Aussie Eyewear Retailer ‘Bailey Nelson’ Doubles Canadian Store Count Since Start of Pandemic with Plans for More: Interview

By

-

November 30, 2021

Bailey Nelson at Scarborough Town Centre (Image: Bailey Nelson)

Despite the continuing economic challenges brought on by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it’s not slowed down Australian eyewear company Bailey Nelson’s expansion plans in the Canadian market.

Founded in 2012 in Sydney Australia, Bailey Nelson now has 94 stores across Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK and will be at 100 stores by March.

The first store in Canada was opened in June 2017 on Robson Street in Vancouver and the company now has 35 stores in Canada.

“We opened our 17th store in the Canadian market in March of 2020 so we’ve doubled our footprint since the pandemic started and I don’t think there’s many others that can claim to have achieved that,” said Nick Perry, company founder.

Bailey Nelson at CF Market Mall. Photo: Jessica Finch

“We’ve seen opportunity to grow the business multiple times in Canada from where we are now. We’ve got highly engaged, very passionate store teams with really passionate optometrists and we’ve got a competitive proposition in the market where we’re about a third of the price of most of our competitors and the traditional chains and then we’ve got sort of a modern retail location that Canadians are responding to really, really warmly and so we just see a huge opportunity to continue to grow the business here in Canada.”

Many international players have entered the market in recent years. Webb said the competition in the optical marketplace has been driven by consumers who want additional options.

“Relative to other markets that we operate in like the UK or Australia, the chains have a larger section of the market and so I think there’s probably a perception that Canada is still potentially under consolidated and that there’s large groups of consumers that would respond positively to new entrants into the market. I think that’s why we’ve seen new people enter the space,” he said.

Bailey Nelson Kitsilano (Image: Bailey Nelson)

Recently, Bailey Nelson announced it has partnered with end-to-end 3D and Augmented Reality (AR) platform Plattar to implement a world-leading Virtual Try On solution that has seen the company’s online sales conversion grow by over 600 per cent in 2021.

In early 2021, Bailey Nelson began working with fellow Australian disruptor Plattar to launch a Virtual Try On trial function for online shoppers across 60 of its core eyewear products. Plattar identified several touchpoints that combined to provide a consistent Virtual Try On experience across the complete range of devices, including the latest iPhone and iPad models. Plattar maximized the capabilities of Apple’s TrueDepth camera, together with the realism of 3D using the LiDAR scanner on the iPhone and iPad, to create a virtual experience that gives shoppers the ability to digitally wear Bailey Nelson’s frames in real-time, from anywhere.

“In 2020, our team was tasked with developing tactics to differentiate in an increasingly crowded e-commerce space and create a way for customers to receive the same try on experience as they would in store, from their homes. It was crucial for the brand to ensure that what customers experienced online matched what arrived in the mail,” said James Kerridge, Head of Marketing and Digital at Bailey Nelson.

Bailey Nelson Metropolis at Metrotown (Image: Bailey Nelson)

“We had previously considered virtual try on solutions but found many of the solutions available on the market were outdated and, critically, did not utilize the capabilities across multiple generations of iPhone. Plattar was forward thinking, market leading and using the latest tech stack. Together we have deployed a solution quickly that meets our high expectations of customer experience around fashion and fit and is having a very positive business impact. This solution will play a significant role in our marketing approach now and beyond COVID.”

Kerridge said that during COVID customers were highly reluctant to come into stores and physically pick up and try glasses.

“Also, many of our stores were shut for periods of time. Glasses is one of those categories where it’s quite a high commitment purchase. Canadians only typically buy prescription glasses every three years. So this was developed fairly quickly. It’s considered leading edge in the industry,” said Kerridge.

Jeri Brodie of Aurora Realty Consultants represents Bailey Nelson’s lease negotiations in the Canadian market.

QuadReal Seeing Success with National Pop-Up Retail as New Brands Enter Marketplace: Interviews

By

Mario Toneguzzi

-

November 30, 2021

Wedding Bells at Bayview Village Shopping Centre (Image: QuadReal)

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the retail industry with some businesses having to close their doors permanently.

