Craig and Lee talk about Vancouver’s Gucci in Fairmont Hotel Vancouver expanding into the Omega space, Gucci temporarily moving onto Alberni Street, and Omega’s new location within the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.
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.
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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/
Grocery-store cashiers and other frontline retail workers have helped get us through the pandemic, but do we value them? Why are retail jobs middle-class in Sweden, but low-wage work in Canada?
These were some of the questions I tried to answer over several years of published research on grocery-store workers in different countries.
My research has shown that in the late 1970s, Canadian grocery-store jobs were middle-class union jobs. Full-time hours were common, and Canada’s grocery store-workers were well paid by global standards for the industry.
Major grocery chains held oligopolies in their respective provinces and had considerable discretion in setting prices, focused more on quality, and could use these aspects of their business strategy to justify high wages in the industry.
The opening of discount chains like Super Carnaval in Québec in 1982 and megastores like the Real Canadian Superstore in 1979 forced traditional grocers to rethink their human resources strategies. In addition to making profit margins narrow, many of these new discounters — like Walmart which entered Canada in 1994 — were non-union.
Wages were reduced
The chains demanded that the unions work with them to lower labour costs and prevent them from losing money. Fearing what would happen to their members’ jobs if the chains went bankrupt (and some did), most of the unions worked with major grocers to cut wages and erode other key conditions set in collective agreements.
In Sweden, the wages of grocery-store workers in 1980 were good, but workers in some Canadian chains were better off. Like Canada, the Swedish grocery market was dominated by an oligopoly of players (until the early 2000s, when discounters like Netto and Lidl entered the market).
But unlike in Canada, working conditions did not erode with the rise of discount retailers in Sweden. In key areas, they improved.
What’s more, Swedish workers have substantial scheduling protections, including one month’s notice for schedules, strong rights to limit work performed on weekends and the right to be consulted on working hours. Swedish retail workers are also remarkably satisfied with their work.
In Canada, the most employees get is usually the right to a few days’ notice on their scheduled hours.
Sectoral bargaining is key
So why do Swedish retail workers have remarkably superior working conditions? In a nutshell, their labour laws strongly support what’s called sectoral bargaining.
Sectoral bargaining ensures every worker who works for a major retail chain in Sweden is covered by what’s called a sectoral bargaining agreement. This is a common agreement that stipulates working conditions for retail employees, and it applies across the entire sector.
Sectoral bargaining takes wages and other working conditions out of competition. In Canada, retail unions are always nervous that asking for high wages and significant improvements to other working conditions will hurt the profitability of their stores, which could lead to job loss.
Since working conditions differ across stores, even across unionized outlets, unions are forced to accept wage concessions to help their employers compete for low prices.
In Sweden, the opposite is true. Their retailers are not competing with each other by lowering labour costs. Grocers want all their competitors to offer the same working conditions. That’s because sectoral bargaining prevents a non-union market entrant from gaining an unfair price advantage by operating with lower labour costs.
Transit unions instructed their workers to stop delivering goods to the company. Bank unions told their workers to stop processing financial transactions for the company.
In the end, the company had no choice but to sign the collective agreement. In fact, they turned these stores into a franchise operated by Scandinavians, since the American managers discovered that they did not understand how to operate in countries like Sweden.
Conflicts like this have set the stage for retailers wishing to operate in the country. For example, Lidl, a German discount food retailer known for its anti-union stance throughout Europe, signed the collective agreement when entering the Swedish market in 2002.
In Canada, the law encourages collective bargaining by store or chain. Sympathy actions aren’t part of the system. Among stores that are unionized, it’s not always by the same union.
The result is a fragmented system where working conditions diverge considerably. When unionized stores are operating under different collective agreements, their unions face immense pressure to compete with each other to lower labour costs and hence maintain poor working conditions.
The existence of non-union operators like Walmart and Dollarama makes matters even worse. Many union officials argue that preserving modest privileges through collective bargaining is better than letting non-union chains dominate the industry, which would be considerably worse for workers.
Without providing Canada’s unions with legal supports to effectively extend workplace standards across all major chains, including Walmart and Dollarama, these workers will never win the conditions they deserve.
There are many benefits to supporting unionization in the grocery industry, including a wage scale, employee benefits and access to a voice for employees.
But if Canada wants to expand its middle class by substantially improving working conditions in sectors like retail, it must fundamentally reform its labour laws.
The COVID-19 pandemic of the past year or so has put a lot of pressure on many retailers in Winnipeg, but overall small business owners have survived in such a challenging environment.
