The Weekly: Special Edition 30 with Mario Toneguzzi
An off-schedule podcast discussion with Retail Insider journalist Mario Toneguzzi who was just named one of the world’s top 10 business journalists. Craig and Mario discuss how he became a journalist and what he’s seeing in Canadian retail during the pandemic through his interviews with top business leaders.
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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the changing needs of consumers, M&M Food Market is now offering same-day grocery delivery to residents of southern Ontario with plans to roll out the concept to the rest of the country in the near future.
Andy O’Brien, the company’s CEO, said the delivery concept will start in select locations in Toronto, Milton, Cambridge, and Guelph.
Andy O’Brien
“M&M has always offered online ecommerce. We’ve been offering it for 11 years where people could go online and order— click and collect and pick it up in store. The natural evolution of that has been to provide consumers, our customers, with what they want. They wanted originally to come in store. Then they wanted to shop online,” said O’Brien.
“Then they wanted not to come into the store but actually put in their trunk at curbside and the natural extension to that was perhaps we should offer a delivery service. We started originally about a year ago maybe a year and a half ago with Instacart to start offering a delivery service, which took off really well. Which gave us the insight that there is definitely a need and our customers want a delivery service.
“So now we’re testing our own delivery . . . with the vision to within the next six months that M&M will be offering its own delivery service to our customers across the country.”
O’Brien said the goal is to provide delivery service within about an hour.
“Right now we offer an hour service. You order and you can pick up in an hour,” he said.
“The difference between Instacart and our own delivery service is really important. Instacart is a marketplace. It has all these other brands. We can’t offer our sale prices. We have a rewards, loyalty, program. We can’t offer that. As well, we can’t offer our branded delivery service.
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Interior of M&M Food Market. Photo: M&M Food Market
Interior of M&M Food Market. Photo: M&M Food Market
Interior of M&M Food Market. Photo: M&M Food Market
“Our customers have really come to know that when you come into an M&M it’s a one-on-one service. Our meal advisors know our customers and we help them with their meals. We thought it would be way better as a branded experience to actually deliver the food right to our customers.”
O’Brien said the company will be launching a new website some time this summer which will allow customers to be able to decide if they want to pick up the food at a curbside or have it delivered to their homes. It will include the rewards program and all the specials.
During the pandemic with more people staying at home, they are also eating more at home.
“It’s really changed over the last 14 months. At the very beginning when everybody was asked to stay home, I think there was a bit of panic. Of course, back in March and April there was and we all know from our research that the average consumer has a repertoire of about eight to 10 meals. So when you think of 21 meals a week at home, after two months, people were pretty bored with what they were eating,” said O’Brien.
“So they started coming into our stores and saying okay what else do you have. I can’t keep feeding my kids chicken fingers every day. I’m tired of eating the same meal twice a week. We were all offering significant changes to their meal decisions by putting together meals for them. And over the course over the next six to eight months, consumers became very comfortable being at home.
“And they started going back into the kitchen and making food, realizing they can make some really good food at home and M&M has a lot to offer to make it simple and it’s a lot cheaper than going out to a restaurant. And it’s a lot safer. So we saw change from kind of panic of having to be home to really enjoying it and enjoying getting back to the kitchen. It’s been a massive change in terms of the consumer. And the perspective on frozen has changed. They look at it as a very safe, reliable, convenient, always available for you, always flash frozen at the height of perfection. It became a trusted segment in the food business and obviously M&M is a very trusted frozen brand.”
O’Brien said the company is continuing to look at new store openings with an eye of penetrating the urban markets such as Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and maybe Calgary and Edmonton as well.
“We’re really strong in the suburbs. We’re not very strong yet in the urban market and research has shown us that Millennials are really open to a frozen product and really love to assemble cook which is what we offer and very, very keen on delivery as we’ve seen with Uber Eats and Skip The Dishes. We’re testing that now in Toronto and it’s going really well,” he said.
Main Entrance at CF Chinook Centre in Calgary. Photo: Jessica Finch.
Retail Insider continues its Photo Tour series of Canadian malls to provide a glimpse into shopping centres which may be less frequented lately due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Google Map of Calgary with CF Chinook Centre Mall circled. Photo: Google Map with highlight by Retail Insider
Google Satellite Map of CF Chinook Centre in Calgary. Photo: Google Maps
CF Chinook Centre is an indoor shopping centre with approximately 217 retail stores over 1.38 million square feet of retail floor space. For the vehicular-inclined, the shopping centre has 5,500 parking spots and the centre is a 10 minute walk from the Chinook Ctrain light rail station. The shopping centre’s three retail anchors include Hudson’s Bay, Nordstrom which opened in the fall of 2014 and Saks Fifth Avenue which opened in early 2018.
History of CF Chinook Centre Mall
Initially built in 1960, the mall has gone through a number of expansions and renovations. A competing mall was built across the street in the 1960s and both merged after coming under common ownership in 1974. A new wing was added in the 1980s for specialty retailers, the entire complex was rebuilt in three phases in 2000, and an expansion adding 180,000 square feet opened in 2010. CF Chinook Centre recently completed a major $101 million redevelopment project that included the new 61 Avenue S.W. pedestrian bridge, the $17 million revitalization of the centre’s Dining Hall to include 835 seats and feature 20 dining retailers (by GH+A Design), and the south property redevelopment. The centre, which featured 45 stores on opening day, now offers more than 250 stores and services.
Breaking Up CF Chinook Centre
In order to make this photo tour manageable, the shopping centre needed to be divided by each floor/level as well as into additional zones.
