BRIEF: Victorinox Exits Mink Mile, Club Monaco Opening Store in Laval

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December 3, 2020

Victorinox Shutters Mink Mile Flagship Storefront

The three-level Victorinox store in Toronto at 95A Bloor Street West has shuttered permanently after operating for more than eight years. The store featured an expansive assortment of Victorinox-branded apparel, travel gear, watches, and Swiss Army knives that the brand is best known for. Victorinox opened the Bloor Street store, located in a corner space at St. Thomas Street, in June of 2012.

The 5,357-square-foot building is being offered for sublease by JLL Canada. The main floor and second floors span 1,787 square feet each, with the third floor spanning 1,783 square feet. The basement level adds an additional 1,783 square feet and the previous tenant used it for back-of-house activities.

Exterior of Victorinox store on Bloor Street. Photo: Craig Patterson

The 95A Bloor building has housed various retailers over the years. In 1956 the building was renovated to house a Georg Jensen storefront – Georg Jensen is a highly respected silversmith from Denmark that once had several stores in Canada. In 2005 Sporting Life moved into the space for a time, followed by tenants including Far Coast Café and eyewear retailer ILORI.

Victorinox was founded in 1884 in Switzerland as a knife manufacturer. In 1909 founder Karl Elsenser named the company ‘Victoria’ in honour of his late mother. In 1921 the company adopted the Swiss coat of arms for its logo and changed its name to ‘Victorinox’, a combination of “Victoria” and “inox”, an abbreviation for acier inoxydable, the French term for stainless steel. In 2014, Victorinox acquired the TRG Group from Centric Group. For several years, TRG Group was the Victorinox licensee for the manufacturing of luggage and travel oriented products. Victorinox integrated TRG Group in the company as the Victorinox Travel Gear division. In 2017 Victorinox decided to close the apparel division with the purpose of focusing in other core product lines.

Hoarding around new Club Monaco store at CF Carrefour Laval. Photo: Maxime Frechette

Club Monaco Opening Store at CF Carrefour Laval

Iconic Canadian-founded fashion brand Club Monaco will open a store this month at CF Carrefour Laval near Montreal. It’s the first new Club Monaco store to open in recent memory in Canada.

The store will replace Vero Moda in a 3,177-square-foot space near La Maison Simons. We’ll report back when the store opens, as we’re not yet aware what Club Monaco’s new store concept will look like. Club Monaco is marking 35 years in 2020.

Map of CF Carrefour Laval showing location of new Club Monaco store

CF Carrefour Laval is considered to be the leading suburban shopping centre in Montreal in terms of brands and per square foot productivity.

Club Monaco was founded in 1985 by Joe Mimran, Saul Mimran, and designer Alfred Sung. The company was bought by Ralph Lauren in 1999. Club Monaco is known for its well designed casual clothing. Club Monaco operates stores throughout Canada primarily in shopping malls and the retailer also has several street front and outlet stores. Club Monaco also has stores in the United States, UK, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, South Korea, and Sweden.

Exterior of Läderach store in the CF Toronto Eaton Centre. Photo: Läderach

World Chocolate Master Elias Läderach Fills Winter Holiday Party Void With Exclusive Virtual Swiss Chocolate Factory Experience

Chocolate lovers looking for new ways to celebrate and connect safely this winter holiday season can virtually bring the World Chocolate Master, Elias Läderach, into their homes for an exclusive Swiss Chocolate Factory tour and tasting.

For the first time, the leading premium Swiss Chocolate retailer, Läderach, will virtually transport viewers to their chocolate factory in the Swiss alps for a behind-the-scenes look at how their hand-crafted holiday chocolate creations are made from the bean-to-the chocolate shop. At the end of the tour, Elias will guide a holiday chocolate tasting. The virtual event, available in English and German, will kick off on November 28th and be accessible to view until December 31st at www.laderach.live.

“This holiday season, we could all use some extra sweetness to indulge ourselves with deliciously fresh chocolate,“ said Elias Läderach, World Chocolate Master. “My brother and I are excited to host chocolate lovers from around the globe to our chocolate factory in Switzerland for a fun, immersive way to help kick-off their holiday celebration and change the way they taste chocolate.”

Läderach opened its first store in Canada about a year ago at CF Toronto Eaton Centre.

IKEA Collection Lockers. Rendering: IKEA

IKEA Canada Launches New Collection Locker Initiative in GTA

IKEA Canada has launched the company’s first-ever IKEA Collection Lockers in North America at its four Greater Toronto Area (GTA) stores in Burlington, Etobicoke, North York, and Vaughan.

The new $5 flat rate Collection Locker service enables customers to select and buy purchases online and pick up their goods 24/7, without having to enter the store.

Located in store parking lots, the new service is one of the many ways IKEA is transforming to create an easier and more convenient shopping experience. The new service features barrier-free access with a low-mount screen and lockers to fit orders of any size

The home furnishing retailer is moving with speed to meet the rapidly changing needs and expectations of customers, always striving to offer a seamless retail experience wherever and whenever customers choose to shop. In addition to the launch of Collection Lockers, this year IKEA introduced new services including contactless Curbside Click & Collect and remote planning for Kitchens, Bathrooms, Wardrobes, and Offices.

Health and safety continue to be a top priority for IKEA Canada. Collection Lockers provide an additional, contactless way to shop and remain open outside IKEA Etobicoke and North York stores, which have temporarily closed to customers. Curbside Click & Collect also remains available for customers to pick-up orders placed online at these stores.

Interior of new Gosselin store. Photo: Gosselin

Gosselin Announces the Opening of a New Store and a More Than $2 million Investment in Downtown Montreal

Gosselin, the largest photo and video equipment retailer in Quebec and one of the largest in Canada, has opened a new store in downtown Montreal. This new sales outlet will sit at the corner of Ste-Catherine and Bleury Streets, at the former location of Musique Plus. With a team of 15 employees, the store will offer a wide selection of photo and video products, a classroom, equipment rentals, used equipment purchasing and sales, and a dedicated photo printing area.