“I think in Winnipeg no different than across the country, full service restaurants, the fitness industry, those have been absolutely decimated and I believe that many of those won’t be back or won’t recover,” said Kris Mutcher, VP Retail for Colliers International in Winnipeg.
“But I’ve been shocked that we haven’t had more failures and more vacancy come up. Our vacancy numbers continue to drop in the market and largely that’s due to the federal supports that have been put in place to help keep tenants afloat where in many scenarios 90 per cent of your rent is covered – that helps a lot.”
Mutcher said that a year ago he would have predicted that there would be an increase in retail vacancy of five to 10 per cent instead of it continuing to drop.
CF Polo Park. Image: Cadillac Fairview
“We’re below five per cent in the market right now and that’s as low as we’ve been in the last decade,” he said.
“Because of the supports that are there, businesses are keeping their doors open and they’re staying current on their rents. And the other thing is traditionally retail has always felt pressures from the new opportunity, the new shiny box of pulling people out of the old and into the new and we’ve seen virtually no construction.
“So with less larger anchor tenants out active in the market and construction prices going through the roof and obviously the overall hesitancy given the climate of what’s going on right now, there’s been very, very limited new construction which is usually one of the major pressures on vacancy because retail in Manitoba and in Canada over the last 20 years there’s always something new, there’s always some new centre, there’s always somewhere new to go. The amount of square feet of retail space has been constantly growing and I think COVID has put a bit of a stop on that which has helped to control the vacancy.”
According to a report by Colliers on the sector, the Winnipeg retail sector closed 2020 with many challenges and mixed messages while certain essential uses and quick serve restaurants thrived, others such as fitness facilities and service-based retailers suffered. In 2020, the retail vacancy rate in Winnipeg experienced a surprising decrease of 1.2 per cent to finish the year at 5.3 per cent based on the inventory tracked in the Colliers Retail Market Survey.
Kildonan Place. Photo: Primaris Management Inc.
“As we work through a return to normal in 2021 these support programs may fall away, and vacancy rates are expected to rise as tenants work to adapt to the rapid change seen across the retail sector,” said the report. “Regional malls were a major driver in the decrease in vacancy due to additions of large format stores such as Winners, Marshalls, and GoodLife at St. Vital Centre, EQ3, a full floor call centre at Polo Park and the redevelopment of Kildonan Place, with Save-On-Foods backfilling part of the vacant Sears tenancy.
“Power centres also decreased in vacancy by shifting their leasing strategy and completing deals with service-based retail, fitness, cannabis, discount retailers or other non-traditional uses that were not typical tenants a few years ago. The addition of these non-traditional categories pushed average rental rates down and with limited new supply being built, power centres posed an attractive option for tenants looking to relocate. Tenants now find it desirable at the end of their lease terms to consider relocating to new premises or other vacancies and receive significant contributions towards building out their new store. This has allowed strong desirable tenants to reposition, “right size” and in some cases consolidate store counts, allowing for current prototype store finishes.
“The cannabis market was active across Manitoba as the provincial government entered into a new phase of expanding licensing for smaller-scale cannabis retailers in Q3 2020. The focus of this second phase was on local and independent retailers while limiting the further issuing of licenses to national brands that have already established themselves in the market. As we move into 2021, the cannabis sector will continue to establish itself and mature as the market is expected to stabilize after what has been a busy pipeline of openings over the past few years.”
Colliers said the grocery sector continued to be very active in 2020 with significant investments in store renovations, re-branding and new store commitments. Safeway /Sobeys completed substantial renovations and storefront upgrades to five locations in Winnipeg and could potentially see two others renovated in 2021. In addition, Safeway / Sobeys started conversions of three of its locations to its Freshco Brand. Co-op completed a new store in St. Norbert and started construction on a new store at the Seasons development, added the report.
Rendering of the exterior of CF Polo Park and new EQ3 store. Rendering: Cadillac Fairview
It said Save-On-Foods continues to expand its presence in the Winnipeg market with two new stores under construction in a partial conversion of a Sears store at Kildonan Place as well as a conversion of an existing building at Pembina Crossing.
“It’s easy to get to the negative of a lot of this,” said Mutcher of the past year or so and its challenges. “But it’s been unbelievable the resiliency and the ingenuity that a lot of the operators and retailers have had and have found ways to make it through this.”
