As Canadians become increasingly environmentally conscious, consumers’ shopping habits and requirements are shifting. Brands are being coerced into transparency in order to maintain relevance and respect with their sustainability-conscious shoppers. The shift from black box brands to glass box brands has been prevalent, arguably all for the greater good, but consumers are also looking at alternative routes to fulfill their fashion needs without leaving a carbon footprint.
A once stigmatized necessity for some, thrifting is quickly becoming one of fashions most talked about trends in Canada as well as abroad. With an array of thrifting options, both online and within traditional brick and mortar stores, consumers can shop second hand as easily as they’ve always shopped new.
With social media influencers and celebrities making thrifting trendy, and fashion’s cyclical nature perpetually time-turning us back to previous decades, thrifting today is both a popular and convenient method of sourcing new fashion items.
But what’s really driving this thrift store movement?
PHOTO: RACKED
Environmental Reasons?
It’s a known fact that the textile industry is one of the biggest polluters in our modern society. The toll textile production takes on our environment is enormous, and as education around this topic becomes more accessible, many are choosing to shop sustainably where they can.
People are changing their consumer habits where they can, demanding more ethical practices from the brands they support, shopping secondhand, and avoiding the endorsement of fast-fashion retailers. This shift in consumerism is spreading, however, it doesn’t negate the fact that the fashion business is continuously growing, and at a rapid pace. In the last thirty years, fashion has grown from a $500 billion trade to a $2.4 trillion-a-year global behemoth.
Trends?
For each great, ethical reason to shop sustainably, there’s one hundred social media influences promoting “come thrift with me” videos on Youtube or the “amazing thrift store finds” they discovered through their partnerships with different online consignment platforms. Although perhaps promoting positive consumer habits, these videos and articles not directly promoting educated consumerism. This trend is not necessarily marketed as a sustainably conscious route to satisfying your wardrobe needs. Rather it is showcased as a fun and effective way to find vintage or unusual items to add to your attire — perhaps bargain clothing that is fun to wear for a season but, because it didn’t cost you much, will end up in landfill within a year.
With that said, the big players of online consignment such as Poshmark and DePop are inevitably infiltrating younger generations and creating a community of thrifters. For example, the world’s largest online consignment store, ThredUp, has redistributed 65 million garments to date, as part of its “resale revolution.”
INTERIOR OF TORONTO CONSIGNMENT STORE, COMMON SORT. PHOTO: ON THE GRID
INTERIOR OF TORONTO CONSIGNMENT STORE, COMMON SORT. PHOTO: ON THE GRID
To Thrift or to Consign?
Traditionally, thrift stores, or ‘charity shops’ as they’re known in the UK, were established to service those on the lower end of the economic scale. The aim was to clothe the poor or homeless for a small price, with the proceeds going to charity. Making their way into larger Canadian cities in the early 1990s, thrift stores such as Goodwill and The Salvation Army were leading the game, with all proceeds going directly to their respective charities or religious missions. This is still the case for some, however, thrifting has taken on a new persona and the nature of the industry is changing rapidly.
As thrifting becomes more mainstream, the line between consignment stores and thrift stores has become blurred. Traditionally, as mentioned above, thrift stores are not-for-profit. They receive donations and any profits made go directly to charity. Consignment stores, on the other hand, sell secondhand items on behalf of the original owner, who receives a percentage of the selling price, hence the word “consign.” The difference is quite drastic but often the terminology is used interchangeably, creating confusion within the secondhand consumerism world.
PHOTO: REDMOND REPORTER
Value Village, for example, has come under scrutiny for its drastic price increase in recent years. People were understandably angry when clothing became almost unaffordable for some who had relied on Value Village over the years. However, Value Village technically doesn’t fall into either the “thrift” or “consignment” category. It does not consign items for those who donate; in other words, you do not receive financial credits or otherwise when you donate your items to Value Village. However, the store also operates under a for-profit agenda, technically meaning it is not a thrift store. Yes, it seems contradictory to increase prices of donated clothing that are traditionally intended for people in need, but ultimately Value Village is working towards making a profit.
In 2016, Goodwill closed its Toronto locations because of a cash flow crisis. Faced with competition from other thrift and consignment stores, Goodwill failed to remain financially stable in the fickle world of secondhand consumerism.
DESIGNER EXCHANGE STORES EXIST ALL OVER THE WORLD, INCLUDING CANADA. PHOTO: DESIGNER EXCHANGE
Consequences of Thrifting
Clearly this new wave of thrifting culture is changing the game. It is hindering the more traditional stores in terms of cash flow and in some places, driving a price increase and making thrifting an almost exclusive pastime once again, ironically for polar opposite reasons. For all its negative attributions, however, it is hard to deny that this new trend is not also doing a lot of good. As people continue to shop sustainably, whether it be through traditional channels, boutique consignment stores, or online, it is inevitably contributing to the decrease in our carbon footprint.
As it stands, thrifting isn’t powerful enough to steal market share from mainstream retailers, however with so many closures being announced, it is a possible contributor to the lack of cashflow and foot traffic in malls around the country.
Thoughts on Luxury
Some luxury brands are actually embracing the thrifting trend, as consumers gravitate towards quality items. Some second-hand shoppers have found luxury brands second-hand and have become fans of the brands. With resale prices being strong for some major labels, shoppers may end up selling their secondhand purchases at a profit and may actually purchase new items from luxury brands, which creates a new market that may have not otherwise existed.
Montreal-based Lightspeed, a leading provider of cloud-based point-of-sale and ecommerce solutions for independent businesses, has announced the initial availability of Lightspeed Payments for hospitality merchants in the US and for retailers in Canada. Lightspeed has also partnered with global payments processing platform Stripe to offer merchants a variety of processing options.