The 5,000-square-foot space will be Gosselin’s fifth store in Quebec. This opening marks a milestone in Gosselin’s growth strategy. The investment of more than $2 million is expected to boost Gosselin Photo’s revenue by more than 25%.

New Luminaire Authentik showroom in Toronto. Photo: Luminaire Authentik

Custom Lighting Brand Luminaire Authentik Opens in Toronto

Innovative custom lighting company Luminaire Authentik has opened a new showroom in Toronto’s Leslieville neighbourhood at 1027 Queen St. E. – the first for the company outside of Quebec.

Founded in 2015 by Québécoise entrepreneur Maude Rondeau, Luminaire Authentik has become known for its Scandinavian aesthetic, made-in-Canada craftsmanship, and its’ limitless customization options. Luminaire Authentik puts creativity and personalization in the hands of clients by providing a 360-degree design experience —from initial hand-drawn designs to the manufacturing and production of the final product in their Eastern Townships, QC facility. Within each category (pendant, wall-mount, free-standing, and outdoor) there are infinite customizable options, including shape, finish, colour and more. The company even offers a 3D mix & match concept tool to help bring each combination to life.

Luminaire Authentik’s Toronto showroom opened last month and is now available for private appointments, limited to one client at a time for a completely personalized experience. In the wake of the pandemic, the company has also introduced fully virtual consultations for those who aren’t able to visit the showroom in person. Retail stores in Toronto are expected to open December 2020.

Exterior of new Moncton Planet Fitness location. Photo: Planet Fitness

First Planet Fitness in Atlantic Canada Coming to Moncton

In celebration of its fifth anniversary in the Canadian market Planet Fitness, one of the largest and fastest-growing global franchisors and operators of fitness clubs, with more members than any other fitness brand, announced the opening of a new club at 80 Mapleton Rd.in Moncton. This will be the first Planet Fitness club to enter the city of Moncton, and the first-ever club in the Atlantic region.

The new Moncton location is approximately 21,000 square feet, and will offer brand new cardio machines, new fully-equipped locker rooms with day lockers and showers, many full-size flat-screen televisions, a 30-minute express circuit, two massage chairs, two hydro lounges, two hydro beds, stand up and lay down tanning beds, and one Total Body Enhancement booth. The club will be open and staffed 24 hours, seven days a week. The new location is due to officially open its doors in late December 2020

Planet Fitness is currently accepting memberships during its presale for just $1 down online at planetfitness.ca and on-site at the presale office located next door to the club. Members can join through December 16, 2020 for just $1 down and then as little as $15 a month, plus a $39 annual fee.

Exterior of Eataly in the Manulife Centre on Toronto’s Bloor Street. Photo: Craig Patterson

The Embassy of Italy in Canada, the Italian Trade Commission in Toronto, and Eataly Partner to Promote Eat, Shop, Learn Italian-Style

The Embassy of Italy in Canada, the Italian Trade Commission in Toronto, and Eataly Toronto have announced a joint project as part of a worldwide initiative of the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The campaign’s focus is to highlight the unique characteristics of “Made In Italy” products and, above all, their authenticity and the distinctive traits that make them stand out in the minds of Canadian consumers.

The partnership was announced to coincide with the Fifth Annual Week of Italian Cuisine in the World (November 23-29, 2020) which was dedicated this year to the memory of Italian food writer Pellegrino Artusi, also known as a father of Italian Cuisine and author of ‘Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well’.

Eataly will highlight both the products available in-store and new entries that will complement the richness, diversity, and quality that Eataly has been synonymous with for many years. Consumers will learn about Italian products through seminars and tastings held at the Eataly Toronto location. The promotion will kick off in January and span all of 2021. Information on the campaign, products, and activities will be forthcoming on Eataly’s website, digital channels, and in-store.

On-Demand Webinar: The New Retail Restructuring Playbook

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Retail Insider

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December 3, 2020

Graphic interface showing many retail outlets

Retail restructurings have drawn a lot of attention in recent months, with insolvency filings by big-name retailers such as Aldo, Reitmans, Laura, DAVIDSTea, and Mountain Equipment Co-op. Many more are hanging on by just a thread and will need to obtain creditor protection imminently.

Join Insolvency Insider for the informative half-hour discussion in which an expert panel looks at how retail restructurings have changed in 2020 and what the new retail restructuring playbook is shaping up to be. Covered, among other things, include the following:

Financing structures retailers are turning to in order to increase liquidity and avoid the need to file for creditor protection for as long as possible.
New measures of relief that are being requested and granted by the courts, including forms of rent relief, landlord charges and reverse claims processes.
Canadian landlords’ current appetite to work with retailers, the concessions they have been making in restructurings and the panel’s expectation that landlords will start taking a more activist role in retail insolvencies in order to, among other things, protect their co-tenancy provisions.
The latest strategies for liquidating inventory, including changing sales guidelines and liquidation services agreements.
The biggest obstacles that need to be overcome in retail restructurings in the current environment, including:
- challenges with moving to an online strategy; and
- planning for and dealing with a potential second wave and other pandemic-related uncertainties.

The panel’s predictions on what the next 6 to 12 months will hold for retailers.

Insolvency Insider logo

Panelists include:

• Martin Rosenthal, Eastern Canada region Managing Partner – Strategy and Transactions, Ernst & Young Inc.

• Sandra Abitan, Montreal Office Managing Partner and Insolvency & Restructuring Partner, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

• Bradley Snyder, Executive Managing Director, Tiger Capital Group, LLC

Register now to be involved in the timely discussion which will be invaluable to anyone that works in, or has clients in, the retail industry. Insolvency Insider will continue to run webinars during this challenging time, as trends and legal updates continue to change.

