventing almost three-quarters-of-a billion plastic bags from entering circulation each year. (CNW Group/Walmart Canada Corp.)
Walmart Canada announced Wednesday it will become one of the largest grocery retailers in Canada to eliminate single-use plastic bags.
Horacio Barbeito
The retail giant said the move will prevent almost three-quarters-of-a-billion plastic bags from entering circulation each year.
The changes apply to in-store purchases along with online grocery pickup and delivery orders. The phased approach will see all of Walmart’s more than 400 Canadian locations make the change by Earth Day 2022.
“Eliminating plastic shopping bags is a significant milestone on our journey to becoming a regenerative company – and it’s the right thing to do,” said Horacio Barbeito, President and CEO, Walmart Canada, in a statement.
“We know this is important for our associates and our customers. I’m so proud of our team for taking this step, the most recent in a series of significant changes to ensure we’re doing right by our associates, customers and the planet and leading the way when it comes to regenerative practices.”
Image: Walmart
Rob Nicol, Walmart’s VP Corporate Affairs, said the national rollout follows a 10-store pilot that began in August, which diverted nearly six million plastic bags.
Rob Nicol
“We made a commitment as far back as early 2019 we were going to dramatically reduce the number of single-use plastic bags that we were going to distribute in our stores and online, pickup and delivery. So this has been something that we have been committed to doing, reducing the number of plastic bags, for quite some time,” he said.
“In addition to that, there have been certain municipalities that have moved forward with plastic bans and . . . we implemented according to those rules. Having said that, we wanted to go further and we always knew our ambition was to go completely bagless and to do it right and to do it properly we knew we wanted to test it in a variety of different markets, different sizes of store, different regions of the country and to learn as much as we could in order to be able to implement it from 10 stores to over 400 stores. That was the origin of the pilot.”
The pilot is continuing. There are regular meetings with a task force which has been implementing the pilot with a number of associates from operations and store support and marketing, corporate affairs and sustainability.
Walmart storefront in Truro, Nova Scotia.
“Learning from the stores and asking for feedback and refining the plan to get ready for the announcement and obviously the eventual implementation through the next few months.”
Nicol said the initiative will be rolled out in all stores and in all online pick up and delivery orders. It will begin in February and be complete by April.
“It’s over a two to three month time period and we’re going to be rolling out a variety of different stores, sort of a handful of stores, or up to 10 or 15 stores at a time in various different markets, particularly province by province. That just allows us to begin to roll it out in an even more thoughtful and phased approach and to ensure that we’re working to minimize both the challenges for our associates in store, in delivery and online pickup but also for consumers as well. It allows us to roll out our communications to our customers to get them ready for the implementation,” he said.
Walmart said it has already adopted a series of changes, including:
Eliminating plastic wrap from organic banana bunches and single peppers, which removes more than 205,000 lbs. of plastic annually;
Increasing post-consumer recycled content in the packaging holding baked goods, avoiding the use of 925,000 lbs. of new plastics annually;
Removing 420,000 lbs. of expanded poly styrene from entering the supply chain annually by introducing new packaging for sausage trays; and
Eliminating single-use plastic straws in-store and replacing them with paper alternatives, taking approximately 35 million single-use plastic straws out of circulation annually/
“Walmart’s associates and customers have shown us time and time again that they’re ready to step up with us to bring meaningful change to our industry,” said Sam Wankowski, Chief Operations Officer, Walmart Canada.
“By ending the use of single-use plastic shopping bags, we’re fundamentally changing the way Canadians shop with us for the better. This change will help to eliminate more than 10 million pounds of plastic from entering circulation each year – that’s something our associates and customers can be proud of.”
In a statement, Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change said: “Canadians have told us that it is long past time that we cleaned up the plastics littering our beaches, parks, streets and shorelines. The Government of Canada has committed to ban some single-use plastics, and I’d like to thank businesses like Walmart Canada for stepping up to meet the expectations of an environmentally conscious public.”
Walmart Canada operates a chain of more than 400 stores nationwide serving 1.5 million customers each day. Its online store, Walmart.ca, is visited by more than 1.5 million customers daily.
It’s no secret that Canadian retailers have faced many challenges throughout the pandemic. While it’s been a difficult time, many retail businesses have adapted impressively, embracing tech-based solutions, new customer experiences, new forms of payment and more.
