Tony Hurst, President, Lowe’s Canada will join Retail Council of Canada’s President and CEO, Diane J. Brisebois, on Tuesday May 18, 2021 at 2:00pm ET for an in-depth conversation about how Lowe’s Canada over the last year adjusted their business practices to continue to provide their world-class customer service while ensuring the critical COVID-19 safety protocols were carefully enforced. [Register: RCC Members $64.99 | Non-members $129.99]
Over the past few years, we have been witnessing a transformation in the retail industry. With the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations had to implement significant strategic changes to maintain or improve the customer experience. Tony Hurst took the helm of Lowe’s Canada as President in January 2021, just a few months before the health crisis began. Learn how Hurst has led the organization over the past year by making its associates, customers and surrounding communities’ well-being his top priorities. Whether it is through special measures to support associates, new technology roll-outs to improve the in-store and online experience, supply chain transformation or special community support programs, Lowe’s Canada adopted several new practices to adapt to this new reality.
This is the third of four In Conversation With Retail Leaders webinars where Canada’s most visionary retailers and industry insiders will discuss innovation in retail and provide critical insights to successfully lead businesses through disruptive times.
Other In Conversation With Retail Leaders guests this spring include:
Leading sports retailer Lids, known for selling headwear, is partnering with Designer Brands to launch 45 shop-in-shop concept stores at DSW Designer Shoe and The Shoe Company locations throughout Canada.
“At Lids, we’re always looking for new ways to bring our unparalleled assortment of licensed sports apparel and headwear to more customers,” said Lawrence Berger, Co-Founder and Partner at Ames Watson and Chairman of FanzzLids Holdings which is the owner of Lids. “Designer Brands offers a one-stop-shop for footwear and accessory needs and we’re looking forward to complementing that with Lids’ diverse offerings to better serve Canadian customers.
Lawrence Berger
“There’s a number of reasons why we’re doing this. We love the Canadian market. It’s among our strongest markets and we think it’s going to bounce back very strongly after it opens up from COVID. We believe that there’s an opportunity to bring to the Canadian market a lot of really interesting products.
“We got approached by DSW to do this and we jumped at the opportunity to work with them for a number of reasons. We love their stores. Many of their stores are bigger. They’ve got a lot of space. A lot of our buyers who are buying hats and jerseys have just come from buying a pair of shoes. So they’re buying hats and jerseys to match. If you look at where our Lids stores are in the mall they’re often near a Footlocker or some other shoe company.”
Indianapolis-based Lids carries licensed and branded gear and is the largest headwear retailer in North America, with over 28 million sold per year across their 1,200 locations. The company has about 200 stores in Canada. Stores sell not only hats but jerseys, T-shirts, and other products.
Berger said about two-thirds of the stores are hat stores while one-third are larger stores that sell various licenced sports products. The larger stores are about 1,500 to 2,500 square feet while the smaller stores are about 1,000 square feet.
In the United States, the company also has a partnership with the retail giant Macy’s where Lids operates a store within a store in the larger department retailer.
“We’ve tried to bring far more interesting product into our stores. A lot of exclusive product,” said Berger.
Interior of Lids store. Photo: Lids
Interior of Lids store. Photo: Lids
He said the company has seen strong sales even during the pandemic.
“We might be the only retailer in the country or in North America that’s been actively expanding. So in the last six months, we’ve added almost 70 stores. We do believe that there’s opportunity to expand. We do believe that coming out of COVID people are going to want to get out into the mall. We believe that the shopping experience in our stores is complementary to the shopping experience online . . . We think people want to get out,” said Berger.
“And we think that also coming out of COVID who isn’t thinking about going back to a baseball game or a hockey game. We think there’s going to be really strong demand for product . . . So we’re very, very bullish on expansion and we’re very bullish on trying to do interesting product for fans.”
Interior of DSW store. Photo: DSW
The shop-in-shop formats with DSW and The Shoe Company will range from headwear displays to mini shops that include licensed jerseys.
Product will primarily include licensed headwear and jerseys, with an emphasis on gear representing top Canadian sports teams.
“We are thrilled to partner with Lids on the roll-out of store-in-store boutiques offering licensed sports merchandise to local fan communities across the country,” said Mary Turner, President of Designer Brands Operations in Canada. “We believe that Lids’ merchandise provides great synergies with our growing athletics assortments while allowing us to tap into a younger customer demographic.”
The first in-store shop-in-shop concept between Lids and Designer Brands will launch on May 15 along with the online assortment. Berger said the Lids store-within-a store will be about 1,000 to 1,500 square feet.
Berger said this is a first step for the company and he’s hoping to launch more shop-in-shop locations.
“We think it’s going to be successful. We believe DSW thinks it’s going to be successful and if that’s the case we would expect to grow in Canada and also the United States,” he said.
Exterior of The Shoe Company. Photo: Ivanhoe Cambridge
“Our hope is to expand with a lot of other big retailers. We love the store within a store model. We think it works great for us. We think that the customer finds it really interesting. We think they’re pleasantly surprised walking into a Macy’s and seeing the whole set up and we think they’ll be pleasantly surprised walking through DSW seeing the set up there now.”
Berger said the female customer share for Lids has grown substantially over the years and will continue to grow.
“The female buying for herself has grown but a very big driver for us is that females are buying for their kids and they’re buying for their spouses,” he said.
Mary Turner
“We think that customers are obviously going to lots of different stores. They’re shopping in different ways and we believe that there are lots of ways to reach those customers. And we think it’s a very, very broad customer base. “
Lids Sports Group operates stores under the Lids, Locker Room by Lids, Fanzz, Yankees Clubhouse Shops, Dodgers Clubhouse, Cardinals Clubhouse, and numerous other nameplates.
Designer Brands is one of North America’s largest designers, producers, and retailers of footwear and accessories. The company operates a portfolio of retail concepts in nearly 700 locations under the DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse, The Shoe Company, and Shoe Warehouse banners.
Hudson’s Bay Partners to Launch Beauty Recycling Program
Hudson’s Bay this week announced a partnership called Pact Collective, which is described as being the first not-for-profit recycling program dedicated exclusively to the beauty industry. Founding members include Hudson’s Bay, Credo Beauty, MOB Beauty, and Element Packaging.
