Lululemon signage installed on annexed retail space along Robson Street next to the existing flagship location in downtown Vancouver. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Retail Insider reported in September 2020 of Canadian athleisure brand Lululemon is expanding its flagship store in downtown Vancouver. The expansion would annex a space vacated by Australian footwear brand UGG. Lululemon will grow its 4,400-square-foot store by an additional 2,500 square feet at 970 Robson Street with the expansion. During the July 2020 walkabout, the Lululemon-branded construction signage for the annexed space was in place for a potential opening in the near future.
Lululemon opened the Vancouver flagship store, occupying the prominent corner of Robson and Burrard Streets, in 2014. Taking over the UGG space will give Lululemon more than 100 feet of linear frontage along Robson Street between Burrard Street and a laneway. Retailers across the street include Victoria’s Secret, Clearly, and the future TWG Tea Salon & Boutique in the former Tesla Motors location. Luxury brand Salvatore Ferragamo occupies the same block at 918 Robson Street.
Lululemon flagship on Robson Street in Vancouver with annexed former-UGG next door with Lululemon signage installed. Photo: Lee Rivett.
CBRE Vancouver’s retail team negotiated the lease deal under the direction of Mario Negris and Martin Moriarty. Lululemon is opening and expanding stores despite the pandemic. In places such as Richmond BC, Lululemon is relocating its store to a space once occupied by Victoria’s Secret, for example.
We will update this bulletin as the retail updates come in for this location.
FYE at CF Toronto Eaton Centre – Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Specialty entertainment and pop culture retailer FYE has opened a location at CF Toronto Eaton Centre. It’s the second location for the retailer featuring a large selection of Pop Vinyl, collectables, models and a full back section of vinyl records.
Aerie construction signage at Park Royal Shopping Center in West Vancouver (July 2021). Photo: Lee Rivett.
American intimate apparel Aerie has construction signage up at Park Royal Shopping Centre in West Vancouver, B.C. within the “Park Royal South – Exterior” section. It replaces a retailer that shut its store after a restructuring.
Responding to the changing needs and desires of consumers, retail giant Lowe’s Canada has implemented more than 230 initiatives over the past year or so aimed at improving customer experience on every channel it operates – in stores, across websites, by phone, by live chat, on social media and through its VIPpro app.
Those initiatives were fuelled by the changing landscape in the retail world brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the IT team of about 345 experts enabled Lowe’s to roll out a number of ideas in rapid fashion, which were planned initially for the longer term. The company accelerated its IT transformation, increasing its project volume by more than 50 per cent.
Rajat Khanna
Rajat Khanna, Lowe’s Canada’s Vice President Information Technology, said as a home improvement retailer it provides many essential products and services for customers. For the customer, a complete omnichannel experience was required. From a store standpoint, staff had to adapt to the changes required through mandatory public health measures. The supply chain was challenged.
All three dynamics came into play.
“On top of that we had an added thing to solve: How do we harmonize our experience across all the banners that we have. We have a Lowe’s banner. We have a RONA banner. We have a Reno-Depot banner,” said Khanna.
Image: Lowe’s
“Looking at all this, the good news was we already had all the plans in place. Now the road map was three to four years. So what we had to do was how do we fast forward everything that we had already in the plan by 50 to 75 per cent and in addition to that, not just fast forward, but be agile and roll out in months so that we can keep making progress.”
For example, it fast forwarded its Zebra Smartphones, handheld devices, for staff. Thousands of them across all banners. The smartphones have apps on them to help staff in various ways provide a better experience for customers. For example, an app as a store counter to keep track of how many people are coming and going from the store. There’s also a line-busting app that monitors how many people are in line for checkout for when it’s too busy staff can check people out while they are in line. Also, product inventory apps where staff can determine how much product is available and where it’s available.
“That Zebra Smartphone became a tool for us that solved our problems today. It also became a leverage for us where we can keep installing apps. There’s no shortage of it. We have about 20 now but we can go to 30, 40, 50 in the future. It becomes a good platform for us to scale,” said Khanna.
“In about 14 months, we rolled out about 230 initiatives. We moved that fast.”
