Exterior of Longo's grocery store which was recently acquired by Empire/Sobeys. Photo: Longo's
Most of us would not know if we were in an independently-owned-and-operated grocery store unless it is mentioned somewhere as you enter the store. Almost weekly these days, Canada loses an independent grocer. Last week, we learned that Empire/Sobeys would purchase one of Canada’s top premium independent grocers, Longo Brothers Fruit Markets, located in the Greater Toronto area. The $357-million deal allows Empire to acquire 51% of Longo’s and will control the entirety of the business in a few years. Longo’s is currently operating 36 stores in Southern Ontario.
Like most independent grocers, Longo’s was truly a family business. The three Longo brothers founded the company in 1956, and more than 25 family members across three generations continue to work in the company.
Canada is home to about 15,500 grocery stores. Less than 34% are independently owned and operated, and that percentage is continuously shrinking. Independent grocers are known to offer something different to customers, products you would not find elsewhere. The service is often highly personalized. Some managers know many of their customers on a first-name basis. The experience is often very different, and no duplicates exist elsewhere. Most Canadians would not know that a lot of the innovation we have seen in food retailing in Canada has come from independents. In fact, Longo’s has been in the e-commerce game since 2004, when it acquired Grocery Gateway, at a time when few believed buying food online was even a thing. New products, novel store design — they have brought so much for years. Farmboy and Longo’s are just a few examples of how independent grocers have a different way of looking at things. It’s refreshing.
Loblaws, Sobeys, and Metro are selling practically 75% of all the retailed food in Canada right now, and that percentage has continued to rise. Both Costco and Walmart are now selling a combined $32 billion dollars’ worth of food to Canadians. Pressures on independents are real.
To make matters worse, here is another pressure point for independents. It is often reported that most major grocers are charging more fees to suppliers to finance some key strategic initiative or other. Just last week, we learned that Walmart would invest $500 million to build a new distribution facility to support its e-commerce platform. Some of the funding likely came from suppliers like Kraft-Heinz Canada, PepsiCo Canada, Unilever Canada, and Lactalis. Independent grocers are slowly becoming less competitive, since they cannot bully their way through the supply chain, as major grocers are doing. They just do not have enough power and influence.
Empire/Sobeys is the only major grocer in the country which has expressed concerns about extra fees imposed on food manufacturers. It is affecting our food processing sector’s competitiveness, of course, but it is also affecting how independent grocers can keep up with the rest of the field.
This is likely why the Longo family opted to sell. But also given that they had to choose one buyer, it had to be Empire/Sobeys, due to its stance on supply chain bullying.
The good news is that major grocers are starting to value the uniqueness of some of these retailers. Years ago, while Loblaws destroyed Ontario-based Fortinos and completely changed the in-store experience, Empire alienated Safeway shoppers out West with its acquisition in 2013. It scrapped the Safeway loyalty program and many cherished products were either hard to find, or disappeared completely. All grocers have implemented such drastic changes, and massacred a brand or two in the past. At the time, it was all about consolidation and synergies, at all costs.
But in recent years, the approach appears to have changed. Loblaws’ acquisition of TNT, a unique retailer in Ontario serving the suburban market in Toronto, was executed with few hiccups. Most Farmboy shoppers in Ontario, which was acquired by Sobeys in 2018, have barely seen a difference. And as in the Farmboy deal, Longo and his executive team will remain at the helm of the company and will operate separately from the main company. Longo’s will likely become more profitable by using Sobeys’ buying power across the supply chain.
In the meantime, Canadians should be concerned about the fate of our independent grocers. A committee in Ottawa is currently looking into these outrageous fees charged by some grocers. For the sake of the independents, let’s hope the committee comes up with some good ideas when they table their report in July.
E-commerce is booming according to Statistics Canada.
Total Canadian retail sales growth has cooled off somewhat, after hitting some high rates late last year. Nevertheless, there was still a respectable increase of 2.8% for the three months ending January 2021. In the month of January alone however, total retail sales actually declined by 1.1%, although this is on a preliminary and unadjusted basis.
The underlying 12 month trend (green line in the above chart) continues to struggle and remains in negative territory, mostly due to the extreme decline in retail sales growth in Q2 2020. We are however likely to see some positive growth trends this spring – even if only because retail sales in the coming months of 2021 will be compared to very weak 2020 year ago numbers.
Another matter is that sales trends are very uneven among the major retail sectors. Food & Drug is doing extremely well, a recovery in Store Merchandise is now losing steam, Automotive & Related appears to be on its way down again, and E-Commerce is absolutely booming.
Food & Drug
The Food & Drug sector is hitting record highs in retail sales, with growth of 11.4% year-over-year for the three months ending January 2021. The underlying 12 month trend has been on a steep upward trajectory for almost a year.
Retail sales at supermarkets and other grocery stores have been particularly strong, increasing 13.4% for the three months ending January 2021. Even so, the smaller specialty food stores group reported an even bigger gain of 14.7% in the same period.
Health & personal care stores are also contributing to the success of the Food & Drug sector. Their retail sales grew by 10.1% year-over-year for the three months ending January.
Store Merchandise
Retail sales growth in the Store Merchandise sector collapsed in the first half of 2020, but returned to positive territory in the second half of the year. And now, going into 2021, it appears to be softening again. For the three months ending January 2021, retail sales increased a modest 3.7%, but in January alone sales declined 2.1% (a preliminary and unadjusted figure).
Within Store Merchandise, retail fortunes vary greatly by store type. Sales at building material and garden equipment/supplies dealers were up a whopping 23.9% year-over-year for the three months ending January 2021, miscellaneous store retailers (which include cannabis stores) gained 15.4%, and electronics and appliance stores were up 12.3%. At the other end of the scale, retail sales at clothing and accessories stores were down a disastrous 26.9%.
Some of this may be related to retailer size and store format. Larger operations generally have deeper pockets and higher leverage for developing e-commerce capabilities, plus stand-alone locations suitable for curbside pick-up operations. Small fashion retailers however may not be as sophisticated in e-commerce and delivery services, and also to be stuck in locked down shopping malls.
Automotive & Related
Automotive & Related got run over in the first half of 2020, fought its way back to flat by the end of the year, but now seems to have hit another pothole. Retail sales declined 5.9% year-over-year for the three months ending January 2021, and by 11.3% in January alone.
Gasoline station retail sales were particularly weak, down 18.4% for the last three months. While pump prices have stabilized, people are still driving less due to anti-COVID measures.
New car dealers showed some life a few months ago but now are back to a downward trajectory. Their retail sales declined 4.3% year-over-year for the three months ending January 2021.
By The Numbers
Note that the data and analysis in this report are always based on not seasonally adjusted (or unadjusted) retail sales statistics.