Now, as Canada continues to make public health strides, retailers are looking more optimistically towards the future. It is a perfect time to reflect on how the retail sector has changed, and to consider how pandemic-driven trends may continue to impact the way you do business.
1. Retail Experiences Went Digital
The growth of e-commerce accelerated by roughly five years during the pandemic. While this was manageable for retailers with an existing online presence, it meant a race to catch up for those too dependent on brick-and-mortar. While this shift towards online shopping was heavily influenced by the pandemic, the growth of e-commerce was already trending upward long before public health measures took effect.
Shifting to e-commerce did not simply mean recreating the same in-store shopping experience online. Taking retail digital meant different things to different retailers. For some, it meant building an e-commerce site, crafting a more effective social media presence, developing email marketing campaigns and more.
2. Technology Helped Retailers With In-Store Shopping Restrictions
For retailers who were already online, adapting to changing consumer behaviours meant improving their online presence. Many retailers were able to offer unique, highly convenient shopping experiences that made up for the lack of in-person shopping. Consider the following examples:
Food retailers developed partnerships with delivery apps such as Uber Eats to deliver grocery, household and convenience items. Some grocers such as Loblaws even introduced self-driving vehicles to their delivery fleet during the pandemic.
Overall, during shutdowns and times of restricted in-person shopping, tech-based solutions helped businesses create new customer experiences online. While only time will decide which of these experiences stick around, there is no denying that the pandemic reinforced how important it is to actively engage with online customers in creative ways.
3. Retailers Offered New Ways to Pay and Shop
Retailers also found new ways to help customers shop safely in person once they were finally able to reopen their doors.
In light of public health measures, new offerings aimed at limiting customer interactions with staff and other shoppers soared in popularity. Some of the most popular include “Buy Online Pick Up In-Store” (or BOPIS) and curbside pick-up services. Customers have taken well to these offerings, particularly BOPIS/click-and-collect, which is expected to continue to grow post-pandemic.
What’s more, retailers updated their payment systems in response to public health concerns. The rise of contactless payments has been a key factor in the decline of cash payments, with more than a third of Canadians reporting that they won’t be using cash payments the same way they did pre-pandemic. Mastercard and Visa among other major credit card providers even increased tap payment limits to help consumers use this more sanitary form of payment more often.
As your business continues to find ways to improve operations, call on RelianceTM for all your mechanical equipment needs — from HVAC and water heating equipment to water purification, indoor air quality and Smart Home solutions. As a dedicated partner to businesses across Canada, Reliance is here to help retailers reduce unwanted downtime, establish greater cost certainty and create comfortable conditions for both staff and customers.
Retail Insider is streamlining its Canadian retail news from around the web to include a handful of top news stories that can be viewed quickly during the day. Here are the top stories from the past 24 hours.
The 300 square-foot store is the second retail location for the brand with its first store operating in Revelstoke, BC.
Pulse Boot Lab is known for the proprietary foot scanning system, known as the Pulse Fit System, a web-based application and 3D scanning system used to customize boot fittings.
Pulse Boot Lab at Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel
Kai Palkeinen
The Banff location also features over 300 ski boot configurations, custom insoles and liners and state-of-the-art ski gear including poles, apparel and heating accessories.
The store is staffed with hand-picked ski boot fitters who have been extensively trained in Pulse Boot Lab’s fitting methodology.
“Many skiers are wearing the wrong boot for their foot or a boot that isn’t properly fitted,” noted Pulse Boot Lab Founder, Kai Palkeinen. “Our trained bootfitters and technology take the guesswork out of finding the right boot.”
Pulse Boot Lab at Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel
Kara Anastasiadis
In the heart of Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies, the luxurious and historic Fairmont Banff Springs hotel has been a destination for over 130 years. The building was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1988 and was purchased by Oxford Properties in 2006. Fairmont Hotels and Resorts continue to manage the property.
“Now in addition to offering world-class skiing, spa services and golf, skiers will be able to dramatically improve their experience by getting their boots expertly fitted or upgraded,” added Kara Anastasiadis, President, OvareGroup Outdoor.
“This is the first in a series of retail expansions across the OvareGroup Outdoor businesses.”