Lower Level Tour Zones at CF Chinook Centre
The lower level at CF Chinook Centre is very long, stretching north-south in direction with a loop on the northern end.
Lower level of CF Chinook Centre tour zones. Photo: CF Chinook Mall map with zones overlaid by Retail Insider
The tour zones for CF Chinook Centre’s lower level include:
South End (highlighted in Red)
Central Zone (highlighted in Purple)
Northwest End (highlighted in Orange)
Northeast End (highlighted in Green)
Upper Level Tour Zones at CF Chinook Centre
The upper level at CF Chinook Centre does not stretch as long as the lower level and it is home to a substantial food court and various retail stores.
Upper level of CF Chinook Centre tour zones. Photo: CF Chinook Mall map with zones overlaid by Retail Insider
The tour zones for CF Chinook Centre’s upper level include:
Food Court and Central Zone (highlighted in Red)
Northwest End (highlighted in Purple)
Northeast End (highlighted in Green)
Retail Profile of CF Chinook Centre’s Lower Level
The lower level is the largest retail runway for CF Chinook Centre. A non-retail anchor, Cineplex, is on the south end of the shopping centre and continues to the retail loop on its north end.
South End of CF Chinook Centre’s Lower Level
South end of CF Chinook Centre on the lower level. Photo: CF Chinook Mall map with zones overlaid by Retail Insider
The uncontested major tenant on the south end of CF Chinook Centre is Hudson’s Bay. It comes in at 206,514 square feet of retail space stretching across two levels. The store has the most comprehensive selection of designer brands of any Hudson’s Bay store in Alberta.
East exterior promoting Hudson’s Bay near Pottery Barn Kids at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Hudson’s Bay on CF Chinook Centre’s lower level. Photo: Jessica Finch
Select CF Chinook retailers previously featured in Retail Insider include:
TopShop: The British multinational fashion retailer, purchased by ASOS in February 2021, opened the 15,000-square-foot store in CF Chinook Centre in November 2013, located adjacent to its franchise owner, Hudson’s Bay. Retail Insider will be discussing the future of TopShop Canada this month in an article.
Other select retailers in the south end of the mall’s lower level include Old Navy, H&M, Lammie’s Western Wear, Zara, Pottery Barn, Jewels by Maximes, Call It Spring, Bentley, Ricki’s, The Gap, Nature Collection, Garage, Dynamite, Melanie Lyne, Aldo, and la Vie En Rose.
East exterior of Pottery Barn and The GAP at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Other select CF Chinook Centre retailers on the south end of the lower level
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Call It Spring on CF Chinook Centre's lower level. Photo: Jessica Finch
Bentley on CF Chinook Centre's lower level. Photo: Jessica Finch
Aldo and American Eagle Outfitters on CF Chinook Centre's lower level. Photo: Jessica Finch
Melanie Lyne and Aldo Accessories on CF Chinook Centre's lower level. Photo: Jessica Finch
le Vie en Rose on CF Chinook Centre's lower level. Photo: Jessica Finch
Former NYX Cosmetics location next to Ricki's on CF Chinook Centre's lower level. Photo: Jessica Finch
South building extension hosting Cineplex and Old Navy at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Central Zone of CF Chinook Centre’s Lower Level
Central zone of CF Chinook Centre on the lower level. Photo: CF Chinook Mall map with zones overlaid by Retail Insider
Centre escalators from lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
The main attraction for this section of the lower level is the main entrance from the east as well as the circular viewpoint that allows visitors to look upwards to the second level. Before we head up to the second level, the tour proceeded around the escalators to continue on the lower level behind the escalators.
Centre view point from lower level looking upward to upper level at CF Chinook Centre
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Centre view point from the lower level looking upward to the upper level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Centre view point from the lower level looking upward to the upper level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Select CF Chinook retailers previously featured in Retail Insider include:
Featured retailers on CF Chinook Centre's lower level in the central zone
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INDOCHINO on the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
HUGO BOSS and Williams and Sonoma on the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Nespresso on the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Other select retailers in the centre zone of the mall on the lower level include American Eagle Outfitters, La Senza, Banana Republic, Sunglass Hut, L’Occitane, Chapel Hats, Ecco Shoes, Purdy’s Chocolatier, Club Monaco, Williams-Sonoma, Lululemon, Wilfred, Shoppers Drug Mart, Aritzia, Steve Madden, TNA, Ever New Melbourne, and RW&CO.
Other select CF Chinook Centre retailers on the central zone of the lower level
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Aritzia on the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Lululemon on the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
TNA on the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Ever New on the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Browns Shoes on the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Wilfred on the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Shoppers Drug Mart on the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
La Senza on the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
ECCO Shoes on the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
L'Occitane on the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
American Eagle on the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Club Monaco on the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Club Monaco Men's on the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Steve Madden on the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Between RW&Co. and Shoppers before entering the northwest end on CF Chinook Centre’s lower level. Photo: Jessica Finch
Northwest End of CF Chinook Centre’s Lower Level
Northwest end of CF Chinook Centre on the lower level. Photo: CF Chinook Mall map with zones overlaid by Retail Insider
Louis Vuitton on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Louis Vuitton on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Featured retailers on CF Chinook Centre's lower level in the northwest section
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TUMI on the lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Moose Knuckles on the lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Casper and Clearly on the lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Dyson on the lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Aesop on the lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Maison Birks on the lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Other retailers include MAC Cosmetics, The Alley, GNC (General Nutrition Centre), Claire’s, The Source, Ardene, and Zumiez.
