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Vancouver-Based ‘Moe’s Home Collection’ Unveils Flagship HQ Retail Showspace [Photos/Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Moe's Home Showroom (Image: Your Story Agency)

Moe’s Home Collection, a full-line North American wholesaler and retailer of designer home furnishings, has opened its HQ Showroom in Vancouver where the brand is headquartered.

“At over 30,000 square feet, this space allows us to feature our newest introductions, expanded lines and curated selections while forecasting upcoming industry trends for the years to come. Additionally, this showroom is a chance for our partners, clients and design community from around the globe to collaborate more freely and effectively with our entire team at their disposal,” said Sara Samieian, co-CEO of Moe’s Home Collection. 

The company began in 1986, founded by Moe Samieian Sr. 

“It actually started as a rug store. We had a couple of rug stores in Vancouver and Victoria and Calgary. In the early 90s, it slowly turned into furniture. Moe Sr. has a big passion for design so he just started bringing in unique pieces directly himself. In 1999, we started our wholesale division and in early 2000 we expanded our retail division. We built our flagship store in Vancouver which is actually where our offices are on the third floor and the first two floors are all retail space,” she said.

Click image for interactive Google Map
Moe’s Home Showroom (Image: Your Story Agency)

“Over the past 20 years, we’ve expanded our retail footprint, our licensee footprint and of course our wholesale division. We do sell all categories for the home from living room, dining room, bedroom and so on. We sell a  lot of accents and accessories and stuff like that. Dining, bedroom and living for sure are our strongest. We basically sell everything for the home from the wall decor to the lighting.”

The new showroom is on the second floor of the 50,000-square-foot building. The third floor is the brand new office space the company renovated last year. The first floor is also retail space.

Sara Samieian

The HQ Showroom will be host to Vancouver Market, offering its 360° service to wholesale clients, designers and customers with year-round viewing, appointments, special events, private tours and bi-annual markets held in May and September.  The new showroom affords the unique opportunity to connect with and work alongside MHC’s Sales, Product Development, Visual, Marketing & Operations Teams, with many other resources readily available. 

The opening of the HQ showroom coincides with the launch of the new Moe’s Home Collection B2B website.

Moe’s Home Showroom (Image: Your Story Agency)

“The first floor is all retail. The second floor is retail as well. It’s open to the public and open to the trades. But the focus of the second floor is our newest introductions,” said Samieian. “So because we’re a wholesaler, there’s lots of products that we would receive before any other retailer even sees it. All of our samples come, all of our prototypes, they all come to our offices for review and once they’re approved they actually go down to the second floor.

“To an end consumer, it’s just more retail space. But for us. It’s actually our latest designs are there even before they maybe launch in Vegas or High Point (North Carolina, at trade shows). We also host our wholesale clients as well on the second floor. We have a trade show there twice a year and we also bring in clients from time to time to view all of our latest  new products.”

The HQ Showroom overlooks the North Shore Mountains.

The company said the multifaceted space takes on unmistakable influences from nature, working in shape, warmth, materiality and tactility to provide an authentic, connective experience. Arches positioned throughout are a key, unifying architectural element that lends to the concept of deriving comfort from curves, the shapes our eyes are drawn to. All thoughtfully laid out details work in concert to create a memorable experience for the end-user.

Moe’s Home Showroom (Image: Your Story Agency)

Other architectural highlights include: an eye-drawing chair gallery; a built-in accessory wall; greenery as a focal point; plastered archways; a bar and island installation; and key materials include repurposed and thoughtfully-curated mixed materials as well as plaster, oak tambour, concrete and marble.

Moe Sr. is Sara’s father and her brother Moe Jr. is the other co-CEO of the company.

Sara Samieian said the wholesale part of the business has a reach across Canada, the US, Mexico and overseas in the Middle East for example.

“The other thing that launched on our second floor in May was all of our new accents. We just imported some new accessories, like table top accessories, all handmade from Peru,” she said. “We’ve really expanded our accessory assortment and there’s also more coming over the next few months.”