But the ongoing health crisis has also provided opportunities for other retailers to kick open the doors and enter the marketplace – and some have been using the concept of pop-ups to do that.

“Notwithstanding the necessity of pop-ups in this day and age, the current climate has helped to underscore their importance,” said Andy Clydesdale, EVP, Retail, QuadReal Property Group.

“While the permanent-temporary nature of the physical shopping experience 3.0 is a bit of an oxymoron, this creative re-imagining of our spaces has allowed us to bring marketing and activation out of the shadows of operations.”

The Great Indoor Market at Bower Place (Image: QuadReal)

“Not only are these types of retail solutions vital to our centres, they’re critical to our tenant’s success and help to further define our role within our community as more than just places to shop.”

Melissa Evans, Vice President, Retail, National Marketing, with the QuadReal Property Group, said the biggest benefit of pop-ups for both retailers and mall owners is that it allows for a courtship period during which time each party can figure out if a longer-term marriage is going to work.

“Obviously from the tenant’s perspective, there’s lots of benefits to this arrangement whether it’s the ability to test-drive the location, introduce their brand to a new audience, connect face-to-face with customers and of course, experiment with lower risk and financial commitment. On our end, we’re keen to incubate unique tenants with long term potential, as well as surprise and delight our customers by offering something new and exciting,” she said.

“Our philosophy is really to ‘incubate, activate, innovate and animate’. When we think of temporary retail solutions, we’re thinking in terms of five types: marketing-driven pop-ups, marketing and leasing hybrid pop-ups, temporary leasing deals, community uses and other creative uses of spaces.

“Experimentation on the part of the tenant and incubation on the landlord’s side is going to continue to be a huge trend going forward, as will the need for flexibility and creativity. Notwithstanding the changing nature of our industry, customers are extremely savvy which together is really a giant wake up call for the whole industry. To really understand the assignment means reaching a lot higher to fill these spaces than what was acceptable in the past. There’s filling a space and then there’s filling the space with the right use in a way that contributes to the overall leasing strategy and brand storytelling efforts.”

From a marketing-driven pop-up perspective, these are typically more event-style, extremely photogenic and buzzy, explained Evans. Candyland at Bayview Village Shopping Centre is an example of this, working with NYC artist Robyn Blair, “the ultimate and sweetest Instagrammable moment vis-à-vis a candy-themed art gallery moment’ has been created.

She said the month-long “I do, I do, I do” wedding-themed pop-up also at Bayview Village Shopping Centre was another example where, in partnership with Weddingbells magazine, a series of thematic events took place in an empty CRU that had been reconfigured to include a Wedding Chapel for wedding-themed fashion shows, a Gifted Boutique with suggestive gift-giving ideas, a Matrimonial Kitchen for couples cooking classes, etc.

Wedding Bells at Bayview Village Shopping Centre (Image: QuadReal)

“Marketing and leasing hybrid pop-ups are joint forces initiatives whereby marketing really sets the table from a presentation and storytelling perspective while leasing (and sometimes the Operations team) curates the vendor lineup. The Great Indoors Market at Bower Place is the perfect example of this whereby a portion of the former Sears box was transformed into a month-long holiday-themed marketplace featuring 14 external vendors in a Winter Wonderland-type setting. Several of those vendors have now graduated to their own temporary locations within the shopping centre.

“Temporary leasing deals are obviously the most common in our industry, however we want to make sure what we’re offering goes way beyond ‘common’. The incoming tenant isn’t just filling a void for us, they become part of our storytelling so brand fit and presentation is critical. Second Nature Boutique, which is a high-end designer consignment store at Bayview Village Shopping Centre, not only dovetails with the existing merchandising mix, it looks like it’s a permanent store. In short, if we’re going to do this, we want to ensure we do it well and there isn’t this disconnect for our customers.