On Earth Day on April 22, Pact launched across North America with recycling bins available in 20 Hudson’s Bay stores in Canada and all 10 Credo stores in the United States. Hudson’s Bay says that it plans to roll it out to all 87 of its Canadian stores through 2021. The materials collected in the take-back bins will be sent to a recycling partner where they are sorted, cleaned, and then recycled, upcycled, or reused.
Julie Yan, Director of Sustainability for Hudson’s Bay, says “By bringing together beauty industry stakeholders through the Collective, Pact is enabling change from within. As a purpose-driven retailer, it was a clear opportunity for Hudson’s Bay to help drive that change, reduce our own impact on the planet, promote education and provide sustainable solutions for our customers”.
Exterior of Hudson’s Bay store on Queen Street, Toronto. Photo: Hudson’s Bay
The Beauty Industry is said to generate an estimated 120 billion cosmetic packages annually, and most are made with virgin plastic and a small percentage are successfully recycled. Pact’s mission is to provide a sustainable solution for hard-to-recycle beauty packaging including plastic packages smaller than a yogurt cup, squeezable tubes, fragrance bottles, pumps, caps, and other common formats that are unlikely to be recycled in curbside programs.
Tim Hortons Innovation Cafe Shuts Down in Toronto’s Empty Downtown Financial District
Interior of the Tim Hortons Innovation Cafe. Photo: CNW Group/Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons’ attempt at becoming a boutique coffee shop has fallen flat after less than two years in operation. The Tim Hortons Innovation Cafe on King Street West has closed, largely due to COVID-19 and the mass exodus of office workers from the city’s downtown core.
“The reality of COVID-19 has meant that the downtown core has been largely vacant for 13 months and will likely continue to be for the foreseeable future,” reads a statement from Tim Hortons.
Sign on Tim Hortons Innovation Cafe announcing its closure. Photo: Dustin Fuhs
The location was the first of its kind for the Canadian staple, elevating the usual no frills Tim Hortons experience with ‘Dream Donuts’, draft lattes, and matcha.
“Tim Hortons 130 King was one of several innovation restaurants that we developed – where we try new menu innovations and new design concepts as we continue to grow and evolve the Tim Hortons brand.”
Retail Insider reported on the opening of the Innovation Cafe in the summer of 2019 and initially the location was greeted with long lineups and general excitement.
It’s tough to say whether or not this concept would have prevailed long term with the Canadian public if it had not been for COVID-19. At the time many thought Timmies should probably just stick to what they know. In a statement, however, the company promised further innovation and exiting things to come.
“We closed Tim Hortons 130 King last week and will continue to trial new ideas and concepts in our innovation restaurants.”
Porsche Centre Markham Opens at CF Markville Mall
Exterior of the Porsche Centre Markham at CF Markville. Photo: CF Markville
CF Markville Mall has officially welcomed Canada’s newest Porsche dealership. Located at 8590 McCowan Road at the northwest corner of the CF Markville site, the Porsche Centre Markham is the first car dealership in Canada that is fully-integrated with a regional shopping centre. A full-service dealership with new and pre-owned vehicle sales, parts, and service, the centre is also the latest addition to the portfolio of Toronto-based premium automotive group Pfaff Automotive Partners.
The 53,000-square-foot dealership is one of the first in the world to feature Porsche’s new global retail architecture, ‘Destination Porsche’, and it is connected directly to CF Markville’s underground and above-ground parking structures, and features pedestrian access.
Additionally, the dealership has integrated a full parts and service operation, as well as a Porsche Driver’s Selection boutique. Customers needing service have the flexibility of 24/7 pick-up and drop-off with a contactless kiosk, and the dealership has the capacity to accommodate service appointments on short notice.
Interior of the Porsche Centre Markham. Photo: CF Markville
Interior of the Porsche Centre Markham. Photo: CF Markville
Interior of the Porsche Centre Markham. Photo: CF Markville
Porsche Centre Markham is also fully-equipped to accommodate the brand’s electric models, with dedicated electric vehicle charging stations on-site, as well as an electric vehicle battery repair room, future-proofed for servicing the new Porsche Taycan and future electric Porsche models.
The addition of the Porsche Centre Markham to CF Markville is just the latest in a growing list of shopping centres adding auto retail showrooms to their mix. The latest example is West Edmonton Mall’s 317,000-square-foot Mayfield Toyota dealership which opened last year.
During the Ontario-wide stay-at-home order, Porsche Centre Markham’s sales and service departments are operating on an appointment-only basis, with Porsche parts and boutique items available for curbside pickup. Appointments can be booked online at porschecentremarkham.com.
BonLook Acquires Virtual Optical Measurement Tool
Montreal-based eyewear company, BonLook, has announced its acquisition of EyeMeasure — a technological application that obtains various measurements necessary for prescription eyewear purchases.
EyeMeasure is a simple application that allows the user to measure pupillary distance (the distance between the centre of each pupil) and bifocal segment height. This technology allows for instant measuring with increased precision when compared to other technologies currently used in the e-commerce sector. The application also includes virtual try-on and frame digitization features that can greatly contribute to a smoother customer experience, replicating to in-person service.
EyeMeasure in action. Photo: BonLook
“Innovation is one of BonLook’s core values, and this new acquisition allows us to move closer to our objective of improving eye care service and prescription eyewear purchase accessibility in-store and online. For several months now, BonLook has been working to identify solutions that can address changes in the industry, while developing new technological tools that we will not only be able to use but also share with other players in the industry. We are currently reinventing systems that will allow eye care professionals to gain access to greater potential for expansion in terms of e-commerce and to reach more customers in an innovative and efficient manner,” expressed Louis-Félix Boulanger, BonLook’s Chief Operating Officer and cofounder.
BonLook has pursued an aggressive expansion plan over the last five years or so. Between growing its brick-and-mortar presence and widening its range of services, this newest acquisition is part of BonLook’s strategic growth plan within an increasingly competitive market. In addition to pursuing its sales operations in-stores and online, the company aims to act as a vector of technological innovation in the field of optics.