[Register/Watch the On-Demand Webinar]

Combining Traditional Retail and Ecommerce: How Supply Chain Data is Key to Omnichannel Success

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Retail Insider

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December 3, 2020

Entrepreneur in warehouse working on holistic omnichannel strategies

By Alex Sampera, VP Product Management at Descartes

In the wake of COVID-19, retailers have had to navigate a tidal wave of logistical and operational challenges. While Statistics Canada reported that Canadian retail sales increased 23.7% in June ($53 billion) to pre-pandemic levels—a hopeful turn for the industry—reduced in-store traffic (for some brands) and a jump in online shopping further underscores the need for stronger ecommerce operations moving forward. In fact, a COVID-19-focused Deloitte study found that more than half (52%) of the Canadian consumers surveyed said they’re more likely to buy online, and Statista has previously forecasted that Canadian consumers will increasingly rely on the internet to place orders, with nearly 24 million users expected to shop online by 2021.

Successful brands today are investing in either pure online or holistic omnichannel strategies. Without a vaccine in place and therefore no definitive “end” to the pandemic, retailers that have yet to adapt will face greater issues in the year ahead and even further down the line. For those focused on omnichannel success, reimagining sustainable business models that grow revenue and keep costs down requires a blend of traditional retail and ecommerce strategies, tactics and technologies, including in the supply chain where major roadblocks can prove detrimental and costly.

One way to address the supply chain challenge is through a simple, yet often complex resource: data.

Siloed Supply Chain Data is a Barrier to Success

Since retail and ecommerce teams often function independently from each other, the data these teams use to measure and optimize business success is also inherently compartmentalized. Take, for instance, data on transportation performance across modes. The rise in ecommerce fulfillment volumes has left some retailers spending drastically more on transportation as a percentage of sales. Ecommerce shipping modes are significantly more expensive than their brick and mortar equivalents, which leaves retailers absorbing much more cost to maintain revenues. As a result, understanding this cost is an obvious imperative for retailers. Layer in omnichannel transportation modes to replenish stores, store fulfillment, BOPIS, etc., and this becomes a difficult task. With disparate sources of transportation data that typically require significant manual manipulation to generate a meaningful level of supply chain visibility and insight, it’s almost impossible to calculate the actual cost to serve customers in different channels.

As retailers continue to adapt, they need to be much more strategic in leveraging technology to support multimodal transportation strategies and evaluate mode choices. For example, to create more agile, low-cost store distribution operations, retailers must rely more heavily on transportation and 3PL-centric services to move inventory from distribution center (DC) to store. Now, parcel and pool distribution might be better options for cost and service. Pool distribution technology leverages economies of scale through multiple retailers using the same transportation services to make deliveries to the same location. Some retailers even leverage their pool providers for ecommerce fulfillment to again improve capacity and responsiveness, but also to minimize store inventory and transportation costs. With one platform to track the movement of goods over both parcel and pool networks, retailers have real-time supply chain visibility into any store replenishment shipment (down to the item level) from the moment inventory leaves the DC all the way through to receipt at the store.

Connecting Teams and Their Supply Chain Data

By managing transportation holistically and driving visibility across sales channels and transportation costs, retailers are better positioned to increase overall omnichannel profitability. This requires much stronger collaboration between traditional retail and ecommerce disciplines and working with one source of data that aggregates carrier data across different supply chain operations. In doing this, brands can better track end-to-end transportation performance and gain valuable insights.

To support these efforts, some retailers are implementing automated notifications in their supply chain operations. While customers are often notified of delivery delays during the last mile, these types of alerts can extend further back in the supply chain to identify issues earlier and increase visibility into all stages of the distribution cycle. Insights based on the ability to track specific transportation metrics such as origins, cartons, and touches per order, as well as performance-based metrics tied directly to distribution channel (i.e., DC to consumer vs. ship from store to consumer) also help retailers make more data-driven decisions. With more detailed and granular data that is easily accessible, including SKU-level transportation cost information, retailers can more accurately account for product markup or shipping fees for various service levels, understand loss or profit by product category, and determine cost and revenue across areas like sales channel, carrier, geography, and service level.

The stress exerted on the retail industry by COVID-19 requires companies to have supply chain operations that are even more agile than before. While the rise of ecommerce has undoubtedly opened new opportunities for brands, the pressure is on for retailers to set their logistics operations up for success. By unifying data sources for greater supply chain visibility, companies will be able to streamline omnichannel execution while lowering costs during these unprecedented times.

BRIEF: Jeweller Opens 1st Permanent Store, Pink Tartan Shuts Toronto Flagship

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Retail Insider

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December 2, 2020

Danish Jeweller ‘Pilgrim’ Unveils 1st Permanent Canadian Store in Montreal

Danish jewellery brand Pilgrim has opened its first permanent storefront in Canada in downtown Montreal. It follows last year’s openings of two Pilgrim pop-up stores in the Montreal area that proved successful.

The new Montreal Pilgrim boutique is located at Place Montreal Trust located on Ste-Caterine Street. The boutique is 504 square feet in a prime corner retail space next to a Swarovski jewellery store. Place Montreal Trust is part of what would normally be a high-traffic area amongst office buildings, hotels, and department stores. An initial five-year lease was signed as part of the lease deal for the Pilgrim space, spelling confidence in the longer-term outlook for the brand in the Quebec market.

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Annemette Markvad and Thomas Adamsen founded Pilgrim in 1983. The product was initially sold at music festivals and music is still an inspiration with many designs. The “Scandi-cool approach to design” is found in a range of jewellery, watches, and sunglasses. Prices are very reasonable with many items priced under $100.

Last year Pilgrim opened two pop-up stores in the Montreal area. One was at Place Montreal Trust in a different space near the current store. The other opened at the Quartier DIX30 commercial centre in Brossard with a one year lease.