Other select CF Chinook Centre retailers on the northwest end of the lower level
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MAC Cosmetics next to Saks Fifth Avenue on the lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
MAC Cosmetics on the lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Zumiez on the lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Art Space & Design Galleries on the lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Pearl Vision on the lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Pearl Vision on the lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Chatters on the lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Rogers on the lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
TELUS on the lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Fido, Tim Hortons ,and Tbooth Wireless on the lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Northeast End of Chinook Centre’s Lower Level
Northeast end of CF Chinook Centre on the lower level. Photo: CF Chinook Mall map with zones overlaid by Retail Insider
The northeast side of the retail loop on the north end doesn’t have any retail anchors over 10,000 square feet in size. Select CF Chinook retailers previously featured in Retail Insider include:
‘Opening Soon’ signage for APM Monaco on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Architectural feature in the northeast section of the lower level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Other retailers include Mackage, Apple, Tiffany & Co., Harry Rosen, A|X Armani Exchange, Oak + Fort, Freddy, Abercrombie & Fitch, Urban Outfitters, Plus, Peloton, Icebreaker, Kiehl’s, Coach, Burberry, October’s Very Own, Arc’teryx, and Michael Kors. This would be considered the most upscale section of CF Chinook Centre overall.
Other select retailers on CF Chinook Centre's northeast end of the lower level
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Apple on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
October's Very Own (OVO) and Burberry on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Mackage on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Arc'teryx and Tiffany & Co. on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Harry Rosen on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Armani Exchange on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Oak + Fort on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Abercrombie & Fitch on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Urban Outfitters on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Plus and Swatch on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Peloton on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Icebreaker on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Freddy on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Kiehl's on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Michael Kors on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Michael Kors and Apple on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Canada Goose, Harry Rosen, and Armani Exchange on lower level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Retail Profile of CF Chinook Centre’s Upper Level
The upper level is home to CF Chinook Centre’s renovated food court and is accessible from parking to the west. While there isn’t any additional retail anchors on this level, all of them have a second floor which we won’t go into detail a second time.
Central Zone and Food Court on CF Chinook Centre’s Upper Level
Central zone and food court at CF Chinook Centre on the upper level. Photo: CF Chinook Mall map with zones overlaid by Retail Insider
Hudson’s Bay is the main anchor for the central zone which is across from Sport Chek — however, the food court is the main attraction for this section of the shopping centre.
Hudson’s Bay entrance on upper level in CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Sport Chek on upper level in CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Cafeteria at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Cafeteria at CF Chinook Centre.
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Cafeteria at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Cafeteria at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Cafeteria at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Cafeteria at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Cafeteria at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Other retailers include Sport Chek, Foot Locker Kids, DavidsTea, Soft Moc, Mountain Warehouse, Torrid, HotTopic, Sunrise Records, Bath & Body Works, Lego, Volcom, Vans, Champs Sports, Journeys, Bootlegger, Lids, Levi’s, and House of Hoops.
Other select CF Chinook Centre retailers in the central zone of the upper level
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Bath & Body Works in central zone of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Mountain Warehouse in central zone of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Sunrise Records and Hot Topic in central zone of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
DavidsTea in central zone of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Kids Foot Locker in central zone of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Champs Sports in central zone of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Volcom and Lego in central zone of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
House of Hoops in central zone of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Bootlegger in central zone of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Vans in central zone of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Lids in central zone of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Foot Locker in central zone of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Northwest End of CF Chinook Centre’s Upper Level
Northwest end of CF Chinook Centre on the upper level. Photo: CF Chinook Mall map with zones overlaid by Retail Insider
The retail loop on the north end of the shopping centre has the second level entrances for both Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom.
Second level of anchor tenants on north end of CF Chinook Centre
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Saks Fifth Avenue entrance on second level of CF Chinook Centre, April 2021. Photo: Jessica Finch
Nordstrom entrances (upper and lower levels) seen from second level of CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Architectural feature in the northwest section of the upper level at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Select CF Chinook retailers previously featured in Retail Insider include:
Celyn Roze, Bailey Nelson, and Merle Norman at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
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SportCheck Women at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
SportCheck Women at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Other retailers include The Body Shop, Below the Belt, Skechers, Ben Moss Jewellers, Maggie’s Diamond Boutique, West 49, Nutrition House, QE Home, Shefield & Sons, EBX, The Children’s Place, Jersey City, Le Chateau, and The Discovery Hut.
Other select CF Chinook Centre retailers on the northwest side of the upper level
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The Children's Place at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
EBX at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
West49 at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Quits Etc. at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Nutrition House at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Freedom Mobile and Sketchers at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
LensCrafters at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Maggie's Jewellery at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Ben Moss Jewellery at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
The Body Shop at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Le Chateau at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Discovery Hut at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Discovery Hut at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Mobility dealers at CF Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Northwest interior of Chinook Centre. Photo: Jessica Finch
Northeast End of CF Chinook Centre’s Upper Level
Northeast end of CF Chinook Centre on the upper level. Photo: CF Chinook Mall map with zones overlaid by Retail Insider
Select CF Chinook retailers previously featured in Retail Insider include:
Featured Retailers in CF Chinook Centre North East section
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While onsite, we noticed the 1,077 square foot Sunglass Hut was currently under renovation and reopening soon.
Select retailers include Roots, Swarovski, Little Burgundy, Oakley, Sephora, Jack & Jones, Boathouse, Guess, VVS Jewellers, Eddie Bauer, Hakim Optical, Hollister, Anthropologie, LUSH Cosmetics, Caposhie, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Saje Natural Wellness, Bluenotes and CaseLogix.
