Western Canada-based retailers are leading the way with wildly successful, purpose driven brands, demonstrating the unique culture and values that have always been distinct to the western region.
Retail Council of Canada will be hosting the fully virtual Retail West Forum on November 4, 2021, with a focus on unique consumer needs and the ongoing challenges retailers face in human resources and supply chain logistics.
Jason Allsopp, Vice President, Research, with Leger will be presenting Consumer Insights for Western Canada. Retailers will not want to miss this deep dive into Leger’s exclusive research.
The great resignation, the challenge with recruitment at all levels, is not new for western retailers and was further exacerbated these past 19 months. Tim Dumas, COO with Jak’s Beer Wine & Spirits and Natasha Bennett, Director, Strategic Talent Initiativeswith Starbucks Canada will share tips and insights to help retailers prepare for the coming surge in holiday hiring and the long-term strategy for maintaining a strong team.
The supply chain is one of the biggest issues facing retailers in Canada today. Photo via Getty Images.
Gary Newbery, Senior Supply Chain Specialist with RetailAID.ca, explores ongoing challenges with overseas and domestic logistics. Gary will chat with Jeff Starnaman, VP of HR and Supply Chain with London Drugs, about how the whole organization is responding together and the long-term expectations of supply chain operations and planning.
Despite challenges in HR and supply chain, some positive news in the retail industry has been the rapid acceleration of ecommerce. Steve Bours, CEO and Co-Founder of Reshift Media, will challenge your preconceived notions about how ecommerce works and how you can meet new consumer expectations.
Tickets are still available for Retail West Forum – purchase yours today at RetailWest.ca or contact Retail Council of Canada for information on group discounts at events@retailcouncil.org.
This week Craig and Lee talk about how a family in Quebec is opening small Zellers-branded stores, starting in a small community near Montreal, and how the Hudson’s Bay Company neglected to re-register its trademark for Zellers which lapsed last year.
The Weekly podcast by Retail Insider Canada is available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Also check out ourThe Interview Seriespodcast where Craig interviews guests from across the Canadian retail landscape as part of theThe Retail Insider Podcast Network.
Drop us a line at Craig@Retail-Insider.com. You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show!
Background Music Credit: Hard Boiled Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Tudor and Chopard under construction at the base of the 745 Thurlow Street office tower. Photo: Retail Insider/Lee Rivett
Downtown Vancouver’s retail ‘Luxury Zone’ continues to expand westward along Alberni Street with the addition of two more premium luxury jewellery brands. Construction signage recently went up for new storefronts for watch brand Tudor and jewellery brand Chopard, both of which will be operated by local licensee Global Watch Company.
The Tudor and Chopard storefronts will replace fashion retailer Blubird which shut down over the summer. The Blubird space which spanned 2,200 square feet is being demised for a Tudor boutique which will occupy space next to the lobby of the 745 Thurlow office tower and Chopard which will be next to it — Blubird’s address was 1108 Alberni Street when it was open.
The Tudor boutique will be a second for Canada, following the opening of North America’s first Tudor storefront at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre in the spring of 2021. And while Tudor will be new to the Vancouver market, Chopard already has a store nearby at 925 W. Georgia Street which will be relocating next to Tudor on Alberni Street. The Chopard boutique on Georgia Street opened in 2017 and is operated by local retail brand Global Watch Company (GWC).
Tudor/Chopard circled in Red. Click image for interactive Google Map
The lease for the new Tudor and Chopard storefronts was negotiated by Mario Negris and Martin Moriarty of Marcus & Millichap. QuadReal is the landlord for the 745 Thurlow office building where the new luxury boutiques will be located. The same building is also home to a recently opened Thom Browne storefront (which replaced Versace) and a Brunello Cucinelli store which opened in 2017.
Vancouver’s downtown Luxury Zone has been expanding in recent years as more brands look to operate in the city. The 1000 block of Alberni Street has become a row of luxury stores spanning from Burrard Street to Thurlow Street, and now the stretch between Thurlow and Bute Streets is getting more attention. Luxury watch brand Rolex (also operated by GWC) opened at 1119 Alberni Street in the fall of 2016 and was the second luxury mono brand store to move onto the block. More luxury brands could move westward along the 1100 block of Alberni Street which is home to several foodservice businesses on the south side of the street and an Urban Fare grocery store on the north side of the street within the Shangri-La Hotel complex.