Image: Lowe’s
These were just some of the initiatives fast-tracked in 2020:
A curbside pickup scheduler where a customer could order a product but also choose a time slot of when they want to be at a store to pick it up;
An online colour paint selector where customers could see different colours, see a virtual room setting where that paint was used;
Pickup lockers where customers could come and grab items they had purchased which were being stored in the contactless lockers at the store;
During the first wave, Lowe’s customer service call volume increased more than eight-fold. New initiatives included interactive voice response (IVR), online parcel tracking and order cancellation, as well as a live chat feature on websites to ease the pressure on its teams and help customers more effectively by reducing the time they spend waiting on the phone, 94 per cent less time to be exact;
Installation of electronic shelf labels in its Appliances department. It will be rolled out eventually to other products such as lumber;
The VIPpro app and Pro pickup priority service for contractors helping them get the tailored service they are accustomed to obtaining from its in-store Pro teams.
Tony Cioffi, Executive Vice President, Store Operations, said the IT transformation for the company has been huge.
Tony Cioffi
“It’s really about the partnership between IT and store operations. We have an IT support team that understands what the issue is and really goes into stores to understand what problems we are trying to resolve and then really work in partnership to resolve them,” said Cioffi.
“The biggest paradigm shift we’ve done as a team is we’re attached at the hip. Our teams are attached at the hip. We know that we can rely on our IT organization when we’re looking at what problem are we trying to solve and go after.
“We talk a lot about retail fundamentals in our business. We’re trying to get our stores focused really on three things. And when you focus on three things it allows your life to be a lot clearer and you can really get things done. Our number one priority is customer service. Making sure we’re there to serve our customers. Our number two priority is making sure we have the inventory in our shelves, the in-stock position, so that when a customer comes in they have what they need. And number three making sure that when a customer walks in our stores, they feel it’s a clean environment and they feel safe. And nothing has been more important in the last 18 months than having those priorities. Every project, every IT, technology or process that we’re implementing, has all been with the focus of how do I make my store associates spend more time on those big three, on the three retail fundamentals.”
Cioffi said the pandemic made the retailer, and the industry, understand how nimble and quickly they had to respond to changing consumer trends. And multiple initiatives were put in place to support those front line workers who were taking care of those customers.
The Rec Room entrance from the Grand Lobby at The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Cineplex-owned “eats & entertainment destination” The Rec Room has opened its first location in British Columbia at Burnaby’s The Amazing Brentwood. The venue spans 44,000 square feet and it combines amusement gaming, several dining options and feature attractions in one destination. The Rec Room is located directly below the new ‘Cineplex VIP Cinemas Brentwood’ which will be opening soon as well.
The grand opening is a highly visible and major milestone for Shape Properties in showing progression in its master plan for The Amazing Brentwood after purchasing the shopping centre in 2010. Retail Insider recently featured the Phase 1 transformation of retail and restaurant amenities in a photo tour. The addition of The Rec Room is key in furthering the goal of Shape Property “to become the ultimate gathering place”.
Announced back in May 2017, the location becomes the first Rec Room west of the Rockies. “We are very pleased that Cineplex has chosen The Amazing Brentwood for both of its flagship concepts, including the first location of The Rec Room in BC,” said Darren Kwiatkowski, Executive Vice President of Development and Design at Shape Properties. “The Cineplex VIP Cinema will occupy the top floor of the signature building that floats dramatically above the Plaza, designed specifically for a premium movie experience. The Rec Room is one floor below, and together they will play an integral role in activating The Plaza and The Entertainment Precinct which is designed to be the vibrant public heart of The Amazing Brentwood and the overall Brentwood Town Centre.”
Exterior of The Rec Room from Town Centre Plaza. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Venue Map for The Rec Room at The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Map: The Rec Room/Cineplex
Arriving at Burnaby’s The Rec Room
The main entrance is accessed through the central building through the “The Grand Lobby” on the second floor. Crossing a bridge brought the tour to the main reception and coat check desk. The location-specific pool cue portrait of Burnaby was hung next to the main desk as is a tradition for each “The Rec Room” location.
The Grand Lobby entrance with the pedestrian overpass to “The Rec Room” entrance (June 2021). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Entrance and Coat Room at The Rec Room at The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
The Yard
The Yard is a key attraction for The Rec Room and is a massive attractions area where guests can play over 90 amusement games. Feature attractions including virtual reality and race car simulators, as well as classic favourites like bowling lanes and air hockey. Crowd-pleaser video games include blockbuster titles like Jurassic Park as well as gamer favourites like Halo.
The Yard Entrance at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Racing simulation is a largely untapped market when it comes to competitive gaming on a professional scale. The Rec Room noted the trend while partnering with Victoria-based racing simulators located on the floor. High-Tech VRX motion-based car simulators are available to give patrons the experience of driving the race track like a professional race car driver.
