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From the Corporate World to Retail: The Story of Culture Athletics, which has Relocated its Storefront in Toronto’s Leslieville [Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Culture Athletics at 972 Queen St E (Image: Dustin Fuhs / Retail Insider)

For years, Nigel Fick was a fixture in the corporate world.

But about five years ago Fick decided to follow his passion, starting a new business in Toronto – Culture Athletics, an apparel and fitness boutique that focuses on specialty footwear, apparel and accessories for running and yoga.

Nigel Fick

The brand opened a new location recently in the heart of Toronto’s East End in the Leslieville neighbourhood along Queen Street and Carlaw Avenue.

Fick operates the store with his wife Sarah Deas.

“Culture really started as a passion project of mine back in 2017 where I was in the corporate world before this. I was in advertising and made my way over to marketing. I was doing digital marketing at American Express for quite a few years and was actively pursuing a midlife crisis,” quipped Fick.

Culture Athletics at 972 Queen St E (Image: Dustin Fuhs / Retail Insider)

The job was great with one of the top companies in the world. But something was missing.

“Every day I would just get a little bit more depressed and every Sunday I would just have this kind of wave of existential crisis. What am I doing? I did some self searching,” said Fick. “I set a goal for myself at a young age where by the time I’m 30 I’m either going to make X amount of money and I’m going to sell out and it’s going to be worth it or I’m going to actively look into following a life of passion and finding fulfillment in what I do. 

“I was 28 at the time. So I started doing a lot of math to see whether I could hit the dollar value by the time I was 30. If everything lined up . . . technically I could do it but I kind of had a realization that if I’m putting all this work into trying to justify something I don’t want to do then maybe I should actually look into the same amount of work to see if there is something that I would want to do that would be a financially responsible decision to make.”

He said he had his ‘aha’ moment during a presentation on himself. In the presentation, it asked the question: what did you want to do as a kid when you grew up? 

Culture Athletics at 972 Queen St E (Image: Dustin Fuhs / Retail Insider)

“I wanted to move to Hawaii and open a surf shop. That was always the dream,” said Fick.

The presentation also asked what would you do if you won the lottery?

“That’s easy. I’d quit AmEx, I’d move to Hawaii and I’d open a surf shop.” That got him thinking and he started taking business courses while working at the corporate giant.

The first Culture Athletics store was opened in July 2018 at Queen Street and Jones Avenue about a kilometre east of its current location. 

Former location at 1175 Queen St East (Image: Culture Athletics)

The retailer’s new store is just under 1,400 square feet. While the retailer has only the one location at this time, there could be expansion plans in the future as well as a stronger online presence.

Fick, who is a very avid runner, said Culture Athletics was founded on the principle that athletic culture is a uniting force between individuals. 

“We are what I like to call non-traditional running, yoga specialty. We focus on three pillars. Performance run, studio and that includes yoga, and active living. We’ve got gym apparel in there, athleisure,” said Fick. “Our pillar is those three pillars and community. We do a ton of community engagement.

Culture Athletics at 972 Queen St E (Image: Dustin Fuhs / Retail Insider)

“We’ve really tried to not only service the Toronto running and fitness community but to actively participate in it and enrich it, help build it and help make it into something a little bit more meaningful for people. We offer a ton of weekly free programming and paid programming plus we do a bunch of partnerships with local run clubs and other athletic facilities in the city.

“Our new flagship is in a heritage building. It was the Leslieville Hotel built in the late 1800s. We did a tour talking about the historical significance of the building and of the neighbourhood as a whole. And then we ran along Queen Street . . . and stopped at about six or seven stops along the way, really introducing people to the neighbourhood that they’re in and all the stuff you kind of pass by on a daily basis and really don’t understand or appreciate. A lot of it has been there for 150 years.”

Fick said the retailer has created a lot of momentum, setting the stage for expansion.

“But I think for us our focus for growth is more going to be online sales, anchoring our brand in Toronto east and staying true to our DNA, our meaningful community events, but grow scale through online business nationally.”