The Luxury Zone’s boundaries extend roughly from the Hotel Vancouver at 900 West Georgia Street to the former Trump Tower on the 1100 block of West Georgia Street, with Alberni Street being a focus as well as retailers that have stores on the 700 blocks of both Burrard Street and Thurlow Street. Some of the world’s biggest names have stores in the area.
Tudor will open its second store in North America on Alberni Street, Photo: Retail Insider/Lee RivettChopard is relocating its Vancouver store to the 1100 block of Alberni Street. Photo: Retail Insider/Lee Rivett
In the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Gucci is expanding its storefront to more than 6,000 square feet by annexing space formerly occupied by watch brand Omega — and a new Omega store is now under construction in the hotel across the hall to replace it. Other luxury brands in the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver include flagships for Louis Vuitton, Dior and St. John Knits.
Across Burrard Street, Hermes opened an impressive two-level flagship in 2019, and jewellery retailer Birks opened boutique spaces for Patek Philippe and Graff next to it. Alberni Street is home to big names including Tiffany & Co., Jimmy Choo, Van Cleef & Arpels, IWC Panerai, Vacheron Contantin, Montblanc, De Beers, Hublot, Prada, Burberry and others, and Thurlow Street is home to brands including Saint Laurent and Moncler, as well as a pop-up store for Gucci in the former Escada space at 710 Thurlow which will operate into 2022 while the Hotel Vancouver Gucci store is expanded and renovated.
On West Georgia Street, a licensed boutique for Italian luxury brand Stefano Ricci occupies a prominent space on the 1100 block. Next year, luxury jeweller brand Cartier will relocate its downtown Vancouver store from the city’s ‘Heritage District’ to the Luxury Zone in a 3,200 square foot retail space at 755 Burrard Street at the corner of Alberni Street.
Well-known Canadian vegan handbag entrepreneur Mélissa Lambert has opened her flagship store in Montreal in the trendy Le Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhood after buying the building.
Lambert Design, with about 2,500 square feet of retail space, is located on the busy rue Saint-Denis near Laurier. It sells handbags, backpacks and accessories.
“At the beginning during COVID we were looking for new offices because the team was growing really fast and we needed more space. I started looking at what kind of office we could rent,” said Lambert. “I found this amazing building.
“It was really beautiful and I had this idea of opening a new flagship for Lambert. So on the first floor you have this really nice boutique of Lambert. The only one. And on the second floor you have all the head office. So I started all the process for buying this building and we started renovating and we just opened it at the beginning of September.
Image: Lambert DesignsClick for Interactive Map
“The idea is really to offer a personalized experience. When you enter, you can take your time to see all the different models and all the different colours. We offer you a coffee, or a water, you can also have initial monograms on your bag which is something unique as a flagship. It’s a really customized experience. It’s something different that we don’t offer online or if you buy a bag at Simons for example. It’s really unique to the flagship.”
Lambert created her brand about four years ago and reinvented the handbag fashion industry in the process. She was driven by the fact that it’s possible to combine comfort with elegance for both men and women.
Her mission is to simplify the everyday by offering the most fashionable and smart vegan backpacks on the market which are unique, multifunctional, chic and comfortable, and meeting the needs of everyone.
“In the beginning when I launched Lambert four years ago, I launched it online but after a few months there were so many people that were asking to see (the handbags). They wanted to see the texture. They wanted to see the quality. All the compartments. They wanted to touch and feel the products,” said Lambert.
“I decided to open a pop up shop. It was a store in Old Port and it was so successful that I decided to keep this store. It was really small. At the beginning it was just this idea of a pop up shop. Temporary. But it became permanent. I was renting and it was not big enough. So I decided to move from this place to really the massive flagship in Le Plateau-Mont-Royal. It’s going to become the destination for Lambert.