“Over at Willowbrook Shopping Centre, Willow Way, which is the pop-up space just outside Hudson’s Bay, allows for a constant rotation of local artisans and vendors in a turnkey setup. Right now, we’re test-driving a number of retail uses including Lee’s Donuts, aka the OG of the Vancouver donut scene.”

Lee’s Donuts at Willowbrook Shopping Centre (Image: QuadReal)

Community use is also a way to give back to the community where the shopping centre owner can. For example, it devoted over 20,000 square feet at Cloverdale Mall for a vaccination clinic to assist with the City of Toronto’s vaccination efforts. Also at Cloverdale, the mall participated in ArtworxTO, the City’s year-long public art project, with about 4,000 square feet now housing an exhibition curated by local artist Claudia Arana.

“Last, but not least, we like to think about other ways in which we can creatively use our spaces, the emphasis being on out-of-the-box thinking and ways in which we can spark joy for our customers. At Westshore Town Centre, we joined forces with Incredible Closets to create a merchandising space that promoted their closet system while showcasing seasonal must-haves from our tenants. At Capilano Mall, the hoarding wall became the canvas for an augmented reality art installation,” added Evans.

International luxury lifestyle brand ALPAKA, founded in 2007 in Estonia, has seen the benefits and potential of using the pop-up concept as it currently has one at Bayview Village until mid-January.

The company has its flagship store at CF Pointe Claire, with stores also at CF Sherway Gardens and CF Laval.

Are Kudeviita, one of the retailer’s founders, said Bayview is one of the top malls in Toronto and the company saw much potential in the area.

“This kind of brand was needed in Bayview and people really love our products and they go out from our store with only smiles on their faces. They’re really happy,” he said.

“We are looking to get something more permanent for Bayview and Yorkdale and also Ottawa at (CF) Rideau Centre because the pop-up shops we use as we always have in mind the possibility to make it long term. We want to select the good malls that are good for us.

“We’re also looking at Vancouver maybe for next year. We are interested in expanding in Canada but doing it step by step. But because of the COVID we have to make new plans. We grew from three shops last year to six shops this year plus we have the new cooperation agreement with Hudson’s Bay so we have four locations also with them with the shop in shop. The Bay shops are in Laval in Montreal, Pointe Claire in Montreal, then we have Quebec City St. Bruno and then we have Ottawa across the Rideau Centre.”

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web For November 30th, 2021

By

Retail Insider

-

November 29, 2021

News at a Glance

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. This will include important national content as well as very selected local content deemed important. If you have any questions, contact craig@retail-insider.com.

Here are the top new stories.

Food Supply Chain Resilience has a New Meaning in Canada with Ongoing Flooding in BC [Op-Ed]

By

Sylvain Charlebois

-

November 29, 2021

Images coming from British Columbia this month were simply heartbreaking: human casualties, dairy cows barely breathing above water being pulled to safety, the loss of livestock across the Fraser Valley. Just devastating. And the flow of goods on both rail and roads is severely compromised. Many have now claimed that flash floods and atmospheric rivers in B.C. were highly predictable due to nature’s occasional destructive wrath. But supply chains out West have always been vulnerable, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.

In the East, the importance of supply chains has often been underappreciated by the public. Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic Provinces have been spoiled with the St. Lawrence Seaway. Access to supplies has been easy and we’ve forgotten the Seaway’s logistical genius. Food from Europe, the Middle East and beyond has just floated up the Seaway for decades, servicing the founding provinces of our country at an inexpensive rate. In a Europe-centric global economy, it made sense to rely on Halifax and Montreal.

In the West, business with Asia has only grown over the years. The Port of Vancouver sees over $12 billion worth of agri-food products and commodities, coming in and going out of the country yearly. That is $35 million a day. The Port is close to where half of the world lives. In the fall, commodities grown in the Prairies are Asia-bound, which is why the B.C. disaster could not have come at a worse time for farmers across the country. The weak harvest this year gave them little to sell. And much of those products are now stuck on trains, stranded somewhere in the Rockies.