DAX DASILVA, CEO OF LIGHTSPEED
The new Lightspeed Payments technology provides new and existing customers with Lightspeed Payments’ direct integration with the ecommerce platform, eliminating the need for a separate payments provider. As a result, its merchants grew considerably faster than the industry average in 2019.
Operating from one system of record, merchants across North America can leverage the suite of modules that make up the Lightspeed platform to operate strategically from a single backend.
“Merchants are taking advantage of cloud technology to increasingly streamline operations and generate a tangible return on investment,” said Dax Dasilva, founder and CEO of Lightspeed in a statement. “Lightspeed Payments provides customers the radical simplicity they crave to optimize their time and grow their business.”
Several key features of Lightspeed Payments include:
• Transparent Pricing and Cost Certainty: No startup fees and credit card-agnostic standard rates for card-present transactions, card-not-present transactions and keyed-in transactions.
• Simplified Set-Up: Frictionless process to get businesses transactional quickly and painlessly.
• Fast and Secure Checkout Experience: Supports all major payment methods and processes refunds without having to ask the cardholder to present their card. PCI compliant solution that helps SMBs combat fraud risk with monitoring and payments experts readily available to help when needed.
• One Place to Manage the Business: With one source of data and one company to trust, SMBs can manage their businesses in one place, including financial reporting and cash flow tracking.
IMAGE: LIGHTSPEED
Lightspeed Payments also partnered with global payments processing platform Stripe to offer merchants a variety of processing options. Stripe is known for its rapid onboarding, intuitive workflow and sleek hardware. It is an integrated solution designed for ambitious omnichannel merchants.
Today’s announcement furthers Lightspeed’s commitment to the more than 74,000 customer locations it supports throughout the globe and extends the Lightspeed Payments beyond retail and outside of the United States, where the company has offered the solution since January 2019.
BARE MARKET, TORONTO. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JAKE GRAHAM PHOTOGRAPHY & MEGAN GLOVER PHOTOGRAPHY
A unique store that is on a mission to cut society’s addiction to plastic has opened its first location in Toronto’s Danforth area.
The bare market store is the city’s one-stop shop for package-free-goods offering affordable and locally sourced body and home care products in bulk as well as food items and fresh groceries.
Dayna Stein, founder of bare market, said the physical store is attracting a wide customer base equally represented between male and female customers.
“We’re an all-in-one shop so you can come here and get everything you need to be able to reduce waste from your body care to your home care and now importantly food as well. Customers don’t need to traverse across the city to find these things. Before, you would go to the bulk store for bulk food. And then you would go to a co-op if you wanted bulk shampoo,” said Stein.
BARE MARKET, TORONTO. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JAKE GRAHAM PHOTOGRAPHY & MEGAN GLOVER PHOTOGRAPHY
BARE MARKET, TORONTO. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JAKE GRAHAM PHOTOGRAPHY & MEGAN GLOVER PHOTOGRAPHY
“We’re really trying to fill the gap and make sure that people can just come to one space and do all of their shopping and be good for that week.”
The store’s location is 1480 Danforth Avenue in 2,800 square feet of space. The concept was founded in 2017 and had been selling through pop-up locations since. Between 65 and 70 pop-up shops have been run since June 2018 and now the opening of the permanent Danforth store. Those pop-ups were located everywhere from farmers’ markets to City Hall to Patagonia’s King West location.
The neighbourhood of the permanent store is in Toronto’s east end on the Danforth-Bloor subway line near the Coxwell Station.
“What we really love about this area is that it’s very family friendly. There’s a lot of mom and pop shops in the area, a lot of other interesting spaces that people can visit when they come refill with us,” said Stein.
BARE MARKET, TORONTO. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JAKE GRAHAM PHOTOGRAPHY & MEGAN GLOVER PHOTOGRAPHY
BARE MARKET, TORONTO. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JAKE GRAHAM PHOTOGRAPHY & MEGAN GLOVER PHOTOGRAPHY
The neighbourhood is also close to other neighbourhoods such as Cabbagetown and Riverdale.
“We were doing pop-up shops all over the city before and we always wanted to be in the east end and so we looked hard to find a big enough space that was also on the subway line so it was very accessible. Physical and financial accessibility is incredibly important to what we do here,” said Stein.
“So customers within the east end can access us pretty easily as can our customers all over Toronto and the GTA. There’s parking available, ample parking both paid and free on side streets.”
Stein said the pop-up concept was a lot of work and not a sustainable way of doing business for the company. It was more a method of market research for bare market to figure out where in the city it wanted to be, what customers liked or didn’t like, how the price points landed with customers.
“The pop-ups enabled us to build a community around us before we invested quite substantially in a permanent location. We wanted to make sure we had that community support for a venture in retail that can be quite risky,” said Stein.
“Retail is a new space for us. We want to make sure that we are viable before we expand too quickly but we are certainly interested in both physical expansion as well as online distribution and getting more of our bulk products online and to further have a system in place where we can pick up people’s containers on their second orders to then clean and refill them. It requires a little bit more strategy and there’s a lot of complexity involved in that but that’s also a way that we could feasibly scale up.”
BARE MARKET, TORONTO. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JAKE GRAHAM PHOTOGRAPHY & MEGAN GLOVER PHOTOGRAPHY
BARE MARKET, TORONTO. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JAKE GRAHAM PHOTOGRAPHY & MEGAN GLOVER PHOTOGRAPHY
The online reach is across Canada.