Additional Photos from Culture Athletics on Queen Street E

Culture Athletics at 972 Queen St E (Image: Dustin Fuhs / Retail Insider)
Culture Athletics at 972 Queen St E (Image: Dustin Fuhs / Retail Insider)
Culture Athletics at 972 Queen St E (Image: Dustin Fuhs / Retail Insider)
Culture Athletics at 972 Queen St E (Image: Dustin Fuhs / Retail Insider)
Culture Athletics at 972 Queen St E (Image: Dustin Fuhs / Retail Insider)
Culture Athletics at 972 Queen St E (Image: Dustin Fuhs / Retail Insider)
Culture Athletics at 972 Queen St E (Image: Dustin Fuhs / Retail Insider)
Culture Athletics at 972 Queen St E (Image: Dustin Fuhs / Retail Insider)

Escada Shuts on Toronto’s Bloor Street Luxury Run, Leaving One Store in Canada Remaining in Montreal

By
Craig Patterson
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Former Escada store at 131 Bloor St. W. in Toronto. Photo: Dustin Fuhs

Iconic luxury women’s fashion brand Escada has shut its storefront in Toronto, exiting the market after decades. Only one Escada location in Canada remains open in Montreal for now following the closure of another Escada store in Vancouver last year. 

Escada’s Toronto store was located at The Colonnade at 131 Bloor Street West. The curved retail space, next to an architecturally-significant outdoor staircase, spans 3,650 square feet on one level. 

A taped sign on glass doors of the former Toronto store indicates that Escada was behind on paying rent both for its retail space within The Colonnade as well as for a separate storage space in the building. Landlord Morguard evicted Escada from The Colonnade as a result and is now demanding payment. 

Escada moved into The Colonnade in the fall of 2012 in a space once occupied by women’s retailer Mendocino. Prior to that, Escada occupied about 13,000 square feet across the street at 110 Bloor Street West. That store was a branded Plaza Escada location which also housed several other brands under the Escada umbrella at the time. In 2007, reportedly high sales prompted Escada to invest $3 million into a store renovation. Prior to moving to Bloor Street, Escada had a storefront on upscale Hazelton Avenue. 

Termination notice on the door of the former Escada store at 131 Bloor St. W. in Toronto. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Close-up of part of the termination notice on the door of the former Escada store at 131 Bloor St. W. in Toronto. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Photo: Dustin Fuhs

In Montreal, Escada continues to operate a storefront at 1214 Sherbrooke Street West. The store remains open for now and staff are tight-lipped regarding any potential closing plans. The store’s opening hours are currently limited — Monday-Saturday the store is only open from 10:00am to 4:00pm, and on Sundays the store is open from noon until 4:00pm. That information is from Google as the Escada corporate website has been down for weeks with the website saying “COMING SOON”. 

Escada once operated several stores in Canada. Cities included Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal. 

Until recently, Escada operated a store at 710 Thurlow Street in downtown Vancouver’s ‘Luxury Zone’, with frontage on prestigious Alberni Street. The store opened in 2011 and shut last year. It was replaced by a temporary location for Gucci for almost a year, and now another luxury brand has leased the space with an announcement forthcoming. 

In Vancouver in 1990, Escada opened its largest store in the world at the time at the Sinclair Centre at 757 West Hastings Street. The Plaza Escada location boasted interiors designed by Yabu Pushelberg including a sweeping staircase and several rooms housing various categories and brands. A tea room at the centre of the store had an upside-down canoe with a marble tabletop displaying various teas. And other brands carried at Plaza Escada at the time included St. John Knits, Laurel, Crisca, Apriori, Kemper and Cerruti 1881. In 1992 Escada opened a 38,000 square foot storefront in Chicago which is now occupied by a large Verizon store and H&M. 

Escada store in Montreal at 1214 Sherbrooke St. W., photo via Google Street View
Former Escada store in Vancouver at 710 Thurlow Street. Gucci operated a temporary store on the site and another luxury brand has leased the space. Photo via Google Street View

In April of 1992 in Edmonton, Escada opened a Plaza Escada store at Commerce Place, which at the time was named City Centre. That store subsequently moved into the nearby Manulife Place before Escada exited the Edmonton market in the spring of 2018. In the late 1980s and into the early 1990s Escada operated its Edmonton store at Manulife Place which also housed a Holt Renfrew store at the time. 

Escada had a concession presence in the Ogilvy department store in Montreal in the 1980s and 1990s prior to opening a standalone location on Sherbrooke Street. The brand also had a presence in the 1980s in stores such as Eaton’s in Canada. 