The company will enable other businesses equipped with a transactional site to implement the application to take measurements and to access its software development kit (SDK). This will allow partners to develop their own mobile applications and to benefit from the measurement and virtual try-on features. From now on, the EyeMeasure application will be included among BonLook’s services while remaining available to the general public without charge on the Apple App Store.
Altitude Sports Launches Next-Day Delivery in Western Canada
Altitude Sports warehouse. Photo: Altitude Sports
Montreal-based Altitude Sports has announced the introduction of next-day delivery to Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Regina, all from its Montreal distribution centre starting on April 26, 2021.
After its most successful year to date, Altitude Sports, Canada’s only exclusively online outdoor retailer, is building on last year’s launch of same day/next day delivery to Montreal and Toronto.
When compared to the same time period in 2019, last year between September and December the brand saw a 62 percent increase in new customers across Canada, a 99 percent increase in new customers in Montreal, and a 39 percent increase in new customers in Toronto. Additionally, from July 2020 to February 2021 over 25,000 customers used same day/next day in Montreal to deliver over 35,000 packages.
Altitude Sports
“We constantly look to push the boundaries for what’s possible as an ecommerce business,” says Maxime Dubois, CO-CEO. “Same Day/Next Day Delivery was an initiative that was clearly worth it.”
Now available in Western Canada’s biggest cities, orders placed by 2 pm EST will arrive by 8 pm local time the following day . Prices for next ay delivery will range from $7.99 to $12.99, depending on the shipping location. Orders placed after 2 pm EST will be eligible for two-day express delivery.
Altitude Sports continues to increase its product offering, partnering with new and exciting brands from Canada and around the world, with a focus on high-quality products, especially those that have the lowest impact on the environment. This season’s new brands include: Tentree (Canadian sustainable activewear brand), Praise (Montreal run and après run apparel) and Fox (gear and apparel for mountain biking).
“Our customers come back to us time and again because we evolve with the industry and we listen to them to ensure we are bringing in the best assortment of outdoor gear and apparel,” adds Dubois. “Our goal is to become Canada’s one-stop destination for outdoor living.”
This announcement comes days after Retail Insider reported that Gap-owned Athleta is entering Canada with stores, further intensifying the competitive athleisure and outdoor apparel market in Canada.
People in masks shop for essential items at Costco in Mississauga, Ont., on April 18, 2021. Costco insists its in-store customers wear masks even if they claim exemptions. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Masking is currently required to access retail stores across Canada amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Presently, every province has regulations in place that require customers to wear masks before entering stores to shop.
The inability to mask for medical reasons raises important questions about the application of well-established principles of human rights law to the retail sector.
In the accommodation process, employees have a right to privacy — they don’t need to disclose their diagnoses or provide more information than is necessary to establish their work-related limitations. How much information is sufficient varies with the circumstances. However, it usually involves documentation from a medical professional that substantiates and explains these limitations.
Both parties have a duty to participate in the process; it’s a shared responsibility. There can be several exchanges before an accommodation is agreed upon, often including requests for further medical information. Accommodation is highly discretionary, and parties are encouraged to be creative when exploring various accommodation measures.
Square Peg in a Round Hole
This process, with its back-and-forth nature, is suited to a situation in which the parties have an ongoing relationship. But in a retail setting, there’s no such relationship, so established principles of accommodation are an awkward fit.
Take, for example, a case at the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. A claimant took the City of Toronto to task, alleging that he was discriminated against at various local businesses owing to the city’s masking bylaw. The bylaw directs organizations to create a policy mandating mask wearing with exemptions for those with an “underlying medical condition,” further stating that no proof of such condition will be required.
Ultimately, the tribunal dismissed the complaint, saying the city “cannot be faulted” for others’ misapplication of its bylaw. In doing so, the tribunal acknowledged that accommodation is a “shared responsibility.” In a retail setting, according to the tribunal, that means that a customer must “identify to a business” that they have an exemption-qualifying condition, but don’t have to provide proof.
Merely identifying a condition, however, falls short of the exchange that usually accompanies requests for accommodation in settings where parties have an ongoing relationship. A business and a customer can hardly share responsibility for accommodation in the same way an employee and a supervisor do.
Proof, What Proof?
The question about how much information a customer should supply to retailers was also relevant to a recent case in British Columbia. A person was denied entry to a store for refusing to wear a mask, even after identifying a medical condition to the security guard. Since the claimant declined to provide details to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal about their alleged disability, the claim was dismissed.
People shop in Chinatown in Vancouver in February 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
The B.C. tribunal, unusually, made public its decision to make clear that claims require evidence of a disability because, as it rightly stated, the Human Rights Code “does not protect people who refuse to wear a mask as a matter of personal preference.”
However, this doesn’t answer the most pertinent question: What information is a customer required to supply to an organization before the fact, rather than to a human rights tribunal after the fact.
The B.C. tribunal is awaiting a more suitable complaint to determine how much medical information customers must give retailers to be exempt. But are exemptions the only answer?
Exemptions Ripe for Abuse
The need to substantiate mask-exemption claims in the retail sector is genuine, more so as the pandemic worsens. Masking has been politicized, and merely claiming an exemption can be ripe for abuse. Possibly in response to this reality, Costco altered its masking policy in November by removing medically based exemptions. Other retailers followed suit. Removing exemptions has proven controversial, and it’s unclear whether it’s lawful.
Both Costcoand Indigo identify alternatives to in-store shopping for those unable to mask. These include shopping online and curbside pickup.
An Indigo bookstore is seen in November 2020 in Laval, Que. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
This appears consistent with advice from some human rights commissions. The Ontario Human Rights Commission, for example, in its non-binding policy role, suggests “offering curbside pickup” as a possible accommodation measure since this “would generally allow a person to receive a retail service.” The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission has offered a similar view.
Alternative accommodation measures short of exemptions aren’t ideal for some. However, another principle of accommodation is that people have a right to an adequate accommodation — but not necessarily their preferred accommodation.
Accommodation or Exemption?