See below for more images.

Moe’s Home Showroom (Image: Your Story Agency)
Moe’s Home Showroom (Image: Your Story Agency)
Moe’s Home Showroom (Image: Your Story Agency)
Moe’s Home Showroom (Image: Your Story Agency)
Moe’s Home Showroom (Image: Your Story Agency)

Resort Wear Retailer Revelle Opens 3-Storey Storefront in Toronto’s Yorkville Area [Photos/Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Revelle Yorkville (Image: Ryan Emberley / Revelle)

Revelle, an international resort wear retailer, has opened a new three-storey boutique in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood, featuring exclusive international designers from Australia and Europe.

Owner Raana Kalpakji was inspired by her world travels to open the retail store.

Raana Kalpakji

“I’ve spent my entire life traveling to some of the most gorgeous destinations around the world,” she said. “After moving to Toronto, I realized this city needed an abundance of colour and resort wear, and quickly moved to bring exclusive collections to Canada and the US.

“We carefully curate resort wear from some of the most sought-after international women-owned small and midsize brands from around the world including Australia and Europe. What sets us apart is the inspiration taken from traveling the world, which fuses together culturally unique styles ripe with bold and bright colours. Our resort wear includes dresses, sets, patterned silk shirts, and handbags, offered year-round, so customers can find destination and travel-inspired wear each season. 

Revelle Yorkville (Image: Ryan Emberley / Revelle)

“We truly believe ‘one must always be different’ – so we’ve curated Revelle to offer diverse yet flattering styles for every woman.”

Kalpakji grew up in different countries and was exposed to diverse cultures from which she took inspiration over the years. In May 2021, she founded Revelle in Washington, D.C.. After moving to Toronto in October 2021, she recognized a void in Toronto’s fashion market, and brought Revelle to the city with its new Yorkville boutique. 

“A woman’s taste tells her story. Revelle is not only my story, it’s every woman’s,” she said, adding the brand serves the North American market, offering shipping to the US and Canada daily. 

“Revelle has Canadian exclusivity to many of the international designers it carries, making it the one-stop-shop for intricate and unique contemporary resort wear in Toronto. Inspired by the theme of travel, Revelle’s Yorkville boutique immerses its visitors in a tropical shopping experience, blending fashion, art and entertainment with its second-floor event space and exclusive outdoor patio. Revelle also serves as a destination for content creators with its exclusive VIP content creation room on the third floor, providing a space for influencers to showcase Revelle’s unique pieces on social media, which currently is by invite only.

Revelle Yorkville (Image: Ryan Emberley / Revelle)

“I chose to house Revelle in Toronto after moving here in 2021 and recognizing a void in the market, which brought about an opportunity for bold and bright resort wear from international designers – many of which have Canadian exclusivity with us at Revelle.”  

Kalpakji said Yorkville is a neighbourhood known for unmatched fashion and retail and its clientele is drawn to Revelle’s offerings of stunning contemporary resort wear and accessories, ranging from $50 to $1,200. It seemed a fitting and complementary choice to the other respective businesses in the area, and she feels the brand can be successful with a unique personalized one-on-one shopping experience. 

“While Revelle is available across North America through its online e-commerce platform, we plan on expanding into the realm of digital fashion through the NFT marketplace in the future. There are more expansion opportunities we’re exploring as well – more to come on that soon,” she said. 

Revelle Yorkville (Image: Ryan Emberley / Revelle)

“The pandemic provided Revelle with the opportunity to create a fresh and unique experience for consumers eager to return to travel and experience events once again. Capitalizing on this opportunity, Revelle brings unique contemporary resort wear for these re-emerging occasions. It serves as the perfect destination to procure one’s wardrobe before vacationing.

“It’s important to stay resilient, especially as a business owner. Life after the pandemic presented opportunities and new beginnings for Revelle in Toronto, ones I wouldn’t know existed had we pivoted early on.”