Pink Tartan Closes Yorkville Flagship

Pink Tartan store in Yorkville. Photo: Dustin Fuhs

Toronto-based fashion brand Pink Tartan is clearing out its Toronto flagship store at 77 Yorkville Avenue. The store had operated in the converted heritage building since 2010 in a space formerly occupied by the Paisley Shop.

The 3,500-square-foot store contained a mix of Pink Tartan fashions and some vintage luxury designer products from brands such as Chanel. The Yorkville Avenue building includes a heritage home built in 1867 as well as a contemporary addition facing onto Bellair Street. We’ll soon announce the replacement tenant for the retail property which was put on the market earlier this year.

Pink Tartan was founded by Kimberley Newport-Mimran and her husband Joe Mimran in 2002. The upscale women’s ready-to-wear collection has been carried in stores such as Hudson’s Bay. Pink Tartan also had a store at Bayview Village which closed several months ago.

The remaining brick-and-mortar Pink Tartan location is an outlet store at the Outlet Collection at Niagara near Niagara Falls. Pink Tartan also has an e-commerce site.

Uniqlo Opening 2nd Montreal-Area Store at CF Carrefour Laval

Rendering of Uniqlo store at the Montreal Eaton Centre. Rendering: Uniqlo

Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo announced on Wednesday that it will open its second Montreal-area store at CF Carrefour Laval. It is expected to open in a retail space vacated by Renaud Bray books which is about 20,000 square feet.

It follows the opening of Canada’s largest Uniqlo store in downtown Montreal this fall. The two-level flagship at Montreal Eaton Centre spans more than 40,000 square feet.

The CF Carrefour Laval Uniqlo store will be the 15th location in Canada. Uniqlo opened its first store in Canada at CF Toronto Eaton Centre in Toronto, followed by Yorkdale. Uniqlo now operates eight stores in the Greater Toronto area, four in the Vancouver area, one at West Edmonton Mall that opened last year as well as the downtown Montreal flagship.

Jeff Berkowitz of Aurora Realty Consultants represents Uniqlo as broker in Canada and he negotiated all of Uniqlo’s store leases in Canada.

Two Coffee Concepts Announced for The Post in Vancouver

Exterior of 'The Post' in Vancouver. Rendering: QuadReal — Exterior of ‘The Post’ in Vancouver. Rendering: QuadReal

QuadReal is redeveloping the former Canada Post hub in downtown Vancouver. Called ‘The Post’, the massive development will include 185,000 square feet of retail space which will include a 45,000-square-foot Loblaws City Market store and a 25,000-square-foot food hall, among other tenants. QuadReal has announced that two new coffee shops will open at The Post when it is finished in summer/fall 2023.

Calgary-based Deville Coffee will occupy 1,100 square feet located in The Post’s Atrium. Deville is a popular coffee chain with eight locations in Calgary. The Post location marks the first for the B.C. market. Jason Cunningham, Cofounder of Deville Coffee said, “We are extremely excited to be part of The Post, and we felt it was the perfect showcase to introduce Deville Coffee to Vancouver. It is the first lease we have signed in the province, and it represents a great first step for us, positioning our brand in the market”. Besides beverages such as coffee, the café will feature pastries delivered fresh daily from Vancouver’s finest bakeries, and a menu of sandwiches and other goods.

Buro The Espresso Bar beverages. Photo: Buro The Espresso Bar

Deville Coffee shop. Photo: Deville Coffee — Buro The Espresso Bar beverages. Photo: Buro The Espresso Bar

Vancouver-based Buro The Espresso Bar will also open at The Post in the Atrium, leading into the food hall. It was founded in Vancouver’s Gastown area and has been featured in historic buildings that revived and energized their neighboruhoods. For The Post, Buro will design finishes engineered and tailored to match The Post architectural features and feature exclusive sustainably grown coffees.

The Post’s largest tenant will be Amazon, which will employ several thousand people in over 1.1 million square feet of space.

Noize Opens 2 Montreal-Area Pop-Ups as it Looks to Toronto

Exterior of Noize store at the Rockland Centre in Montreal. Photo: Noize

Montreal-based vegan outerwear brand Noize has opened two pop-up stores near Montreal. One is at Centre Rockland in Montreal spanning 1,427 square feet and the other is at Quartier DIX30 in Brossard spanning 1,752 square feet. Both will remain open until March 2021 and the leases could be extended into next summer.

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The pop-ups are being used to test the market and showcase the brand’s FW 2021 collections, and the Toronto area is next in line for Noize pop-up stores. The company said that a tangible experience is important while also offering a robust online offering.

Noiz uses PETA approved vegan furs, vegan wool and leather alternatives while using recycled fill and recycled plastic in designs. Jackets are water and wind resistant. Prices are very reasonable compared to competitors. Most jacket styles on Noize’s website are under $300, and many are currently on sale.

Brokerage Oberfeld Snowcap represented Noize in the lease deals.

Competition is fierce in the outerwear space in Canada. Wuxly Movement and Norden Project both make vegan outerwear at a higher price point when compared to Noize. Canada Goose, Moose Knuckles, Mackage, True Outliers, and others, with jackets more in the $1,000 range, use real fur and down.

Circle Craft Christmas Market Encourages British Columbian’s to Shop Local

With craft fairs across the British Columbia being cancelled or going virtual, including the popular Circle Craft Christmas Market, Granville Island’s own Circle Craft is supporting struggling local artists who have lost income due to the lack of in-person markets with their new #ShopYourCircle campaign. Challenging holiday shoppers to do all their gifting from local artists and businesses within 50km of their homes, the campaign features local artists, including:

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Yookyoung Yong: A Korean ceramics artist based in Vancouver, Yookyoung creates handcrafted clay pieces set to inspire. Several of her cups and bowls are currently used in local Marriott restaurants.
Chi Cheng Lee: Working with sterling silver, gold, and semi-precious stone, Chi designs and crafts her unique jewellery pieces in her West Vancouver studio while combining traditional Eastern themes with Western modernism.
Minori Takagi: Born in Shizuoka, Japan, glass artist Minori Takagi uses Tombodama (glass beads created through ancient lampworking techniques) to create one-of-a-kind pieces, including her fan-favourite lilly earrings and necklace set.
Mary Fox: As a world-renowned self-taught potter, Ladysmith’s Mary Fox creates both functional and purely decorative works that focus on expressing the beauty and strength of pure form. She has recently released a new book entitled “My Life As a Potter” and is currently working on a legacy project for young ceramics artists.

