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.
Kitchen Stuff Plus at 400 King Street West (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
Ontario-based housewares & home decor discount retailer Kitchen Stuff Plus will be closing its store at 400 King Street West in downtown Toronto. Signage indicating the closure went up this week.
The 22,000 square foot location became available as a temporary space for Kitchen Stuff Plus after MEC moved its flagship to 300 Queen Street West in April 2019. Kitchen Stuff Pluss announced in January 2020 that the store would open in the 300 King location in February – a month before the COVID-19 pandemic began. They stock a wide range of supplies from grey kitchen cabinets to the latest trends in kitchen faucets, appliances, and home organization.
With the construction of “Pure Plaza“, a 47-storey BDP Quadrangle-designed residential condominium building due to commence, the existing long-term retail tenants at 400 King had relocated or closed in the recent years and saw a number of short-term pop-ups.
Kitchen Stuff Plus at 400 King Street West (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
These included The Detox Market, which took over for Timothy’s Coffee in 2015. Sportley, which moved in to The Adventure Travel location in 2019 and the aforementioned housewares retailer which opened in the former MEC space.
Toronto sports fans would recognize the “Sportley” brand as being the neighbour of Tim Hortons at 322 King Street, at the northwest corner of King & John Street.
Signage on Kitchen Stuff Plus is directing customers to the Liberty Village location, which opened in 2012 and is “9 streetcar stops! 10 minute drive! 30 minute walk!” from the current King & Peter store.
Kitchen Stuff Plus has 24 locations in southern Ontario, including a location at Yonge & Bloor, Orfus Road at Dufferin and on the Danforth at Pape.
Additional Photos from Kitchen Stuff Plus on King Street
Kitchen Stuff Plus at 400 King Street West (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)Kitchen Stuff Plus at 400 King Street West (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)Kitchen Stuff Plus at 400 King Street West (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)Kitchen Stuff Plus at 400 King Street West (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)Kitchen Stuff Plus at 400 King Street West (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)Kitchen Stuff Plus at 400 King Street West (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)Kitchen Stuff Plus at 400 King Street West (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)Kitchen Stuff Plus at 400 King Street West (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)Kitchen Stuff Plus at 400 King Street West (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
Last March, when the pandemic surprised us all by closing small businesses across the country, many retailers quickly realized the importance of having a digital strategy.
Until COVID, adoption of digital technology was comparatively slow, with less than 30% of SMBs offering eCommerce and less than 25% investing in digital marketing.
Today, as more national and local retailers turned to e-commerce, delivery, and digital tools like GetintheLoop to stay in touch and ultimately find ways to stay in business, the commercial landscape has seemingly changed forever.
The Shop Local Movement Made Real
Rosedale BIA Supporting Local – Photo by Dustin Fuhs
In early April, I realized the shop local trend would become a massive movement. Fortunately, our shop local platform and platoon of entrepreneurs were well-positioned to step up and make a difference for thousands of businesses in communities across the country.
At the time, it seemed like we were riding a trend of consumers who now truly cared about supporting local businesses. While at the same time, companies had to adapt overnight to using more digital tools to attract and engage with local customers.
After 18-months on a pandemic roller-coaster, it’s become clear that this is not a trend but rather a deepening of the shop local movement. A movement that I believe is key to our local business communities surviving and thriving.
As Canada’s shop local platform, we are at the core of what’s happening with local businesses in communities across the country. Here are a few indicators that tell me the shop local movement is here to stay.
Business Adoption
An average of 10% of retailers ever created local eCommerce offers on GetintheLoop. Today, local eCommerce offers have bloomed with over 40% of our partners having now created an eCommerce offer on our platform.
According to the 5th Small and Medium Business Trends Report conducted by The Harris Poll this summer, now 63% of SMBs offer eCommerce, with another 14% planning to add eCommerce to their strategy over the next 12 months.
The driving factors for adopting this technology have been to continue serving customers safely, customer convenience, and remaining competitive.
Savvy, scrappy, solution-minded business owners are meeting their customers where they want to be met, and today that’s on their phone, whether it’s to discover, pre-order, or pay.
In all, 72% of small businesses have increased their online presence, and here at GetintheLoop, we have seen our platform partners grow 600% to over 6,000 companies across Canada over the past 18 months.
Consumer Growth & Engagement
During the pandemic, as consumers were discouraged from going out unnecessarily or businesses locked down, we observed that in-store consumer traffic quickly became online traffic.