Revelle offers new limited edition collections each month, launching new products in the store and the company’s e-commerce site. It ships daily to North America from the Toronto store, with designers including Hemant & Nandita, Rococo Sand, Mackenzie Mode, Isla & White, Fillyboo and one of a kind Mexican bag brand Baní.

The store is located at 129 Davenport Road.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web For June 21st, 2022

By
Retail Insider
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Canadian Retail News From Around The Web

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. Here are the top stories from the past 24 hours.

Upscale NYC-Based Women’s Fashion Brand Lafayette 148 Opens 1st Canadian Store in Toronto [Photos]

By
Shelby Hautala
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Lafayette 148 at 130 Bloor Street in Toronto (Image: Lafayette 148)

After celebrating its 25th anniversary recently, upscale New York City-based women’s fashion brand Lafayette 148 officially opened the doors to its first flagship store in Canada, located at 130 Bloor Street West in Toronto.

Lafayette 148 was founded in 1996 in SoHo, New York City by Deirdre Quinn, Shun Yen Siu, and Ida Siu. It was designed to bring uniqueness to women’s clothing and as stated on its website, it was “built on our founder’s belief that women deserve beautiful clothing created for women’s needs.” 

With luxurious materials and beautiful clothing designs, Lafayette 148 has opened its first Canadian store on Bloor Street West which is known for its design and high-end fashion. Prices for some of Lafayette 148’s designs are less than the luxury brands lining the street, though prices are still high. A women’s blazer from Lafayette 148 is priced at more than $2,000 while a pant is $1,250, and a simple sleeveless blouse was priced at over $800. Shoes are priced from $600 for simple summer styles to well over $1,000, and handbags are priced from about $1,000 to over $3,000.

Lafayette 148 at 130 Bloor Street in Toronto (Image: Lafayette 148)

The new Toronto store features about 2,000 square feet of retail space and, according to a press release, includes oil rubbed patina bronze wall flanking mirrors to highlight the store, drawings inspired from the Lafayette 148 flagship store in New York, French Oak hardwood flooring, bespoke seating areas, and an ice onyx jewelry display case. 

The flagship now offers the brand’s full collection of ready to wear women’s clothing, footwear, handbags, jewelry, and accessories. One of its collections is the Lafayette 148 Made in Italy collection which focuses on bags and footwear.

The store also provides customers with services including private styling in store and virtual by appointment, complimentary tailoring, and made to order clothing. 

You can find Lafayette 148 collections also at Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom, but this is its first stand alone location in Canada. 

In Toronto, Lafayette 148 replaced a retail location for retailer Intermix which occupied the space at 130 Bloor Street West for about a decade before shutting in late 2020.

Lafayette 148 at 130 Bloor Street in Toronto (Image: Lafayette 148)

DWSV Ultimate Realty negotiated the lease on behalf of Lafayette 148. Kingsett Capital owns the commercial component of 130 Bloor Street West which also features retail tenants Gucci and St. John Knits on the Bloor Street side of the building, as well as Cumberland Street-facing tenants including luxury retailer Nicolas, Aveda, a lululemon store that will relocate in 2024 to Bloor Street, and Canada’s first location for eyewear retailer Moscot.

Bloor Street West, once known as the ‘Mink Mile’, is seeing a resurgence in leasing according to brokers. New retailers will be announced as deals are negotiated. This year new retailers coming to the luxury stretch of Bloor near Lafayette 148 include Alexander Wang, Anne Fontaine, and Paris Baguette. Further East near Holt Renfrew will see the openings of retailers including yoga brand Alo, a Swarovski jewellery store, lululemon and, pending litigation, a massive Apple flagship store is expected to open at 1 Bloor Street West.

Various luxury brands line the street near Lafayette 148, including the likes of Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Hermes, Dior, Cartier, Moncler, Burberry, Gucci, Prada and others. It remains to be seen how Lafayette 148 will perform on the street given its focus on apparel, with neighbouring retailer St. John Knits said to be quiet most times.