Supporting local has never been so important. By shopping handcrafted and one-of-a-kind gifts made from local artisans, you can feel good knowing you are directly supporting people in your own community during this difficult time. Find a wide variety of gifts ranging from $20 and up in the Circle Craft Gallery, including handcrafted jewellery, homegoods, ceramics, and much more.

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Canadian Mall Owners Could Acquire Key Retail Tenants: Expert

By

Mario Toneguzzi

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December 2, 2020

An American business executive says Canadian mall owners are well-positioned to acquire key retail tenants in their portfolios in the months ahead to keep them operating rather than face the prospect of closure.

Bradley Snyder, Executive Managing Director of Tiger Capital Group, who is based in Boston, said large Canadian landlords are a very finite group.

“I deal with them day in and day out with things like signage and going out of business sales and we know them well. And they’re also backed on the one hand by Ontario teachers, OMERS and Caisse de dépôt and RioCan public. You’ve got landlords, a finite group, with significant backing behind them notwithstanding that there’s been layoffs with those landlords,” said Snyder.

“They’ve got large resources behind them. And what we’re seeing in the States is Simon Property Group is coming in and acquiring various of their significant tenants and the reason they’re doing that is to protect their co-tenancy provisions. So things like Aeropostale, Brooks Brothers and there was interest in JC Penney. I think Brookfield and Simon were involved in that.

“But even on the Canadian landscape we’ve seen it. Years ago, maybe five years ago, we saw Cadillac come in and they did a DIP (debtor in possession) facility to Laura Shoppes and that was unusual back then. But I just see more interest in that now and the reason Cadillac did it then was that Laura Shoppes wanted to close a good number of stores and the quid pro quo was that we will give you the DIP financing but you will not close any stores in Cadillac properties. You’ll close other stores. There was a reason they did it and there are strategic reasons on the Canadian retail landscape now as all of these landlords are looking at their retail properties and figuring out the best way to basically salvage them. And one of the tactics we’re seeing in the States, and it makes a lot of sense in Canada, is for these landlords to come in and take more aggressive positions vis a vis the retailers.”

Snyder said that if a landlord comes in and protects a significant player they’ve got to look at the leases, at the co-tenancy provisions. Let’s say there are two players in a mall that if they go out of the mall then all the specialty stores have the right to terminate their leases. If that’s the case, landlords want to do what they can to protect those two major players so they don’t leave the mall and trigger the co-tenancy provisions in all the other leases.

“It’s really a defensive play and that’s the major advantage. I’m not suggesting that somebody like RioCan is in the business of running retailers. They’re not. But on the other hand if they can co-invest with a group that consists of an operating company to run the retailer and somebody to buy the intellectual property, and exploit the intellectual property, and they can help salvage by changing the terms of the lease or investing in that retailer, they can help salvage that lease so that others aren’t triggered, that’s a huge advantage for them,” he said.

Snyder said he has been involved in Canada since 1998 and did the final Eaton’s financing and the final Eaton’s liquidation. Over the years, he’s been involved in many retail acquisitions in Canada.

Eaton’s Closing in Burlington. Photo: Eaton’s

“We know the underlying value of assets and it’s not just retail assets. It’s also industrial . . . With that we do multiple things. We provide all the asset based lenders valuations off of which they lend. We have a liquidation business off of which we write guarantees and we write cheques. Not just retail but also commercial, industrial, oil and gas, etc.,” said Snyder.

“We have a finance business where we generally do the more aggressive last out financing. So an ABL provider may come in and put 50 cents down and we may do eight cents behind them but it provides additional liquidity to the borrowers.

“All these things are inter-related. It’s knowing the value of the assets and we buy and we sell and we finance.”

As more retailers face insolvency and possibly bankruptcy, Snyder said Canadian landlords are going to become more interested and involved in the process.

Snyder recently participated in a retail-focused webinar hosted by Insolvency Insider. It was called “The New Retail Restructuring Playbook“.

During that webinar, Snyder said Canada is going into a stage of uncertainty with many wondering if businesses are going to shut down or stay open.

He said landlords are taking a more activist role in the bankruptcies and insolvencies. He cited the fact that Brooks Brothers was acquired by Simon and a brand company.

“I expect that will happen a lot more in Canada because the landlords, few in numbers, are backed of course by OMERS and the large pension funds and have the cash to do it versus in the States there have been several bankruptcies of REITs in the past week. So Simon is certainly flush with cash, but not all of the landlords are.”

Snyder noted that there’s “no one in the towers downtown in Montreal or Toronto. Those stores are hurting. There’s just no traffic.”

Hudson’s Bay to Shutter Suburban Montreal Store at Jardins Dorval

By

Craig Patterson

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December 1, 2020

Hudson's Bay store in Les Jardins Dorval. Photo: Henry MacNeil

The Hudson’s Bay store at Les Jardins Dorval in suburban Montreal will be closing in September of 2021. It’s the third confirmed closure for a Hudson’s Bay store in Canada this year, following the announcements that the downtown Edmonton and downtown Winnipeg Bay stores would also shut forever.

The 103,576 square foot two-level Les Jardins Dorval Bay department store location has been operational for about 66 years. On April 29, 1954, the space opened as an upscale Morgan’s department store. In 1969 the store was destroyed by a fire and it was rebuilt in 1970 under Hudson’s Bay Co. ownership — HBC acquired the Morgan’s chain in 1960 and converted Morgan’s to the Bay in 1972.