Current alternatives to in-store shopping are arguably consistent with human rights accommodation principles. Even prior to the masking regulations, some businesses had already insisted their customers wear masks when they enter their stores, in response to the pandemic.
They could do so, as long as they were abiding by those accommodation principles. And given the potential for abusing masking exemptions, the in-store shopping alternatives may also better coincide with legal duties under health and safety legislation across the country.
Customers shop for shoes at a Browns Shoes store during an easing of COVID-19 restrictions that allowed non-essential stores to reopen in Québec in February. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
Alison Braley-Rattai, Assistant Professor, Labour studies, Brock University.
As vaccination efforts roll out across the country, the end of the COVID-19 pandemic may finally be in view. Issues of mask-wearing exemptions and accommodations by retailers may soon be moot and the situation could remain unresolved — until the next public health crisis.
Close up of nudnik's classic t-shirts. Photo: nudnik
Impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic have provided people the world over with a number of learnings, imparting lessons in humility, dignity, discretion, and restraint as we continue to collectively work through this challenging time. Similarly, retailers and businesses everywhere have also received a sort of unorthodox education during this period, helping to affirm for many just how resilient their operations are and how innovative their organizations can be when faced with this kind of adversity. And, these teachings arrived swiftly. Subsequent to government-imposed lockdowns and societal restrictions, the industry was charged with reinventing itself, pivoting, and shifting in order to address the significant acceleration of trends, the most noticeable of which reflected in the sharp increase in online activity and simultaneous digitization of the retail ecosystem. However, as more data is gleaned from events of the past twelve months, the more granular our understanding becomes with respect to changes in behaviour and sentiment as well as the further shifts that might be required by some. For fashion retailers, the recent rise in eco-consciousness and awareness among consumers will be of significant note, and could potentially signify the sustainable apparel tipping point and decline of fast fashion in the country.
Going Green
According to a recent report published by Boston Consulting Group titled COVID-19: The Pandemic Is Heightening Environmental Awareness, the attitudes toward and appreciation of the impact that we as humans have on the world around us have become more acute, sparking a change or escalation in our green behaviour. For instance, 70 percent of survey respondents stated that they are more aware now than they were previous to COVID-19 of the ways in which current human activity threatens the environment and how, in turn, that degradation threatens humans. One-third of respondents say that they currently practice green behaviours consistently, with 25 percent admitting to have increased those behaviours since the onset of the pandemic, and a further 40 percent who say that they intend to integrate more sustainable behaviours in the future. What’s more, the survey also found that 87 percent of its participants believe that companies should be doing more to help protect the environment.
They are findings that are, in fact, consistent across multiple reports and surveys concerning the topic. McKinsey & Company released its Survey: Consumer sentiment on sustainability in fashion, in which respondents cited ‘a reduction of negative environmental impacts’ as one of their top recommended actions (38 percent) for fashion brands to adopt going forward. And, the first ever Canadian edition of the EY Future Consumer Index indicates that the vast majority of Canadian consumers (70 percent) experienced a shift in product preferences as a result of the pandemic, with 47 percent stating that the social and environmental impact of products has become a prominent driver of their current behaviour. It’s data that reflects a seemingly significant uptick in environmental awareness among consumers — a growing trend that’s recognized by Anwar White, Faculty Lecturer, Bensadoun School of Retail Management and Program Director for the Master of Management in Retailing at McGill University.
Anwar White
“Today’s consumer has access to a world of information,” he says. “And they’re becoming more conscientious and considerate when it comes to the choices they make. As a result, they’re increasingly more curious about the origins of the garments they purchase, how they were sourced and how they were made. They want to better understand the impact that apparel products have on the environment and the gravity of the choices that they make as consumers. This is primarily evident in the attitudes of today’s younger generations who consider social and environmental practices as a top consideration with respect to their perception of and engagement with brands. Many fashion brands have dipped their toes in the water when it comes to sustainability and the fashion circular design. And some are realizing that without this being a focus, they’ll potentially lose more and more of their millennial customer-base who’s purchase behaviour is heavily influenced by this core value.”
Destructive Practices
White’s observations, combined with the plethora of available research, underscore the rising tide of eco-consciousness among the general public while calling into question the very real and dramatic nature of the environmental impact that the fashion industry is responsible for. According to a report published prior to the COVID-19 outbreak by the World Bank Group, the fashion industry accounts for 10 percent of all annual global carbon emissions. And it warns that, based on its findings, at current production, maintaining the contemporary means by which garments are typically produced, the industry could conceivably increase its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50 percent over the course of the next ten years.
The Nudnik Negative Waste Positive Impact t-shirt. Photo: Nudnik
If this trajectory is preserved, the repercussions could be devastating. Emissions, however, represent just one line on the considerably lengthy ledger of negative effects that apparel manufacturing has on our planet ongoing, which also includes the industry’s consumption and pollution of water, releasing of microfibres into our water supplies, use of chemicals that are both harmful to the environment as well as the consumer, degradation of soil, destruction of rainforest, and creation of waste, among other things. The list begins to illustrate the amount of work required by players in order to clean up the apparel production process. And, according to White, it’s work that has already been started by some within the industry — pioneers that are beginning to pave a new way forward for manufacturers and retailers of fashion.
“The research and evidence related to the fashion industry’s negative environmental impact can’t really be disputed,” he recognizes. “It can only be improved upon by those operating within the space. And, driven by the attitudes and preferences of younger generations, we’re seeing the development of so many patterns of change with the emergence of things like rental streams and business models around vintage and resale product. These are trends that are really beginning to thrive as many consumers within the country and beyond are starting to turn away from fast fashion as a means to build their wardrobe. And, as societal and cultural sensibilities around these issues continue to evolve and change, the industry is increasingly transforming, moving in a direction toward a real environmental and social tipping point. There are a lot of companies today who are trying to affect change, and many others who are beginning to take notice of these patterns and trends, placing sustainability at the forefront of their operations and embracing it as a core value of their brands.”