Pulse Boot Lab was founded in 2015 in Revelstoke, BC and is behind the Pulse Proflex, a successfully funded Kickstarter product that stiffens traditional ski boot shells. Pulse was purchased by OvareVentures in July 2021.
Pulse Boot Lab at Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel Pulse Boot Lab at Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel Pulse Boot Lab at Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel Pulse Boot Lab at Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel Pulse Boot Lab at Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel Pulse Boot Lab at Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel Pulse Boot Lab at Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel Pulse Boot Lab at Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel Pulse Boot Lab at Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel Pulse Boot Lab at Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel Pulse Boot Lab at Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel
Woody the Talking Christmas Tree at Mic Mac Mall (Image: Mic Mac Mall)
An iconic piece of history in Atlantic Canada has returned this Christmas season.
The beloved Woody the Talking Christmas Tree is back at Mic Mac Mall in Dartmouth, NS, after its departure about 15 years ago – and it’s got people talking not only on the East Coast but internationally as media from many places have picked up on the story.
Woody the Talking Christmas Tree at Mic Mac Mall (Image: Mic Mac Mall)
“After Woody’s departure, he still had quite the fan following and there were local fans that kept him alive every year through social media and remembering and commenting on him,” said Tamitha Oakley, GM for Mic Mac Mall.
Tamitha Oakley
“And all of those children that had come to see Woody back in the day between the 80s and the early 2000s, they’re all grown and have children and grandchildren of their own, and they want to bring their children to come see Woody. He’s been such a beloved character to the Maritimers. It was our point to really bring him back in 2021, given that it has been such a challenging couple of years and some dark times.
“We really want to bring some light back to the Maritimers.”
The mall, which opened in 1973, is about 674,000 square feet and currently has about 113 businesses and services. The mall was purchased by the Ramia family, a local developer, in September of this year.
Mic Mac Mall (Image: Mic Mac Mall)
Woody the Talking Christmas Tree at Mic Mac Mall (Image: Mic Mac Mall)
Image: Mic Mac Mall
Woody stands just over 50 feet and is located in the centre court area of the shopping centre. Woody answers any questions that people have. There’s a walkup area where anyone can come up to talk to Woody and ask him any questions when he’s awake at different times of the day. It’s a one on one conversation.
“I think Woody came in the early 80s once the third floor was built. So somewhere around circa 1983. He came every Christmas with Santa to wake up and talk to the families and children who visited the mall,” said Oakley. “He retired to the North Pole in 2006. The ownership did a revamp of the holiday decor and they retired Woody at that time.
“We had been wanting to bring him back for a few years now and with the new owners they’re very passionate about the property, they have lots of wonderful development plans, and they were eager to bring the mall back to where we were at in its heyday which also includes Woody the Talking Christmas Tree. So it was a priority for them.
Woody the Talking Christmas Tree at Mic Mac Mall (Image: Mic Mac Mall)
Woody the Talking Christmas Tree at Mic Mac Mall
Image: Mic Mac Mall
“Woody has picked up some international media attention over the last few weeks since his return. Obviously locally in the Maritimes he needs no introduction, everybody knows him well. But he’s been (talked about ) on Jimmy Fallon, CNN and a couple of different news stations in the U.S. and being referred to in Australia. So he’s been making his mark internationally.”
Like other shopping centres across the country, Mic Mac Mall has seen an increase in traffic this year compared to a year ago. It’s a trend that real estate retail experts have been predicting for this Christmas shopping season.
“We had a lot of restrictions in place last year that reduced occupancy in the shopping centre. I think our return we did it safely given that we are still in a pandemic and we’ve worked closely with the Nova Scotia Health Authority to ensure that . . . We want people to shop safely and so there’s only a small area where people can enter to visit Woody and it’s all with health and safety protocols in place by the public health authority,” explained Oakley.
“Our traffic is close to 2019 traffic, pre-pandemic, but we’re not there yet. People are still cautious to shop and of course online shopping has become more prevalent in 2020, 2021.”
Alexander McQueen at Yorkdale Shopping Centre (Image: Alexander McQueen)
Kering-owned, UK-based luxury brand Alexander McQueen has 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.
Heavy use of wood, including oak and walnut in light and dark shades, characterizes the store on floors and walls. The brand says that the wood in the store was intricately engineered to fit the space with seams barely visible and appearing to be “knitted together”. Changing rooms are located in glass cylinders lined with fabric taken from artwork designed by the Alexander McQueen studio in London, including a central change room that appears to be an art piece at the heart of the store.