Closed sign on The Hudon's Bay at Les Jardins Dorval. Photo: Henry MacNeil — Closed sign on The Hudon’s Bay at Les Jardins Dorval. Photo: Henry MacNeil

When Jardins Dorval opened in 1954, the strip mall had 35 stores and was anchored by Morgan’s and a Steinberg’s supermarket. Ivanhoé Cambridge was the developer of Jardins Dorval which is now managed by CentreCorp Management and houses about 60 retail spaces, many lacking tenants. Anchors include an 80,808 square foot Walmart store and a 53,032 square foot Maxi store.

Future of Jardins Dorval in Question With Hudson’s Bay Shuttering

The future of Jardins Dorval is in question with the shuttering of its Bay department store. Lease plans indicate numerous vacancies. Les Jardins Dorval is the oldest shopping centre on Montreal’s West Island and spans about 365,000 square feet. The southern portion of the Jardins Dorval property will be redeveloped with multi-family residential buildings and there’s a possibly that the existing shopping centre could eventually be demolished for further site intensification.

On Monday of this week, Hudson’s Bay closed its iconic 675,000-square-foot flagship store in downtown Winnipeg, which operated there for about 94 years. The store was supposed to close in February of 2021, and many are surprised that it was shut before the Christmas shopping rush. Hudson’s Bay is also expected to soon close its 168,000-square-foot store in downtown Edmonton at Edmonton City Centre.

Map of Les Jardins Dorval — Floor Plan of Les Jardins Dorval

Hudson’s Bay has been in the news recently for a variety of reasons. The company hasnt’ been paying rent for many of its stores in Canada since April, claiming that shopping centre landlords are not maintaining “first class properties”. Litigation is ongoing, with HBC and landlords both suing. Some landlords have attempted to evict Hudson’s Bay from some properties and some judges have granted injunctions which include Hudson’s Bay having to pay some outstanding rents in order to continue with the litigation.

In October we reported that Les Jardins Dorval’s owner, Toronto-based Dorval Property Corporation, was suing the Hudson’s Bay Company for about $660,000 for unpaid rents. The monthly rent that HBC was paying for the Dorval building was about $60,000 per month. A judge in Quebec recently ordered HBC to pay $120,000 for October and November 2020 rents, and that rent be paid moving forward — it would appear that won’t be for long, however.

Last week, Hudson’s Bay’s president Iain Nairn said in a webinar with Retail Council of Canada that Hudson’s Bay is looking to downsize its physical retail footprint while expanding its online offerings while looking to redevelop some store properties. Some existing Hudson’s Bay stores will be downsized to become something of a ‘showroom’ concept with some retail space being converted for online order fulfillment. Hudson’s Bay also recently announced that it launched a real estate development arm, and the company is looking at some properties with an eye to making money from non-retail uses. In downtown Montreal, the flagship Baie store could see the addition of a residential tower, for example, which would create a built-in customer base for the adjacent Hudson’s Bay store.

We’ll continue to follow this story.

Canadian Jewelry Brand Suetables Opens 4th Store Amid Growing Popularity

By

Mario Toneguzzi

-

December 1, 2020

Interior of Suetables store. Photo: Suetables

Canadian jewelry brand Suetables, which has gained international attention with its product worn by Meghan Markle, is launching its latest retail location in Vancouver’s South Granville area at 2715 Granville Street.

It is the company’s fourth store in Canada with two other locations in Toronto and one in Montreal as well as a strong online presence.

“We are grateful to be expanding and growing our little Canadian business during one of the world’s toughest retail periods. In a world of technology, machines and mass production, we create smaller design runs and hand-stamped jewelry, in person for those who choose to visit us, working with customers to create something unique. We are the only ones in Canada, and maybe even North America, personalizing on site, such high-quality pendants,” said Sue Henderson, the retailer’s owner and designer.

“We were the first to do this in Canada in 2004 as I was looking for a necklace to celebrate my own children. Suetables started as a basement hobby and with a lot of love and hard work it has grown into what it is today. We are grateful for our communities and team. We are excited to bring this to Vancouver. Now more than ever – people are looking for meaningful ways to mark moments. The West Coast has always beckoned – my father was born in Vancouver and grandfather lived in Vancouver once upon a time.

Interactive Google Map of 2715 Granville St and surrounding area

“If you don’t throw it out there, it won’t come back to you. No one will give us the life we really want; we have to ask for it.”

“I can see us opening more stores but given what’s in front of us right now we’re focused on opening the Vancouver store.”

Suetables Known for Personalizing Jewelry on the Spot

She said the retailer differentiates itself from the rest of the market because it personalizes jewelry right on the spot. It doesn’t carry any costume jewelry.

Henderson said the first store opened in 2016 in Toronto. That Mount Pleasant store was turned into a flagship store at 2525 Yonge Street in October 2018. Suetables also operates stores at 363 Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto and at 1314 Greene Avenue in Westmount/Montreal.

“We don’t know for sure but as far as we know we’re the only ones in Canada personalizing such high-quality pendants,” said Henderson.

Exterior of Suetables store in Toronto's Roncesvalles neighbourhood. Photo: Suetables — Exterior of Suetables store in Toronto’s Roncesvalles neighbourhood. Photo: Suetables

“Part of it is nobody wants to hit a $200 pendant and spell something wrong or put it in a wrong spot. Then it’s garbage. That’s part of it. The other part of it is we’ve just been doing this for a long time so we’ve got a skill set where we train people to do it.”

Henderson said the company launched a new website recently after the first lockdown. It realized that many of its customers did move online. That made the retailer realize that it needed an even better, more intuitive website.