Waste Not, Want Not
One such company helping to move the industry forward in the direction of sustainability is nudnik — a producer and online purveyor of contemporary kidswear and one of the country’s leaders in circular fashion. Founded and led by twin sisters, Lindsay and Alex Lorusso, the brand believes that waste is one of the world’s largest resources and is dedicated to producing its stylish items using organic cotton off-cut fabrics that would have otherwise been sent to landfill. It’s a passion that the sisters developed while working with their father who co-owns waste management company, Wasteco, amassing more than 20 years of collective experience and witnessing firsthand the astonishing amounts of textile waste that’s collected every day.
Alex (left) and Lindsay Lorusso
Today, just five years since the inception of the company, which began as more of a thinktank than anything else, nudnik boasts an impressive range of gender-neutral garments for children ages one to six made entirely of pre-consumer textile waste. It’s a way in which the sisters are providing an example for the rest of the industry to follow. And, according to Lindsay Lorusso, they consider the work they’re doing to be imperative in helping to minimize the negative impacts of fashion production on the environment and to contribute positively toward the future health of the planet and those who occupy it.
“The real drivers behind what we’re doing are the generations that will follow us,” she says. “And, with our understanding of the significant impact that fashion manufacturing has on the environment, we set out to shake things up, to disrupt the way clothing is made, packaged, and consumed. The mindset of today’s consumer is shifting with respect to their own consumption of apparel. They increasingly want to know where and how product is sourced and made and are showing a greater appetite to support the brands that they know are doing good. And this of course extends beyond the product itself. We’ve taken more of a holistic approach to sustainability, working with ethical supplier partners who share our vision with respect to waste and sustainability. A truly circular business model requires considerations to be made throughout the entire process, from sourcing to the packaging used, and everything else in between.”
Made to Last
Another company doing its part is British Columbia-based men’s and women’s sustainable apparel provider Ecologyst. Founded more than 20 years ago, with locations in Victoria and Whistler, the brand is a firm believer in what it refers to as the ‘reciprocal power of nature’ and in the environmental benefits of a sustainable approach to apparel manufacturing. Producing all of its apparel in Canada and the United States, Ecologyst is able to support local jobs and economies. And, in place of the traditional use of synthetic materials like polyester, acrylic, and nylon to make their clothing — materials that are made from petroleum and create microplastics — it instead uses all-natural, biodegradable materials like organic cotton and Merino wool to lessen its impact on the environment. In addition, Ecologyst prides itself on the quality and durability of its apparel, guaranteeing all items for life, promoting the value and responsibility inherent in owning fewer, better made pieces. With these things in mind, the brand is on a mission to become the ‘world’s most sustainable apparel company’. It’s a lofty ambition, one that Founder and CEO, Rene Gauthier, says is supported by constant recognition, awareness and innovation.
Rene Gauthier
“We try to approach our business with as much respect for the environment as we can,” he asserts. “We believe that what a company takes needs to be balanced by the amount that it gives back, resulting ideally in a net positive for the environment. For us, it means considering our impact, as well as the impact of all of our stakeholders in our ecosystem, with respect to every single choice that we make. And it also means constantly evolving and discovering new ways to improve our standards and way of doing things. For example, we use organic cotton, which requires a lot of land and water to grow. And because those are two resources that we’re running out of on the planet, we knew that we needed to find alternatives to the way we’re producing our clothing. So, we started doing some work with the University of British Columbia to find a newer, better way to recycle cotton. Our belief is that we already have enough cotton out there. We don’t need to grow any more and instead just need to develop a way to recycle it so it retains its strength and softness. We were recently able to prove something out in a lab and will now be taking it to the next level, scaling it up. It’s the way we need to be thinking — constantly innovating and exploring newer, better ideas — for the survival of our planet and our brand. Consumers aren’t going to put up with the status quo much longer. And, from our point of view, in order to address the issues and satisfy the preferences of today’s consumer, the industry needs to make sustainability its number one focus going forward.”
A Sustainable Trend?
Despite this current moment in history being a time of true disruption and adversity, a period underscored and overwhelmed by uncertainty, something of a happy consequence seems to have resulted in our collective recognition of the things that really matter. The pandemic has brought our health into sharper focus and elevated the action required to preserve the planet we live on to that of a priority. Whether or not this rise of eco-consciousness in today’s consumer is a trend that will be maintained going forward remains a question unanswered. But, as McGill’s Anwar White points out, it’s a sentiment that’s been steadily growing long before the impacts of COVID-19 began to grip the world, and it’s one that he believes will only continue to increase in significance.
“Sustainability and eco-conscious thinking and behaviour has been something of a movement for quite some time now. But, most recently, it’s been resonating with more people at a much deeper level than at any time previous. It’s increasingly becoming a statement for people, a representation of the person who wears sustainably made clothing, providing them with a way to convey who they are and the core values that they live by. And I don’t think that it’s a fad or a trend that’s going to diminish. Driven by today’s youth, sustainable and ethical practices are going to be demanded more and more of the brands that they interact and shop with. The industry’s slowly beginning to recognize this and embracing their responsibility in reducing the negative impact of the fashion industry on the environment.”
Alexander McQueen storefront on Bond Street in London. Photo: Alexander McQueen
Kering-owned, UK-based luxury brand Alexander McQueen will open its first standalone storefront in Canada later this year at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The move signals confidence in brick-and-mortar luxury retail in Canada and puts Yorkdale over the top as the epicentre for a global brand clustering in the country.
The Yorkdale Alexander McQueen store will replace a J. Crew store in the mall that had a 4,125-square-foot main floor as well as a 1,250-square-foot lower level. The facade will span an impressive 43 feet according to lease plans. The Alexander McQueen brand features ready-to-wear clothing for women and men as well as a range of bags, accessories, jewellery, and footwear. The company states that its designs feature a “juxtaposition between the feminine and the masculine, fragility and strength, romance and rebellion, man and machine”. Accessories with skulls are a trademark of the McQueen brand.
McQueen will be located between Yorkdale’s Montblanc and Burberry boutiques in the mall’s original luxury wing. Retailers across from the new McQueen include David Yurman and Richemont jewellery brand boutiques that include Piaget, Panerai, Vacheron Constantine, IWC, and Van Cleef & Arpels.