In the West, building an equivalent to the St. Lawrence Seaway has been a long-standing issue, ever since our nation’s creation, but especially in the last 20 to 30 years. Not building better gateways and corridors has made our Western agri-food economy more vulnerable, especially with climate change. As a result, with the globalization of trade, this vulnerability is now far-reaching, and the B.C. floods have reminded us that we are always one natural disaster away from seeing major bottlenecks.

To be realistic, however, given the topography of the region, it is going to be challenging to develop new options, and build supply chain resiliency. Trading through the U.S. is one option, but bureaucratic compliances and protocols would need to be worked out. We need to secure the few options we do have across the Rockies going into either Vancouver and/or Prince Rupert, now the third busiest port in Canada, after Vancouver and Montreal.Maintenance and making these routes secure will require massive investment. It should have happened years ago.

Beyond trade, the B.C. situation will generate food access issues in the region. Firstly, we will see shortages of certain products, either because the production of certain commodities like milk, eggs and poultry has been severely hampered for a while, or because products cannot get into the Vancouver area. Remember, the Fraser Valley is the breadbasket of the province. Farmers’ boards will need to work with other provinces like Alberta, Saskatchewan, and beyond to provide needed help.

For the rest of Canada, we are expecting sporadic shortages of food products that would have come from Vancouver, but nothing to bring any markets in Canada even close to food insecurity. We just need to adjust our expectations, as we were doing due to supply chain disruptions which were already happening before the B.C. floods.

Climate skeptics will argue relentlessly that bizarre and extreme weather events have been happening for centuries. After the heat dome and wildfires this past summer, and now with the current floods, if you are still a skeptic, you are simply not paying attention. The true backbone of our agri-food system is our supply chain. It’s as simple as that, and we need to take care of it.

The average Canadian doesn’t see or interact with any elements of the supply chain, ever. It’s invisible, but it’s always working. We need to have faith that our resilient food industry will continue to deliver. For governments though, to take care of our logistical network out West, faith is certainly not enough.

Bogner Reopens Store on Toronto’s Bloor Street Luxury Run & 1st Canadian Outlet Store

By

Craig Patterson

-

November 29, 2021

Bogner on Bloor (Photo by Craig Patterson)

German luxury fashion brand Bogner has reopened its first corporately-run storefront in Canada on the luxury run of Toronto’s Bloor Street West, and the store could become permanent. The brand has also opened its first Canadian outlet store at the Toronto Premium Outlets in Halton Hills.

The Bloor Street Bogner ‘Winter Boutique’ pop-up store at 131 Bloor Street West will remain open at least until March of 2022. The 3,320-square-foot space in The Colonnade is next to Italian luxury brand Moncler — the Yorkville area is home to the largest concentration of affluent households in Canada and since opening earlier this month, sales have been robust at the Bogner store.

The Bloor Street retail space includes a mix of outerwear and fashions — compared to the 2020 pop-up which was open for a shorter time period because of the pandemic, this year’s collection is considerably more expansive with some light-weight fabrics in shirts and other garments and fall styles that would be appropriate for winters in a warmer climate such as Vancouver. The popular Bogner skiwear line features prominently as well including a range of winter jackets considered to be among the warmest available.

The Bogner Fall/Winter 2021 collection is described as offering a mix of sportive, timeless and technical fashions including iconic down jackets, stylish catsuits, luxurious knitwear and stirrup pants in elegant colours that are combined with casual sportswear pieces.

The brick-and-mortar expansion for the Bogner brand delivers “personal onsite retail experiences to both new and existing customers is the perfect addition”, according to the brand. Bogner’s co-CEO Heinz Hackl said, “We are actively scaling Bogner’s footprint in the US and Canadian markets and were able to efficiently test these in 2020. Now, we can act on that invaluable data to scale further, faster, and smarter. We are looking forward to the new season, this time with four exclusive winter boutiques and again with Flagship as a strong partner by our side.”