With store shutdowns and shopping mall closures, Canadian consumers turned to e-commerce in a big way in 2020. This is continuing going into 2021. E-commerce retail sales were up 83.6% year-over-year for the three months ending January 2021.
Overall, e-commerce represented about 6.3% of Canadian retail sales over the past 12 months, including both pure plays as well as bricks & clicks stores. Note that Canadian consumers may also buy online from foreign websites which is not captured in these numbers.
Location based retail is the same as that in the preceding “By The Numbers” table. It’s what’s normally reported as Canadian retail sales. Except that it isn’t. Location based retail excludes another section called Non-Store Retailers (NAICS code 454), which includes electronic shopping and mail-order houses, which in turn is where (mostly) pure play e-commerce businesses are. Over the 12 months ending January 2021, electronic shopping and mail-order houses had an estimated $23.8 billion in e-commerce sales.
But that’s not the only source of e-commerce, as (mostly) bricks & mortar location-based retailers also sell online. For the 12 months ending January 2021, this group had an estimated $15.7 billion in e-commerce sales. With electronic shopping and mail-order houses, there’s a grand total of $39.5 billion in e-commerce sales by Canadian operators. Note that this does not include foreign e-commerce purchases made by Canadian consumers, but it does include e-commerce purchases made by foreigners at Canadian operations.
For electronic shopping and mail-order houses, an estimated 95.1% of their sales are currently allocated to e-commerce. For (mostly) bricks & mortar retailers, it can be estimated that 2.6% of their total sales are attributable to e-commerce.
In the final section of the above table, (mostly) pure play operators (namely, under electronic shopping and mail-order houses) generated an estimated 60.3% of all e-commerce sales in Canada, while (mostly) bricks & mortar location-based retailers’ share of e-commerce was 39.7%.
Exterior of Aura Retail Podium. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Swedish home furnishings retailer IKEA is opening its first urban format store in Canada in downtown Toronto. The store will be located in the commercial podium of the Aura building in downtown Toronto that recently saw three restaurants vacate the main floor as well as a Bed Bath & Beyond that shut this month on the second level. The IKEA store is set to open in late 2021 or early 2022.
Ingka Centres, which also operates under IKEA’s parent company, struck a deal to acquire the commercial spaces at Aura at 382 Yonge Street following extended negotiations with the landlord. That included buying the commercial spaces as well as 110 parking spaces in the complex in anticipation of opening the urban store. For several weeks, Retail Insider was provided information on the deal while we awaited confirmation from IKEA on the new store opening. We were informed by real estate insiders that Ingka Centres was purchasing the Aura real estate in order to give IKEA a favourable lease rate while also owning the asset.
The new 66,175-square-foot Aura IKEA store will include more than 2,000 products for purchase on the sales floor that can be brought home immediately, while some larger items will be on display but will only be available for home delivery. The company says that the downtown Toronto store will not allow for “self-service furniture”.
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Exterior of Shop at Aura. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Exterior of Shop at Aura. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Exterior of Shop at Aura. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
A new food concept will be featured in the store as well as “an array of services to support a seamless shopping experience”. IKEA says more details will be released soon.
Ingka Centres acquired the Aura commercial podium from Kingsett Capital’s core strategy CREIF Fund. The podium is at the base of the Aura building — a mixed-use skyscraper co-developed by one of KingSett’s Growth Funds. It also includes a tall residential tower and a stratified basement shopping centre that some say is the worst of its kind in Canada in terms of design. The entire podium is 132,070 square feet of gross leasable area over three floors, with an operational Marshalls store occupying the third level.
“The acquisition of the Aura Retail Podium marks our entry into the Canadian market,” said Cindy Andersen, Ingka Centres Managing Director. “Downtown Toronto is a super connected and dynamic place where people live, work, study and come to meet and have fun. It is in line with our strategic vision to invest in urban locations and to be closer to our customers”.
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IKEA City Paris la Madeleine. Photo: IKEA
IKEA City Paris la Madeleine. Photo: IKEA
IKEA City Paris la Madeleine. Photo: IKEA
Some are questioning the choice of location for IKEA in downtown Toronto, including questioning the success of a furniture showroom at that particular location. Ikea’s move into downtown Toronto is part of an effort to gain market share at a time when competitors are also making inroads. Vancouver-based online furniture retailer Article, for example, has seen explosive growth and is known for its design and quality products. Quebec-based Structube as also expanded its operations while offering delivery which has increased sales. Closer to Aura in downtown Toronto, retailers such as TJX’s banners Winners, Marshalls and HomeSense all offer discounted home goods that are at comparable price points and often of better quality than that offered by IKEA.
Downtown Toronto is home to about 300,000 residents and IKEA’s inexpensive furniture offerings may be attractive to budget-conscious students living downtown. That market is expected to return when post-secondary students go back to physical classroom learning. Downtown Toronto is also home to an affluent and upwardly mobile population which may look for a more elevated product than that which IKEA offers. Some also have expressed frustration with building furniture and negative experiences with IKEA partner TaskRabbit have turned some off.
Globally, IKEA has opened 10 smaller IKEA stores in major markets including Paris, Moscow, Shanghai, and most recently, in Queens, NY. The “new city” approach aims to allow customers to shop seamlessly across all channels based on their individual needs and preferences.
IKEA Canada said that it also now offers its customers the ability to pick-up online orders closer to home at eleven Penguin Pick-Up locations across Toronto.
The new IKEA Toronto Downtown store will be IKEA Canada’s fifth store location in the Greater Toronto Area, along with existing stores in Burlington, Etobicoke, North York, and Vaughan. IKEA’s first Toronto location opened in 1977.
Retail is a constantly evolving business. Increasing margins, improving retention, and connecting with new markets are ever-present challenges. As consumers become more savvy and discover that they have more choices than ever, retailers must examine their practices to stay relevant and credible.
Leading retailers should embrace the service aspects of the industry and ask the question: How can we help you? By asking more questions about customers, learning their needs and genuinely investing in how best to meet them, you’re more likely to strike a chord that resonates in the short and long terms.
“Retail is a customer business,” says Nordstrom CEO, Erik Nordstrom. “You’re trying to take care of the customer — solve something for the customer. And there’s no way to learn that in the classroom or in the corner office, or away from the customer. You’ve got to be in front of the customer.”
Today, that translates to establishing a meaningful digital presence. The web is where consumers interact most often with brands. Being in front of the customer is only the start for retailers. Because digital marketing technology has evolved to enable brands to create curated customer experiences with relative ease and affordability, customization has become the rule rather than exception. Knowing your audience is no longer just a tactic, your audience now expects it.
In fact, 74 percent of customers feel frustrated when website content is not personalized, according to data from Instapage. A whopping 91 percent of consumers say they are more likely to shop with brands that provide offers and recommendations that are relevant to them, says Accenture. And if you’ve already adopted customization, consider this: You may not be doing enough. According to Retail Touchpoints, 36 percent of consumers say retailers need to do even more to offer personalized experiences.