The company sells everything from shampoo, conditioner, body wash to hair spray, beard oil, makeup in bulk, laundry detergent, air freshener, all-purpose spray, essential oils, and more.
Robert Luciano, partner with decisionSMART Retail Advisory, Inc., has been working with bare market for over a year as a consultant, helping to make the shift from pop-up concept to a permanent retail location.
“We’re going to continue with this onmi-channel system. We’re going to do online sales as well as our brick and mortar space,” he said. “It’s a two-pronged approach as well.”
BARE MARKET, TORONTO. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JAKE GRAHAM PHOTOGRAPHY & MEGAN GLOVER PHOTOGRAPHY
BARE MARKET, TORONTO. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JAKE GRAHAM PHOTOGRAPHY & MEGAN GLOVER PHOTOGRAPHY
He said expansion is going to be slow and steady with the online strategy an important element, allowing bare market to reach a number of different markets.
When customers come into the store, it’s completely self-serve. They first come to one of the three tare stations. They can bring their own containers. Technology will guide consumers through the process of how to weigh their containers. They will then attach a reusable chip to the container to store its initial weight before filling it with product.
At the cash, the weight of the container is deducted from the total weight so they’re only paying for the goods inside.
Stein said the company is quite excited that it is offering food from fried goods, fresh produce, oils and vinegars on tap, kombucha on tap, and all sorts of locally procured snacks where bare market is working with local farmers and Toronto chefs.
“The other major difference in our permanent location is that we now have an in-store cafe. The whole point is to close the loop on any food waste we might have otherwise produced and create delicious snacks and meals instead,” said Stein. “We currently have coffee and tea available and we’ll soon have some grab and go meals.”
BARE MARKET, TORONTO. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JAKE GRAHAM PHOTOGRAPHY & MEGAN GLOVER PHOTOGRAPHY
BARE MARKET, TORONTO. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JAKE GRAHAM PHOTOGRAPHY & MEGAN GLOVER PHOTOGRAPHY
BARE MARKET, TORONTO. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JAKE GRAHAM PHOTOGRAPHY & MEGAN GLOVER PHOTOGRAPHY
In the cafe, bare market does not offer the option of using single-use, disposable cups. When a customer comes there, they can bring their own container or sit down and drink on site, and the final option is that it has partnered with a company called Reego which has a reusable cup system by deposit where customers get their deposit back when returning the cup. Also any cafe using the Reego system will take back the cups.
“The reason we’ve chosen such a large space and the reason we designed the space like we have is such that we can move things around and have community events in here. Have workshops and panels and movie screenings and really bring the community together and start a dialogue around larger environmental and social issues using waste as a lever to do so because it’s easy, it’s tangible, it’s a little more accessible, and everyone can make a difference if they just start with one small thing,” added Stein.
The store aims to have an outdoor patio in the summer.
BARE MARKET, TORONTO. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JAKE GRAHAM PHOTOGRAPHY & MEGAN GLOVER PHOTOGRAPHY
BARE MARKET, TORONTO. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JAKE GRAHAM PHOTOGRAPHY & MEGAN GLOVER PHOTOGRAPHY
Canadian food retail conglomerate Empire has partnered with District Ventures to aid early-stage companies in the food, beverage, and health CPG industries bring their products to store shelves across the country. As part of the partnership, Empire has now become title sponsor of the District Ventures’ Accelerator program and District Ventures Kitchen.
The combined venture, based out of Calgary, recently acquired a 20,000-square-foot commercial kitchen from the City of Toronto. This partnership provides food and beverage entrepreneurs with access to an extensive array of equipment and programming, including production spaces, business advisory services, and packaging facilities, all to aid in their business development.
The partnership gives Canadian food entrepreneurs in the District Ventures Accelerator program access to Empire and its various forms of support, including but not limited to coaching from local development managers and opportunities to bring their products to the grocer’s store shelves within a particular region or across Canada.
Empire Companies’ key businesses are all based in the food retail sector. Headquartered in Sterllarton, Nova Scotia, Empire oversees Sobeys Inc., IGA, Safeway, Farm Boy, Foodland, FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, and Rachelle Béry.
“Empire has a rich history of meaningfully investing in local growers and suppliers across Canada,” Jana Sobey, Vice President of Merchandising, Thrifty Foods, Community Format, and field at Sobeys Inc., said in a press release.
District Ventures was founded in 2015 by entrepreneur and investor Arlene Dickinson. Considered an ecosystem of knowledge and opportunity, it has become a highly-regarded resource for businesses in the food, beverage, health and wellness industries. Focusing on bringing capital, marketing, programming, and commercialization to companies in this sector, to date, more than 260 companies have been elevated because of District Ventures, creating close to 1,000 jobs in the process.
“Supporting local is at the heart of everything we do, and we are incredibly proud to stand side-by-side with District Ventures as we continue to nurture the countless innovative food entrepreneurs in communities large and small right across our country.”
“This exciting new partnership is enormous for entrepreneurs and companies in the food, beverage, and health industries,” said Dickinson. “Since 2015, we have been committed to supporting early-stage companies in these spaces. Empire’s sponsorship highlights the importance of this work and reinforces the fact that we need to support companies that both feed and nourish our communities and assist them in achieving their fullest potential.”
Empire has a long and successful history of helping local food and beverage entrepreneurs bring their products to markets all across Canada. Always ensuring that local products have a place in market assortment, the company also ensures that in-store signage highlights local products. In addition, Sobeys actively sources local products and, since establishing a local development team in 2018, has partnered with more than 800 local suppliers.
Both the District Ventures Kitchen and District Ventures Accelerator facilities will don the Sobeys logo.