Other select retailers in CF Chinook Centre's North East Section
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We had a very interesting photo walk around CF Chinook Centre Mall in southern Calgary and we hope you enjoyed coming along with us. Don’t forget to check out our other retail photo tours over the past few months. Thank you for taking this tour with us.
Discover More Related Retail Photo Tours From Retail Insider:
One of the centrepieces of the development is the unique The Shops at Buffalo Run in the Taza Exchange section of the overall project.
Recently, officials announced the first round of businesses that will make up the unique tenant mix at The Shops at Buffalo Run with the following tenants confirmed:
Tim Hortons
BMO
Dollarama
Lavish Nails
Buffalo Run Dental
HAPPY CUP
Complete Health Chiropractic & Massage
TiNi Vietnamese
BarBurrito
Bryce Starlight
Bryce Starlight, the VP of Development for Taza, said the retail development is currently in for development permit approval with the intention of construction starting in June of this year.
“We’re expecting openings in 2022. Most likely in Q3-Q4,” he said.
Total square footage for The Shops will be just under 260,000 square feet and there will eventually be between 35 to 40 individual tenants “including the potential for a 20,000-square-foot professional office, and that would be in addition to (The Shops)”.
The Shops will be located near the Costco store which opened in August 2020. Starlight said Costco has been “phenomenal”. It was the first Costco on a First Nation in North America.
“From a business standpoint, just from my conversations with Costco, it’s been very well received and at the end of the day even from an overall relationship standpoint it’s been phenomenal. Just a great working relationship with the community, with the Nation. They’ve been amazing tenants even above and beyond the fact that they’re just a phenomenal retailer,” said Starlight.
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Central Eagle Canopy. Rendering: Taza Development Corp
Central Eagle Canopy. Rendering: Taza Development Corp
Central Eagle Canopy. Rendering: Taza Development Corp
West facade at Central Spine location. Rendering: Taza Development Corp
View from the rear facade from the north west. Rendering: Taza Development Corp
Street level view of Central Plaza and Eagle Canopies. Rendering: Taza Development Corp
“The Shops will be a mix between high-visibility retail, mid-box retailers, and out parcels with your standard smaller retailers. It will be a mix of everything from QSR to sit down restaurants. Your 1,200-to-1,500-square-foot retailers, professional office uses, as well as aesthetic uses like nails, hair, personal care.”
Starlight said the Nation is confident about the retail success of the project, partly because of the under-serviced nature of southwest Calgary.
Also The Shops will be easily accessible through main roadways such as the Ring Road.
“Secondly, the approval process that’s been implemented by the Nation is very business friendly. So it allows for a quick speed to business. It ensures that the rules of how people are applying are very consistent and very transparent. We have a lot of quicker approval processes. Similar to what you would see in other municipal districts like Rocky View and Foothills County where it’s a 90 or 120 day turnaround time,” he said.
“And really we use common sense as it relates to the variances and just understanding what the overall goal is for the Nation, for the development, and making sure that the uses fit within that use.”
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Central Eagle Canopy. Rendering: Taza Development Corp
View from the rear facade from the north west. Rendering: Taza Development Corp
View from the east of north east corner tower. Rendering: Taza Development Corp
View from the east of south east corner tower. Rendering: Taza Development Corp
East facade showing feature mural. Rendering: Taza Development Corp
Starlight said the Nation also has a very competitive tax rate which is attractive for businesses.
The overall Taza development is located on about 1,200 acres of Tsuut’ina land. It consists of three unique, but related development Villages — Taza Park, Taza Crossing, and Taza Exchange — that are integrated through a comprehensive framework of Tsuut’ina and City of Calgary infrastructure. The Villages are physically connected via Tsuut’ina Trail, which is part of the Southwest Calgary Ring Road.
“We’ve got another development upcoming at Taza Park. We’re looking to actually make some tenant announcements over the next couple of months here on that site as well,” said Starlight. “That’s going to be more auto oriented. But we’re looking at some additional retail offerings up in that area as well.”
Starlight said the Taza development is looking to draw innovation, technology and health care uses to the site. Also, there is a housing component that could eventually see 8,000 to 9,000 multi-residential units.
The Tsuut’ina Nation was established in 1877 by the signing of Treaty 7, which predates the incorporation of the city of Calgary in 1894 and the establishment of the Province of Alberta in 1905. Tsuut’ina has a fully independent culture and a long history of progression and innovation. Tsuut’ina is governed by a Chief and Council and operates its own Administration, Business, and Service programs, including Tosguna (Police), the Tsuut’ina Fire Department, Public Works, and Civic Services.
Seattle-based Amazon has announced a significant investment in the Vancouver area. It includes a new robotics fulfillment centre at the Port of Vancouver, a sort centre in Langley, and three delivery stations in the region.
The 450,000-square-foot robotics fulfillment centre in the Port of Vancouver — a first in British Columbia — will launch in late 2021. More than 1,000 jobs will be created. In later 2021, a ‘sort centre’ will open in the city of Langley creating more than 500 jobs. In the areas of Pitt Meadows and Delta, delivery stations will open in later 2021 — creating hundreds of jobs at both locations — following the February opening of a delivery station in Langley Township that opened in mid-February creating 200 jobs.
They will join massive distribution facilities already operating in New Westminster, Delta (Annacis Island), and Tsawwassen.