After requests, Lafayette 148 did not provide anyone for an interview for this article to discuss its entry into Canada. Retail Insider therefore does not have any further information on any future stores for the brand in this country, nor information on the future of wholesale accounts at Nordstrom and Saks.

Lafayette 148 at 130 Bloor Street in Toronto (Image: Lafayette 148)
Lafayette 148 at 130 Bloor Street in Toronto (Image: Lafayette 148)

Touchless ‘Smart’ Checkout Technology Coming to Thousands of ACT Convenience Stores [With Video]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Mashgin Now at Circle K (Image: Mashgin)

Alimentation Couche-Tard (ACT), one of the world’s largest convenience retailers, will deploy more than 10,000 Mashgin Touchless Checkout Systems, branded as ‘Smart Checkout’ to more than 7,000 of its Circle K and Couche-Tard stores over the next three years.

The company said the AI-powered self-checkout system will improve customers’ checkout times as much as 400 per cent while allowing store staff to spend more time helping customers.

ACT said the system includes a compact countertop device that fits easily into an existing store layout. 

“It uses computer vision to recognize items presented from virtually any angle and instantly ring them up in a single transaction,” said the company. “Customers place their items on the Mashgin Touchless Checkout System, which uses cameras to ring up everything in under a second. There is no need to download an app or find and scan barcodes: shoppers simply put items down, pay as they normally would and are on their way in as little as 10 seconds – eight times faster than traditional self-checkout.”

Mashgin Now at Circle K (Image: Mashgin)
Magnus Tagtstrom

Magnus Tagtstrom, VP of Global Innovation for ACT, said the company’s entire purpose is to make the customers’ experience easier. 

“In a way, we sell time to them. So what can we do to speed up that checkout experience for our customers? There’s a lot of sort of tech innovation happening in this space. But the thing that kind of really resonated in our testing so far with customers, and we’ve tested this over the last couple of years in over 500 stores across the US, across Sweden and we have a lab at McGill University, it speeds up the checkout process,” he said.

“The technology is not like your traditional self-checkout where you scan your items and you really feel that you’re doing the associates’ job and you’re not very good at it. 

“We’re committed to investing in and scaling technology that sets a new standard for convenience with our customers and advances our mission to make our customers’ lives a little easier every day. The Smart Checkout system powered by Mashgin’s game-changing technology shortens lines, improves the customer experience and frees up our teams to focus on helping our customers. We look forward to introducing this new platform to stores across our network.

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“It’s an experience that actually kind of has some kind of wow factor and magic to it. It feels faster and more interesting than your typical checkout.”

Tagtstrom said the new technology will be rolled out to more than half of the company’s global footprint. 

“Not every store. It doesn’t fit every store from a size of the store perspective. But you’re definitely going to see it in a clear majority of our stores. In any big, or any new store, you will see it,” he said. 

Tagtstrom said one third of the stores deploying the new technology would have more than one unit.

Mashgin Now at Circle K (Image: Mashgin)

He said the Canadian rollout will take place some time this year. 

ACT said the rollout builds upon the successful deployment of Mashgin across nearly 500 Circle K locations in the US and Sweden since 2020, as well as Couche-Tard’s retail innovation lab store on the campus of McGill University in Montreal.

Mukul Dhankhar

Mukul Dhankar, Mashgin’s Chief Technology Officer and co-founder, said the company’s core technology represents a major breakthrough in the world of artificial intelligence.

“By reinforcing computer vision models with three-dimensional data, we are able to reach 99.9 per cent accuracy when ringing items,” he said. “This innovation also allows the system to easily differentiate between different sizes of items with a similar appearance, and also makes it flexible enough to recognize grab-and-go foods like pizza or roller grill items that may look slightly different each time. Another key component to our technology is its ability to learn new objects in less than a minute and sync that data across stores, making it possible to set up a new store in under an hour,” he said. 

Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director, Agri-Foods Analytics Lab, Dalhousie University, said everyone who goes to a Couche-Tard is in a hurry and so the new checkout system is fitting with the market the company is serving. 

“It’s a pump and go sort of market. Really you want to get out as soon as possible. Grab what you need. But it’s got to be done right as well. Couche-Tard has been very successful selling food products and products you can’t buy anywhere else and the freshness is actually not bad at all. The standards are pretty high at ACT,” he added.

Mashgin Now at Circle K (Image: Mashgin)
Sylvain Charlebois
Sylvain Charlebois

“I suspect that the rollout will be transitory. I don’t think they’ll do a blitz. I suspect they will probably go with a few stores, work out the kinks, making sure it works well. I suspect ACT will actually make sure it doesn’t damage the brand or the fluidity of the experience as well.”

Charlebois said he recently visited his first Amazon Go store in New York City at the Rockefeller Center.

“The humanless experience was interesting. This whole idea of not having any cashiers is a work in progress for sure. On the one side, people will have to become comfortable with the technology and all of the issues related to privacy,” he said.

“It is a model. Is it the best model possible? I don’t know. My experience at Amazon Go was underwhelming to be honest because I actually bought a couple of products that weren’t fresh at all and they were out for many products as well. They were not ready for my visit at least based on what I needed and it wasn’t a huge store either.

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“It’s on the execution that ACT will need to deliver, making sure that products are there, products are fresh, and people are able to grab-and-go as much as possible. I think the focus and most of the discussion has been around technology but the freshness and the availability still has to be there.”

Walmart Canada Launches State-of-the-Art in-Store Technology to Significantly Speed-Up Online Grocery: Interviews

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Walmart Canada Scarborough (Image: Walmart Canada)

Retail giant Walmart Canada has launched its new repurposed space inside the Scarborough West store which integrates state-of-the art technology, helping associates to pick online grocery orders six times faster than on a regular sales floor. 

Customers will benefit from tighter inventory control, resulting in fewer substitutions, and automated processes that enable the overall picking process to be 80 per cent faster. And more than 70 per cent of downtown Toronto customers could have their online grocery delivery fulfilled through this store.

“We have created a repurposed space inside the Scarborough store with integrated state-of-the-art technology and this is really helping our associates pick online grocery orders, cumulatively 80 per cent faster than they would be doing in a regular store today,” said Olivia Lynch, Director, Omni Store of the Future, Walmart Canada. “And the technology itself is helping us pick six times faster than we can on the sales floor. 

Youtube video

“This part of the industry has experienced a lot of growth. We’ve seen a lot of customers trying online grocery for the first time through the pandemic and we’re seeing that that behaviour is really sticking. We’re really confident about where that industry is going and how that behaviour is going to stick. And so, that’s really the why now. We’re confident that this industry is here to stay and we know that we’re going to continue to need the capacity to serve our customers.”

Lynch described the Scarborough location as ‘fantastic’, allowing the retailer the ability to reach more than 70 per cent of downtown Toronto customers through online grocery delivery from that store.

Will this concept be rolled out to other stores?

Olivia Lynch at Scarborough (Image: Walmart Canada)

“We don’t know yet. We’re not in a position to really share that yet. We’re still trying to figure that out ourselves,” said Lynch. “But what we do know is that much like this, we are looking at technology and innovation as a way to really (help) in picking faster, picking more and just being able to reach more customers.”