Suetables offers modern crafted jewelry with unique stories, much of which is hand stamped on the spot. Jewelry pieces range from solid gold and sterling silver to gold filled and rose gold vermeil. In a trend that marries old-age crafting techniques with modern shapes, their affordable, accessible and high-quality jewelry embodies ‘modern craft’ – old artisan sensibilities with contemporary graphic shapes and designs.

The four retail shops – which have new products weekly – include a “design bar” which enables customers to mix and match charms, letters and words of their choice. Suetables’ trained staff letter presses onto sterling silver, gold vermeil or 10K gold charms while clients browse both the Suetables line and curated good-vibe collaborations. The company ships world wide at www.suetables.com.

“We’re not Tiffany’s. We’re affordable luxury so we actually fit in well to people who want something quality that’s going to last forever. So we fit in well to their pocketbooks and into their hearts because our jewelry tells stories and has a lot of meaning. I think there’s room for brands like that right now,” said Henderson.

“Our customer base has definitely evolved over the years but it’s pretty clear right now what it is and it’s sort of 16 to 29 and they find us online or through social media and they bring their moms in the store or send their moms to the store to buy something and then the moms come into the store and say oh wow I’d like something for myself too. We do have something for everyone but we target a more youthful demographic which brings in an older demographic.”

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Meghan Markle’s wearing of the company’s jewelry has helped the retailer’s online sales dramatically.

“When Meghan Markle wears something, people worldwide start clicking on our site and suddenly you’re on the world stage for your 15 minutes of fame but if you do a good job those customers come back,” added Henderson.

“So we found that we’re building a community that’s worldwide versus locally where the stores are located.

“How to build a community around a brand keeps evolving. It’s what I think about all the time. Years ago it was the market bazaar hundreds of years ago, then it was the printed word and then radio and TV and people today talk about everything being digital like the campfire gathering but it’s online. But I think that’s even changing too. The digital landscape has become so crowded and for a small company like me the cost per click becomes harder to gain in such a flooded environment so that’s sort of our logic behind continuing to open stores and certainly the Vancouver store to find that West Coast customer that we currently don’t have in any big way.”

Canada’s 1st 3D Virtual Grocery Store Opens in Partnership With McEwan Fine Foods

By

Mario Toneguzzi

-

December 1, 2020

Exterior of McEwan Fine Foods in Cf Don Mills. Photo: CF Don Mills

Canada’s leading on-demand grocery delivery service Inabuggy has partnered with McEwan Fine Foods at CF Shops at Don Mills in Toronto to launch what they call the first 3D virtual grocery shopping portal in Canada to enable customers to visually shop for groceries from home.

“We are thrilled to partner with Inabuggy to launch this exciting virtual grocery shopping portal at McEwan Don Mills,” said Mark McEwan, Chef and Owner of The McEwan Group. “We have a wide variety of unique products and quality produce and this feature will allow our guests to discover our offerings from the comfort of their homes, making it even easier to eat well.”

Inabuggy App Allows Customers to Browse Curated Aisles in Seamless 3D

By selecting the option to shop virtually on the Inabuggy app or website, customers are virtually transported to McEwan Don Mills (38 Karl Fraser Road, Toronto), where they can “walk through” the carefully curated aisles in a seamless 3D store environment and visually shop and select grocery items from the comfort of home.

Screenshots of interactive McEwan store from the Inabuggy website.

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McEwan first opened in June 2009. The company has three locations in the Toronto area.

McEwan Fine Foods is a gourmet marketplace and a reflection of Mark McEwan’s distinctive style of cooking. McEwan Fine Foods brings the freshest produce, world’s best culinary finds and Mark’s signature prepared meals straight to a customer’s table. The three Toronto locations are: McEwan Don Mills, McEwan Yonge & Bloor and McEwan TD.

“We’re all about edited grocery like a comprehensive grocery offer but really the main focus of the store is chef-prepared meals in conjunction with a full edited assortment from fish to meat to produce to dairy to flowers to pastries to cured meats. The whole idea of the store was I never really enjoyed going into 60,000-to-80,000-square-foot stores. We found them too cumbersome, too much repetition with offer and not really what I wanted,” said McEwan.

“So my vision of a store was to pick all my favourites in the categories and have comparative price categories as well. But just be mindful of that. All about the season. All about freshness. All about a chef driven kitchen.”

He said the chef-prepared component of the store is about half of the company’s business.

“I will also bring in other curated items from other chefs in the city that I think are really exceptional. We’re all about trying to offer the best offer that we possibly can. So if I find advantage to buying someone else’s product because it’s really, really great I think when you curate a really good assortment that’s really what you’re hoping for in a store,” added McEwan.

McEwan said Inabuggy came up with the concept of doing a virtual tour in a store so customers weren’t just looking at lists of product.

“It would give you a feel for the proprietorship of a store. They asked us to spearhead it and be the first to do it in Canada. We were very happy about that. What it does is give people that visual reference of product and style and quality and attention to detail. That in itself gives them better comfort than just a list of products when they go online with it. That whole ecommerce relationship with clients can be very analytical where food is anything but that. Food is generally very visual,” he said.

“I think what the visual tour does also is it will prompt people with ideas because they’ll see product that maybe they hadn’t thought of and that would maybe change their minds as to what a dinner party would look like or their shopping list would look like.”

He said the company’s main store represents the brand’s total offer and why the virtual tour is there.

Since launching in 2015, Inabuggy has allowed Canadians to shop thousands of items online and via the Inabuggy app from their favourite grocery and specialty stores including Costco, Rexall, and PetSmart – and have everything delivered to their doorsteps in as little as one hour.

Inabuggy’s personal shoppers handpick, pack and deliver orders to ensure quality and freshness, and to fulfill special requests from customers about their items. Inabuggy delivers to British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec, with more plans to expand in the coming months.