To stand out in an industry with saturated marketing messaging, customization is king. According to the Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, sellers can cut through the noise with customization curated through knowledge, adaptability, and trust. Thinking through each of these factors can help you build a stronger bond with your customers.
Knowledge: Retailers should do everything possible to make certain their salespeople not only have complete information about their products and industry, but also know how to most effectively present themselves and their expertise.
Adaptability: A salesperson’s ability to ask and answer questions, to provide insightful knowledge, and to collaborate and build a long-lasting working relationship often determines whether a customer connection is made.
Trust: Engaging with customers — both existing and prospective — in a genuine way that shows you are listening is the difference between building brand loyalty and trust and becoming just another brand in the marketplace.
Listening, providing insight, and responding to a customer’s needs are all important aspects of customization. Retailers can prepare by asking themselves a few key questions:
What challenges exist for retailers in executing a virtual selling strategy?
To meet objectives for successful sales presentations, organizations face the additional challenges of training diverse individuals in their sales teams in areas such as branding, messaging, and presentation design, all of which require costly and distracting sales meetings and the additional challenge of designing training that meets individuals’ learning styles.
What customization strategies and tactics exist to help boost sales?
Give your sales team a full menu of options for tailoring content to specific client interests. By offering key messages and digital assets (videos, music, and image files) in an easily-accessible space for your team, you can stay on-brand while delivering a personalized message to every customer and prospect interaction.
Customization can range from adding a custom logo to a presentation to personalizing brand colours and assets for each individual presentation. Obtain an internal library of assets that match your brand guidelines, and provide a simple, centralized library for your image and video files so that users always have access to the latest approved assets.
Styling individual presentations with a brand’s look and feel will show extra effort and demonstrates to prospects that they aren’t just another sale. Example: California Closets, a leader in luxury space-management known for delivering custom home solutions and premium service to clients across North America (including Canada), needed a sales solution to help with digital sales efforts. Sportsdigita responded by delivering highly-customized digital catalogs and specifically creating a “favourite” feature to determine buyer preferences. California Closets’ prospects and customers can now easily access a digital showroom or catalog of possible solutions for their home and “favourite” what is of interest to them. Giving the buyer a sense of personalization while simultaneously capturing their preferences via CRM for targeted follow-up messaging — effortless retail solutions for the digital age.
Are you leveraging data integration within your presentation platform? Today, the sales process is all about automation. CRM integration capabilities and sales analytics can automate your sales process, saving valuable time and resulting in a shortened sales cycle, giving you more time to pay attention to customizing your sales approach.
How can retailers use sales enablement technology to better communicate their brand story to prospects, open more sales channels and ultimately drive more deals?
Cloud-based presentation software and solutions offer a variety of tools to deliver responsive, current, relevant content that builds trust. These software technologies give sales teams the content they need to customize every presentation using the latest knowledge for quick adaptability while delivering a superior customer experience for their consumer. Furthermore, finding an innovative approach to meeting your customers where they want to be met and giving them the tools to guide themselves down the funnel (such as “favouriting” content) can be the difference between standing out and blending in in this new digital-first era of retail business.
Angelina Lawton
Angelina Lawton, Founder and CEO of Sportsdigita, is a respected leader in the sports industry. She was recently named by Forbes as one of “The Most Powerful Women in U.S. Sports” and was a cover story feature for Inc. Magazine. Sportsdigita has disrupted the sports industry by partnering with more than 400 clients across professional sports and enterprise with its ground-breaking interactive presentation platform, Digideck. Angelina received a Bachelor of Arts with a focus in Journalism from Arizona State University and was formerly the SVP of Corporate Communications for the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.
We’re in the midst of a two-to-three year period in human history that has no doubt already been marked indelibly by the pandemic and its impacts. In future, textbooks within the halls of academia will denote these years with an asterisk as a time unlike most others when our traditional ways of doing things were usurped by a new normal and when uncertainty was the only absolute. For the retail industry, by and large, these years will be remembered for the turbulence and disruption caused by a global virus that forced an overturn of the industry’s status quo. However, increasingly, it seems that the early twenties may also be noted in the years and decades to come as a moment of pivot and shift that ushered in the true age of digitization.
Represented most predominantly by the abrupt and intense escalation of online spending by Canadian consumers and the simultaneous escalation of retailer e-commerce efforts, the past twelve or so months have yielded significantly altered shopping behaviour and preferences that have resulted in a revised retail landscape. And, as many pundits within and around the industry ponder whether or not these alterations will be sustained through to a post-pandemic world, their significance continues to grow, opening up new opportunities for retailers to expand their services in order to deliver and support the choice and options that today’s digital consumer is seeking. One of those opportunities for expansion is in the leveraging of social media as an influential and potentially powerful tool for commerce. It’s an area of growth that’s recognized by David Nagy, Co-Founder of eCommerce Canada, but one that he says is simply reflective of the progression of e-commerce and the continued development of retailers’ omnichannel strategies.
“Traditionally, social media has been an incredibly effective platform to build awareness for brands,” he says. “It’s most typically been used to reach and intercept users to make them aware of something that they may not have ever heard of before. It has for years now served a very important function in helping to fill the marketing funnel. However, this is a function that’s slowly been changing over the past few years. We’ve experienced the recent evolution of commerce in social media with more and more retailers employing a click-to-buy philosophy and the increasing inheritance and use of product data feeds to make product shoppable on social media. Social channels are becoming more attune to the data that they possess and the power and potential of that data. And, as people become more comfortable using these channels, and a trust is developed in them, it stands to reason that they’ll also become more comfortable with direct conversions through social media.”
Rise of Social Commerce
According to ReportLinker.com, the global social commerce market is projected to grow in excess of $762 billion by 2027, an increase of nearly 700 percent from it’s currently estimated $113 billion. And, it’s no wonder given the popularity of social media networks and the ever-expanding activity among their users. A report published by the Ryerson Social Media Lab in July of last year titled The State of Social Media in Canada 2020 indicates overwhelming use by Canadians, suggesting that 94 percent of adults in the country are active on at least one social media account. PayPal Canada revealed similar findings in its inaugural Social Commerce Trend Study. Conducted and released pre-pandemic, the study reflects the growing movement, stating that an estimated 47 percent of social media users in the country had already completed purchases via the various platforms, spending an average of $924 via social channels each year.