The facade of Yorkdale’s new Alexander McQueen store is yet to be unveiled. Photo: JM
In Canada, Alexander McQueen fashions are also carried at several upscale multi-brand stores. Holt Renfrew carries McQueen pieces for women in all of its stores in Canada with a particular focus on the Vancouver location, as well as some menswear. Nordstrom’s Vancouver flagship store features a women’s McQueen shop-in-store. In Toronto, Saks Fifth Avenue’s downtown flagship features a McQueen women’s boutique on its third level as well as an area on the main floor for handbags. When the CF Sherway Gardens Saks Fifth Avenue store opened in February of 2016, it included a McQueen accessory boutique on its main level as well as a women’s ready-to-wear boutique upstairs. Montreal-based retailer SSENSE also carries an assortment of Alexander McQueen on its website.
The standalone McQueen storefront could also impact sales at Holt Renfrew and Saks Fifth Avenue in Toronto as some consumers may be drawn to the full collection within the new flagship store. The brand is said to have seen strong sales in the Vancouver market which is indicative that a second direct-to-consumer storefront for McQueen could also open if a proper space could be found. It’s unclear if McQueen will pull out of some multi-brand retailers as it grows its direct-to-consumer channel in Canada, and it’s a trend being seen with other brands expanding into the market.
The Alexander McQueen brand operates standalone stores globally in major markets as well as concessions in upscale department stores. According to the McQueen website, most of the brand’s stores are in Asia while others are concentrated in Europe.
In the United States, Alexander McQueen operates 11 standalone storefronts in major fashion destinations, including on urban street fronts and in luxury shopping centres. In New York City, McQueen has stores at 747 Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side and at 71 Green Street in Soho. In Miami, McQueen has stores at the Miami Design District as well as at the luxurious Bal Harbour Shops. Two McQueen boutiques are located in Las Vegas at the Bellagio and Wynn retail complexes. In Beverly Hills California, McQueen operates a flagship store at 457 N. Rodeo Drive, and the brand has a location at the upscale South Coast Plaza in Orange County. A standalone McQueen store operates at 58 Geary Street in San Francisco, and in Honolulu McQueen has a store at the popular and busy Ala Moana Shopping Centre. The historic outdoor luxury shopping centre Highland Park Village in Dallas is home to the only standalone McQueen storefront in Texas.
Interactive map of Yorkdale Shopping Centre with red arrow indicating the location of new Alexander McQueen store.
It’s not yet known if Alexander McQueen will open any other standalone stores in Canada. Toronto’s Bloor-Yorkville is the city’s other luxury brand clustering and McQueen could look to open a location either on Yorkville Avenue or on the luxury run of Bloor Street West. In Vancouver, Alexander McQueen may look to open a store in downtown Vancouver, most likely on or near the 1000 block of Alberni Street or within the overhauled Oakridge Shopping Centre which will be completed in 2024.
The addition of Alexander McQueen to Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre is indicative of the mall’s prominence as a luxury epicentre for Canada. Many of the world’s top luxury brands have opened stores at Yorkdale and more are said to be interested. Yorkdale has managed to overtake Toronto’s Bloor-Yorkville and Vancouver’s Luxury Zone as the top destination for mono-brand luxury stores in Canada as the mall finds its place among North America’s top shopping centres in terms of luxury brand offerings.
The Alexander McQueen brand was founded by fashion designer, Lee Alexander McQueen, in 1992. He became chief designer for luxury brand, Givenchy in 1996 and left the position in 2001. He received the British Designer of the Year award in 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2003, as well as CFDA’s International Designer of the Year award in 2003. French luxury conglomerate Kering acquired the Alexander McQueen brand in 2001.
Lee Alexander McQueen tragically died of suicide on February 11, 2010 at the age of 40 shortly after the death of his mother. Early on in his career, he partnered with fashion icon Isabella Blow while he gained the reputation of being an ‘enfant terrible’ in British fashion with designs such as the ‘bumster’ trouser. Blow, a good friend and noted magazine editor, took her own life in May of 2007.
Sarah Burton is currently the Creative Director for the Alexander McQueen brand. She was appointed Head of Design for womenswear at Alexander McQueen in 2000 and in May 2010, she became Creative Director of the entire brand having worked alongside Lee Alexander McQueen for more than 14 years. Burton was recipient of the Designer of the Year award at the British Fashion Awards in November 2011 and was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in April 2012 and was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to the British fashion industry in June 2012.
Examples of Hettich Canada's innovative furniture fittings aimed at providing increased ease for retailers when organizing and finding products. Photo: Hettich Canada
Across all industries, the pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital trends already gaining momentum before the lockdowns, and the retail industry was certainly not spared. Retailers scrambled to shift operations online and provide digital services such as click-and-collect and curbside pick-up. More than one year later, vaccination roll outs are priming consumers to return to stores, malls, and shopping centres. Retailers are confident that shoppers will return to brick-and-mortar, however the new retail environment will look and feel different, requiring a combination of new safety and hygienic protocols, merchandising and operational strategies, and a progression of the retail experience, as well as a greater trend towards convergence of physical and digital to offer increased flexibility and convenience to customers.
Here are five industry trends helping shape the new retail environment.
Providing Avenues for Escapism and Reinvention
After being confined to their homes during the pandemic lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, consumers will experience a heightened need for escapism and self-reinvention – they will crave normal social activities like dining out and casually shopping with friends. A year of WFH, pyjama attire, and COVID haircuts combined with the growing trend of health and wellness also has many people eager to explore new opportunities for self-transformation. Linda Price, a Marketing Professor at the University of Oregon defines this need for self-evolution as the “fresh start mindset”. Retailers that offer creative and inspiring products and services directed at allowing consumers to reinvent themselves will come out on top (think makeover items, self-help, wellness, etc.).
Retailers can tap into this trend by using a combination of online and in-store storytelling experiences to generate buzz and drive engagement. Within the physical store, retailers should strive to create flex-spaces to accommodate unique in-store events to drive foot traffic. These could include exclusive product drops, pop-ins, or performances hosted through collaborations with local artists, for example.