At one time, Escada was an iconic brand worn by celebrities and was even a staple on television shows with jackets accented by large shoulder pads. The brand has struggled in recent years as consumers have shifted to other brands. 

Escada was founded in Munich Germany in 1978 by Margaretha Ley and husband Wolfgang Ley. The brand is now owned by Beverly Hills California-based Regent LP. 

We’ll report more when we learn of the fate of the Montreal Escada store. If it closes, only one luxury retailer will remain on Sherbrooke Street — Tiffany & Co., which could also close given that its 10-year lease term is set to expire and another Tiffany store operates close by at Holt Renfrew Ogilvy. 

SoulCycle to Exit Canada and Shut Remaining Location in Toronto

By
Craig Patterson
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SoulCycle Yorkville Village. Photo: SoulCycle

New York City-based cycling studio and retailer SoulCycle is shutting its last Canadian location, exiting the market after operating here for five years. The company had planned a national expansion and ended up only opening three storefronts, two of which have already closed. 

The last Canadian SoulCycle location will shut at Toronto’s Yorkville Village shopping centre . That SoulCycle location opened in the summer of 2017 in a 4,038 square foot retail space featuring frontage onto Avenue Road and with a doorway into the shopping centre across from an upscale Art Gallery. An Equinox gym will continue to operate at Yorkville Village. 

SoulCycle’s first Canadian location opened in the spring of 2017 at 425 King Street West in Toronto, near Spadina Avenue. The 4,000 square foot location closed earlier on in the pandemic. A source with knowledge of the situation told Retail Insider at the time that SoulCycle pulled the plug amid disagreements over rent with the landlord. 

Photo: SoulCycle
“An important update on your YKVL studio” via email to Yorkville SoulCycle Clients
Photo: SoulCycle

In Vancouver, SoulCycle opened a 3,518 square foot location in the city’s Yaletown area in the summer of 2017. That location closed in the spring of this year and another spin studio, YVR Cycle Spin Studio recently replaced it. 

On Saturday it was reported that SoulCycle would be closing 19 locations, and Toronto was on the list. CEO Evelyn Webster announced the closures in a meeting with employees on Friday morning according to leaked audio from the meeting shared with Business Insider. 

“The timing was appropriate to look at our studio footprint by market to understand whether we continue to believe that we had indeed oversaturated some markets, and the conclusion is that after much work and analysis that perhaps we have,” Webster said.

The Canadian closure obviously isn’t due to an over-saturation situation in Toronto, rather it was the remaining location for the company in Canada. It remains to be seen if SoulCycle will re-enter the Canadian market at some point in the future. 

Yorkville Village SoulCycle. Photo: SoulCycle
SoulCycle Via Yorkville Village
The former Vancouver SoulCycle location at 1128 Mainland Street in Yaletown on August 14, 2022. Photo: Lee Rivett

A source at a competing spin studio told Retail Insider that SoulCycle entered the Canadian market at a time when local companies were opening similar concepts to gain marketshare. SPINCO, for example, has 25 locations nationally with more to come, and local markets such as Edmonton have homegrown concepts such as YEG Cycle. 

And SoulCycle’s upscale strategy may not have been one to resonate with the majority of Canadians — the same source said that while SoulCycle positions itself as a ‘luxury’ competitor, homegrown studios in Canada in many cases embrace inclusivity. 

SoulCycle incorporates upper body exercises and high-energy music into each class, set in a dark candlelit room. SoulCycle has been known for its cult following of riders, with a loyal clientele in the past such as Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, David Beckham, Demi Lovato, and Lady Gaga.

The company also offers a range of men and women’s athletic wear, in a separate retail space. The merchandise mix features branded SoulCycle gear. 

SoulCycle was founded by Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice in 2006. The company was acquired by Equinox Holdings Inc. in 2011, which currently operates three Equinox Fitness locations in Toronto and Vancouver (with more said to be on the way). Equinox Fitness is a subsidiary of The Related Companies. 

  • Image: SoulCycle Yorkville
  • Image: SoulCycle (Facebook – May 11, 2017)

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web For August 15th, 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.

Video Interview: Rebelstork Making It Easier For Parents To Sell Their Baby Gear

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Video Interview: Rebelstork Making It Easier For Parents To Sell Their Baby Gear

Emily Hosie, Founder/CEO, Rebelstork, discusses the company’s new partnership with Monti Kids.