Amazon says that over the past decade it has invested more than $3 billion in the province of British Columbia. The company currently employs more than 5,500 full and part-time people in the province in operations, corporate, and technology positions — currently the highest number outside of Washington State. Amazon is significantly expanding its presence in downtown Vancouver by leasing more than one million square feet at The Post which is currently under construction. Amazon has already leased space in several downtown office buildings.
Robotic warehouse. Photo: Amazon
In February, Amazon was named one of the province’s top 100 employers. Hourly wages start at $16 and jobs include medical, vision, and dental coverage, a group RRSP plan, stock awards, and performance-based bonuses that start on the first day of employment.
Amazon is said to have one of the most advanced fulfillment networks in the world, and thousands of small and medium-sized businesses already sell on the platform. Many businesses use Fulfillment by Amazon, a ‘you sell it, we ship it’ service that enables local businesses to store their products in Amazon’s fulfillment centres and use Amazon to ship their orders, handle customer service, and take care of their returns.
Canadian sellers on Amazon grossed more than $2 billion on Amazon’s stores around the world, and Retail Insider will follow up with a feature article including interviews with several sellers.
Amazon continues to invest in the Canadian market with new distribution initiatives. That includes a hub near Halifax Nova Scotia as well as a warehouse for the Winnipeg market, according to reports. The retailer is also said to be making further investments in the Toronto market with announcements forthcoming.
2020 was a challenging year for many retailers. With most brick and mortar stores across the country subject to continuous lockdowns, and many local businesses struggling with the sudden pivot to e-commerce, it wasn’t a particularly promising time for entrepreneurs to establish themselves or main street retailers to grow. However, amid the chaos, American e-commerce website, Etsy, enjoyed a hugely successful 2020, crossing the billion-dollar (US) revenue mark for the first time in company history after a staggering year-over-year increase.
According to data, Etsy experienced a 110.75% year-over-year increase in revenue in 2020 after setting a company record $1.7 billion in revenue — with Etsy’s marketplace earning $1.3 billion, amounting to 75.5% share of the platform’s total revenue and a 119.5% year-over-year increase from 2019.
Revenue from its services segment amounted to $422 million in 2020 which makes up the rest of its total revenue, an 88% year-over-year increase from 2019. A large portion of this increase is attributed to the growth of its on-site advertising revenue.
In 2019, Etsy recorded 46.35 million active buyers on their site, a figure that grew by almost 77% in 2020 to 81.9 million. The number of sellers also grew by an impressive 61.7% year over year to 81.9 million in 2020.
Image of Etsy’s Marketplace. Photo: Etsy
The company believes this impressive influx of new customers and sellers was a direct result of the lockdowns imposed in many developed markets around the world, especially in North America. Additionally the trend towards shopping local and supporting small businesses has driven some to choose Etsy over alternative e-commerce platforms such as Amazon.
With many different outlets such as Digital Main Street, Shopify, and social media selling tools like Instagram Shopping available for small businesses to seek help with the accelerated move to e-commerce, Etsy positions itself somewhat as a hybrid model — an e-commerce platform with an emphasis on community and support.
The Etsy website reads, “In a time of increasing automation, it’s our mission to keep human connection at the heart of commerce. That’s why we built a place where creativity lives and thrives because it’s powered by people. We help our community of sellers turn their ideas into successful businesses. Our platform connects them with millions of buyers looking for an alternative — something special with a human touch, for those moments in life that deserve imagination”.
The e-commerce platform has also reported more than half of its sales coming from mobile devices — a staggering 51%. In 2020, that share had risen to 61%.
The Brooklyn-based e-commerce site was founded in June of 2005, years before having a digital presence was a must for most small businesses. The site specializes in handmade and vintage products, in addition to crafts and DIY supplies. Unlike a place like Amazon, everything on the site is made, collected, curated, and sold by its sellers. These independent business owners not only produce their own goods but manage their orders and inventory, too. Etsy acts as the middle-man, giving smaller, independent creators a platform to find and attract customers — an opportunity that, for some, would otherwise be out of reach.
As we all know, however, the support local trend can often mean facing higher price points for items also found at discounted prices in places like Walmart and Amazon. In an attempt to compete against the retail giants of the world, in 2019 Etsy announced it would be encouraging sellers to offer free US shipping on all orders over $35. Or rather, it announced that sellers who didn’t offer free shipping would be de-prioritized by the site’s highly-competitive search algorithm. On a platform with more than 60 million things to buy, this can mean functional invisibility for brands unable to afford free shipping. Additionally, despite positioning itself as an affordable and accessible e-commerce platform, costing a mere $0.20 to list your first item, some sellers have found fault in Etsy’s transaction, payment processing, and offsite advertising fees saying that these inconspicuous costs make it difficult to grow amid a competitive market.
Despite the debate on who is really reaping the benefits of Etsy’s massive success, there is no denying the move toward supporting entrepreneurship and small businesses is the way forward, and as certain Canadian provinces continue to suffer the consequences of lockdowns, having an e-commerce marketplace for main street retailers is paramount.
The expansion comes after US-based competitor Ulta Beauty announced that it was shelving its Canadian expansion for the time being. The two would have competed for customers while competitors, Shoppers Drug Mart and Hudson’s Bay, also beef up beauty offerings.
Sephora at 77 Bloor. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
The Sephora store expansions will happen primarily in markets between 100,000 and 300,000 residents according to the Globe & Mail article. Sephora will also begin fulfilling online orders from its stores — currently the company does so from distribution centres in Toronto and Vancouver. Sephora is looking to operate stores outside of malls according to the report. In 2015 a Sephora representative had said that a standalone Edmonton location would have a drive-through window though it never came to fruition.