As a result of this undeniable activity, according to Canada Post’s 2020 Canadian E-Commerce Report, retailers in the country are responding. The report shows that 55 percent of retailers with e-commerce capabilities are actively selling product through the channel, with the majority leveraging Facebook (95%) to do so, followed by Instagram (69%), Twitter (14%), Pinterest (11%) and Snapchat (3%). The combination of these statistics goes a long way toward highlighting the momentum the trend is gaining. And, according to Nagy, the results of increased adoption of social media by retailers as a channel of commerce are likely inevitable, broadening the opportunities available to merchants online and the e-commerce ecosystem as a whole.
“E-commerce continues to become infinitely more complex than it once was,” he explains. “What’s so interesting about it is the diversity of the channel. Retailers are beginning to recognize that e-commerce is not just the checkout on their store. It’s not simply their deployment of Shopify or Magento or LemonStand. Today, it is any and all channels where revenue can be generated. So, e-commerce now becomes that checkout on Instagram, the product data feed that’s going to Google Shopping and activity on Amazon. Most good businesses today, if they have the opportunity, are promoting and selling product through their customer’s channel of choice. And at the moment, that could be five, six or even seven selling channels. Selling online is quite complex from that perspective, and I believe that social media is here to grab a larger piece of that pie. My expectation is that the platforms will continue to evolve and drive more sales, resulting in a larger percentage of overall retail revenue generated through the social channels.”
Accelerating the Trend
The rise in social commerce has been represented by a slow and somewhat steady curve in recent years. However, impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic have resulted in a spike in activity, serving to accelerate consumer recognition of the channel and retailers’ leveraging of it. Driven primarily by lockdowns and social distancing protocols across the country and world, social media platforms have over the past number of months helped retailers everywhere bolster their e-commerce initiatives and offering and compensate significantly for the lack of physical retail footfall and decrease in overall revenue. In short, social media has quickly become an extremely viable channel for retail growth. And, according to Garrick Tiplady, VP & Country Director, Facebook & Instagram Canada, the need for retailers to intensify their online efforts has never been greater.
“There is and should be a strong correlation between retail businesses and social media tools,” he asserts. “People are spending more and more time online, so businesses need to be online, too. This was true before the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s become even more important now. We’ve jumped forward by a decade. People all over the world are shopping online more than ever. And it seems as though this rapid rate of e-commerce adoption will likely be sustained even after the pandemic. Now, every business needs to be an e-commerce business. With the right tools, adopting a digital-first approach can open up a world of opportunity.”
Facebook Shop
To help retailers realize the opportunities available to them, Facebook recently launched Facebook Shop — a new tab on the Facebook app for daily shopping inspiration from sellers with shops on the platform, providing every merchant, from global brands to small independent businesses, the ability to set up a virtual storefront for free. The Shop browse feed helps surface multiple products, content and shops from a multitude of merchants. And, through its Commerce Manager, businesses can curate their own collections of featured products, allowing Facebook and Instagram users to discover their wares within a new, more engaging experience.
“We want to make shopping seamless and empower anyone, from a small business owner to a global company, to use our apps to connect with customers and establish their brand,” says Tiplady. “With Facebook Shop, for example, we’ve accelerated our work in commerce to build new solutions given the challenges businesses of all sizes are facing with the pandemic. We launched Facebook Shops to make it easy to set up a single online store for customers to access on Facebook and Instagram. It’s free and simple to create a Facebook Shop. Businesses choose the products they want to feature from their catalogue and brand the shop with customized colours and fonts. Shop makes it easier for businesses to set up their storefront to sell things online and creates a seamless experience from discovery to purchase, across Facebook and Instagram, and even through incorporating Messenger and WhatsApp. Many of our existing and new commerce products will now be part of Facebook Shop to help with the discovery, consideration, and purchase experience.”
Tiplady says that the speed at which retailers adapted their offering over the past year to move more of their product and services online was impressive, citing numerous examples of Canadian businesses that have started to sell, to great effect, through Facebook’s social media platforms. Bollywood Body, a Brampton-based semi-private gym, pivoted to offer virtual workouts to their online community and expanded their reach by providing online coaching to their clients globally. Vancouver-based and Indigenous-owned, Sisters Sage, relied heavily on in-person sales prior to the pandemic to sell their hand-crafted wellness products. Shifting their business online through the development of an online storefront and utilizing personalized ads to target new customers, its sales increased by more than two-and-a-half times. Based on examples like these, there seems to be little doubt as to the size of the commerce pie that social media is carving out. And its growth is rooted to a consumer shopping trend that’s only now beginning to burgeon.
Putting a Pin in it
In addition, Pinterest, one of the fastest growing social media platforms, is also concentrating much of its focus toward consistently enhancing and improving its commerce offering and capabilities and the experience for retailers and consumers alike. The site, which gained an additional 100 million users in 2020, now boasts more than 450 million monthly active users. And, according to ComScore, 13 million of those monthly visitors are Canadians. The platform allows retailers to create Product Pins that are enriched with metadata and formatted to let people on Pinterest know that they’re shoppable, providing pricing info, availability, product title and description, enabling merchants to effectively get their products in front of people who are already looking for ideas and things to buy. And, according to Dan Lurie, Head of Growth and Shopping Product at Pinterest, the social media platform continuously strives to create a unique experience for users in order to elevate brands and the products they sell.
“We are living through unprecedented times,” he exclaims. “Retailers have experienced a lot of change in their businesses over the course of the past year. As a result, e-commerce has become more important than ever to their omnichannel strategies. It’s a critical part of the reason why Pinterest is working hard to replicate the offline shopping experience for our online users. Some of the most significant pieces of the customer journey are found within moments of inspiration. Right now, online shopping seems very transactional. We want to help retailers create those same moments of inspiration on our platform, providing them with the opportunity to increase their exposure and interest in their products and services.”
Considering those moments of inspiration, more than 4.5 million ideas in the form of Pins are saved on Pinterest every day by Canadian users. And, through its unique combined use of machine learning and computer vision, the platform supports those inspirations and the shopping experience for its users while providing retailers with the opportunity to capture their attention through organic search as well as prominently placed advertisements. In addition, the social platform is also busy innovating, developing tools like its augmented reality technology which allows users to try on makeup through its app, as well as others that are currently in development, in order to enhance Shoppable Pins even further. The innovations are impressive and, as Lurie points out, are all part of Pinterest’s intention to continue developing and improving its commerce experience.
“People are generally coming to Pinterest with the same or similar mindset,” he explains. “They’re visiting to be inspired or to help inspire. And, they aren’t often visiting with branded intentions. In fact, 97 percent of searches on Pinterest are unbranded, providing incredible opportunities for businesses to acquire customers that they didn’t currently have. To help support their social commerce efforts, we have a set of features that make it really easy to set up shop on Pinterest. We recently launched our integration with Shopify, a new merchant storefront to help merchants create their social commerce presence, as well as a number of tools to help scale sales. It’s becoming increasingly imperative for retailers to make sure that their omnichannel offering is as robust as their customer’s preferences. And Pinterest’s goal is to provide a seamless way for them to incorporate social media into their e-commerce strategies.”