Using automated technology alongside proprietary Walmart systems, this reimagined space, the company said provides more choice, convenience, speed and quality to customers when they shop online for groceries:

  • The technology leverages data to systemically manage freshness in stored items, supporting Walmart’s commitment to delivering the freshest product; 
  • New delivery-led solution and processes enable faster loading, supporting on-time delivery;
  • As many as 1,200 customer orders per day can be fulfilled out of this store – much higher than average. 
  • Reach new customers in underserved areas – giving more access to products and Walmart’s everyday low prices; and  
  • Nearly 200 associates will support online grocery picking and fulfilment from this store.
(L-R): John Bayliss, EVP, Transformation Officer, Walmart Canada, Vera Friedrich, Vice President and Managing Director, Dematic Canada, Councillor Gary Crawford, City of Toronto, Olivia Lynch, Director, Omni Store of the Future, Saeed Anslow, VP, Omni-Channel & Online Grocery, Jonathan Rodriguez, Sr. Manager, Micro-Fulfillment, Dries Dhooghe, SVP, Operations – Region 2, Raj Radhakrishnan, Store Manager,  Laurent Duray, Chief E-commerce Officer, Mariam Khan, Manager, Omni Innovation, Walmart Canada
Horacio Barbeito

“We’re transforming our business for our customers, every day. By leveraging our stores, including modernizing our Scarborough West store with innovative new technology, we’re helping more customers access our everyday low prices through online grocery delivery,” said Horacio Barbeito, President and CEO, Walmart Canada in a statement. “With investments in technology and infrastructure, our associates have more modern tools to serve our customers. Together we’re finding innovative ways to make our existing footprint work harder for customers as we make shopping online with Walmart faster, easier and more convenient.”

Laurent Duray

“Repurposing our space in Scarborough allows us to lean in to online grocery delivery for our downtown Toronto customers in ways we have never done before. We’ve embraced technology to help us increase capacity for orders, providing our customers with more available time slots and expanded access to delivery,” said Laurent Duray, Chief E-commerce Officer, Walmart Canada. “Our associates and our stores are the key to the journey we’re on to keep making the online shopping experience better and faster for our customers.”

The new repurposed Scarborough store is part of Walmart Canada’s $3.5 billion investment in the market.

“We’re absolutely investing in technology but it’s really focused on associate experience. We really want our associates to be able to work more easily with less effort and alongside that we’re providing training for our associates and our leadership to work alongside this technology,” said Lynch. 

(L-R): John Bayliss, Laurent Duray, Olivia Lynch, Saeed Anslow and Dries Dhooghe

“That’s what you’ll be seeing more of from us. In terms of the customer benefit as well, I think this type of technology of course is associate-focused but there’s also absolutely the customer focus. We know what’s really important for customers is accuracy, speed and quality for online grocery orders and we think technology like this is really to help us with that because the inventory becomes systematically controlled within the technology itself. Because we have better inventory controls, that means we have fewer substitutions and we know that is such an important thing for our customers.

“Because we’re using real-time data and systematic data to control our quality, we know exactly when an item has been put into the system. We’re always going to be able to make sure through this system, we’re never going to give customers any subpar product. So we’re really proud of that as well.”

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web For June 20th, 2022

By
Retail Insider
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Canadian Retail News From Around The Web

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. Here are the top stories from the past few days.

Holt Renfrew Launches Summer 2022 Campaign ‘Summer in Motion’ [Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Holt Renfrew Bloor (Image: Craig Patterson)

Canadian luxury department store Holt Renfrew has launched its Summer 2022 campaign, Summer in Motion.

“The anticipation for Summer 2022 is high, and we can feel it. Everyone is ready to embrace the warm weather and enjoy the freedom that comes with spending time outside, socializing in person, and getting to simply be,” said Wes Wolch, SVP, Marketing & Customer Experience, Holt Renfrew.

Wes Wolch

“Finding pleasure in the everyday is our mantra. And whether this is achieved through big moments, traveling to new destinations, or small, sipping an iced coffee on a hot summer’s day, the whole point is to just go for it and have fun. We’ve made some great changes to our store environments with new Cafes, new Beauty Halls and of course our beautiful renovation to our Montreal location, Holt Renfrew Ogilvy.

“Creating a summer calendar full of music experiences gives us an opportunity to invite people back into our environments for unique experiences focused on shared passion points. The campaign is called Summer in Motion and features DJs from coast to coast such as YuSu, Pierre Kwenders, Miko So? and Bambii. Music creates the soundtrack for so many summer memories and we wanted to tap into that, allowing the DJs to showcase their personal style through their music and their style and our customers to showcase theirs.”