Image: Lambert Designs
Lambert Designs
Image: Lambert Designs
“The most important different thing that we offer is really behind all the design thinking when we design a bag we think about what are the needs of our customer. The really important thing is that all the bags are multi-functional so there are different ways to use them with all the compartments. It’s the practical aspect of your bag that is important and part of our brand.”
Lambert said the retailer has a multi-channel model right now with the new boutique store, its ecommerce business and its presence in other retail outlets. The company has about 200 different points of sale.
“I don’t want to compete with them. But I think it makes sense for our brand to have its own flagship where you can find all the products in all the colours so you can have a different experience. You will have it all.
“It’s only been four years for us but it’s really been an intense adventure.”
Construction signage for APM Monaco at CF Pacific Centre (October 2021). Photo: Nicholas Fane /GetintheLoop
The new APM Monaco store at CF Pacific Centre will join the APM Monaco location at CF Richmond Centre near Vancouver which opened in the spring of 2019 as well as Calgary at CF Chinook Centre and Edmonton at West Edmonton Mall which opened earlier this year. The Calgary APM Monaco storefront is next to Louis Vuitton and in Edmonton, APM Monaco replaced Stuart Weitzman in a space next to Tiffany & Co.
This brings the total to five Canadian locations with the Canadian flagship for APM Monaco which opened at 89 Bloor Street West in Toronto in the fall of 2017. Montreal is said to be a market where APM Monaco is looking to again expand its Canadian presence.
Kyoto Japan-based coffee brand % Arabica will be opening the first two Canadian locations in Toronto. The first location will open either later this year or early next year at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre, and a location at Union Station will follow.
The Yorkdale location is scheduled to open in December 2021 or January 2022 and will be designed by #no__10 of Nomurakougeisha. The storefront will be in a space that opened as a David’s Tea in 2016. When David’s shuttered the majority of retail locations last year, the Yorkdale space was leased by T. Kettle pre-pandemic and that storefront recently closed. Construction is now underway for the new % Arabica location that will span nearly 1,000 square feet on one level.
“We are a part of the third wave coffee experience, with our very own coffee farms located in Hawaii in addition to other international selections,” shared a spokesperson from % Arabica. “Since debuting our first cafe in Japan six years ago, we have grown % Arabica to an astonishing 101 global outlets in 17 countries.”
% Toronto Yorkdale concept design
% Arabica will also be joining a roster of notable tenants at Toronto’s Union Station, which is being described as the most significant retail development in Downtown Toronto since the opening of CF Toronto Eaton Centre in 1977.
“We had a vision of growing % Arabica across unique lands and cultures of the world, so that everyone can “See the World Through Coffee”,” shared a spokesperson.
“We are so thrilled to be coming to Canada with one of our locations landing inside Toronto’s iconic Union Station. We are excited to share our love for coffee and design with the Canadian market and offer a truly unique coffee experience.”
% Toronto Union Station (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
The Union Station location for % Arabica is scheduled to open in 2022.
Founder & Creative Director Kenneth Shoji shared his story and philosophy on %.
“I truly need an amazing cup of coffee every day. This is why I founded % Arabica.”
“So to create the best coffee possible, I borrowed money and bought a coffee farm in Hawaii. I also started trading green beans from around the world and became the sole-exporter of a Japanese roasting machine along with the distributor of one of the best espresso machines in the world. Then in September 2014, I opened the flagship store in the beautiful historic city of Kyoto, Japan.”
“We only live once, so let’s explore the world we live in, set goals, and enjoy our time together over an amazing cup of coffee.”
In the United States, there is currently only one location for % Arabica in New York City.
A cross-Canada store expansion is planned for the brand with more details to follow.
Florida-based sandwich shop, Jon Smith Subs, has opened its first Canadian location in Calgary with plans to significantly grow the brand across the country.
Jim Butler
The foodservice company began operations in 1988 with its first location in West Palm Beach.
Jon Smith started the company and grew it to a chain of sub shops in Palm Beach County, Florida.