Another Omnichannel Option
The growth of social media over the past twelve months as a channel of commerce for retailers has been remarkable. And, although it may not reach the loftiness of predictions and projections, it seems likely at some point to transcend its traditional role as the builder of awareness at the top of the retail marketing funnel to serve a greater purpose with respect to the generation of revenue and growth. It’s also serving to an extent to shorten the online customer journey in some cases and could potentially aid in increasing notoriously low e-commerce conversion rates. In some ways, it seems as though the true value of social commerce has yet to be tapped, presenting multitudes of opportunities for brands to realize going forward. However, when it comes to the social commerce payoff for retailers and the effectiveness of their efforts, E-commerce Canada’s Nagy suggests that it will be about aligning perspectives with that of the Canadian consumer.
“Industry types come up with nomenclature for everything in order to differentiate them from one another. Digital. E-commerce. Social media. They try to parcel and package in order to design customer journeys and experiences around all of these things. And the customer is unaware of any of it. They’re agnostic to it and really couldn’t care any less. They have a need, a point of pain, a desire. And they hope to have those things fulfilled. The process of discovery can come in a lot of different ways. And depending on the day, the conversion can also come in a lot of different ways. Consumers can choose to order online from their favourite local retailer. Or, they can hop on their bike or get in their car and pick it up. So, what it comes down to for retailers is the fact that they are obligated to provide their customers with as much choice as possible in order to service them wherever they are. Social media is increasingly becoming one of those destinations for consumers, and could start to provide a more substantial stream of revenue and growth for retailers going forward. As a result, merchants will need to be active on those platforms, combining that activity with strong content and messaging to realize the full potential of the channel.”
Interior of new Lemonwood Luxury boutique in Unionville, Ontario. Photo: Lemonwood Luxury Instagram
Lemonwood Luxury, a unique apparel and accessories boutique store based in southern Ontario, continues to expand with the opening of its fifth location and plans to continue to grow the brand with more retail stores.
The latest store opening was in historic Unionville, Ontario.
“Lemonwood is primarily a retailer and wholesaler of women’s luxury apparel and accessories. We cater to a more mature market. So we have sort of a very focused view of our customer and who she is,” said Christine Peters, founder and owner of Lemonwood.
“She’s very educated and well travelled and already owns five pairs of black pants so we don’t really want to sell black pants. We want to sell something that will delight her. We source from all over the world to find the items that will delight her.”
The new store at 193 Main Street in Unionville is in the restored Hunter-Dukes House and Store c. 1850 and directly beside the renowned Unionville Arms.
The other retail locations are in Oakville (the retailer’s first one), Rosedale/Summerhill in Toronto, Collingwood, and Port Carling. It serves customers in the rest of Canada, the USA and internationally through its e-commerce offerings. Additional retail locations are currently in the planning stages, added Peters.
“We started on a side street in Oakville and quickly found out that it was a side street that people don’t usually go on. My thought was to do wholesale and to have a little retail front. And then we had the opportunity to sort of top up on a main street in Oakville and we stayed there as our flagship store. That was in 2017,” she said.
A vacant 193 Union Street before Lemonwood Luxury moved in. Photo: Sylvia Morris
“We have three more in the works that we’re looking at with the same sort of DNA structure of being in small villages and having a community presence in each of those locations. Each location has a really unique presence whether it’s in a little village or on the main street. Picturesque. That kind of destination spot. That’s what Collingwood is. That’s what Port Carling is. That’s what Unionville is. And the ones going forward. That’s where we look. We don’t want to be in malls.”
Currently, the focus is on the southern Ontario market but Peters said the company has plans to expand that in the future.
Peters has worked with smaller factories that employ and empower women. She started with a small factory in Nepal and today the company has factories it uses in India, Europe and other countries.
“These are smaller businesses that are either owned by women or run by women and employ underprivileged women in their workforce. That’s a really important part of the DNA of Lemonwood,” added Peters. “We’re trying to have sustainable fabrics, natural fabrics, and have this other narrative running through, who qualify to be one of our suppliers.”
Peters said the retailer’s philosophy is “elegance & simplicity” on all levels with Scandinavian-inspired boutiques that are bright and airy, with clean lines and uncluttered, at their core Modern Day fashion salons that emphasize personal service, that are built around all fibres wonderfully natural, including cashmere (over 100 different styles and 80 different colours of poncho wraps, scarves, shawls, sweaters and more), Italian linens, silks and bamboo and rounded out by beautiful clothing accessories (including designer masks), all curated from around the world, affordable luxuries presented by welcoming and knowledgeable personnel.
Peters said the company focused on its online business, like many other retailers, when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit.
“We gathered email addresses for a number of years and that’s really what helped us communicate to our existing clientele. That really helped. We had a loyal, loyal customer following. That really was how we got through this. The internet and communicating with our existing customers on a regular basis in a way that was meaningful and they could identify with the brand and not feel like we were hounding them for orders,” explained Peters.
“Opening up a little bit and then having to close again, it wasn’t easy. But we were getting through it. And every day it’s just trying to be creative in what we communicate and how we run our promotions and things like that to keep our customers interested in what we’re doing.”
Back in 2018, I wrote an article on the state of retail in North America after having spent more 30 years abroad. At the time, I was struck by the common narrative on the state of retail: retail is dying, long live Amazon.
Since the beginning of COVID-19, a similar narrative has spread. There is not a day that goes by when you don’t see or read about shuttered storefronts, retailers laying off employees, and retailers filing for bankruptcy or creditor protection as evidence of the economic impact of the pandemic. And once again, Amazon emerges as the leading player, albeit not quite as dominant.
However, despite real hardships for a number of retailers, looking in more detail at what has and is actually happening shows a more complex story and one where overall retail is healthy, resilient, and innovative.
Retail Remains Healthy, Growing Sector of the Economy
Prior to the pandemic, North American omnichannel retail average annual growth rates were over 4% in both Canada and the US.
2020 was no different. In the US, retail grew 3.4% with an economy that shrank by 3.5%. In Canada, overall retail sales dropped by 1.3% while the economy shrank by 5.4%. However, if we exclude the automotive part of retail (car dealerships, gas stations, etc.), retail sales in US grew by 4.1% and by 4.6% in Canada. Surprisingly healthy statistics by any measure, not those of doom and gloom.
Strong Shifts in What Consumers Buy and How They Shop
Over the last few years, consumers have changed what they buy and how they shop. Prior to COVID-19, consumers were better informed and price sensitive. They were looking for convenience, personalization, and a seamless omni-channel experience. Consumers were at the same time more focused on protecting their privacy and environmentally conscious. The pandemic accelerated these trends and new ones also emerged. Consumers have become more focused on safety, health and well-being, and community with lives revolving strongly around at-home activities.