Sephora has over 80 stores in Canada. In 2016 the retailer launched a ‘Toronto Takeover’ initiative that saw new stores open while others were renovated and expanded. The Toronto market is said to be one of Sephora’s top globally.
Cadillac Fairview and Ivanhoé Cambridge Reportedly Swapping Assets
Rendering of the future development planned for CF Pointe Claire. Rendering: GH+A Design Studio
According to a French language report in La Presse, landlords Ivanhoé Cambridge and Cadillac Fairview are in the process of doing a real estate swap in Montreal that is related to an expropriation for a transit line. The article says that Ivanhoé Cambridge will become the sole owner of the CF Galeries d’Anjou centre in Montreal, which means that the centre’s “CF” will likely be removed from its name when a rebranding is complete. At the same time, Cadillac Fairview will reportedly become sole owner of the CF Fairview Pointe-Claire Centre on Montreal’s West Island. Both malls are currently owned in a 50/50 partnership with the two landlords.
Exterior of CF Galeries d’Anjou. Photo: CF Galeries d’Anjou
As of April 29, the deal was not yet finalized according to La Presse. The CF Galeries d’Anjou will accommodate the terminus station for the new Blue Line metro — the STM is expropriating a substantial portion of the mall site for a station and parking. Cadillac Fairview sued the city and things got messy according to the news report.
CF Fairview Pointe-Claire will be part of a new “downtown West Island” including a new urban core area that will be developed adjacent to the shopping mall. Included will be high-rise residential buildings, a hotel, offices, and parks.
Maximizing Brand Visibility and Recognition for the Lise Watier Brand*
C-West Custom Fixtures worked with Lise Watier to shift the brand’s in-store display from a wall insert to a floor feature in order to amplify brand engagement. Photo: Lise Watier
C-West Custom Fixtures worked with Lise Watier to shift the brand’s in-store display from a wall insert to a floor feature in order to amplify brand engagement. Impressively, it led to a reported 50% increase in sales. The custom fixture was designed and fabricated by the C-West team and has already been installed in over a dozen retail locations. The exquisite details featuring magnetic graphics, attractive backlit duratrans, LED frames, and acrylic captivates shoppers.
As brands evolve, their retail footprint must follow suit and reconnect with customers on a new level. When it comes to luxury cosmetics the stakes are that much higher and creating a premium retail display is a key to sales growth. Cosmetic retail is an incredibly competitive space as brands are generally displayed adjacent to their direct competitors.
Prestige Brands and Their Customers Expect Sustainability
The new-and-improved Lise Watier cosmetic display was manufactured in a LEED compliant facility using FSC Certified Laminate, particleboards, and melamine. The C-West team is committed to working with FSC certified suppliers and they use LED lighting exclusively in all builds focusing on selecting the lowest power drawing light available. Using value engineering options, C-West was able to provide Lise Watier over 30% cost savings.
Sustainability is built into every step, even for the delivery process. The C-West team delivers the fixtures directly to the store and use that opportunity to collect all the packing materials to bring them back to the warehouse for reuse. Remarkably, all the materials used to create this stunning display are recyclable. For C-West Custom Fixtures, being a leader in prestige retail displays goes hand in hand with being good stewards for our planet.
Hudson’s Bay Commits $30 Million to Advance Racial Equity
Hudson’sBay Company signage outside CF Toronto Eaton Centre. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
The Hudson’s Bay Foundation has announced the launch of its new social impact platform, Hudson’s Bay Charter for Change. The Foundation is committing $30 million over the next 10 years to organizations working to advance racial equity and inclusion. Focusing on three key areas as the platform’s pillars — Education, Employment, and Empowerment — this commitment is starting with five charitable partners: Indspire, Black Youth Helpline, CEE Centre For Young Black Professionals, CPAC Foundation, and MLSE Foundation.
Through this initiative, the Hudson’s Bay Foundation aims to impact more than 300,000 lives through programs run by its partner organizations. Beginning with providing scholarships and bursaries for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students pursuing post-secondary education, empowering Black youth with career readiness and training programs in high-demand fields, and using sport to teach life skills, the social impact platform hopes to empower racialized communities and improve academic engagement and workplace readiness.
“Racial equity is one of the most urgent issues facing society, and through Hudson’s Bay Charter for Change our goal is to create tangible and measurable change that makes a difference in the lives of Canadians,” said Iain Nairn, President and CEO of Hudson’s Bay. “With our own 350-year company history that in the past included discrimination and inequity, we have a responsibility to take action and drive progress in creating a fair and equitable Canada for all.”
Hudson’s Bay has a track record of giving back to its communities. Last March, at the onset of the pandemic in Canada, the company donated $1 million to Food Banks Canada and Kids Help Phone to help those in need.
Consumers Shift Online Spending to Mornings Says Study
Image: Afterpay
A study by Afterpay shows that users have changed their preference from shopping later in the day to the pre-work hours. The bi-annual trend report also notes that many are still dressing casually. Melissa Davis, head of North America, Afterpay, said:
“The pandemic has not only shifted the way consumers shop, but also when they’re shopping. Our Bi-Annual Trend Report found that Afterpay customers are now shopping during pre-work hours rather than later in the day. This is valuable insight for our merchant partners to help them dictate timing for product drops, new content, marketing new lines and more.”