Digital-ready businesses benefited, including those on GetintheLoop. We saw member engagement in our app increase by 400% during the periods of the pandemic, as consumers sought information on businesses in their community and how they could support them.
The Rise of Collaboration and Strategic Partnerships
Image: GetintheLoop
When the chips are down, more often than not, people pull together. The pandemic has spawned numerous collaborations and strategic partnerships across North America, supporting small businesses and their communities.
Organizations like supportlocalbc.com, which has helped keep cash flowing for small businesses in BC through the pandemic by facilitating the sale of over 1M in gift cards, have sprouted from the grassroots.
Digital Main Street, a Government collaboration that originated in Ontario and has grown to multiple provinces, has also served as a template for others to mobilize funds and training for small businesses.
At GetintheLoop, we recognized the value of collaboration early on, partnering with dozens of BIAs and Chambers of Commerce to support and promote their business members and help execute digital shop local events like the annual Jaywalkers Jamboree in Camrose, Alberta. BIAs and Chambers also stream local community offers to their websites to add value and help connect their members with local consumers.
This year we partnered with BenefitHub, the world’s largest employee lifestyle benefits company, as their members have expressed their desire for local offers and the ability to support local businesses. We also recently announced a partnership with Retail Insider to bring the publication’s business and consumer audience closer together.
It seems everyone understands the importance and value of connecting to “local”, and these are a few creative collaborations and partnerships empowering the local shop movement.
Investment
The Government has invested millions of dollars in supporting local businesses through the pandemic because they’re essential to our local economies.
Local businesses continue to undergo an accelerated digital transformation as they invest in new technology and tools at a pace over 18 months of the pandemic equaling the entire prior decade.
Or let’s talk in terms of capital investment. Since the pandemic began, 45 entrepreneurs across the country invested their financial resources and own time to help further build their communities by becoming GetintheLoop franchise owners signaling a grassroots upswell of demand for local businesses. (These Entrepreneurs and their passion for local is what gets me out of bed excited every day!)
Long term change
The 2021 Harris Poll also validates my belief that many of the changes brought on by the pandemic will remain long-term.
According to the study, 75 percent of small business owners think the operational shifts they’ve made during the pandemic will benefit them long term.
For example, 91% of retailers expect to offer contactless services after the pandemic. GetintheLoop for Business partners have access to our digital loyalty system. The system enables businesses to create contactless ‘punch cards’ and has become one of the fastest-growing features in GetintheLoop.
But more importantly, communities everywhere have demonstrated how committed they are to local businesses, with people often going out of their way, paying more, and waiting longer for goods they could have otherwise received much quicker by shopping online. The pandemic has raised the collective consciousness of consumers and the value of shopping their local downtown or shopping centre that employs thousands of people in their community.
At GetintheLoop, our mission is to make it easier to shop locally, while giving businesses easy and affordable digital tools to reach those consumers that want to support them. We’re excited for what the future holds.
Matt Crowell
Contact our team if you’re a business with a brick-and-mortar location and would like to learn more about how GetintheLoop can help you connect to nearby consumers.
If you’re an entrepreneur and are interested in bringing GetintheLoop to your city, reach out to our franchise team.
Matt Crowell is the Founder & CEO of Kelowna-based GetintheLoop, a shop local community that delivers consumers more ways to explore, discover and shop local, wherever they are.
Gucci Construction Signage at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (Oct 2021). Photo: Shanon Thornley (LinkedIn).
Retail Insider reported in July 2021 that Italian luxury brand Gucci will renovate and expand its standalone downtown Vancouver store at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.
Construction signage is now up on the store which will be substantially larger when it reopens in 2022.
GUCCI interior entrance at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (June 2021). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Former interior Gucci entrance with construction hoarding erected at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (September 2021). Photo: Lee Rivett.
Gucci Construction Signage at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (Oct 2021). Photo: Shanon Thornley (LinkedIn).
The current 3,900 square foot Gucci store, which opened in the Hotel Vancouver in 2006, is annexing the 2,300 square foot Omega store next to it to create a flagship-sized 6,200 square foot location to house Gucci’s entire collection of ready-to-wear for women and men as well as bags, accessories, footwear, jewellery and other categories.
The current Gucci store does not carry the men’s ready-to-wear line which is available nearby at Vancouver’s Holt Renfrew store.