The K shaped impact of the pandemic meant that some hard-hit households focusd on affordability — buying private labels and putting off most non-essential spending. For the other half who maintained their jobs and increased their savings in part due to strong stock and housing prices, they ended up making significant investments on house and garden improvements and hard goods purchases, such as furniture, cars, bicycles, and jewellery.
Unparalleled Innovations in Technologies
At the same time, we have been witnessing unparalleled technological innovations through AI, robotics, and big data, to name a few. These new technologies are allowing customers to experience frictionless retail and enhanced services, while allowing retailers to digitize and implement effective omni-channel operations.
Unprecedented Impact on Retailers
Prior to pandemic, two extremes were emerging among successful retailers: 1) those who focused on convenience and efficiency, such as Amazon, Alibaba, Wal-Mart, and Dollarama; and 2) at the other extreme, experiential-oriented retailers such as Starbucks, lululemon, Nike, Warby Parker, and a number of proximity retailers.
The initial phase of the pandemic strongly favored the convenience and efficiency-driven extreme, selling principally essential goods. At the same time, it adversely penalized the experience driven retailers who were mostly selling non-essential goods, and therefore saw their stores close during the different lockdowns. Those retailers finding themselves stuck in the middle and with weak balance sheets (high debt and poor cashflow), e.g. J Crew and Neiman Marcus, saw their demise strongly accelerate.
The pandemic also brought about an unprecedented increase in digital commerce, with its share of overall sales close to doubling in most countries and expected to stick post pandemic.
Despite being challenged by the impacts of the pandemic, physical retail proved more resilient than expected. Consumers flocked back to stores when they reopened, highlighting the importance of human interaction and the pleasure of physical shopping. Retailers rationalized their networks and reimagined the role of stores, with some like Walmart, Target, and Lowe’s making their stores the centrepiece of their omni-channel operations. We, therefore, saw a blurring of the lines with a strong increase in delivery from stores for online ordering, click and collect, curbside pick-ups, and new concepts like dark kitchens.
Big Winners and Losers
From the beginning, retailers focusing on convenience and efficiency have been able to take full advantage of the pandemic. As the pandemic progressed, and the -shaped impact became more apparent, retailers focused on at-home activities, health and wellness, home improvements, and big purchases of hard goods — with building material and garden supplies becoming the fastest growing segment in retail.
Other segments of retail suffered dramatically throughout the pandemic. Most newsworthy is the fashion industry, with drops of over 25% in their annual sales. Many proximity retailers were adversely affected, mainly with tight cashflow. And lastly, gas stations have had a horrible last 12 months as petrol prices tumbled and road travel slowed down with restrictions, work-from-home orders, and “staycations”.
Retail – One of the Most Innovative Sectors
These transformative years, including the pandemic, have led retail to become one of the most innovative sectors. In the last three to four years, 20%-30% of the most innovative companies, according to Fast Company’s rankings, are in the retail sector. This isn’t just due to the rise of Amazon, Alibaba, and other digital native players, but also due to more mainstream retailers like Walmart, Nike, lululemon, and tech-focused players such as Shopify and Lightspeed.
Nevertheless, the stories that touch me the most are those of small businesses that have completely pivoted their businesses to stay alive. Last summer, we, at the Bensadoun School of Retail Management (BSRM), held a Retail Innovation Competition to help local SMEs rethink and transform their businesses during and post pandemic. Student teams from all over Canada worked with four live cases. Here are three of those stories:
Café Barista – a BtoB coffee player that had to aggressively shift their focus to their online BtoC business and eventually launch a line of products in Metro supermarkets.
Food Chain – The pandemic forced them to practically close their restaurant locations focused on fast food gourmet salads. Instead of focusing on food delivery like many of their peers, they used their partnerships with local food personalities to focus on the wholesale channel with players such as Lufa farms to sell their expertise – small, but significant batches of new gourmet products at relatively affordable prices.
Can Am Fruits and Vegetables – Prior to the pandemic, they sold principally fruits and vegetables to restaurants and hotels. Within a week of the first lockdown, they launched an online offering of 500 products across all categories (e.g. meats, dairy, hygiene products, etc.). They did this on a shoe string, but focused on big orders of fresh, quality products with no frills packaging and used their existing fleet of trucks to deliver. One could think of a Costco-like online offering. This new line of business took off and exceeded their expectations.
Conclusion
Retail competition will continue to be healthy and fierce. There will be losers, for sure. But those who have worked hard to transform their operations in an omni-channel world, took risks to launch innovative businesses, and have worked hard to pamper new and growing loyal customers are emerging as winners and will have tremendous opportunities in the future. One thought provoking quote comes from McKinsey and Co. “rather than asking what benefits online can offer offline channels, players should ask how their brick-and-mortar presence can support e-commerce sales”.
In all cases, these retailers are continuously transforming their organizations to compete in the new world of omnichannel retail and to right size their organizations with the right talent. On this last point, they are all looking for new talent in areas such as performance marketing, social media, omni-channel operations, and supply chain. These are key areas of focus in all our programs at the Bensadoun School, especially the Master of Management in Retailing that we are launching in August 2021.
Charles De Brabant
Charles De Brabant joined McGill University in August 2017 to co-lead the creation of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management (BSRM). He has over 20 years experience in retail in Europe and most recently in China and South East Asia. Born and raised in Montreal, Charles holds a B. Com. from McGill, an M. Litt. in History from Oxford University and an MBA from Stanford Business School. Charles’ focus at BSRM will be on collaboration with local and international industry partners and the administration of the school.
Distillery District -March 2021 (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
Retail Insider continues its Photo Tour series of Canadian retail centres to provide a window into shopping centres and retail districts across the country that are continuing to grow and expand while dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This edition takes us to The Distillery District in Toronto.
The Distillery Historic District is a commercial and residential neighbourhood, encompassing more than 40 boutiques and one-of-a-kind shops within a 13-acre plot of land in Downtown Toronto.
We connected with the team at The Distillery District in order to create a memorable and informative article for our readers. It’s important to acknowledge and thank Elena Price, General Manager of The Distillery Historic District, and the entire team at The Distillery District. We also want to acknowledge Laurie Weir from NextPR.
The Distillery Historic District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
These images were taken over a period between March 10th and March 21st, 2021 during which Toronto was in the “Grey Zone” of a stay-at-home order and into a modified lockdown.
The History of The Distillery District
Distillery District National Heritage Site. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
The Distillery District stands on land that was originally the traditional territory of the Anishanabek First Nations (including the Mississauga of the Credit), the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat. When the British began colonizing and subdividing the land, the space now known as The Distillery District was designated as a park. In the early 1830’s the park was divided into lots and sold in order to raise funds for a Hospital.