Dublin-based, fast-fashion behemoth Primark has, to date, avoided the Canadian retail market, despite an aggressive expansion within the United States over the past few years. With the closure of all Canadian Forever 21 stores, is there an opportunity for Primark to enter the Canadian market and satisfy a need that has been, perhaps otherwise, left unfulfilled?
In September 2019, Forever 21 closed all 45 Canadian stores, leaving about 900,000 square feet of retail space open and available. Forever 21 is known for its affordable fast-fashion clothing. It filled a very specific need within the Canadian retail market, which many shoppers, who were previously reliant on Forever 21’s affordable, trendy retail, were left wondering where they were going to source their next bargain.
PHOTO: FOREVER 21
FOREVER 21 INTERIOR. PHOTO: PINTEREST
FOREVER 21 INTERIOR. PHOTO: PINTEREST
Swooping in to fill much of the 900,000-square-feet of retail space that Forever 21 vacated was Urban Planet, now one of Canada’s fastest growing brands with over 100 locations across the country. Similar to Primark and Forever 21, Urban Planet caters towards a younger demographic or those who are hoping to follow fashion trends whilst on a budget. They describe themselves as unique in size and concept — which seems to be somewhat unsubstantiated considering the various comparisons one can draw between the three retailers in question — with their retail philosophy being “shopping should be fun and great fashion should be accessible to everyone”, Urban Planet has set up shop (quite literally) to service all who had their hearts broken by the departure of Forever 21.
Despite being owned by the Canadian Weston family under its Associated British Foods umbrella, Primark began in 1969 in Dublin, Ireland. Known in the Republic of Ireland as Penneys (the name Penneys has not been used internationally because of American retail J.C. Penney), the company now operates in 370 stores across Europe and the United States, with the UK being the clear leader in terms of consumption with 191 Primark stores.
Primark has yet to enter the Canadian market, though sources several years ago informed Retail Insider that Primark was eyeing the Canadian market around the same time that the retailer’s US expansion launched. There’s no word yet on Primark’s plans to open stores in Canada — while it is more costly to do business in Canada as a retailer, the Canadian market is still a target for many international brands. Over the past three years, more than 100 international brands have entered Canada by opening standalone stores.
URBAN PLANET PHOTO: KINGSWAY MALL
URBAN PLANET INTERIOR. PHOTO: TWITTER
URBAN PLANET INTERIOR. PHOTO: PLACE DE LA CITE
Primark entered the US market in 2015 with a single store in Boston. As of 2019, Primark has eight stores across the US, with the most recent set to open at the American Dream complex in New Jersey, and plans for its first store outside the Northeastern Corridor in Sawgrass Mills, Miami sometime in 2020. This is a clear indicator of how well received Primark has been in the US, a surprise to some who thought its high-street fashion items would not appeal to the American market.
Unlike the Forever 21 and Urban Planet, Primark does not have an ecommerce site. Despite a brief trial run in partnership with ASOS (that didn’t last due to shipping prices often exceeding product prices), Primark has stuck to the traditional brick and mortar medium. Although it does have an online presence with a website showcasing its products and an Instagram hosting over 8 million followers.
It would seem that Primark doesn’t need to follow the crowd in terms of retail trends because even without an ecommerce presence 2019 saw a revenue of 7.79 billion pounds generated for the brand, and as of early 2018, it held 6.9% share in the UK’s clothing market. Compare that to a revenue of $4.4 billion US (approx 3.4 billion pounds) for Forever 21, at its peak in 2017.
PRIMARK STORE IN BOSTON. PHOTO: RTE.IE
PRIMARK INTERIOR. PHOTO: GREATER BOSTON CONVENTION
PRIMARK INTERIOR. PHOTO: CHAINSTORAGE.COM
So perhaps it would seem like the niche has been filled and that the Canadian market would not be supremely profitable for Primark. Judging by the statistics, however, Canadians, along with the rest of the western world, are addicted to low-cost, disposable fashion. In comparison to two decades ago, Canadians purchase 400 per cent more clothing per year, and each household throws out an average of 46 kg of textiles annually, making up about 10 per cent of municipal landfills.
Will Primark attempt to infiltrate the Canadian retail landscape within the coming years? We don’t know, only time will tell. What we know for sure, however, is that our conditioned need for instant gratification is only becoming more apparent and growing aggressively alongside our country’s landfills. Given the rapid entry of international brands into the Canadian market, not to mention the US expansion, we may see Primark stores in Canada in years to come.
BEST BUY EXPERIENCE STORE, CALGARY. PHOTO: BEST BUY
Electronics retail giant Best Buy has built one of its new Experience Store formats in Calgary and it’s the company’s first new build in five years.
The 34,000-square-foot store is adjacent to the northeast Sunridge Mall and features the latest consumer technology, a full major appliances department and vendor-curated areas where customers can see, touch, and experience products.
“It gave us an opportunity to build a store from the ground up which we haven’t been able to do for awhile. It’s the first new store opening in five years,” said Glenn Minor, Vice-President of Retail for Best Buy.
BEST BUY EXPERIENCE STORE, CALGARY. PHOTO: BEST BUY
Construction on the new two-floor store at 3319 26th Avenue N.E. took 10 months and Minor said the retailer now has 41 new Experience Stores across Canada.
The new store provides Calgarians with a more immersive and interactive shopping experience.
Best Buy Canada President, Ron Wilson, said Calgary’s diverse economy, geographical advantage as one of western Canada’s major urban centres, and abundance of tech enthusiasts make it a great place to invest.