Hosie talks about the technology behind the marketplace, how it is impacting the industry, the future of resale, the history behind the company.

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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Issues Magazine Shop Opens 1st Store in Toronto Amid Demand for Physical Copies [Interview]

By
Shelby Hautala
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Issues Magazine Shop (Image: Justin Ming Yong)

Issues just opened its doors on July 13th in Toronto – making it easier for magazine lovers to find their next reads as until now, finding independent worldwide magazines has been a challenge. 

Nicola Hamilton, a graphic designer and art director of a variety of magazines, noticed a gap in magazine retail and decided to open up her own shop Issues Magazine Shop. Customers can find independent and hard to find magazines from all over the world. The store currently has 200 covers and is growing daily. 

Nicola Hamilton

“When I travel, I seek out independent magazine stores: Casa Magazines in New York City, Under the Cover in Lisbon, MagCulture in London,” says Hamilton. “I always wondered why we didn’t have anything comparable. I assumed it would happen in time, but it never did — so here I am.”

Issues is located at 1489 Dundas Street in Toronto and has 300 square feet of retail space. Customers who do not live in Toronto but would be interested in its magazines are still in luck as the store offers shipping throughout Canada. 

Surprising Demographics 

Issues Magazine Shop (Image: Justin Ming Yong)

Hamilton expected her customers to be folks in their late 20s, 30s and 40s working in the creative industries. That’s been true, but Issues has seen a wide range of demographics.

“It’s been all over the map. We are seeing the creative folks — photographers, illustrators, writers and designers — but we’re also seeing older and younger demographics excited to flip through printed magazines. The younger folks might not have been exposed to many of these titles before. They’re thrilled to see it, discover it, and to feel the magazines.”

“Many more magazines to come” 

Hamilton said its main goal right now is to expand its magazine covers to about 600. 

Future plans include using the retail space to host events and workshops geared towards building community and supporting the independent magazine landscape in Canada — in hopes of stocking more Canada titles in the years to come.

The first month of being open has been extremely successful and Hamilton said exceeded her own expectations. 

“We have exceeded my early projections. This first month has been really affirming. I speculated that there were more people like me out there, with an appetite for print media, and so far that appears to be true. A couple of times a day folks come in and thank us for existing. It’s sweet, but also an indicator that there was a hole in the market.”

The store is designed to look like an art gallery but feel like a record store. The goal is to have give customers the sense that they can linger and browse. They’re invited to sit down, thumb through the titles, and chat with our staff about their favourite magazines. If customers can’t find what they’re looking for, Hamilton encourages them to ask about them. They’re committed to investigating most client requests.

“Customers are encouraged to linger, to browse, to take a seat back and look at things, or to chat to us about magazines that you are familiar or unfamiliar to you. I want to see our inventory evolve and to grow to have many more magazines to offer to the community.” 

To get the community introduced to its products, Issues will also be at The Word on the Street pop-up event at Evergreen Brick Works at the end of September. 

Deerfoot City in Calgary Launches Outdoor Activations as it Looks to Phase 3 Restaurant Campus Addition

By
Mario Toneguzzi
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Deerfoot City (Image: Courtney Verbeek)

The transformation of Destination: Deerfoot City continues in the northern part of Calgary as the shopping centre introduces this summer its third annual #YYCBlockParty, an outdoor retro inspired roller rink and interactive art installation.

And the property is also looking at embarking on its third phase of redevelopment to include a Restaurant Campus in the future.

PARK (Promoting Artists | Redefining Kulture) has teamed up with Deerfoot City for the 120-foot roller rink with a 215-foot vintage-inspired artwork from WKNDRS, Tyler Lemermeyer, Sarah Lamoureux and Natalia Ionescu. 

The experience continues until the end of September.

Deerfoot City (Image: Courtney Verbeek)

“What we do is provide platforms and opportunities for artists to show and share their work and they do these through a lot of unique and interesting partnerships within the community to create experiences and events. In this case, it is an experience,” said Jessie Landry, Vice President and Co-Founder of PARK.

“We initially embarked on this project with (Deerfoot City) at the beginning of the pandemic because we were looking for outside projects because we could no longer host our events indoors and Deerfoot City became a really good fit because of course at the beginning of the pandemic a lot of food courts were closed and we needed to make use of outdoor public spaces.”