Holt Renfrew Bloor (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Holt Renfrew Bloor (Image: Dustin Fuhs)

Wolch said the campaign is targeted to Millennials & Gen Z customers.

“The campaign will live throughout the summer and consist of an in-store concert series, Spotify playlists curated by our DJs, paid media focusing on social (Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok) and OOH, as well as across all of our owned assets,” he said. 

“Holt Renfrew has had to adjust to the implications of the pandemic like most retailers, but we’ve thrived throughout it building new ways of working, new ways of selling and new ways of communicating with our customers, which has enhanced an internal culture of agility, innovation and collaboration.

“We often talk about digital and social channels being the ways to engage and transact with younger consumers, but we’ve just increased the digital skill-sets of Gen X and Boomers who had to adjust to a more digital way of living due to the pandemic, whether it be Facetime calls with Grandkids, ordering groceries online or even virtual shopping appointments. These skills and behaviours aren’t going to go away, so we have to become more digitally focused with consumers that were once far more traditional.”

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Holt Renfrew Bloor (Image: Craig Patterson)

Wolch said Holt Renfrew has had some really exciting launches around its circular fashion initiatives including a vintage offering through a collaboration with Northern Touch Vintage and most recently with the launch of its pre-loved designer bag business. 

“These are more key steps in the sustainability journey Holt Renfrew has been on for more than a decade,” he added.

In June 2021, Holt Renfrew announced a series of ambitious sustainability initiatives.

The retailer said it has had its emissions reductions approved by the Science Based Targets initiative as consistent with levels required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The targets cover greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from their operations (Scope 1 and 2), as well as Scope 3, consistent with reductions required to keep global warming to 1.5°C. 

Holt Renfrew Bloor (Image: Craig Patterson)
Holt Renfrew Bloor (Image: Dustin Fuhs)

Targets are:  

  • A reduction in absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 65 per cent by 2030, from a 2019 base year
  • A reduction in absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions by 28 per cent by 2030, from a 2019 base year
  • 67 per cent of Holt Renfrew’s suppliers from purchased goods and services and upstream and downstream transportation will have science-based targets by 2025.

Holt Renfrew was founded in Quebec City in 1837 and today has seven stores across Canada, including four in the Greater Toronto Area, plus Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver.

Video Interview: Kettleman’s Bagel Discusses Retailer’s Expansion Plans

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Kettleman's Bagel In Expansion Mode

Craig Buckley, Founder/CEO, Kettleman’s Bagel, discusses the company’s plans for expansion.

Buckley talks about the company’s history, what is unique about it, current locations and future plans, and his own bagel favourites.

Youtube video

The Video Interview Series by Retail Insider is available on YouTube.

Connect with Mario Toneguzzi, a veteran of the media industry for more than 40 years and named in 2021 a Top Ten Business Journalist in the world and the only Canadian – to learn how you can tell your story, share your message and amplify it to a wide audience. He is Senior National Business Journalist with Retail Insider and owner of Mario Toneguzzi Communications Inc. and can be reached at mdtoneguzzi@gmail.com.

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Canada Goose to Relocate Company Headquarters to Sugar Wharf in Downtown Toronto [Feature]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Canada Goose Office (Image: CBRE)

Iconic luxury brand Canada Goose has finalized a deal for its new Canadian headquarters, leasing 115,000 square feet over four floors at Menkes Developments’ 100 Queens Quay East in Toronto, according to real estate firm CBRE, which represented the building owner in the transaction.

Brendan Sullivan

Brendan Sullivan, Senior Vice President with CBRE and based in Toronto, said it’s one of the biggest office transactions Toronto has seen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and it’s a huge vote of confidence in the future of office.

“Many landlords would like to have Canada Goose as part of their project. So we’re thrilled to welcome them to the new centre of gravity that Menkes is helping create along the Toronto waterfront,” he said.