After more than 20 years in the business, handling commercial real estate for some of Canada’s biggest retail landlords, Toronto-based Nick Iozzo, in the past year, set out on his own. He formed a new consultancy agency to help North American clients discover new creative sources of revenue from existing real estate.
Image: Nick Iozzo
The focus has been on pop-up and automated retail, brand activations, experiential entertainment, sponsorship, digital & static out-of-home advertising, location filming management, event planning and business development.
“The real estate industry has been evolving, and over the last year, that change has accelerated. The shopping centre is no longer just a place for commerce, but also a place to build a brand, elicit meaningful and memorable sensory responses in a world of digital engagement, and evolve the omni-channel world of learn, purchase, and play,” said Iozzo of the launch of The Ancillary Agency.
Iozzo said The Ancillary Agency’s priorities are fourfold:
Maximize Revenue – discover new sources of revenue from existing real estate, improving net returns;
Drive Traffic and Impressions – work with brands to attract physical visitors to the property, while cultivating social media impressions;
Elevate the Guest Experience – enhance the shopper and visitor experience, driving loyalty and improved dwell time; and
Business Development – connect best-in-class brands and service providers, growing the business opportunities within the marketplace.
Iozzo said he saw a huge void while working with the creative industry. He said there are sponsorship, experiential and media agencies that work with brands. The key is connecting those brands to people in this very digital world.
Disney Lunar New Year Sponsorship (Image: The Ancillary Agency)
“There are a lot of benefits to that digital reach, but a lot of brands still want to physically interact with their customers and future customers. They may want them to try their products, taste their products, smell their products, interact with the knowledge-based staff of that brand. And I believe that shopping centres, office buildings and hotels will continue to drive that traffic, especially in a Canadian environment where we’re very hot in the summer, very cold in the winter and especially in an enclosed shopping centre environment it becomes a hub for seniors, for parents, for teens, for that community,” said Iozzo.
“I’m also working with the creative agencies who do phenomenal work in creating brand awareness and campaigns but need help to execute them in the commercial real estate world. I’m working with a number of agencies to help secure real estate for them, working with those agencies to help brainstorm campaign ideas in the physical real estate world, and really be that liaison where if a creative agency has this crazy idea that they don’t believe will ever fly, having somebody with 20 plus years in the industry and knows a lot of the people and the players and the companies, to help them get those campaign ideas approved and executed.”
While at Cadillac Fairview, it was a great opportunity for him to work with first-to-market brands. He also leased the CF Shops at Don Mills, the only outdoor lifestyle centre in the Cadillac Fairview portfolio.
“It really gave me a new insight for leasing. Cadillac Fairview had two shopping centres within four kilometres of each other. That was a challenge for Don Mills because if we were going to go after a lululemon in the market, it went to CF Fairview Mall. If we were going to go after an Apple, it went to Fairview Mall,” said Iozzo.
“Don Mills really challenged me to think outside that box, to look at the future of merchandise mix for retailers and to just really try to find new avenues to address the customer base.”
That included bringing in furniture store deals, entertainment, health and fitness – even a tattoo parlour.
“That creative retail leasing thinking to survive within your own CF ecosystem challenged me to really think outside the box, go after a lot of up-and-coming brands, go after who were the hot brands on direct to consumer and online. That allowed me to go from a shopping centre when I took over that was below 70 per cent leased to over 85 per cent leased out shopping centre over four years,” he said.
Image: The Shop, United States for Waterloo Sparkling Water, Dallas
Iozzo also credits his work with CF Lime Ridge Mall in Hamilton, Ontario in enhancing his leasing experience because that included not only convincing retailers to come to the shopping centre, but he also had to convince them to come to Hamilton. He worked with the Mayor’s office, economic development and the Chamber of Commerce in leasing up the mall.
While at Oxford, the focus was to help drive revenue for the company, drive traffic to the shopping centre and elevate the customer experience.
“The team I had oversaw specialty leasing not only for the shopping centre portfolio, but we managed all the office and hotel assets in the portfolio. We then moved into residential. We saw an untapped market in residential. And to be honest, even in industrial,” said Iozzo.
“Part of my program was overseeing pop-up retail, brand activations, and sponsorship. I oversaw the digital and static out-of-home media program as well as the film management. That was everything from getting TV commercials to TV shows to Hollywood blockbusters filmed in our portfolio.”
Iozzo said he took all his successes in the projects that he was working on at Oxford to his new venture.