Racing Games of The Yard at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Gamers will be able to focus on fun with VenueSafeTM, a set of protocols and procedures that Cineplex follows each and every day to keep its employees and guests safe, in accordance with provincial guidelines. Committed to guests’ safety, these protocols include enhanced cleaning, safety signage, and a games-floor and dining-space configuration designed specifically to ensure proper physical distancing throughout the facility.
COVID-related stations were spaced amongst the video games throughout The Rec Room. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Walking through The Yard has something for every patron. The Rec Room brings opportunities for fleeing the zombie apocalypse, maneuvering the claw for your favourite plush toy, getting your “Super Smash” going with Mario Brothers, or getting athletic with Basketball Hoop-Toss and baseball pitch. All are taken care of through an RFID-enabled bracelet to keep you fumbling for coins and to enjoy the games. Old school games like Atari Pong and the World’s Largest Pac-Man are sure to be favourites.
Video Games in The Yard
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Video Games in The Yard at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Video Games in The Yard at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Video Games in The Yard at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Video Games in The Yard at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Video Games in The Yard at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Video Games in The Yard at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Video Games in The Yard at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Video Games in The Yard at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Video Games in The Yard at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Video Games in The Yard at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Baseball Pitch in The Yard at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Video Games in The Yard at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Video Games in The Yard at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Video Games in The Yard at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Ping Pong Lounge at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Ping Pong Lounge at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Baseball Pitch in The Yard at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Overview of The Yard at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
The Trophy Case
Once patrons are done saving the world from the zombie apocalypse, credits earned are tracked on RFID wristbands and can be redeemed at “The Trophy Case” redemption store for a wide variety of prizes – everything from retro candy to drones, and whisky stones to portable speakers. Bragging rights go to the top earners who will be profiled on The Rec Room’s legendary leaderboard.
The Trophy Case at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Merchandise in The Trophy Room
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The Trophy Case at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Sit Down Food Options at Three10
Three10 is an upscale casual restaurant that is playfully named after Canada’s three territories and 10 provinces. The full-service restaurant features the best in wood-fired pizza and Canadian-inspired cuisine through familiar items that have been elevated and transformed through fresh ingredients and innovative cooking techniques.
Intended as a gathering place to visit or watch a sporting event on the ultra big screen television with close proximity to “The Yard” for those wanting a break from the action, or between hockey periods.
Three10 Restaurant at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Upper Three10 Restaurant at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Grab and Wander Food Options at The Shed
The Rec Room’s quick-service destination includes a poutinerie with elevated toppings like porchetta, smoked brisket, lobster and wild mushrooms. It’s mainly intended to grab-and-go to allow patrons to eat while they compete in The Yard. It also has drinks such as 16 draught beers on tap (many locally sourced) and a sweet selection of made-to-order funnel cakes.
The Shed at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
Other Meeting Spaces for The Rec Room
Additional spaces to the right of the main entrance and aside from the action allows for drinks and conversation for patrons, including:
The Lounge and Lofts provide small group space for informal drinks, and
The Den provides multiple private dining rooms for corporate events.
Lounge/Loft/Den at The Rec Room at The Amazing Brentwood. Photo: Lee Rivett.
The Hall
An open performance space next to Three10 offers potential for both live and programmed entertainment, including musical acts, comedy, DJs, trivia, and karaoke once provincial restrictions are lifted.
The Hall just beyond the Upper Three10 Restaurant at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
The Hall at The Rec Room in The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby. Photo: Lee Rivett.
The Rec Room opened its very first location at Edmonton’s South Edmonton Common in the fall of 2016. The Amazing Brentwood location is the ninth The Rec Room location for Cineplex, opening closely after the eighth location in Avalon Mall in St. Johns, Newfoundland which gave Cineplex bragging rights in saying The Rec Room is now “coast-to-coast” in Canada.
Cineplex currently operates eight other locations of The Rec Room in West Edmonton Mall, South Edmonton Common, Calgary, Winnipeg, London (ON), Mississauga, Toronto and St. John’s, with another location opening this summer in Barrie (ON). The Rec Room range in size from 30,000-50,000 square feet, with approximately half of the space devoted to dining and live entertainment and the other half devoted to amusement games and feature attractions. Cineplex also operates Playdium, an entertainment complex designed for teens, their friends and family, with locations in Brampton (ON), Whitby (ON) and Dartmouth (NS).
Athleta construction signage at Park Royal Shopping Centre (July 2021). Photo: Lee Rivett.
San Francisco-based Gap Inc. announced in April 2021 that its women’s and girls’ brand Athleta will enter the Canadian market later this year, making the performance lifestyle brand’s first expansion outside the United States.