The expanded Hotel Vancouver store will feature Gucci’s most updated store concept that was recently rolled out with new Gucci stores at West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton and a renovated Bloor Street flagship store in Toronto. Interiors will be plush with velvet, marble and wood.
Chick-fil-A Queen Street West (Rendering: Provided)
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A has announced that it will be expanding the Canadian portfolio of stores with a new location at 336 Queen Street West in downtown Toronto.
The restaurant will be a tenant in the four-storey building which has been under construction since 2019.
Tenants of the former Queen Street West location included Le Chateau until 2013 and Urban Behaviour until 2018. David’s Tea also had a storefront pre-2009 until late 2014 before relocating to 278 Queen Street West, taking a Soft Moc location. The new 336 Queen building replaces these former businesses.
Chick-fil-A added two new restaurants in Ontario in August 2021, with new storefronts opening at Scarborough Town Centre in Toronto and in Kitchener. The brand will have five Canadian locations including Yonge & Bloor and the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto after Queen Street opens.
Future Chick-fil-A at 336 Queen Street West (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)Former tenants at 336 Queen Street West (Google Maps)
Anita Costello, executive vice president of International at Chick-fil-A Inc. shared a statement on the expansion in Canada.
“We’re thrilled to continue growing in Canada by opening restaurants in Kitchener and Toronto,” said Costello. “During these times, we’re grateful for the positive response we continue to receive from our Canadian customers and we are honoured to serve our new communities great-tasting food made with high-quality ingredients.”
“Like our first two locations, each restaurant will be locally owned and operated. The success of our business is built on local owner/operators who truly care about their restaurant and the community they serve.”
The privately-held company is planning to open an additional 20 restaurants in Canada by 2025. Michael Calderone and Bryce Dymond of brokerage Urban Reform Realty Inc. represent Chick-fil-A for its real estate selection in Canada.
Chick-fil-A Queen Street West (Rendering: Provided)
Aisle 24 Market in River City 4 (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
Aisle 24, a fully automated, cashierless grocery store concept that is open 24/7, is in expansion mode with plans to open numerous locations across the country.
John Douang, Co-Founder & CEO of the company which opened its first location in Toronto in 2016, said the hyperlocal, unmanned market is in nine locations currently in Ontario and Quebec and about 30 stores are in the queue in either lease discussions and construction including in British Columbia.
“We utilize a lot of technology to supplement the store operations and we use a lot of our own platform of technology in order to secure the stores. All the stores are unmanned. We don’t have cashiers and we don’t have staff that are on site to greet customers or anything like that,” said Douang.
“The stores are 24/7, 365 days a year and the way it works is that all of our customers download our mobile app. They create their account and then they get access to the stores.”
Aisle 24 Market in River City 4 (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
Douang said there are two sizes for the stores. The first is the resident format which is typically inside the common area of a building. It’s about 350 to 600 square feet. The second is the community format which can go into a standard commercial space and those typically range from 1,000 square feet plus.
“We are more so a market rather than a convenience store because we don’t sell age-restricted products . . . We carry a wide range of grocery products. We’re like a mini market where you can find fresh prepared foods like sandwiches, soups, salads. A wide variety of frozen type goods. Your typical pantry type items. So canned goods, confectionary items like snacks and drinks as well. Mostly around grocery products. We do carry things like electronic accessories like cables and chargers and home goods like cleaning products and personal hygiene products,” he said.
“Our strategy for our store growth has been around placing our stores into residential communities. So we’re working with a lot of major national and international property developers to spec out space within their master planned communities – mostly around densely populated areas. We like to be in communities that have a dense population, usually by way of condominiums and apartment buildings . . . Our strategy has always been bringing the convenience to the customer so they don’t have to travel far to get some items.”
The company started franchising in 2020 and is supported by major investor and advisor, the newest Dragon on CBC’s Dragons Den – Wes Hall.
“I quite honestly feel that Canada can support literally thousands of Aisle 24 stores. When you look at the market as a whole, right now in Canada there’s about over 27,000 convenience stores and over 65 per cent of those are independently owned,” explained Douang. “We feel there’s a big gap in the market and that we can help to consolidate the market and bring a more consistent experience to the consumer.”
Aisle 24 Market in River City 4 (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
Aisle 24 Market in River City 4 (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
In September 2016, in partnership with Knightstone Capital and Centennial College, Aisle 24 launched Canada’s first cashierless grocery store at Centennial Place student residence, tailored to the specific purchasing habits of their community.