She said the initial project was intended to draw people to the outdoor space at the shopping centre as well as draw traffic to tenants there.

“This year we felt like we really stepped it up and just added a really, really fun element which is the roller rink,” said Landry.

Deerfoot City (Image: Courtney Verbeek)

Courtney Verbeek, Manager of Creative Services for Shape Properties which owns and operates Deerfoot City, said one of the things experienced through the pandemic was people increasingly embracing outdoor spaces. 

“So given that we are an open-air shopping centre, what we really wanted to do over the past few years is just invite people to play in our space. So have that personality and energy living in between maybe the other more traditional aspects of the centre which is shopping and eating, dining and entertainment,” she said. 

At the heart of #YYCBlockParty, visitors will have the chance to strap on their skates at the colourpop roller rink and street mural, designed and painted by artistic duo, the WKNDRS. In addition to the rollerink, ping pong, tetherball, and lawn games can be found across the boulevard for people of all ages to enjoy. Also new this year: supersize sculptures of a vintage boombox and roller skate designed by Tyler Lemermeyer – the perfect spot for an Instagram photo-op. 

“Innovation is really a priority for Shape and what we love about working with PARK is collaboratively we’ve been able to build on the momentum of this project,” said Verbeek. “We set out with a plan to do it for one year and just see how it goes and now it’s evolved into a three-year, annual project that’s continued to drive traffic to the property and just be an incredible addition to the community and celebrate local artists.”

Deerfoot City (Image: Yellowhouse Aerial | @yh_aerial)

The Deerfoot City transformation began in 2014 and will culminate in 1.1 million square feet of redevelopment with 550,000 square feet of outdoor retail space. Key anchor tenants include The Rec Room, iFLY, Cabela’s, Walmart, Canadian Tire, GoodLife Fitness, Winners, Old Navy. 

In the past five years, the shopping centre has seen the opening of more than 50 shops and services including the opening of The Boulevard, a pedestrian friendly shopping zone with plenty of landscaping, modern architecture and new additions to Deerfoot City’s fashion offering including Old Navy, Ardene and La Vie en Rose with more to come. It has also included the opening of The Food Lodge, an indoor and outdoor dining space where people can relax, retreat and eat from one of the Food vendors which include: Viet Lounge, Chatime, RE:GRUB, Ono Poke, Chachi’s, Mia Pasta, Opa! Of Greece and Chronic Tacos.

As well, Furniture Row has opened with Structube, Ashley Homestore, Sleep Country and F2 Furnishings.

Verbeek said the location of Deerfoot City is one of its highlights with its accessibility right off of the busy Deerfoot Trail roadway and only 15 minutes to the airport and 15 minutes to the downtown core.

Planning is well underway for Deerfoot City’s third phase of redevelopment which will establish the Restaurant Campus and additional shops and services over the next few years, she added.

The Restaurant Campus will include a few large format restaurants and a handful of retailers and services in a phased rollout over the next few years.

Podcast [Interview] Éric Blais Discusses Quebec’s Language Laws and How Bill 96 will Impact Retailers

By
Retail Insider
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Podcast [Interview] Éric Blais Discusses Quebec’s Language Laws and How Bill 96 will Impact Retailers

Craig interviews Éric Blais, President of Headspace Marketing, about how Bill 96 will impact retailers with rules around signage on stores and other businesses. They also discuss language laws generally and how consumers are greeted in stores — and what the penalties might be for businesses in Quebec not complying. 

The Interview Series podcast by Retail Insider Canada is available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Also check out our The Weekly podcast where Craig and Lee discuss popular content published on Retail Insider which is part of the The Retail Insider Podcast Network.

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Drop us a line at Craig@Retail-Insider.com. You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show!

Background Music Credit: Hard Boiled Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web For August 12th, 2022

By
Retail Insider
-
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.

Allbirds Opens 2nd Canadian Storefront at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre [Photos/Interview]

By
Craig Patterson
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Allbirds at Yorkdale Shopping Centre (Image: Allbirds)

San Francisco-based sustainability-focused footwear and fashion brand Allbirds recently entered the Canadian market with a storefront in Vancouver and this week, a second Canadian location opened at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. Retail Insider met with Allbirds co-founder and Co-CEO Tim Brown in Toronto to discuss the new Yorkdale store as well as plans for any further expansion. 