“It’s a very significant signal to the market that there are organizations that are prioritizing great spaces for their employees in great communities that are amenity rich, that are focused on health and wellbeing. And that those opportunities are valued by the businesses across the country. A transaction like this is a signal of those values.”

100 Queens Quay East in Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)

In an email, a Canada Goose spokesperson said: “We have nothing to share at this time.”

Canada Goose will be shifting its office operations to the waterfront from the company’s existing location at its manufacturing facility near Caledonia Road and Eglinton Avenue north of Toronto. The offices at its factory will be converted to create additional manufacturing space, said CBRE.

The waterfront project is part of a larger mixed-use development called Sugar Wharf. 

“It’s one of the largest developments in the history of the country. It is a city-shaping development. It is part of a larger community development on Toronto’s eastern waterfront called the East Bayfront. The East Bayfront would be considered the next great community in Toronto, being built really anew and from the ground up along the waterfront, along what many consider to be historically an under-utitlized waterfront,” explained Sullivan.

Current Canada Goose Headquarters at Caledonia Road and Eglinton Avenue north of Toronto (Image: Glassdoor)

Sullivan said he and his team pursued Canada Goose with “gusto”, recognizing the importance of having a “nationally synonymous brand” become part of the innovation corridor Menkes is establishing in East Bayfront with 100 Queens Quay East and the Waterfront Innovation Centre at 125 Queens Quay East. 

“It was a hand in glove fit between their brand and this development,” he said.

In addition to being among the biggest office leases inked in recent years, the Canada Goose deal is significant in that it represents a shift where larger users are making meaningful real estate decisions for the first time since the pandemic, added Sullivan.

“It signals an underlying confidence in the market and in the return to office,” he said.

Canada Goose will share rooftop signage at 100 Queens Quay East with LCBO, the anchor tenant.

100 Queens Quay East in Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
100 Queens Quay East in Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)

“We needed to create the environment where the brand became visible and connected to the community,” said Sullivan.

The tenants at the two Menkes waterfront projects are:

100 Queens Quay East: LCBO, Canada Goose, Richardson Wealth, Toronto Region Board of Trade, Align Technology, NOKIA; and 

Waterfront Innovation Centre: WPP, theScore, Gilbert’s LLP, MaRS.

“All of those companies, further with Canada Goose, have ingrained themselves into the fabric of this new community which is rising up along the waterfront,” said Sullivan.

Menkes Developments’ Waterfront Innovation Centre (WIC) at 125 Queens Quay East (Image: Dustin Fuhs)

“To have a brand like Canada Goose as part of this development is really critical for us in delivering this community to the city and to the country . . . We want the brands to connect to this community and there is great value in what Canada Goose represents for our country as a Canadian company and being able to have their brand so attached to this project is very important for it and for the community. The alignment for what Canada Goose represents was clearly aligned with what this project and this community represents as Canadians.”

Brian Porter, a Vice President with CBRE, noted that the Canada Goose deal is another example of flight to quality in the Toronto office market, with tenants looking for spaces in state of the art, amenity-rich buildings in top locations. 

Brian Porter

“And in this case, we’re talking about Toronto’s first true offices on the waterfront, which gives Canada Goose and all the other companies located here a clear advantage when it comes to enticing employees to join their organizations,” he said.

The Canada Goose deal brings 100 Queens Quay East to 92 per cent leased, with 50,000 square feet of inventory remaining. Waterfront Innovation Centre, directly across the street, has just under 40,000 square feet of space available for lease.

In a news release, Menkes said Canada Goose will occupy four floors within the 25-storey landmark building on Toronto’s waterfront and it is expected to move into its new home in 2023.

“This lease signals the continued flight to quality of leading companies to the best buildings,” said Peter Menkes, President, Commercial/Industrial. “The addition of Canada Goose to the building supports our strategy to attract premier tenants to the waterfront and reflects our positive outlook for the future of modern office space.”

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