Image: Carlo Bake Shop Vending (Image: The Ancillary Agency)
“I truly believe we (Oxford) created a very unique offering in the Canadian marketplace. I think there were some other landlords in the U.S, that had a similar structure. I saw the void in the Canadian marketplace, really the North American marketplace, and that’s what the Agency is focused on – that specialty leasing and ancillary revenue opportunities.
“And we’re really focused on three sectors. One is the landlord sector. On the landlord side, what we want to do is help drive that creative revenue, drive footfall traffic and social media traffic and to help elevate that guest experience, especially in the age of COVID where the financial results of a lot of the shopping centres, especially the enclosed fashion-centric type of shopping centres, have suffered and landlords are really looking for new revenue streams for those assets. Secondly, the creative brand and agency sector as a liaison to real estate and inventory for their campaign. Thirdly, with several decades of experience in commercial real estate, our business development offering can connect products and service providers to the decision makers in the real estate, media, and property management sectors of the the industry.”
“But we also really need to work on bringing people back into that shopping centre environment and that’s driving that traffic, driving that social media impression that a lot of landlords have to pay to get. And elevating the guest experience is to not only welcome them back but they extend that dwell time to make sure that the visitors to shopping centres feel accepted and respected within that shopping centre.”
This collaboration will allow visitors to discover the timeless, minimalist, and functional products of WANT Les Essentiels, alongside the high-performance outerwear collections of Quartz Co.
Ren’s Pets, a leading Canadian specialty retailer of pet food and supplies, is expanding its footprint with a new urban concept store at Toronto’s Liberty Village with plans to open more stores as part of an aggressive expansion.
Scott Arsenault, President at Ren’s Pets, said the new urban concept store in Toronto will have a 5,500-square-foot footprint, and feature Ren’s best selection of dog and cat products. Several more urban format stores will be opening in the inner city.
Scott Arsenault
“This is just the beginning of our network of stores in Toronto. Pet parents are looking for a strong pet bricks and mortar offering, a place they can come in with their pets and truly be serviced along with doing things like weighing their pet, trying samples, asking for advice from the knowledgeable staff, having fittings for harnesses, collars or clothing, and socializing with other passionate pet folks and their pups.”
“We think the Toronto market is an excellent fit for the premium products we carry, like top food brands Acana, Open Farm, Stella & Chewy’s, GO SOLUTIONS, and NOW FRESH. We will also have the largest raw and frozen pet food assortment in Toronto in our Liberty Village store, with a premier selection from brands like Big Country Raw and Iron Will.
The Liberty Village store is planning to open September 11th, 2021.
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Ren's Pets Liberty Village Interior Construction (July 2021)
Ren's Pets Liberty Village Interior Construction (July 2021)
Ren's Pets Liberty Village Interior Construction (July 2021)
Ren's Pets Liberty Village Interior Construction (July 2021)
Coming out of the pandemic, Arseneault said statistics reveal pet ownership has increased and people are spending more time with their pets. As well, more people enjoy the lifestyle of working from home and spending more time with their pets.
“The pet industry is just skyrocketing,” he said.
According to Momchil from Aquanswers.com, sales of fish tanks and other aquatic supplies are also on the rise. He states, “We are seeing a lot more interest in small tanks in the 5 – 20 gallon range. As more people set up home offices they want to kit them out with items that make it a nice place to work in. Fish tanks help to make an area more interesting and calming to work in.
Ren’s was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Guelph, Ontario. Arseneault said that at the end of this year the company will be at 39 stores. It opened a store in Brampton a couple of weeks ago. It opened a store in Milton on Saturday July 10. In two weeks Fredericton will open. Peterborough and Thornhill will be coming on after the Liberty Village opening.
The stores stock a range of products. This includes aisles of high-quality dog and cat food, displays of treats and toys, plus a special grooming section. There will also be 15 doors or 30 feet of large walk-in freezers for raw and frozen pet food. The store will have kiosks for ordering additional products off the Ren’s website, an expanded click and collect pick up area, plus a larger backroom to accommodate more online orders and same day delivery. The overall look of the store will have a fresh boutique style look, using updated signage, barnboard and brick accents, and new styles of fixtures.
“We’re really excited to open this new urban concept Ren’s store in Liberty Village. It’s something we’ve wanted to do for awhile now but were waiting for the perfect location,” said Arsenault. “Liberty Village has a really passionate pet community. Everywhere you go there are people out and about with their pets, so it’s a great choice for a new Ren’s store.