“COVID has changed a lot of things. I think even pre-COVID we were on the right trends – what the younger generation, the Gen Z’s, the Millennials, what they want because those people in those age categories are not shopping for the whole week. They’re doing two to three shopping sessions per week and they’re shopping for today and they’re shopping for tomorrow,” said Douang.
“Along those lines, people don’t want to have to deal with grocery shopping in a mega store. It’s almost become a burden now. They want to get in, they want to get out. Shopping is a necessity but it’s not enjoyable and they want to get on with their lives and that’s what we’re about. Our main motto is saving you time so you can focus on what is really important.
“Pre COVID we were already seeing a lot of interest and a lot of growth in our sector. COVID hit and I think it’s even more important now that our customers feel safer shopping closer to home where they have less risk and less exposure to potentially COVID. Their shopping behaviours are changing. They’re shopping more local. They are enjoying the touchless aspect of the business. They don’t need to speak with anybody in the store. They can go in, get what they need and leave in a few minutes.”
Image: Aisle 24
Image: Aisle 24
Aisle 24 Market in River City 4 (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)
The Aisle 24 process is simple. People download the mobile app, register an account and can get access right away. The mobile app also delivers special promotions and customer surveys. Customers use the app to unlock the door and start browsing. Every store includes enhanced security systems to discourage theft and reconciles inventory each week to closely track shrinkage.
Residents use the self-service kiosk to scan the products they want to purchase. Products are neatly displayed on open shelves and grocery freezers. If shoppers can’t find something, they can make requests via the kiosk for specific dietary requirements or preferences.
When it comes to paying, the only thing shoppers need is their smartphone, payment card, and a bag to carry their groceries.
The Aisle 24 store is serviced at least three times a week to clean, replenish shelves and check inventory.
Calgary-based Air Sniper is targeting retailers and shopping centres in Canada with its technology that is proven to kill COVID-19 at a very reasonable price point.
Air Sniper is an air sanitization technology that utilizes UVC technology to reduce airborne pathogens. Air Sniper equipment is confirmed to continuously kill up to 99.9% of airborne COVID-19 particles in laboratory conditions.
The cost for a convenience store-sized retail business would be about $3 per day, making it extremely cost effective.
Features and benefits of Air Sniper include:
Commercial, industrial-scale air purification.
Covers to 7,500 cubic feet with recommended air turnover every 10 minutes.
Destroys 99.9% of airborne pathogens including COVID-19, influenza, staph, mould, and more.
“We’re proud to be one of the first to be third-party tested and proven to kill 99.9% of COVID-19 as well as many other viruses and pathogens,” said Stuart Henley, President at AIR, a claim independently verified by use of EPA approved surrogate virus Bacteriophage MS2 to be accurate in laboratory conditions by a custom environmental testing chamber by Airmid HealthGroup of Ireland. “We hope that more businesses and facilities will take advantage of this solution in order to remain open safely.”
Calgary-based Air Sniper was founded about 20 years ago to filter air in commercial buildings. Testing was done last year to confirm that Air Sniper technology could also kill the novel Coronavirus COVID-19. The proven technology has since been introduced into the Peel District School Board as well as many other businesses.
Retail Insider is partnering with Air Sniper on this announcement as the Air Sniper technology may help keep businesses and shopping centres open at a time when many are concerned about closures as a pandemic fourth wave takes hold into the fall/winter cold and flu season.
Employees and visitors to businesses and shopping centres utilizing Air Sniper can enter with more confidence knowing that Air Sniper is handling air purification to kill unwanted germs.
For businesses and landlords interested in learning more about Air Sniper, feel free to contact the company below in this partnership with Retail Insider.
Designated Voilà by Sobeys Curbside (Image: Sobeys)
As the 2021 holiday shopping season quickly approaches, many retailers throughout the industry continue to face unparalleled levels of uncertainty and disruption. Instability concerning the COVID-19 virus and any further lockdowns and tightening of social restrictions associated with its spread, combined with the unreliability of the current global supply chain, have retailers operating in every vertical and category scrambling to understand the complexities of a shifting and changing landscape. For grocers, given the essential nature of the product and services that they provide, these stresses and pressures are accentuated. According to Dan Surtees, Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at XCCommerce, without a clear understanding of the channels their customers plan to shop on, their performance during the most lucrative and critical period on the retail calendar is being threatened.