“He had that until probably five, six years ago. We partnered up with him and then we took over the franchising rights outside of Palm Beach County. We’ve been franchising for only about four years. We have 25 locations that are up and operational. We have about 42 that are in development right now and we’re in five countries – UK, Canada, US, Panama and Colombia,” said Jim Butler, Brand President of Jon Smith Subs.
Image: Jon Smith Subs
“We’re in the fast casual sector. Everything is cooked to order. So you come in, you place your order at the front counter and we’re going to be actually cooking it right in front of you. You can see your order being cooked. We also are unique as far as the fries are concerned. Most sub shops they have the potato chips or things to that degree. We added fries to our menu items.
“The biggest thing is we’re a national company but we want to localize the brand so no matter where you are in the world you’re going to have your local specialty that we actually have on the menu in some capacity.”
The brand is set to open an additional 25 to 30 locations throughout Alberta in the next five years with anticipated growth into other Canadian markets beginning in 2022.
The new location in Calgary is part of a master franchise agreement with an Alberta company co-owned by local Calgary residents Gurbinder Singh, an established IT and business professional, and Amrinder Cheema, an operations practitioner. Singh and Cheema both have family history in the restaurant business and share a passion for delivering exceptional quality food and service to the community.
Image: Jon Smith Subs
“We are thrilled to be bringing Jon Smith Subs to Canada and look forward to offering the community a fresh alternative in the sandwich category with our specialty subs,” said Singh. “Our approach to every aspect of the Jon Smith Subs experience is to not only provide our guests with delicious, fresh subs, but also to create a warm and welcoming environment with a focus on excellent guest service. Our team is ready and excited to show Calgary what Jon Smith Subs is all about.”
Butler said the company recently completed its redesign and rebrand and the Calgary store is the first one in the chain with the prototype new look.
“We plan on growing of course across Canada. We’ve got a lot of activity and interest as well as domestically. We are part of a much larger organization called United Franchise Group which is a 35-year-old company and we already have our inroads into Canada with many of our brands already,” he said.
Image: Jon Smith Subs
Image: Jon Smith Subs
Image: Jon Smith Subs
Its affiliated family of brands include Signarama, Fully Promoted, Experimax, Jon Smith Subs, Transworld Business Advisors, Accurate Franchising, Venture X, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, Network Lead Exchange, Resource Operations International (ROI) and Graze Craze.
“In a five-year window I’m hoping to, in Canada alone, to be anywhere between 75 and 100 locations,” added Butler.
“The uniqueness of us is we predominantly focus on the hot subs. People like the fact that it’s cooked to order, the freshness and also the ability to localize our brand in no matter what country, especially Canada. We can give the feel that we are a local brand. Even though we’re nationalized we want people to feel we are that neighbourhood sub shop. Our tag line is love local, eat delicious.”
The David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing & Services is hosting the fifth annual National Retail Innovation Awards on the afternoon of October 28, 2021. The virtual event is free to attend and Retail Insider readers are invited.
The event takes place from 4:00-5:30pm Atlantic Time, or 3:00pm-4:30pm Eastern Time/Noon-1:30pm Pacific Time. [Register Here]
The National Retail Innovation Awards was created in 2017 and it recognizes up-and-coming retailers, or companies supporting the retail sector, for their innovation and unique contribution to Canadian retailing over the past year. Join the David Sobey Centre as it celebrates the achievements of four impressive companies who have demonstrated retail excellence in the categories of Retail Design, Sustainability, Technology and Community Service.
This year’s keynote speaker is Neil Hoyne, Chief Measurement Strategist at Google. He has led over 2,500 engagements with the world’s biggest advertiser, helping them acquire millions of customers, improve conversion rates by over 400%, and generate billions in incremental revenue. In his upcoming book Converted: The Data-Driven Way to Win Customers’ Hearts (Penguin Random House, 2022), he shows us how to sharpen our long-term marketing strategy and unleash true value.
Normally an in-person luncheon ceremony in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the awards had to pivot to a virtual live stream in 2020 due to the pandemic. To register, visit this link.
*Retail Insider partnered with the David Sobey Centre for this announcement.