Bogner partnered with New York City-based FlagshipRTL to implement the Bloor Street store opening — FlagshipRTL is known to be a next-gen retail platform that also facilitated the launch of the temporary Bogner stores that opened this fall in New York City on Madison Avenue, Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich CT, and Oakbrook Centre near Chicago.

Bogner on Bloor (Photo by Craig Patterson)

Bogner was founded in 1932 by Willy Bogner who imported skis, equipment, and Norwegian knit wear. His wife Maria revolutionized fashion in 1948 when she designed trousers made out of stretch material with stirrups — the dictionary now refers to these as ‘Bogners’. The iconic “B” zipper was introduced to garments in 1955. Willy Bogner Junior launched Bogner’s first ski collection in 1971 called ‘Formula W’. Last year Bogner relaunched its classic jackets with a modern interpretation and is now in expansion mode.

The resort town of Whistler, British Columbia, is also home to a Bogner ‘partner store’ run by a local franchisee. The only other North American storefront for Bogner is a permanent store in New York City’s Soho area. Bogner operates stores globally with a focus on European cities and resort towns known for skiing.

In Halton Hills, Bogner recently launched an outlet store at the Toronto Premium Outlets which will remain operational into the spring of 2022. The large storefront replaced Moncler at the outlet centre which is home to numerous luxury brands.

Bogner also has a Canadian website that will soon include ecommerce at: bognercanada.com.

Additional Photos

Holiday Shopping Season in Canada Expected to be Robust for Retailers as Consumers Seek Experiences [Interview/Feature]

By

Sean Tarry

-

November 29, 2021

Ren's Pets at Liberty Village on Bark Friday (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)

The past 20 months or so has already come to represent one of the most difficult periods in retail history. Full of challenges and strife, plagued by disruption and uncertainty, the pandemic environment has tested the ingenuity and resolve of retailers all over the world. And, as the full verve of the 2021 holiday shopping season continues to draw nearer, retailers across Canada are busy readying their offering and service to make the year’s final quarter a merry one. It’s a hope that’s collectively held across the industry and buoyed by a sentiment of optimism around a willing consumer who’s craving experiences and enjoyment. And, according to Tamara Szames, Director, Industry Advisor, Canada Retail at The NPD Group, it’s a hope that should translate into reality, and a very festive time for retailers across categories.

“What we’ve noticed progressing deeper into the fourth quarter is a real sense of optimism around the holiday season,” says Szames. “It’s optimism that’s highlighted most significantly by a Canadian consumer who’s started their holiday shopping earlier this year than in previous years. And there are a few main factors driving that behaviour. One is the fact that Canadian consumers are buying the things they like when they see them and looking for hot promotional items. The fear of store closures and delays related to the pandemic has also prompted consumers in the country to start shopping early. It’s also been a while since Canadians have been able to re-emerge and socialize and seek out exciting experiences with the people they love and care about. And so many are planning to enjoy time with their friends and family.”

Positive outlook across categories

CF Toronto Eaton Centre on Black Friday 2021 (Photo: Dustin Fuhs)

A combination of these factors has, indeed, hastened an earlier start to the 2021 holiday shopping season. In fact, according to The NPD Group research, 24 percent of Canadians started their gift buying in early October with an additional 25 percent anticipating beginning their shopping on the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend. Overall, 28 percent of Canadian consumers have committed to starting their holiday shopping earlier than they usually would. And, with respect to experiences with friends and family, research reveals that 34 percent will entertain their loved ones in their home, while 24 percent plan to dine out with those they care about. And, although Szames recognizes a pent-up appetite for experiences within the Canadian consumer, she believes that their eagerness to buy gifts is just as strong.

“All of the product categories that we track, aside from video games, have exceeded sales year-to-date over 2020,” she asserts. “So, if Q4 – the biggest holiday period – were to be flat over last year, sales for these categories would still be up 2 percent over 2019 and 8 percent over 2020. This would represent a dramatic swing. And, the positivity seems to touch just about every retailer, with clothing and toys, beauty and footwear making the strongest gains heading into the holiday shopping season.”