Image: Ren’s Pets Milton
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Image: Ren's Pets Milton
Ren's Pets: Brampton Opened June 2021
New Puppy Lyric (Image: Ren’s Pets)
New Puppy Homer (Image: Ren’s Pets)
“We have the demographics to see what the pet spend is in that area and within a five mile radius it’s just off the charts. This will be a full-service Ren’s. This will be look and feel and have everything the pet parent wants.
Larissa Wasyliw, VP of Ecommerce & Marketing at Ren’s Pets, said there are many Ren’s Rewards members from the Liberty Village area that shop with the retailer now in its GTA stores or on the website.
Larissa Wasyliw
“These customers will use the store to shop in with their pets and also use it as a pick up destination for ecommerce orders, plus set up online services like autoship with us because they love the Ren’s brand. We can’t wait to show Liberty Village pet parents that Ren’s is here for your Pet’s Best Life with the best food, treats, and toys you can get, with so many easy and convenient in store and online shopping options available,” she said.
The company also announced recently that it is launching DoorDash service starting in London, Ottawa and Sudbury and will be rolled out to the remainder of the company’s stores in Ontario and the Maritimes by the end of the month.
Top row L-R: Amber Mac, President, AmberMac Media Inc.; Doug Stephens, Founder and CEO, Retail Prophet; Ashley Dudarenok, China Marketing Expert
Bottom row L-R: Michelle Grant, Senior Manager, Strategy and Insights, Retail & Consumer Goods, Salesforce; Steve Buors, CEO and Co-Founder, Reshift Media
The brand new online RCC STORE Conference, presented by Retail Council of Canada, takes place September 13-16 and tickets are now available [Register Now]. Retailers and industry stakeholders will be tuning into the most important retail event of the year.
Last week, RCC released its highly anticipated full conference agenda. The session topics are timely, exciting, and hopeful. With themes such as retail growth planning and new leadership principles, RCC STORE is providing the Canadian retail industry with exciting content to revitalize, rejuvenate, and inform the future of retail at a time when the pandemic has changed so much.
The theme of digital transformation is a hot topic. Several sessions in the conference will focus on new retail tech and how the evolution of digital is pushing our industry forward.
During the mainstage session, Relentless Adaptation: 4 Retail Tech Trends Shaping Our Fast Future, Amber Mac, President of AmberMac Media Inc., will dive into global trends that are impacting all generations of consumers. From voice commerce to XR experiences, she will explain how retailers can begin to adapt to tomorrow’s world, today.
Another mainstage session focused on the future is Doug Stephens’ Resurrecting Retail: The Future of Business in a Post-Pandemic World. Stephens, one of the most influential retail futurists, has been accurate in predicting many changes to the retail landscape. He will cover new trends in AI, media, and global economics, then provide an actionable roadmap for retailers to succeed in the post-pandemic world.
RCC STORE always includes global insights and this year is no exception. During the main-stage session, China’s New Retail, renowned China marketing expert and bestselling author Ashley Dudarenok will discuss how China’s new retail and tech giants are shaping the future of global commerce.
In addition to the main-stage presentations, a number of concurrent sessions at RCC STORE also explore the new world of digital: Michelle Grant of Salesforce will discuss Digital Transformation Amidst Retail’s New Normal. Grant will explore how the pandemic has shaped the way consumers shop now, and how to use those insights to embrace new e-commerce opportunities. During the brazenly titled session, You Are Doing Ecommerce Wrong, Reshift Media CEO and Founder Steve Bours will explain how retailers can right their wrongs and turn their ecommerce strategy around.
Advancements in digital technology are shifting retail into uncharted spaces, presenting new challenges and opportunities for retail in Canada and around the world. The agenda at RCC STORE will give participants the lay of the land and a roadmap for success in the new world of retail. View the full agenda at STOREConference.ca and register your team today.
Richmond-based retail pharmacy chain London Drugs has re-opened its 1187 Robson Street location in Vancouver after months of renovations.
The store first opened in November of 1984 and has since welcomed locals and tourists to the uniquely designed location, which is memorable partly because of the precarious stairway that lead to the Earls Restaurant above.
“London Drugs is thrilled to be able to celebrate its newly renovated London Drugs with an in-person event on one of the most iconic streets in Vancouver, Robson Street,” said Sean Kim, London Drugs store manager. “The West End and Robson Street community has been incredible to work with throughout this time as we have continued to work with all health and safety protocols in place. Having serviced this community for decades, customers can continue to expect the same services from London Drugs in a refreshed and bright environment. Being a local, Canadian company means we are committed to the communities we serve and are pleased to give a donation to Vancouver’s A Loving Spoonful.”