Jane’s Walk Takes Visitors to Queen Street East and West in Toronto
Jane’s Walk Weekend
The Queen Street West BIA and Riverside BIA are promoting “Queen Street Virtual Tours” this weekend. Three tours have been created and will officially launch on May 7th as part of the Jane’s Walk Weekend and the walks will highlight local restaurants, public art, and historical elements of these two popular Toronto neighbourhoods. Jane’s Walk Toronto 2021 takes inspiration from noted urbanist and philanthropist Jane Jacobs. She was “…an urbanist and activist whose writings championed a fresh, community-based approach to city building”.
Tours can be viewed online after and when things are safe (and open), people are encouraged to come to the neighbourhoods to explore. As part of the initiative, there will be a weekly draw valued at $100 with a gift card for a restaurant in each of Queen West and Queen East (Riverside) for the first five weeks on the BIA’s respective Instagram channels:@riverside_bia, @queenstreetwest
You can also learn more about each walk on our respective websites:
More tours are planned to be released in the fall with the potential of hosting in-person tours, dependent on COVID-19 protocols.
Farm Boy Opens at Queen’s Quay Terminal in Toronto
Exterior of the new Farm Boy location in Toronto’s Queen’s Quay Terminal. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Empire-owned, Ottawa-based grocer Farm Boy opened its 38th store on Thursday at the Queen’s Quay Terminal in downtown Toronto. The 19,317-square-foot store is located on the waterfront and employs 135 people. The store, which was rebranded from Sobeys, serves a large urban population living in nearby apartment buildings.
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Exterior of the new Farm Boy location in Toronto's Queen’s Quay Terminal. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Exterior of the new Farm Boy location in Toronto's Queen’s Quay Terminal. Photo: Norman Katz
Entrance to the new Farm Boy location inside Toronto's Queen’s Quay Terminal. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Interior of the new Farm Boy location in Toronto's Queen’s Quay Terminal. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Interior of the new Farm Boy location in Toronto's Queen’s Quay Terminal. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Interior of the new Farm Boy location in Toronto's Queen’s Quay Terminal. Photo: Norman Katz
The store features a wide range of freshly made grab-and-go options as well as fresh seasonal produce and high quality meat options, among other departments. Retail Insider’s Dustin Fuhs noted that the store currently does not have directional arrows or related signage as is seen in some grocery stores during the pandemic.
Fuhs and Maple Leaf Displays Principal, Norman Katz, took photos for this article.
3222 Yonge Street Available for Lease in Toronto
3222 Yonge Street in Toronto is currently available for a variety of retail uses. Located in the centre of the family-friendly, bustling shopping strip in the Yonge and Lawrence neighbourhood, the 3,150-square-foot lower-level retail space is available immediately with a 5-10-year lease agreement. Cushman & Wakefield is listing the space.
The Yonge & Lawrence neighbourhood offers some of the strongest demographics in the city, with a walk score of 92 and a transit score of 82. It is also home to various co-tenancies including, RBC Royal Bank, Shoppers Drug Mart, Scotiabank, Starbucks, TD Canada Trust, and Metro. This opportunity features the ability to lease the lower level either with the ground floor or separately for both retail or office uses.
Click for interactive Google Map of 3222 Yonge Street and the surrounding area.
Some highlights include:
Prominent frontage close to the corner
In the heart of main Yonge & Lawrence retail strip
Good frontage to depth ratio
Clean rectangular floor plate
Minimal columns and ability for open floor plate
Kitchen infrastructure from previous tenant
Ability to offer the basement to an incoming retailer or office user
With a population of over 17,000 people — and a daytime population of 9,496 — within a one kilometre radius of this location, the space is being leased at $16.75 per square foot (est. 2020).
London Drugs Continues Support of Local Restaurateurs in Western Canada
London Drugs at St. Albert Centre Mall. Photo: St. Albert Centre Mall
London Drugs has launched the Local Central program to support local retailers in Western Canada by offering shelf space to small businesses impacted by COVID to sell their house-brand, consumer-packaged products in stores.
“The collateral damage to small businesses created by the pandemic has been devastating and, the restaurant industry — particularly those small and locally-owned — have sustained one of the heaviest blows,” explains Clint Mahlman, President and COO of London Drugs. “As a company, we want to offer any support we can to restaurateurs and businesses in our communities right now, and we know our customers do too.”
Since its launch exactly a year ago, the program has supported more than 100 local businesses, helping them earn hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time when they might otherwise have had no revenues due to pandemic-related store closures.
One year after the initial launch, London Drugs is further expanding its support. Any restaurants with specialty items suitable for retail sales – such as sauces, jams, rubs, apparel – are encouraged to submit them for immediate consideration to be stocked and sold on London Drugs shelves.
Bed Bath & Beyond now offering same-day delivery. Photo: Bed Bath & Beyond
Bed Bath & Beyond, together with DoorDash, has announced that same-day delivery services are now available in Canada, making it easier and more convenient to shop online for products from Bed Bath & Beyond and select buybuy BABY locations.
Same-day delivery follows last year’s successful introduction of buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS) and contactless Curbside Pickup services, and will enable customers to shop products online and have them delivered to their doorstep within hours of purchase. Same day delivery across Canada from Bed Bath & Beyond and buybuy BABY will be powered through DoorDash Drive – DoorDash’s white-label fulfillment platform that powers direct delivery for any business.
47 Canadian cities across nine provinces can avail of the same-day delivery service and until May 20th, 2021, it is being introduced at a discounted flat rate of $4.99 for orders over $39 CAD, and $9.99 CAD thereafter.
Customers in eligible postal codes can utilize the service by going to bedbathandbeyond.ca and buybuybaby.ca and selecting the option for same day delivery at checkout. Orders placed by 4 p.m. local time on Monday to Saturday will be delivered the same day, while the ordering deadline for same-day delivery on Sundays will be 3pm.