“We know Calgarians love their tech, and we want to make sure we’re providing opportunities for them to learn about how tech products can enrich their lives,” he said. “The Sunridge store is the latest evolution of our Experience Store concept, offering customers the opportunity to truly ‘experience’ the latest tech products. Our knowledgeable Blue Shirt associates can answer all their questions – whether it’s how smart home tech works, how to interact with their smart TV, or which headphone is best for their needs.”
“Right off the top when you first walk in, you’ll notice all the aesthetic changes as well. It’s just a clean presentation. It looks so fantastic. I’m so excited,” he said.
BEST BUY EXPERIENCE STORE, CALGARY. PHOTO: BEST BUY
BEST BUY EXPERIENCE STORE, CALGARY. PHOTO: BEST BUY
“Calgary’s diverse economy, it has a geographical advantage as one of Canada’s major urban centres. There’s an abundance of tech enthusiasts here which makes it a great place to open another Experience Store. We actually have one already here in Calgary. This will be our second Experience Store in Calgary. The other one is in Deerfoot Meadows.”
The Deerfoot Meadows store opened a few years ago.
The company has 131 Best Buy stores in Canada and is one of the country’s largest and most successful omni-channel retailers, operating the Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile, and Geek Squad (www.geeksquad.ca) brands. The retailer has more than 170 Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores across Canada and an expanded assortment of lifestyle products offered through BestBuy.ca.
“We have 41 of the Experience Store’s across Canada now. I believe it’s the fourth year putting Experience Stores out there. We do a few every year,” said Minor. “This upcoming year I’m not exactly sure how many we will do but we will convert some more stores into Experience Stores.
“Our customers absolutely love it. The other thing is it’s great for us to be able to get into major appliances in a much bigger way. This market in particular I believe is going to really welcome the major appliance section. It’s absolutely stunning.”
French Bakery Concept ‘Paul’ to Enter Canadian Market: The 1100 block of Robson will be getting a second big-name French food concept in the summer when bakery ‘Paul’ opens its first Canadian location. Signage recently went up at 1164 Robson Street for the Paul concept, which is owned by the Holder Group. More Canadian locations are expected to follow.
PAUL, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON. PHOTO: PAUL
Paul is known for its baked goods such as pastries, cakes, croissants, sandwiches, soups, juices, tarts, crepes, and over 140 types of bread. Sweets are also on the menu.
The 1164 Robson Street space was formerly home to Joe Fresh and RW&CO in years past. The space spans 3,120 square feet and the property also features a 1,185-square-foot mezzanine level. CBRE’s Vancouver team represented the landlord in the lease deal under the direction of Mario Negris and Martin Moriarty.
Holder also owns French bakery and sweets maker Ladurée which is located across the street from the new Paul location. Ladurée’s Canadian licensee is not part of the Vancouver Paul expansion, which appears to involve opening corporate stores in this country. On the Champs Elysees in Paris, Paul and Ladurée are also across from each other.
INTERIOR OF PAUL BAKERY, BOSTON. PHOTO: BOSTON MAGAZINE
INTERIOR OF PAUL BAKERY, BOSTON. PHOTO: AMERICANINNO
Paul dates back to 1889 when it was founded in Croix, France, and in the early 1950’s, the granddaughter of the founder married into the Holder family. Paul launched an international expansion in 1985 with its first locations in Spain which was followed by Japan in 1990, the UK in 2000, and the expansion picked up quickly into the 2000’s thereafter. Paul now has 620 locations in 34 countries globally. The business model includes corporately owned units as well as franchised locations.
VACANT 1164 ROBSON ST RETAIL SPACE, VANCOUVER. PHOTO: URBAN PROPERTIES GROUP
Nearby at 1151 Robson Street, the Uncle Tetsu cheesecake concept will also be opening a location in a few months. It will be the first in the city of Vancouver and one of a handful in Canada. The same CBRE team also negotiated that lease deal.
The Robson Street Paul location is expected to become the first of multiple locations for the chain in Canada. Other major markets may see locations and given that the first will be a standalone street front location, more of these could come to markets such as Toronto and Montreal — both cities have numerous popular high streets that could be targets for Paul.
FAIRMONT PACIFIC RIM HOTEL. PHOTO: LUIS VALDIZON
Luxury Book Publisher Taschen Opens Vancouver Retail Space: German art book publisher Taschen has opened a unique retail space at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver. The ‘Retail Library’ is located on the hotel’s second level in a cozy space, offering a full catalogue of Taschen titles with more than 275 books available for purchase. Products range from ‘approachable’ artist monographs to prestigious limited-edition collector’s editions. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves display product and comfortable seating encourages visitors to linger.
Taschen was founded in Cologne Germany in 1980. The company is known for producing expensive, high-quality coffee table-appropriate books showcasing art, fashion and other visually interesting topics. The company has 12 standalone stores globally and are distributed in multi-brand retailers as well. The Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto has a Taschen section dedicated to the brand’s offerings. In years past, the Holt Renfrew store at 50 Bloor Street West in Toronto had a Taschen boutique on its mezzanine level next to the entrance to the in-store restaurant.
FAIRMONT PACIFIC RIM HOTEL. PHOTO: LUIS VALDIZON
FAIRMONT PACIFIC RIM HOTEL. PHOTO: LUIS VALDIZON
The Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel is considered to be one of the leading hotels in the city, with many rooms overlooking Coal Harbour and Burrard Inlet. A residential component above the hotel includes condominium units priced into the millions of dollars, with well known residents including businessman Darryl Katz and even the Crown Prince of Dubai, who paid a whopping $55 million for several units including one of two penthouses in the summer of 2013.