To further amplify this trend, brands should rethink their visual merchandising experience, especially from the exterior. Social distancing and store capacity protocols will likely remain for some time after the pandemic. In warmer months, this means longer queues of shoppers waiting outside to enter stores, which presents an opportunity for retailers to utilize window displays to showcase the customer journey as they explore various areas of the store or to highlight specific products, promotions, or events.
Ani Nersessian
Unlike stores, window displays are never closed. They are visible and present to passersby at all hours, and therefore, act as brand representatives. Whether they are used for actual displays or left open to show a view of the interior, they need to be sufficient in communicating a message without further help of sales staff. “While the usual intent is to direct traffic into the store, lockdown periods increased the need to inspire customers to shop the brand, and during these periods, that means shopping online. Going forward, window displays, much like the rest of marketing, will likely express an omnichannel experience, meaning e-commerce and in-person shopping is not competing; they are treated as a whole, and the messaging should also reflect this,” says Ani Nersessian, a Visual Merchandising Specialist and Founder of VM ID.
Online Stores in Offline Spaces
Several direct-to-consumer brands – especially in thriving categories like apparel and athleisure – which started online have recently launched and expanded their physical presence. Despite a record number of closures of brick-and-mortar stores throughout 2020 and a decline in foot traffic, brands like Bonobos, Glossier, Casper, and Warby Parker have found that now is the opportune time to take advantage of low rent rates and have announced new store openings this year. Real estate experts have predicted that digitally-native brands will open 850 brick-and-mortar stores within the next 5 years (Tinuiti, 2020). Many retailers are realizing that consumers still prefer physical stores where they benefit from in-person interaction and can touch and feel the products.
Linda Farha
Other brands like Gap Inc. and Lululemon, which were forced to pivot to e-commerce during the pandemic, seem to be ready to shift back into the brick-and-mortar game in an effort to re-engage customers that prefer in-store shopping. “It’s all about maintaining relevancy in the digital economy. Despite many brands seeing a boost in their e-commerce business during the pandemic, retailers are taking advantage of desirable real estate availability and more favourable lease deals to open new shops, expand or relocate existing stores, and launch pop-ups,” says Linda Farha, Founder and Chief connector at pop-up go.
How can retailers leverage this trend? Creating an offline experience is an excellent way for digital brands to leverage the omnichannel technology and convenience of their e-commerce strategy in a physical setting. “Brands should focus on what makes sense for them – be strategic about where your customers are going to be most eager to spend their time,” says Farha.
AR-Powered Shopping Experiences
Augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are here to stay. An essential part of many retailers’ e-commerce business, these technologies are helping to further the convergence of digital and physical. According to a Nielsen global survey conducted in 2019, consumers listed AR and VR as the top technologies they’re seeking to assist them in their daily lives, with 51% saying they would be willing to use AR tech to assess products.
These technologies allow brands to create more immersive and visually exciting shopping experiences. Among those who have introduced AR experiences to showcase their products to consumers are IKEA, Home Depot, Target, and Shopify. AR and VR are especially useful for helping customers select the best size and fit of clothing and shoes – something most shoppers find challenging when purchasing online and is a primary reason for returns.
Retailers can partner with tech companies like 3DLook and TrueFit to offer their customers 3D body scanning services to help improve clothing size selection and hopefully reduce returns. This trend is likely to become increasingly utilized as a way to help consumers reduce the risk of “try until you buy”.
Transforming Store Operations
Physical distancing protocols and a new preference for self-service are altering traditional store operations in order to meet evolving customer experience expectations. For retailers, providing safe in-store experiences will help alleviate consumer worry about returning to pre-pandemic out-of-home shopping activities. Besides cleaning and sanitizing procedures, retailers can implement no-contact payment methods and alter the physical layout of the store, optimizing the footprint to increase distance and enable self-service with frictionless furniture solutions.
Hettich Canada, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of furniture fittings, has responded to this trend with modern furniture solutions that gives users added value in terms of design, functionality, and practical convenience. Products like the TopLine XL sliding door system and the AvanTech YOU drawer platform are creatively combined with other furniture systems to create new functions that make it easier for the retail customer to see and access products. When modifying or reconfiguring their store layout, retailers should focus on utilizing multi-functional merchandising furniture, low shelving, and accessible racks to limit high-touch surfaces and give consumers more control over their environment, rather than the shopping experience being determined by the staff.
Examples of Hettich Canada’s innovative furniture fittings aimed at providing increased ease for retailers when organizing and finding products.
Hettich Canada is offering insights into the future of physical retail environments during its hybrid webinar series, Hettich XperienceDays, taking place April 29 at 1:30 PM EDT. The webinars are free to attend, however, registration is required. Learn more at hettichxperiencedays.com.
Examples of Hettich Canada’s innovative furniture fittings aimed at providing increased ease for retailers when organizing and finding products. Photo: Hettich Canada
Examples of Hettich Canada’s innovative furniture fittings aimed at providing increased ease for retailers when organizing and finding products. Photo: Hettich Canada
The new retail environment is also seeing the trend of everything on wheels – fixtures are designed to be easily moved, taken down, and reconfigured, making moving merchandise and products around much faster. Additionally, retailers will benefit from modular store fixtures that take up less space while enabling the customer to see and access everything more easily and removing walls and bulky furniture to improve sightlines and physical distancing.
Treating stores and pop-up spaces as showrooms has been critical leading up to the pandemic. Ani Nersessian believes that the need to do so has only increased, especially given that social distancing requires clear walkways. “Editing down to a well-curated presentation has been imperative,” she says. “Since many retailers have been forced into this type of presentation, and customers are conditioned to expect this more than before, customers will likely be even more sensitive to higher standards of presentation. Websites will be treated as e-catalogues, diminishing the need and tendency to use the sales floor as a stockroom rather than as a presentation space” continues Nersessian.