The Distillery Historic District History
One of the first to purchase this land was James Worts, a British immigrant who had been a miller for years. His intention was to partner with his brother-in-law William Gooderham to build a windmill and make flour and use some of the grains to make beer. The windmill was completed in 1832, but Worts suddenly passed away in 1834 leaving Gooderham to manage the business and take care of both men’s families. In 1837 Gooderham decided to add a distillery to the mill to make whiskey, ultimately changing the direction of the company. After a time the sale of whiskey became more than their sales of flour and the windmill was torn down.
As the Gooderham & Worts Distillery expanded they built more buildings that could specialize in different aspects of production. This was especially helpful during the First World War when many of those additional buildings were converted to making chemicals necessary for the war effort. When Prohibition struck Canada in 1916 Gooderham & Worts were able to keep producing alcohol as the Ontario Temperance Act did not prohibit alcohol production. By 1923 the Gooderham heirs sold Gooderham & Worts Distillery to Harry C Hatch who began bootlegging and rum-running his newly-purchased whiskey all over prohibition North America. He also took the time to change the name of the company to Hiram Walker – Gooderham & Worts.
A 1939-47 Dodge delivery truck parked in the trendy Toronto Distillery District neighbourhood
G&W maintained pumps and firefighting equipment at the ready, including the giant 1895 1200-gpm steam pump on display.
Art on the side of the Grain Mills
Grain Grinding Mill Stone at The Distillery District
Eventually the alcohol production at the Toronto branch of the Hiram Walker – Gooderham & Worts company stopped and the site focused on industrial alcohols, but even that was coming to an end and by 1990 all production at the old Gooderham & Worts Distillery had ceased. After it was closed it was used periodically for movie and television shows (hits include Tommy Boy, Cinderella Man, Chicago, X-Men, Murdoch Mysteries, and many more). But the future of the area remained uncertain — many of the buildings desperately needed expensive renovations and the entire Distillery had been designated a national historic site in 1988 which limited the potential for development.
Finally in 2001, Cityscape Holdings purchased the site, and by 2003, and after extensive restoration, it reopened as a hub for arts and culture. Today it is owned by both Cityscape Holdings and Dream Office REIT and is recognized as the largest collection of Victorian-era industrial architecture in North America.
The Distillery District in 2021
The Distillery District Entrance from Parliament Street
The Distillery District Entrance from Parliament Street
The Distillery District Entrance from Parliament Street
If you look at the directory below, there are three main streets (Tank House Lane, Trinity Street, and Gristmill Lane) with additional streets that are home to hidden gems. We’ll be focusing on the retail side of the location, but it’s important to share that the restaurants and tourism offerings bring the personality of the district to life.
The Distillery Historic District – Directory March 2021The Distillery Historic District Leasing Plan – March 2021
Distillery Retail News for 2021
Incubator Pop-Up Retail Spaces
The Distillery Historic District Incubator' pop-up retail space location
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The Distillery Historic District Incubator Location. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Looking up Trinity Street from the South Parking Lot. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
This is an exclusive announcement from Retail Insider on the area, and we are excited to share it with our readers.
In 2021, The Distillery Historic District will be launching 6 ‘incubator’ pop-up retail spaces in a high-visibility location at the end of Trinity Street. These pre-built storage containers will allow for new tenants to join the Distillery community starting in early summer.
The rental opportunity is unique, as the district is offering flexible leasing terms for varying durations and allow exposure to the current customer base. The spaces will be semi-permanent, which could be interesting for future tenants to join the lineup. It’s a way for brands and entrepreneurs to try a cost-effective solution for a physical location while testing the market and developing their proof of concept.
The containers are described as having elegantly styled, front glass doors and window panels. In addition to finished ceilings, wall and flooring the units will have a full HVAC system, Hydro, and Wifi.
Former Gallery Indigena Location in Distillery District - Photos by Dustin Fuhs
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Former Gallery Indigena Location in Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Former Gallery Indigena Location in Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Although we are unable to publicly confirm the brands at this time, The Distillery District has provided us with the locations and will circle back when they are able to share with our readers.
Potential Tenant Locations
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9D on the Distillery District directory
4E on the Distillery District directory
9G on the Distillery District directory
9G on the Distillery District directory
4E on the Distillery District directory
9D on the Distillery District directory
The Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Retail Space for Lease
Former Mini Mioche Location. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Space in The Distillery District is incredibly difficult to get, so when a unit becomes available, it is definitely newsworthy.
There is currently one retail vacancy. A unit, sitting at 1,558 square feet, with 200-year-old brick interior and an exposed wood beam in the ceiling. The original doors and windows bring character into a high-traffic spot on Case Good Lanes.
Sniffany & Co. at Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Pet-focused retailer “Sniffany & Co” has expanded its Distillery store by taking over the space next to their current location, essentially doubling the square footage. The brand started in Zurich Switzerland in 2009 and opened its Distillery location in 2019.
By growing its online business and creating a social media platform, the brand has been able to grow its business offerings to include a doggy spa service. The brand has also helped to bring more products to the ever-expanding pet market, especially in the growing communities that surround The Distillery District as new residential buildings are completed.
Sniffany & Co. at Distillery District
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Sniffany & Co. at Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Sniffany & Co. at Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Retailer Spotlight
With an abundance of unique retailers and incredible interiors that make the Distillery a one-of-a-kind location, Retail Insider will be focusing on a number of spaces in particular.
Gotstyle
Gotstyle at Distillery District – March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
In 2020 and into 2021, GotStyle was forced to evolve its brand in the midst of various lockdowns and COVID requirements. In addition to closing its Bathurst location, Melissa Austria (co-owner and founder of GotStyle) documented the experience of being a business owner during the pandemic and what was going on behind the scenes.
The store carries a variety of brands in-store and online, including:
Gotstyle at Distillery District -March 2021 (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
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Gotstyle at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Gotstyle at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Gotstyle at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Gotstyle at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Gotstyle at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Gotstyle at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Gotstyle at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Gotstyle at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Gotstyle at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Gotstyle at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Gotstyle at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Gotstyle at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Gotstyle at Distillery District -March 2021 (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
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Gotstyle at Distillery District -March 2021
Gotstyle at Distillery District -March 2021
Gotstyle at Distillery District -March 2021
Gotstyle at Distillery District -March 2021
Gotstyle at Distillery District -March 2021
Gotstyle at The Distillery District -March 2021
Gotstyle at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Red Canoe
Red Canoe at Distillery District – March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Started by Dax Wilkinson, Red Canoe is home to heritage brands that we all can identify with. The current lineup includes designs from the CBC, Bushplane (Cessna & De Havilland), RCAF, Boeing, NASA, and more.
Red Canoe has another location in the Junction at 2989 Dundas Street West.