Satisfying experiences

Another of the top sellers this holiday season, explains Szames, are gift cards. According to The NPD Group research, a whopping 51 percent of Canadian consumers plan to purchase a gift card for a friend or family member. It’s a trend which is a direct result of disruptions and uncertainty within the current global supply chain as consumers are willing to purchase a gift card in place of a product that they can’t find as a result of product shortages and delays. Despite the products that consumers will be seeking, however, it seems clear that they’re ready to spend some of their pandemic period savings. And, according to research, they’re going to be leveraging all available channels to do so, with 30 percent of Canadian consumers prepared to spend more online this year than they did in 2020. It’s a projection that is representative of the continued shift toward digital channels, but one that Szames believes presents opportunities to retailers to satisfy the experiences consumers are looking for in both the online and physical shopping environments.

“The behaviour of the consumer is very different between online and in-store,” she says. “Online, people tend to view their purchases as more of a treat, where the physical store is serving more and more to satisfy a need. As a result, the online retail environment is playing more of a discovery role than it has previous. And, consumers are more likely to purchase something for themselves when shopping for others online. This is true for 19 percent of holiday shoppers this year with 9 percent saying that they intend to spend more on themselves. With respect to the in-store experience this holiday season, it’s important for retailers to let their customers know what product they have in stock, placing the most top-of-mind products front and centre within their stores. It’s interesting to see how the consumer will be shopping the channels differently and the opportunities that arise for retailers to cater their offering and service to them in order to satisfy the experiences they’re looking for.”

Holiday boost

The Bay at STACKT – Photo by Dustin Fuhs

All told, considering all of the consumer indications combined with lessening impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic, this coming holiday shopping season seems as though it’s shaping up to be quite merry, indeed, for retailers across the country. It will be a welcome boost to the bottom line for most organizations that continue hustling to make up for the shortfall that’s been created over the last 20 months or so. And, it’s a boost that Szames believes has the potential to lift the entire industry.

“Given everything that we’ve been seeing and hearing, the Canadian consumer is really feeling and craving the holiday spirit, with 71 percent planning to spend the same amount that they did last year and 16 percent planning to spend more. As a result, we’re anticipating a really good holiday season for retailers who will net out the year fairly strong over 2020. There are many categories that are still trying to recover from the compressed sales of COVID key periods such as apparel and footwear. And we’re expecting those categories to really help lift sales through Q4 and the holiday shopping season.”

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

By

Mario Toneguzzi

-

November 29, 2021

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.

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

-

November 28, 2021

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

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

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

1 of 3

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.”

Northland Village Mall in Calgary to be Redeveloped by Landlord

By

Mario Toneguzzi

-

November 28, 2021

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.

“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.

“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

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

By

Mario Toneguzzi

-

November 28, 2021

Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited-T-T Supermarkets Coming To -2 — 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.

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

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.”

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.

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.

“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.

Retail InsiderCanada's Most-Read Online Retail Industry Publication.

Aussie Eyewear Retailer ‘Bailey Nelson’ Doubles Canadian Store Count Since Start of Pandemic with Plans for More: Interview

QuadReal Seeing Success with National Pop-Up Retail as New Brands Enter Marketplace: Interviews

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web For November 30th, 2021

News at a Glance

Food Supply Chain Resilience has a New Meaning in Canada with Ongoing Flooding in BC [Op-Ed]

Bogner Reopens Store on Toronto’s Bloor Street Luxury Run & 1st Canadian Outlet Store

Additional Photos

Holiday Shopping Season in Canada Expected to be Robust for Retailers as Consumers Seek Experiences [Interview/Feature]

Positive outlook across categories

Satisfying experiences

Holiday boost

Related Retail Insider Articles

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

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

Fast and convenient digital experience

Transformation and development

Believing in the vision

Uniting under the banner of sports

Related Retail Insider Articles

Northland Village Mall in Calgary to be Redeveloped by Landlord

Additional Renderings

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

About

Contact

Media

Follow