“One of the biggest questions for grocers as we move closer toward the holiday shopping season is where will customers want to shop and are they going to feel comfortable shopping in brick-and-mortar stores,” he says. “And, part of the challenge for many of the grocers in figuring this out is the fact that for every location the behaviour associated with those unique customer-bases are likely to be a little different. Every region has been impacted differently by the pandemic, and perspectives in each of those areas is different as well. So, many grocers are starting to put together their marketing and promotional strategies without the ability to accurately predict where the different markets will be buying.”
Multiple promotions strategies
The explosion of online grocery, including the availability of options that include home delivery, curbside pickup and buy-online-pickup-in-store, represented a boon for the many grocers that offered the services during the pandemic. However, it’s currently unknown whether the behaviour will be sustained through the upcoming holiday season. This presents challenges to grocers and their marketing teams tasked with developing strategies with the objective of driving customer loyalty, growing basket sizes, and delivering revenue this holiday season. To support their marketing efforts and prepare their stores and operations with the ability to satisfy the holiday meal, party and celebration needs of the consumer, Surtees suggests the development of multiple strategies.
“Building multiple strategies provides grocers and other retailers with the agility that’s required to move and shift as the market, economics and other factors change,” he explains. “A plan needs to be developed for in-store promotions. But, with the rapid changes that have been impacted and influenced by the pandemic, including lockdowns and increased social restrictions, that plan may not work within certain regions. So, simultaneous marketing plans need to be implemented for online delivery and curbside pickup that can be swapped in and out at the click of a button depending on particular market conditions. To do this, it requires agility within the organization as well as in the systems it uses.”
Sophisticated solutions
This agility can be facilitated by the implementation of a sophisticated promotion and offer management platform, enabling consistent execution of complex, overlapping offers across channels, devices, banners, locations and loyalty status, something that XCCommerce has been providing for retailers for more than 20 years. Equipping themselves with an automated solution allows retailers to manage, execute and analyze all of their complex promotional offerings, across all sales channels, helping them to compete in the extremely competitive and fast-paced retail environment. In that agility, explains Surtees, is the flexibility and ease of use inherent in the management of their promotions from a single platform.
“Perhaps the greatest benefit to businesses that utilize and leverage a sophisticated promotion execution and management solution is the fact that it helps them unify all promotions and execution for their brands across all channels,” he asserts. “So, if they need to make a change to their promotions, they make it in one system. It’s particularly beneficial to grocers that operate multiple banners and stores across cities, regions, and countries. Using a unified promotions solution allows them to tweak and change their digital offers, personalizing them for each digital channel and each individual store. And, it also provides them with the ability to more easily hone their strategies and target offers within certain geographical boundaries. What’s happening in one part of the country is not necessarily what’s happening in other parts of the country. The same can be said about the differences between urban and rural locations. A unified solution enables grocers and other retailers with the flexibility to create unique offers and promotions for each market and submarket that they serve, right down to single stores, whilst also enabling them to react quickly to ever changing market conditions.”
Driving customer loyalty
Surtees goes on to explain that the flexibility that’s inherent within promotions management solutions like those offered by XCCommerce also supports the creation of unique strategies and personalized promotions that can be targeted to individual customers. Based on a grocer’s level of understanding concerning the purchasing and browsing behaviours of their customers, they can make targeted offers to them through the digital channels where they are engaging. It’s a solution that can be used as an incredibly powerful and effective tool in driving customer loyalty, irrespective of the landscape or geographical location of the customer. According to Surtees, it’s exactly the kind of tool that could potentially help grocers incent consumers during the important upcoming 2021 holiday shopping season.
“Driving customer loyalty is obviously top-of-mind for any retailer throughout the industry, particularly within grocery. It just depends on the type of tactics and solutions that are being deployed to bring customers into the store or visit the website and increase their basket size and overall spend. With the holiday shopping season approaching, it’s going to be crucial that grocers both incent and reward their customers to shop with them. The challenge today is that many grocers and other retailers currently manage their promotions and engagement through disparate systems, rendering the experience for customers fragmented and inconsistent across channels. Equipping marketing teams with a unified platform to manage and execute all of their offers and promotions across stores and all digital channels provides an ease of control for them. This ultimately helps support the continued development of their organizations’ omnichannel efforts and the experience they offer.”
To learn more about XCCommerce and how they are delivering retail promotional excellence for the industry’s leading brands during this holiday shopping season, visit https://xccommerce.com