Red Canoe at Distillery District -March 2021 (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
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Red Canoe at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Red Canoe at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Red Canoe at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Red Canoe at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Red Canoe at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Red Canoe at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Red Canoe at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Red Canoe at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Red Canoe at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Red Canoe at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Red Canoe at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Corktown Designs
Corktown Designs at Distillery District – March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
One of The Distillery District’s hidden gems, Corktown Designs, is located at 5 Trinity Street and sells artwork from over 75 international and local designers and artists.
Corktown Designs at Distillery District
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Corktown Designs at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Corktown Designs at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Corktown Designs at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin FuhsCorktown Designs at Distillery District -March 2021 (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
Wildly Delicious
Wildly Delicious at Distillery District – March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Wildly Delicious has been one of Canada’s specialty food companies since 1995. The flagship retail location is located at 11 Tank House Lane and provides a huge variety of food options, including quick service take-out and local retail partnerships.
Wildly Delicious at Distillery District -March 2021 (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
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Wildly Delicious at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Wildly Delicious at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Wildly Delicious at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Wildly Delicious at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Wildly Delicious at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
The SPORT Gallery
The SPORT Gallery at Distillery District – March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
The SPORT Gallery opened in the Distillery in 2006. After an expansion in 2009, the brand found it’s current home in 2016 in a 2500-square-foot location beside Wildly Delicious and within a 3-pointer of the LOVE Locks art display. It’s also the home to Arena Coffee Bar.
On top of vintage-inspired sports apparel, the store is a must-see for folks who love to talk hockey or splurge on a piece of memorabilia. In 2020, the store made the decision to close its Granville Island store in Vancouver.
The SPORT Gallery at Distillery District -March 2021 (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
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The SPORT Gallery at Distillery District -March 2021
The SPORT Gallery at Distillery District -March 2021
The SPORT Gallery at Distillery District -March 2021
The SPORT Gallery at Distillery District -March 2021
The SPORT Gallery at Distillery District -March 2021
The SPORT Gallery at Distillery District -March 2021
The SPORT Gallery at Distillery District -March 2021
John Fluevog
John Fluevog at Distillery District – March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
John Fluevog at Distillery District -March 2021 (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
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John Fluevog at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
John Fluevog at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
John Fluevog at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
John Fluevog at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
John Fluevog at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
John Fluevog at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
John Fluevog at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
John Fluevog at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
John Fluevog at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
John Fluevog at Distillery District - March 2021. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Blackbird Vintage Finds
Blackbird Vintage Finds – Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Blackbird Vintage Finds is celebrating their decade in the Distillery District. Opened in 2011, this retail gem is stocked with vintage and unique gifts.
The store is the second retail store that owner Paula DiRenzo started, with the first being “Fleur de Terre” at Avenue and St Germain. That location ran from 2001 to 2011, just before Blackbird opened in the Distillery at 11 Trinity Street.
Blackbird Vintage Finds - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
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Blackbird Vintage Finds
Blackbird Vintage Finds
Blackbird Vintage Finds
Blackbird Vintage Finds
Blackbird Vintage Finds
Blackbird Vintage Finds
Yummi Candles
Yummi Candles in the Distillery District – Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Yummi Candles moved to its current flagship location on the main stretch of Trinity Street from a retail space at the Cherry Street entrance, and it was a great decision. The opportunity to expand the retail business along with candle-making classes brings the space to life.
Yummi Candles in the Distillery District - Photos by Dustin Fuhs
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Yummi Candles in the Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Yummi Candles in the Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Yummi Candles in the Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Yummi Candles in the Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Yummi Candles in the Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Yummi Candles in the Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Yummi Candles in the Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Gentil Uomo
Gentil Uomo in the Distillery District- Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Owner Antonio Gentilucci opened Gentil Uomo in the Distillery District back in 2012. With Chase Architecture looking after the design, the space came to life with a distinct style and loyal client base. This is the only retail location for Gentil Uomo.
Gentil Uomo in the Distillery District - Photos by Dustin Fuhs
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Gentil Uomo in the Distillery District
Gentil Uomo in the Distillery District
GW General by Biltmore Furniture
GW General by Biltmore Furniture at the Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
GW General by Biltmore Furniture at The Distillery District - Photos by Dustin Fuhs
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GW General by Biltmore Furniture at the Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
GW General by Biltmore Furniture at the Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
GW General by Biltmore Furniture at the Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
GW General by Biltmore Furniture at the Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
GW General by Biltmore Furniture at the Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
GW General by Biltmore Furniture at the Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
The Distillery Historic District Outdoor Environment During COVID
Signage
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The Distillery District Entrance Signage during COVID-19. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
GotStyle Signage. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
The Distillery District Entrance Signage during COVID-19. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
2021 is all about keeping guests and retailers safe during the ever-evolving pandemic situation. On top of creating online and curb-side pick-up and delivery options, retailers are adhering to a number of safety requirements. The current information for the Distillery can be found at their dedicated page: https://www.thedistillerydistrict.com/covid19/.
With the situation changing almost daily in Toronto, the communication has to be constant. Staff have been able to discuss support options for tenants through virtual meetings and weekly memos.
Spring & Summer Programming
Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
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Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
Distillery District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
In previous years The Distillery District has been known for its large outdoor events like music festivals and, in particular, its annual Christmas Market. These large outdoor events were cancelled in 2020 and look to be on hold for the majority of 2021, but the Distillery hopes to offer creative and socially-distanced ways to have fun outdoors.
With the addition of The Distillery District summer patios throughout the site, over 1,000 patio seats will be available. Guests can enjoy the open air in a pedestrian-only environment, while also supporting local food establishments.
The relaunch of The Distillery Flower Market is planned for the spring, and will run throughout the summer on weekends. All information on this will be posted on the website, as things can change at a moments notice with the pandemic safety protocols.
Goals of 2021 are to provide guests a variety of unique and experiential offerings in the historic open-air environment so that everyone can feel safe. The event calendar is on hold until the clearance from Public Health Ontario can be secured to host large events, which we are all looking forward to experiencing soon.
Looking Ahead
The Love Locks at the Distillery Historic District. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
We had a very interesting photo walk around The Distillery Historic District in Toronto 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.
All Photos in this article were taken by Dustin Fuhs
Discover More Related Retail Photo Tours From Retail Insider:
Trinity StreetTrinity Street SignBalzac’s at The Distillery District – March 2021 Balzac’s at The Distillery District – March 2021The Queen’s TrunkSpirit of YorkTrinity Street Storefronts, including Blackbird Vintage Finds, Skin Treats, Hoi Bo, Red Canoe and Gentil UomoThe Distillery District – March 2021 Trinity Street, including Blackbird Vintage Finds and Corktown Jewellery. Madrina Bar y Tapas and John Fluevog