The Yorkdale Allbirds spans more than 2,400 square feet and features a bright and casual interior reflective of the brand. Included are displays of Allbirds’ sustainably-sourced footwear, ranging from original styles to the company’s newest design, the Tree Flyer. A range of apparel, socks and underwear are also available in the store. Sustainability is a key message for the brand throughout.

In an interview, Tim Brown explained that the Yorkdale store was designed to be a welcoming space for guests, featuring unique customized wood chairs that rock forward slightly to allow customers to better try on shoes. A display behind the cash desk features boxes of shoes, creating both a relevant visual element as well as more storage for various footwear styles. 

Allbirds at Yorkdale Shopping Centre (Image: Allbirds)

As the Toronto market develops, so will elements of community with Allbirds partnering with local influencers to help spread the message. Experiential elements such as a run club, artists, food and ambassadors will become part of the mix. 

Physical retail, Brown explained, is a way for Allbirds to engage with consumers while enhancing brand awareness through educating visitors on the brand. Brown said that consumers may subsequently shop online for products after being introduced to the brand in-store, while some may choose to return to the store repeatedly for a positive retail experience. 

The experience also translates to staff in the store according to Brown. Back-of-house has been optimized so that employees are able to find products quickly. 

Brown noted that the vibrancy of Yorkdale on opening day is indicative of the health of the mall overall. Crowds passing by the store will also help enhance the Allbirds brand to consumers with the retail space being located across from the mall’s Uniqlo store in an expansion anchored by Nordstrom that was unveiled in the fall of 2016. The space where Allbirds opened at Yorkdale had been occupied by Korean beauty brand Innisfree which exited its Canadian stores during the pandemic. Broker David Steuer negotiated the Yorkdale lease for Allbirds on behalf of the retailer. Yorkdale’s landlord is Oxford Properties. 

Allbirds at Yorkdale Shopping Centre (Image: Allbirds)

In Vancouver about a month ago, Allbirds unveiled its first Canadian store at 2262 West 4th Avenue in the city’s Kitsilano neighbourhood. That store includes 2,150 square feet on its main floor as well as a mezzanine of 970 square feet. While several other direct-to-consumer brands have opened on the trendy street, its foot traffic is less than what one would find at Yorkdale. Trevor Thomas of JLL Canada negotiated the Vancouver deal on behalf of Allbirds. The landlord in the lease deal was represented by Mario Negris and Martin Moriarty of Marcus & Millichap. 

Tim Brown of Allbirds said that there are no immediate plans to open more standalone Allbirds stores in Canada. Vancouver and Toronto were chosen for stores based on strong e-commerce sales and it remains to be seen if other markets will see stores. Brown said in an interview that he was a fan of Montreal and enjoyed the city while visiting when he was a professional soccer player. 

This isn’t the first time that Allbirds has had a retail presence in Canada. The brand also tested the Canadian market in 2018 with pop-ups at Nordstrom as well as a street front pop-up store on Queen Street West in Toronto that was reported on in Retail Insider at the time. The pop-up closed after about a year and itself offered a unique retail experience, including an obstacle course where visitors could try out different shoe styles on different terrain. 

Vancouver store. Image: Allbirds

In a previous interview this spring, Allbirds co-founder and Co-CEO Joey Zwillinger said that wholesale could also be part of the mix for Allbirds in Canada, though at the time retail partners had yet to be secured. In the US Allbirds recently announced its first wholesales deals this month with Zalando and Public Lands. 

Allbirds was founded by Brown and Zwillinger in 2014. Prior to founding the company, Zwillinger was a biotech engineer and renewable materials expert and Brown was a professional soccer player from New Zealand (he also has a degree from the London School of Economics).

A Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign in 2014 kicked-off the brand with the campaign reaching over $100,000 in sales in just four days. Zwillinger’s background helped design the construction of the rapidly growing brand while introducing additional sustainable materials such as a vegetable oil-based polyurethane insole.

In 2016, Zwillinger and Brown renamed the footwear brand as ‘Allbirds’ and launched products for the public. The Allibirds name is a historical reference to New Zealand having been so remote at one time that its only inhabitants were ‘all birds’.

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