Redefining the Role of Physical Stores
Having a thoughtful digital strategy has been critical to staying afloat this past year, particularly for many small retailers. While digital transformation will continue to play a major role in many brands’ business plans, the physical store is far from dead. The pandemic has provided an opportunity for retailers to rethink and reassess the purpose of their physical footprint and how to take their customer experience to the next level. In an article published in the Harvard Business Review, leading authority on positioning great brands, Denise Lee Yohn, explains: “As a result of COVID-19, all retailers will have to make their in-store experiences even more extraordinary for those who can visit in person. They have to give people a reason to visit that is so compelling, it justifies their exposure to health risks and overcomes the inertia of the behaviours they adopted during the shutdown” (The Pandemic is Rewriting the Rules of Retail, July 6, 2020). Brands that offer exclusive, one-of-a-kind experiences, superior in-person customer service, and a personalized approach will fair better than those that do not.
Sarah Duquette is an experienced content writer, communications professional, and marketing strategist who partners with brands and businesses to help grow their visibility and engagement through effective communication of their brand value. As the Content and Growth Manager at Zenergy Communications, a PR and Marcom agency based in Toronto, Sarah knows what truly drives brand growth, and it starts with how well you connect with your audience, human-to-human. Driven by a passion for storytelling and an innate curiosity for what influences consumer buying behaviour, she takes pride in helping her clients create, communicate, and capture more value. Sarah holds a BA in Creative Industries with a specialization in business management and minors in media business and professional communications from Ryerson University.
Additionally, physical stores will be used to extend the innovation and digital services a brand offers online, integrating the two worlds to create completely new and immersive shopping experiences.
Beyond supporting a brand’s ecommerce business, retailers are using their brick-and-mortar stores to reinforce brand positioning by placing a greater emphasis on educating consumers rather than simply selling product. This approach has been a staple of pop-ups which, in the past, have primarily served as testing grounds for emerging brands as they dip their toes into the physical retail world. Post-pandemic, Linda Farha believes the pop-up concept will serve as “an important way for brands to reconnect with existing consumers and new prospects in a more controlled environment before making a bigger commitment”.
Stores will make their comeback, but in a different format, feel, and function. With a progressive approach to integrating both the digital and physical retail environments, modernizing their physical retail infrastructure to be more flexible and immersive, and offering unique storytelling experiences that allow shoppers to reinvent themselves, retailers will be empowered to keep pace in the multichannel world by leveraging the benefits of both ecommerce and bricks-and-mortar to drive success.
Rendering of the exterior of the future Cafe space. Rendering: The City of Coquitlam
The City of Coquitlam is offering a unique opportunity to lease a newly-built café space in a high traffic location at the Burke Mountain Village Discovery Centre. The location is considered to be exceptional and the café space itself will feature a captive market in an area that will be a draw from the local community and beyond.
The café space and Discovery Centre are currently under construction and is expected to be completed this fall. The location at the corner of Princeton Avenue and David Avenue has strong exposure and signage opportunities and is adjacent to several large townhouse development projects as well as being surrounded by multi-use pathways and trails connecting the location with nearby parks and neighbourhoods. The Discovery Centre building itself will be designed in a West Coast Modern style with design elements including wood, glass, and metal in a one-level structure that will offer views over the Fraser Valley and the Pitt River.
The L-shaped Discovery Centre building will include the available café space spanning 1,744 square feet and a common area with shared washrooms, measuring about 420 square feet. The building will be connected to a shared outdoor patio courtyard with a view of the Fraser Valley and lower Burke Mountain spanning about 1,690 square feet that will accommodate up to 13 tables and 52 seats. A total of 13 shared parking spaces will be included.
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Rendering of the exterior of the future Cafe space. Rendering: The City of Coquitlam
Rendering of the north exterior of the future Cafe space. Rendering: The City of Coquitlam
Rendering of the north east exterior of the future Cafe space. Rendering: The City of Coquitlam
The café component, which is an integral feature of this public gathering space, is zoned for restaurant use and will allow for the sale of liquor for a food-primary licence. Concept plans show an opportunity for 60 indoor dining seats and a large front counter as well as a back-of-house space with an exit to a rear ramp and a garbage/recycling facility.
The café space is available for lease through a public request for proposals (RFP) process. The City of Coquitlam will review proposals from proponents interested in leasing. [Download the Documents Here]
Burke Mountain is one of the fastest-growing neighbourhoods in Metro Vancouver and will include a vibrant master-planned community and mixed-use village. Burke Mountain currently has an estimated population of about 15,000 residents with the population expected to reach about 50,000 when fully built out. The café operator will have direct access to new and existing family-oriented neighbourhoods, and the added bonus to serve the construction workers that are on the mountain throughout the morning and afternoon
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750-metre-radius map of Burke Mountain Village Discovery Centre and surrounding area. Image: The City of Coquitlam
Map showing distance from Burke Mountain Village Discovery Centre to the city of Coquitlam. Image: The City of Coquitlam
Interior layout of the cafe space in Burke Mountain Village Discovery Centre. Image: The City of Coquitlam
People walking in Burke Mountain. Photo: The City of Coquitlam
People relaxing and socializing in Riley Park. Photo: The City of Coquitlam
The nearby 39-acre future Burke Mountain Village will feature about 120,000 square feet of commercial space including a new grocery store, a new community centre, a public plaza, a greenway, and about 2,000 units. The master-planned community will be designed to honour and protect the beauty that surrounds it according to the City of Coquitlam, with the natural landscape dictating the layout of the pedestrian-oriented neighbourhoods while influencing the architecture of the homes. The City of Coquitlam, as the primary landowner and master land developer, is investing in making Burke Mountain one of the most desirable communities in Metro Vancouver.
A new major recreation complex and recreation centre and 3.6-acre park are part of the mix, as well as two active and two planned elementary schools and one planned middle/secondary school within three kilometres of Burke Mountain Village. Multi-use paths will bring people from the area to Burke Mountain to the village centre. The connecting parks and trails that will converge at Burke Mountain Village will allow residents and visitors to access and enjoy the village amenities by bike or foot without the need for a vehicle. This complete community will provide opportunities for commercial success including the new café at Burke Mountain Discovery Centre.
The City of Coquitlam is welcoming experienced parties interested in operating a café at the Burke Mountain Discover Centre to fill out RFP documents or contact landsales@coquitlam.ca.