The first two Athleta retail stores will open in Toronto and Vancouver with more to come, and the company will also launch a Canadian e-commerce website this summer to gain traction in the Canadian market prior to the brick-and-mortar expansion. The physical “Vancouver” location turns out to be the Park Royal Shopping Centre in the “Park Royal South – Exterior” portion as construction signage has now been installed in the retail space next to the Talbots store. The location was vacant during the video mall tour we did for Park Royal Shopping Centre in September 2020 as well as the Retail Tour Update: Park Royal Shopping Centre in West Vancouver in June 2021.
Athleta says that it plans to open between 20 and 30 stores in North America annually. The brand already has over 200 stores across the United States which it says are profitable. Gap Inc. says that its Athleta stores remain a “top customer acquisition and brand awareness vehicles and are a key component of the growth and future of the brand.”
New wholesale partnerships and international expansion through franchise and company-operated stores are among Gap Inc.’s strategic steps towards growing the Athleta brand to USD $2 billion in net sales by 2023. Last year Athleta surpassed USD $1 billion in net sales with 16% annual sales growth.
Former FYidoctors location on Granville Street in Vancouver (July 2021). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Calgary-based FYidoctors/Visique, the world’s largest optometrist-owned eye care company, has shuttered its Granville Street location in downtown Vancouver and moved to 130 Davie Street in Vancouver’s West End neighbourhood.
FYidoctor relocation notice at their former Granville Street location (July 2021). Photo: Lee Rivett.
FYidoctors location on Davie Street in Vancouver. Photo: Google Maps
The Davie Street location was formerly Blink Optometry prior to becoming FYidoctors.
Blink Optometry in October 2016 prior to becoming FYidoctor. Photo: Google Streetview/David Popoff
The company, founded in Grand Prairie, Alberta in April 2008, has continue to expand. FYidoctors acquired Grimard Optique in November 2019 bringing its total portfolio to 250 locations across Canada – 70 of them added in 2019 alone – and it supports about 50 independent optometrists. In December 2019, The company has acquired ReNue, a chain of doctor-led medical aesthetics clinics based in Calgary. This acquisition marked a significant growth opportunity for FYidoctors, said Dr. Alan Ulsifer, CEO and Chairman of FYidoctors.
Former Sears Canada building at CF Richmond Centre being demolished (July 2021). Photo: Ritchie Po.
After being an anchor tenant space for CF Richmond Centre for over 30 years, the former Sears Canada space is currently being demolished to make way for the “Live at CF Richmond Centre” project.
Former Sears Canada building at CF Richmond Centre being demolished (July 2021). Photo: Ritchie Po.
Former Sears Canada building at CF Richmond Centre being demolished (July 2021). Photo: Ritchie Po
Future Thom Browne location with construction signage just off of Alberni Street in Vancouver (June 2021). Formerly the location of Versace. Photo: Lee Rivett
Retail insider announced in January 2021 that luxury New York City-based fashion brand Thom Browne was to open its second standalone Canadian storefront this year in downtown Vancouver. Thom Browne will replace a Versace store that opened at 745 Thurlow Street in December of 2015.
Future Thom Browne location with construction signage just off of Alberni Street in Vancouver (June 2021). Formerly the location of Versace. Photo: Lee Rivett
Future Thom Browne location with construction signage just off of Alberni Street in Vancouver (June 2021). Formerly the location of Versace. Photo: Lee Rivett
While Retail Insider was walking about Alberni Street on July 3, 2021, interior construction could be seen from the public sidewalk during the summer heat:
Interior construction underway at Thom Browne on Thurlow Street in Vancouver. Photo: Lee Rivett (taken from public sidewalk).
The new Thom Browne store will span about 1,875 square feet on one level in a retail space featuring an angled facade at the base of a newly-built office tower. A Brunello Cucinelli store is located next to the future Thom Browne and retailers directly across the street include Moncler, Saint Laurent, Prada, Off-White, Rolex, and Burberry.
The Vancouver Thom Browne store will feature the brand’s collections of fashions for men and women including ready-to-wear, bags, accessories, footwear, eyewear, and fragrances. The design is expected to be similar to the Thom Browne store which opened in November at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre — that store spans about 1,430 square feet and was the first standalone Thom Browne store to open in Canada. The Yorkdale Thom Browne store showcases marble inside and out with high ceilings and a mid-century office theme to its design.
Retail Insider will continue to monitor the new Vancouver location of Thom Browne and provide updates as they unfold.