DYSON, CF PACIFIC CENTRE. PHOTO: DYSON
Dyson Opens 2nd Canadian Retail Space: UK-based household and technology ‘reinvention’ brand Dyson opened its second standalone Canadian location in Vancouver last week at the CF Pacific Centre. The 2,000-square-foot space features a dedicated Dyson Beauty Lab, allowing visitors to fully experience the Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer and Dyson Airwrap™ styler. The space is designed to encourage people to pick up, test, and understand Dyson technology. Interactive demonstrations are said to bring to life the science at the heart of Dyson machines. Dyson Experts are on-hand to provide advice and support. Included is technology that includes purified air, and lighting, not to mention dryers, vacuums and other Dyson products.
DYSON, CF PACIFIC CENTRE. PHOTO: DYSON
“Vancouver is known as a hub for health, wellness and beauty, with a large and diverse population. Our machines cater to a wide variety of needs and we think the community will appreciate the opportunity to experience Dyson technology first-hand”, said one of Dyson’s engineers in a statement. “We also know Vancouver outdoor air pollution can be visible multiple times throughout the year. With health and wellness top of mind for many in the area, it’s a great opportunity for Dyson to help educate and inform visitors to the store about outdoor and indoor air quality and how to manage air pollution within their homes.”
The CF Pacific Centre Dyson replaced a J. Crew store that closed last year. There’s no word yet if Dyson will open more locations in Canada, though sources say West Edmonton Mall could be a target. Dyson wouldn’t formally go on record when asked about more Canadian showrooms, the representative said, “I can share Dyson started in Canada in 2006 with just two machines in its range. Today, we bring our latest products across several categories to the country and Dyson Demo stores offer us the ability to showcase our latest technology and to be at the fingertips for all who enter the space, so everyone can experience it for themselves. As we grow, it will continue to be important for us to allow current and future Dyson owners to understand how our technology works better and can improve their lives.”
All Photos: Lee Rivett
1 of 5
50 BLOOR ST. W. PHOTO: HOLT RENFREW
Holt Renfrew Rebrands In-Store Restaurants: Multi-brand luxury retailer Holt Renfrew unveiled its impressive new restaurant space at its 50 Bloor Street West flagship last week, with details reported last month in Retail Insider. While it had initially been announced that the restaurant would be branded as a Colette Grand Café as has been the case with restaurants at three other Holt Renfrew stores, it ultimately opened as a ‘Holts Café’ though it is operated by Chase Hospitality Group as are other restaurants in Holt Renfrew stores.
50 BLOOR ST. W. PHOTO: HOLT RENFREW
PHOTO: HOLT RENFREW
It now appears that the Colette Grand Café locations at Holt Renfrew in Vancouver, Yorkdale (Toronto), and Montreal have also been rebranded as Holts Café after a recent update on the Holt Renfrew website. A large restaurant will also open in the spring at the new 250,000-square-foot Holt Renfrew Ogilvy store in Montreal — the current Montreal Holts will close once the new big store is completed in April.
It’s unclear why restaurants have been re-branded, though many of the Colette Grand Café locations appeared to be relatively quiet at the best of times. The Holts branding may be more on brand in terms of attracting customers to the new Holts Cafés.
PHOTO: FRANCHISE HELP
INS Market/Marche INS to kick off Quebec expansion, with a focus on Montreal office towers, malls, busy streets, and institutions: With 200 stores in Canada and the United States (Chicago and South Florida), INS Market is planning an aggressive expansion across Quebec. The company continues to evolve with the times, curating its focus on a busy customer base searching for convenient services and healthier snack and beverage options. Becoming “the most modern instant gratification store in the market” is top priority for INS Market in 2020. These expansion plans, centred on Quebec, are in partnership with Tony Flanz of Think Retail.
PHOTO: INS MARKET
Locating high-traffic areas continues to be part of INS Market’s expansion strategy, as it zeros in on mid- and large-size office buildings, public transit venues, shopping centres, and institutional areas within the Montreal area. Spaces ranging from 500 to 700 sq. ft. for inline stores and 150-200 sq. ft. for kiosks are preferred, however the versatile concept is adaptable to accommodate a variety of sizes, spaces, and configurations. Founded in 1994 as International News, INS has been in business for more than 25 years.
KRISTALS LOCATION IN BOSTON. PHOTO: KRISTALS
Kristals Cosmetics eyes Canada for expansion: Florida-based ‘luxury’ cosmetics and skincare brand Kristals Cosmetics plans to open several more locations in Canada. Launched in 2015 and owned by private label cosmetics manufacturer and distributor UHI Cosmetics, Kristals Cosmetics is a line of skincare products “combining the healing properties of precious gemstones with the latest anti-aging technologies to provide some of the most powerful and holistic skincare products and treatments in the market to date.” To date there are two Kristals Cosmetics locations in Canada, both in Ontario.
Much of the brand’s success can be credited to its immersive retail stores. Designed to host valuable in-store product demonstrations that show clients firsthand the direct results of Kristals’ unique formulations, the company’s modern store design has a “high-end aura”. In addition to its global chain of branded retail stores, UHI products can be found in high-end retailers, spas, and professional treatment centres.
Canadian markets of interest for the upcoming expansion span British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. That’s according to Tony Flanz of Think Retail, who is representing the retailer.