On July 16th at 7:45 a.m., members of the London Drugs executive team were joined by Vancouver City Councillor Lisa Dominato to mark the completion of renovations at one of Vancouver’s long-standing retailers with speeches and a formal ribbon cutting. To commemorate this event and its history in the West End, London Drugs will donate $5,000 to A Loving Spoonful, another Vancouver fixture and important charity that has been servicing residents of Vancouver since 1989.
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Image: London Drugs Robson Re-Opening (Facebook)
London Drugs Robson Re-Opening
Image: London Drugs Robson Re-Opening (Facebook)
London Drugs Robson Re-Opening
Image: London Drugs Robson Re-Opening (Facebook)
London Drugs Robson Re-Opening
Image: London Drugs Robson Re-Opening (Facebook)
London Drugs Robson Re-Opening
Image: London Drugs Robson Re-Opening (Facebook)
London Drugs Robson Re-Opening
London Drugs Robson Street Interior – Image: London Drugs
London Drugs was founded in 1945 in B.C. and has grown to 82 physical stores in 35 major markets in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Canadian clothing brand Liberty Clothing has joined the growing community in The Distillery District with two separate locations, with a pop-up and brick & mortar location.
The brand is one of six brands that are scheduled to move into a set of pop-up retail containers that will be opening in the summer of 2021, when Founder Anne Joyce was given an opportunity that she couldn’t pass up. The Distillery District had an interruption in the installation and construction of the containers due to the recent Ontario lockdown and reached out to provide a temporary solution – moving into a recently vacated storefront at 24 Tank House Lane.
Anne-Marie Joyce
The location in The Distillery District is a testament to the dedication of the team, which saw a 5-day turnaround between receiving the keys and opening the doors. After opening and seeing the potential of the space, the conversation around making this a long-term home started.
Liberty Clothing is now signed for a multi-year lease to be in 24 Tank House Lane and will also be opening a pop-up in the containers for added exposure during the summer in the tourist-focused district.
Liberty Clothing at The Distillery District – Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Previous to Liberty, Stratford-based fashion business Distill called 24 Tank House Lane home for 15 years. They subsequently left the Distillery, relocating to Queen Street East before exiting Toronto completely in 2019. The space found a new retailer in Tank House General, who left during the pandemic.
When Anne Joyce, Founder at Liberty Clothing discussed the personality and culture at her company – the alignment was evident on all levels. “We at Liberty are so excited to be a part of this vibrant community within the Distillery where we have been warmly welcomed by local residents and tenants alike.”
Joyce shared that the Distillery location will grow into a Flagship for the brand, which already has a brick & mortar location in Canmore, AB and multiple pop-ups, including the SWS Marina in Minett.
“We love the idea of setting up our flagship right here in our native city and being a part of a community where everything has been thoughtfully curated and restored keeping that vintage heritage and vibe. That resonates with us in a big way because our brand is all about developing and creating high-quality, affordable and eco-friendly apparel , some with a vintage twist.”
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Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Interior of Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
“We’re excited to have Toronto’s own Liberty Clothing set up their flagship store at The Distillery District, which prides itself on offering locally-made, locally-sourced, unique, quality items for our shoppers,” said Elena Price, general manager of The Distillery District. “By having a permanent store-front on Tank House Lane and taking on one our pop-up containers, visitors will have double the chance to experience what makes Liberty Clothing so special.”
Current offerings in the store focus on the hits from the brand, including the High Line collection, which showcases tee’s, hoodies, bottoms and long sleeves made from hemp and organic cotton. The Redux collection is also on display, which features pieces that are unique and no two items are identical.
“In fact our mission is to inspire people to make sustainable shopping choices while providing quality clothing that can be a part of those everyday moments. Thats what drives us. Nothing inspires me more than when we are able to make one of a kind apparel pieces from recycled or up cycled fabrics or through the use of hemp and organic cotton in our high line collection where we do our part to reduce the carbon footprint!”
“Being able to provide that piece of clothing that could mean so much to someone even years down the road is a wonderful thing, so do what we do at Liberty and make everyday count”!
Interior of Liberty Clothing at The Distillery District – Photo by Dustin Fuhs Liberty Clothing at The Distillery District – Photo by Dustin Fuhs Liberty Clothing at The Distillery District – Photo by Dustin Fuhs Liberty Clothing at The Distillery District – Photo by Dustin Fuhs
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Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Interior of Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Interior of Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
Liberty Clothing at the Distillery District - Photo by Dustin Fuhs