Alexander McQueen Interior at Yorkdale Shopping Centre (Image: Alexander McQueen)
McQueen is located in the mall’s former J. Crew space between Montblanc and Burberry boutiques in the mall’s original luxury wing. Retailers across from the new McQueen include David Yurman and Richemont jewellery brand boutiques that include Piaget, Panerai, Vacheron Constantine, IWC, and Van Cleef & Arpels. The neighbouring Burberry store is currently being renovated, as is the David Yurman boutique across the hall. Nearby Cartier and Bulgari boutiques will also be expanding in 2022.
Alexander McQueen fashions are also carried at several upscale multi-brand stores in Canada — Holt Renfrew carries McQueen pieces for women in all of its stores in Canada with a particular focus on the Vancouver location, as well as some menswear. Nordstrom’s Vancouver flagship store features a women’s McQueen shop-in-store. As of December 2021 in Toronto, Saks Fifth Avenue’s downtown flagship features a McQueen women’s boutique on its third level as well as an area on the main floor for handbags. Montreal-based retailer SSENSE also carries an assortment of Alexander McQueen on its website.
Alexander McQueen Interior at Yorkdale Shopping Centre (Image: Alexander McQueen)
The Alexander McQueen brand operates standalone stores globally in major markets as well as concessions in upscale department stores. According to the McQueen website, most of the brand’s stores are in Asia while others are concentrated in Europe.
In the United States, Alexander McQueen operates 11 standalone storefronts in major fashion destinations, including on urban street fronts and in luxury shopping centres. In New York City, McQueen has stores at 747 Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side and at 71 Green Street in Soho. In Miami, McQueen has stores at the Miami Design District as well as at the luxurious Bal Harbour Shops. Three McQueen boutiques are located in Las Vegas at the Bellagio, Crystals and Wynn retail complexes. In Beverly Hills California, McQueen operates a flagship store at 457 N. Rodeo Drive, and the brand has a location at the upscale South Coast Plaza in Orange County. A standalone McQueen store operates at 58 Geary Street in San Francisco, and in Honolulu McQueen has a store at the popular and busy Ala Moana Shopping Centre. The historic outdoor luxury shopping centre Highland Park Village in Dallas is home to the only standalone McQueen storefront in Texas.
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 became chief designer for luxury brand, Givenchy in 1996 and left the position in 2001. He received the British Designer of the Year award in 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2003, as well as CFDA’s International Designer of the Year award in 2003. French luxury conglomerate Kering acquired the Alexander McQueen brand in 2001.
Lee Alexander McQueen tragically died of suicide on February 11, 2010 at the age of 40 shortly after the death of his mother. Early on in his career, he partnered with fashion icon Isabella Blow while he gained the reputation of being an ‘enfant terrible’ in British fashion with designs such as the ‘bumster’ trouser. Blow, a good friend and noted magazine editor, took her own life in May of 2007.
Sarah Burton is currently the Creative Director for the Alexander McQueen brand. She was appointed Head of Design for womenswear at Alexander McQueen in 2000 and in May 2010, she became Creative Director of the entire brand having worked alongside Lee Alexander McQueen for more than 14 years. Burton was recipient of the Designer of the Year award at the British Fashion Awards in November 2011 and was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in April 2012 and was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to the British fashion industry in June 2012.
Diamonds Direct at CF Sherway Gardens, photo supplied.
Canadian diamond and fine jewellery brand Diamonds Direct® has announced that it is opening a new store concept at Square One in Mississauga in early 2022. It’s a significant move for the brand which several months ago unveiled a new storefront at CF Sherway Gardens in Etobicoke.
The new Square One Diamonds Direct store will occupy a prime location in the centre of the busy shopping centre with a storefront spanning an impressive 30 feet. The location will incorporate design elements also showcased in the CF Sherway Gardens location.
When it opens early next year, the Square One Diamonds Direct will showcase the brand’s complete offering of both earth-created and lab-grown diamonds, as well as its family of brands that include Jewellery Direct®, Gold Direct® and Watches Direct™.
Diamonds Direct also operates an e-commerce business at DiamondsDirect.ca and there are plans for more brick-and-mortar showrooms in major markets across Canada.