BUTTONVILLE AIRPORT SITE. PHOTO: SKIESMAG.COM
Cadillac Fairview and Partner Selling Buttonville Airport Site: Toronto-based landlord Cadillac Fairview, which we recently reported has many of Canada’s top most productive shopping centres under its corporate ownership, is selling its Buttonville Airport site north of Toronto in the Markham area. The 170 acre site, co-owned by Armandale Co. Ltd. was purchased in 2010 with plans for redevelopment. The site became an airport in 1963 after being founded as an airstrip a decade earlier, according to a report in RENX. Siften family-owned Torontair Ltd. offers aviation services on the site.
Cadillac Fairview and Armandale proposed in 2011 to create a massive multi-billion dollar mixed-use project on the site that would have spanned up to 10 million square feet. Tall residential towers up to 60 storeys as well as parks, a man-made lake, hotel and entertainment would have been included. Retail would have also been an important component to the project with some suggesting that a major shopping centre would become part of the property. One source in 2016, tied to Cadillac Fairview, had said that the new shopping centre could have become home to the GTA’s third Saks Fifth Avenue location. Saks appears to have halted its Canadian store expansion at this time, however, having shelved plans for a 200,000 square foot downtown Montreal store. The airport will remain operational until at least 2023.
PHOTO: PLANET FITNESS
Planet Fitness Expands Canadian Operations with Multiple Openings: Toronto’s first Planet Fitness location at College Park opened late last year and is quickly gaining momentum with more than 2000 people already subscribing to the idea of a “Judgement Free” gym. The 21,000-square-foot fitness centre is the 25th location in Ontario, operated by franchisee Taymax Group.
The three-level College Park Planet Fitness includes new cardio machines, fully equipped locker rooms, many full-sized flat screen televisions, a 30-minute express circuit, two massage chairs, two hydro lounges, three tanning beds (two lay down and one stand-up), and a ‘Total Body Enhancement Booth’. The club is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Off the back for the New Hampshire-based company’s success in Canada, 2020 is seeing the introduction of two new Planet Fitness locations in Winnipeg. The first is located in Garden City and the second on Regent Ave. This brings the total number of Winnipeg locations to four.
Winnipeg is experiencing a massive growth in the fitness and health industries, and with Planet Fitness being so affordable and accessible, these two new locations are sure to make a splash.
A prominent Edmonton homebuilder and developer is launching a unique competition with a $125,000 prize for one lucky business to set up shop at the new Stadium Yards development located next to Commonwealth Stadium and the Stadium LRT Station.
The Cut competition, by the Rohit Group of Companies, is open to creative businesses, restaurants and startup entrepreneurs with the winner receiving the grand prize in inducements designed to help elevate a business idea into a neighbourhood amenity in the mixed-use development.
“For a community like Stadium Yards to be successful, residents need to love the businesses and amenities surrounding where they live,” said Rohit Gupta, President of Rohit Group of Companies. “This couldn’t be possible without business owners who share our goals and want to be a part of this great community.”
The seven-acre urban village will eventually include more than 720 residential units and some commercial space. There will be access to dog parks and recreation along with retail amenities. The site is located on 84th Street just off of Jasper Avenue. It’s directly adjacent to the River Valley.
INTERIOR OF STADIUM YARDS. PHOTO: STADIUM YARDS
Marty Pawlina, the company’s Marketing Manager, said the development is located directly across the tracks from the Commonwealth Recreation Centre “which is just a stunning architectural feat of a building. Just a beautiful building with top notch facilities.”
He said Stadium Yards will have 7,500 square feet of commercial space.
“Our first phase of development is 243 residential units and the first commercial building which is the first thing that will come online is a 2,500-square-foot really high architectural, beautiful, standalone commercial building. So mixed-use is typically underneath the residential. In this case the mixed-use is a building that’s sort of nestled in the residential,” said Pawlina. “It’s a really neat concept. There’s two brand new urban parks . . . and this commercial building, the reason why it’s so special, it faces right onto the park.”
There are six residential buildings planned for the overall project with a commercial main street as well. The seventh building is the commercial one.
Pawlina said the commercial building will be the first to come online. It will be ready for occupancy in November. The first 96 suites for a residential building will be available for occupancy in November as well. The second building with the rest of the 243 units will be ready for the summer of next year.
The next phase will begin shortly after.
RIGHT ACROSS THE TRACKS FROM COMMONWEALTH COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTRE. PHOTO: STADIUM YARDS
Pawlina said he can’t say how long it will be for the full build out of the project.
“If we have great leasing momentum and we see the right tenants coming in obviously we will prioritize the commercial main street and we’ll see that first. If we see better leasing momentum in the residential area – because they’re all rentals – then that will trigger us moving our next phase of residential. So we’re really closely watching what’s happening right now and we’re scaling our development to match demand that way,” he said.
Applications for The Cut competition can be submitted at www.stadiumyards.com/thecut and they close February 9.
The top five businesses short-listed will be invited to present their business plans to a panel of expert judges for the chance at being included in the new development.
The final event will be held on February 20 at Triffo Theatre at MacEwan University. The public is invited to attend, with free tickets available in advance through Eventbrite.
“We wanted to do something really unique. When you look at the culture of the area, when you have seven acres of core community, seven acres is a massive site. You can really define what’s going to operate there, how it’s going to connect, what that community looks like,” said Pawlina.
“We talk a lot about community connections. The word connections is really strong in this project . . . These residential buildings are going to be unique because they’re going to have all these shared use spaces.
THE TRIFFO THEATRE, MACEWAN UNIVERSITY. PHOTO: STADIUM YARDS
“When it comes to this panel for the commercial businesses we bring it’s just as important. So we’re having this competition. A lot of people compare it to something like Dragons Den. We call it The Cut. Basically instead of putting a bunch of ads on billboards around the city saying ‘hey this is Stadium Yards’ or waiting for a typical commercial lease to occur, we’re taking all of that money and we’re making it a giant sort of boost to launch a really creative business and help it be sustainable within Stadium Yards.