“Our first-of-its-kind virtual shopping portal piloted with McEwan Don Mills is offering customers a glimpse into the online grocery shopping experience of the future,” said Julian Gleizer, CEO and Founder of Inabuggy. “This premium experience enhances both customer engagement and convenience, and lets customers get a close-up view of store items within each aisle, letting them feel like they are physically in the store.”

Bloor-Yorkville BIA Unveils New ‘Urban Campfire Benches’ on the Mink Mile in Toronto [Photos]

By

Retail Insider

-

December 1, 2020

Urban Campfire Benches on Bloor Street. Photo: Larry Leung

By Larry Leung

There is something new on Bloor Street! Three years in the making, the Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Association (BIA) unveils innovative public spaces dubbed the Urban Campfire Benches that promote art, business, and community in time for the holiday season. In a two-part series, we will take an in-depth look at these benches and discuss how design and innovation can drive engagement/sales.

Project Details

We interviewed Briar de Lange, Executive Director of the BIA, on the concept’s inspiration and what the Association would like to achieve with the project.

Over the past year, the BIA installed 60 benches along Bloor Street in Toronto’s popular Yorkville area. Designed by the award-winning local agency, DTAH, these benches have a 270-degree circular shape and are crafted out of wood, granite, and stainless steel.

The inspiration behind the concept is to build sitting areas along Bloor Street that incorporate elements of “durability, comfort, luxury and modernism.” Multiple designs were created with a prototype first introduced in 2018. The successful trial led to the complete build-out.

Each bench has a sitting area for four to five people and includes many thoughtful touches such as a seat back to improve safety and wide spacing for item placements. An elm tree is planted in the centre that would host lighting decorations in the winter and serve as a shading canopy for the summer sun.

The campfire pit look is achieved through a combination of carve-out stainless steel surround and lighting blocks under the wooden seating area that could flicker based on a pre-programmed configuration.

Fiery orange is not the only colour available. The BIA can program the lighting blocks into an “unlimited” number of colours based on seasons, occasions, or other purposes. They illuminate the street into an array of orange, red, and green after sunset for the holidays. As a fun element, visitors can interact with the lighting through the fire-shaped button installed on every bench.

When Art, Business, and Community Intersect

The benches are located on Bloor Street, which hosts luxury retailers such as Holt Renfrew, Harry Rosen, Hérmes, and Dolce and Gabbana. Taking that into consideration, the design and materials used have a “distinctive high-end feel” but retain a sense of ease and comfort.

The BIA and DTAH turn what would otherwise be a “boring” public bench into an art piece by adding the innovative lighting system and stainless steel surround. There are opportunities to configure this lighting system into different combinations year-round (e.g., red/pink for Valentine’s Day, red/white for Canada Day), which will build variety and improve engagement during the evening/night.

With the project, the BIA wants to insert more “personality” to the main Bloor Street corridor. It also serves as a complement to the shopping experience, the Village of Yorkville Park and the Yorkville Murals. People living in the community can use these benches as “meeting places, pitstops for runs/walks, and wayfinding points.”

While no formal decision has been made, de Lange noted that there might be opportunities for local businesses to sponsor the benches for a limited time in the future. The BIA is also studying other ways to engage visitors, businesses, and the community with these benches.

The Holiday Experience

Along with the new Urban Campfire Benches, the Association completes the holiday experience by bringing back last year’s Crown Lights installation with 139 lip trees and transforming the Village of Yorkville Park into a paradise for locals, tourists, and content creators.

Map showing location of new Urban Campire Benches in the Bloor-Yorkville area

Where Can You Find Urban Campfire Benches?

The new Urban Campfire Benches are located on Bloor Street between Church Street and Avenue Road. They are accessible from two subway lines (Yonge/Bloor Station (Line 1 and 2) and Bay Station (Line 2) and are within a 25-minute transit radius from other downtown Toronto landmarks such as CN Tower, Toronto City Hall, and Cadillac Fairview Eaton Centre.

What’s Next?

In the next part of the series, we will highlight our discussion with the project’s designer DTAH, a service innovation being trialed with the Urban Campfire Benches, and how design and innovation can drive engagement/sales.

About the Author

Larry Leung

Larry Leung is a Principal at Transformidy which focuses on customer experience transformation incorporating technology, journey mapping, and engagement innovation. He has a deep understanding on the retail, service, technology and travel sectors and have been quoted by GlobalTV, Vancouver Star, USA Today, and CIO Magazine. www.linkedin.com/in/lkfleung

Downtown Winnipeg Hudson’s Bay Store Shut Permanently on Monday

By

Retail Insider

-

November 30, 2020

HBC-Winnipeg-1927 — HBC Winnipeg 1927. (Image: Wintorbos / flickr)

Iconic Canadian retailer Hudson’s Bay has announced that its Winnipeg store has been closed months before the planned exit of the massive Portage and Memorial location.

The store has been shut since earlier this month along with other ‘non-essential’ retailers in Manitoba. Hudson’s Bay says that it made the decision to shut the store early in light of the situation.

When the company first confirmed their intentions to exit the Winnipeg landmark in October, we had the opportunity to go back in time and relive the highlights. News organizations across Canada, including our publication, put together newsreels of footage from the last 94 years at this iconic location.

The inner workings of this building will be discussed moving forward, as the complications will surround a 2019 historical designation from the Winnipeg City Council. Any future occupant of the location must preserve the aesthetic while honouring the historic and cultural significance.

The Bay department store in downtown Winnipeg has closed as of Monday, November 30th, 2020. Photo: Hudson’s Bay Company

With COVID-19 closures and lockdowns taking place across the country, many retailers are struggling.

Department stores have been downsizing over the years and Hudson’s Bay is considered to be the remaining traditional department store in Canada. In years past, the retailer competed with names such as Eaton’s, Woodward’s, Simpson’s, Morgan’s and others.

We will be following this breaking story as Hudson’s Bay prepares to close its downtown Edmonton store this fall as well.

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