This announcement is in keeping with the aggressive push toward enhanced omnichannel experiences we’re now seeing across the board — a trend hugely accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, Altitude Sports announced the introduction of next-day delivery to customers in Western Canada, additionally, Oxford Properties recently implemented same-day delivery options from all of its shopping centres.
Few people would say that the world has become simpler in recent decades. In fact, there is strong evidence for the increased complexity facing organizations in all sectors, including retail. The past year has been particularly tumultuous, as businesses have grappled with the communications challenges around a global pandemic, rising concerns of racial injustice, growing cyberthreats, and escalating concerns and expectations around environmental sustainability. Each of these issues, and countless more, present risk in different ways.
As these threats have evolved, they have required new approaches and solutions requiring deep expertise in trust and reputation protection. This often starts with understanding the three main categories of risk and how to deal with them.
Risk 1: Issues
The lowest immediate reputational threat is an issue. An issue is a known concern whose risk level can be affected by current events. For example, poor worker conditions concern some people who may choose to boycott products, sign petitions, or take to social media. For others, the joy of inexpensive goods is more important than the plight of those who make them. However, evolving events can ramp up the threat level of an issue. Recently, leading Canadian clothing brands like Roots, Canada Goose, and Aritizia, among others, have faced pressure to sign and verify a specific commitment to not using cotton that is sourced through forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China, raising the stakes and reputational risks of this issue.
Every retailer ought to know what its issues are, and issue management is the practice of knowing which way the wind is blowing for each of them and how to react. This requires an always-on approach to reputation protection which might include social and traditional media monitoring, influence measurement, and opinion polling, among other research approaches. At a certain point, an issue may progress from a communications challenge to a legal challenge or an operations decision. Helping leaders recognize and assess risk is vital to determining if an issue can be de-escalated through communications, or if more is needed.
Risk 2: Emergencies
A second category of reputational threat is the emergency. An emergency is an undesirable but predictable event, even if it is unusual. Some issues accelerate into emergencies, or vice versa. For example, for any major retailer, an obvious and predictable emergency is a data breach that exposes personal information from customers or employees. Retail giant Target’s major data breach in 2013 was a wake-up call for many retailers, yet almost a decade later, retailers still struggle to stay ahead of cyber criminals. Recently, Home Hardware Stores Ltd., with over 1,050 stores, acknowledged it was targeted by the hacker group The Darkside that threatened to release private data if a ransom wasn’t paid. While data breaches are often isolated incidents (an emergency), if they share a common trait (e.g. a vulnerability in a common point-of-sale platform), even after an emergency, a lingering issue could remain.
Every retailer ought to have emergency plans in place around predictable events, even if they are unlikely. These might include scenario planning and simulations that stress test processes and help refine and update them, and media and spokesperson training. This planning should involve key functions within a retailer’s organization that may play a role in an emergency, such as communications, HR, IT, operations, security and legal, among others. A few savvy groups had plans in place if a pandemic were ever to occur. Since COVID-19, we can be sure this topic will now be covered in most risk audits. Still, many organizations are caught flat-footed when emergencies occur.
Risk 3: The Crisis
A third category, the crisis, is an unexpected and unpredictable event that also has potential to damage reputation. For example, last month, Canadian lifestyle clothier lululemon found itself under the microscope when an employee used his personal Instagram account to promote a xenophobic t-shirt design (not a lululemon product). According to news agency, Reuters, in less than a week of the employee’s post, the hashtag “lululemon insults China” was seen over 200 million times on Chinese social media platform Weibo, including calls for a boycott of the brand. A crisis is often fast, intense, and dynamic, and social media platforms have all but eliminated the time an organization once had to ponder a response. Thus, during a crisis, digital monitoring and presence are essential.
Technology’s New Role
Crisis management in the famous Tylenol case, when seven consumers died after consuming capsules that had been laced with cyanide, occurred in the old analogue world. Now, the Internet and social media have accelerated the speed and multiplied the reach. To battle the faster and farther impact of a crisis, human talent must be matched with technological prowess.
Leading crisis communicators use highly advanced social media monitoring processes and tools to track, assess, and forecast velocity and growth of a threat. These techniques harness artificial intelligence and predictive analytics, and can identify what is being said, by whom and how fast the message is travelling. This in turn, informs the response strategy.
Responding requires the ability to engage on whatever communications platform is most efficient in reaching key audiences. If the crisis is unfolding on social media, it is likely best to respond on social media. My colleague Rob Clark, an expert in crisis monitoring, says, “If one thinks of a crisis like a fire, one’s own side of the story can be a stream of water to control or even extinguish the flames. But if your hose can’t reach the fire, it will keep burning and even spread.”
Prepare in Advance
Good preparation involves setting up communications platforms and communications assets that are most likely to reach a retailer’s audiences (including potential critics) and then establishing a voice and following on each. This can’t start from scratch on the day a crisis erupts. Doing the work in advance is like insurance that pays out in all stages of reputation management but can also provide benefits in good times.
Josh Cobden
While the threat of widespread reputational damage has existed since the advent of the printing press, the stakes have skyrocketed. The combination of social media and evolving social expectations have formed an accelerant that can turn a spark into an inferno – unverified, amplified and magnified. Handling evolving threat categories must be done with precision, and that starts with understanding them in the first place.
Josh Cobden is Executive Vice President of Proof Strategies Inc., a leading public relations and communications firm based in Toronto. Josh frequently collaborates with in-house communications teams to manage reputational threats across a wide variety of sectors.