“The first commercial building, this is our community hub as everything else is getting built and we really want to have that local flavour, that really unique concept that helps set us apart as a core community. So every piece of this development from the connection between neighbourhoods, the connection to the River Valley, the rec centre, the community connections with these shared spaces where people can meet each other and reduce urban isolation and really unique businesses, the culture of this area will be different than Edmonton has seen.”
For the fourth year in a row, Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre ranked as the most productive shopping centre in Canada with annual sales per square foot of $1,964.
That’s a 3.1 percent increase from the previous year, up 15.25 percent from 2017 when it was $1,653.
According to the 2019 Canadian Shopping Centre Study developed by Retail Council of Canada, which was sponsored by Engagement Agents, if Yorkdale sees just a 2 percent increase in 2020, it will surpass $2,000 per square foot annually – the new ‘high benchmark’ for shopping centres in Canada. In the United States, only a handful of centres have surpassed the $2,000 benchmark (in US Dollars), including Bal Harbour Shops in Florida, The Grove in Los Angeles, and the Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem, New Hampshire.
YORKDALE SHOPPING CENTRE. PHOTO: OXFORD PROPERTIESYORKDALE SHOPPING CENTRE. PHOTO: OXFORD PROPERTIES
Claire Santamaria, Vice-President of Yorkdale, said there are three main reasons for the shopping centre’s success. First is location. It’s a bonus that the mall is located in the central part of the Greater Toronto Area. Yorkdale is accessible via two major highways and is also on a major subway line as well as a regional ‘Go Transit’ train network which has a stop at the shopping centre.
1 of 4
RH at Yorkdale Shopping Centre - Oxford Properties
D3 Yorkdale Dining
D3 Yorkdale Dining
Laduree at Yorkdale
LADUREE at YORKDALE SHOPPING CENTRE
Yorkdale Valet Lounge - Oxford Properties
“The second reason,” said Santamaria, “is the history of the centre. It was built in 1964 as a very large enclosed shopping centre. There are some news reports that actually say that it was the largest in the world at a million square feet. Because of Yorkdale’s history, it’s kept us in a leadership position from the beginning which has helped us tremendously as time has gone on.
“The third point is that there’s been an incredible commitment to Yorkdale over our history through the multiple developers and ownership structures to really continue to invest in the shopping centre and maintain its leadership position.”
KIT KAT, YORKDALE. PHOTO: CRAIG PATTERSON
Anchor stores include Hudson’s Bay (300,870 square feet), Nordstrom (199,000 square feet), and Holt Renfrew (129,000 square feet).
The shopping centre study shows that Yorkdale is approaching $2 billion in annual sales by offering shoppers a wide range of options that include fast fashion to luxury retailers and many food and beverage choices.
“Plans for further expansions will add more retail space and there is a proposal for mixed-use site intensification. Many first-to-Canada retailers have opened in Yorkdale. In 2019, luxury brands such as Bottega Venetta, Valentino, Balenciaga, TAG Heuer, and Hublot opened, along with unique brands such as Kit Kat and Canada’s first by Chloe. vegan restaurant location,” said the national report of the mall that saw 18 million visitors last year.
BALENCIAGA, YORKDALE. PHOTO: BALENCIAGA
VALENTINO, YORKDALE. PHOTO: MICHAEL MURAZ
Santamaria said officials are “elated” with the shopping centre’s sales and performance and that it adds pressure on the developer to ensure that the centre is able to maintain positive sales growth in this retail climate for the retailers who have opened their doors in the building.
“We have an incredible selection of global brands and flagship stores. Yorkdale really has continued to base its differentiating factor on things like exclusivity and limited products and those first-to-market brands that have opened with us first before they expand their businesses in the Canadian market,” she said.
Santamaria said the food and beverage sector has also played a key role over the years in Yorkdale’s success. There’s an appetite for good brands in the marketplace and Yorkdale has been able to attract new food and beverage offerings to help complement the retail in the building.
JEAN-PAUL FORTIN, YORKVILLE. PHOTO: BEN RAHN/A-FRAME
Well-known Quebec City-based multi-brand footwear retailer Jean-Paul Fortin is expanding its footprint outside the province and further into the Ontario market.
The retailer, which has its roots in the industry since 1964, operates four different banners in the market – Jean-Paul Fortin, Les Pieds sur Terre, Le Placard, and Clarks.
Francois Monat, President of Jean-Paul Fortin retail venture which is based in Quebec City, said the company is looking for opportunities in the Greater Toronto Area after the initial success it has experienced since opening a store in Toronto’s Yorkville Village a few years ago.
The retailer operates 22 stores and its online business. There are 11 Clarks stores including one at Mapleview Centre in Burlington, Ontario. There are eight branded Jean-Paul Fortin stores, two Les Pieds sur Terre and one Le Placard.
RENDERINGS OF THE JEAN-PAUL FORTIN LOCATION AT BAYVIEW VILLAGE. RENDERINGS COURTESY OF GH+A DES...
1 of 5
“We’re opening our 23rd store (a Jean-Paul Fortin) hopefully mid-April in Bayview Village in Toronto,” said Monat.
Prisma Construction is building out the new space, and also built the Yorkville Village store.
“It’s a very busy season because we’re renovating three of our Clarks stores in Montreal. We have a Clarks store in Fairview Pointe Claire which is going to move to a new location. The store is in construction right now. And the opening is scheduled for the end of February. We also will re-do the Clarks stores in Carrefour Laval and Galeries d’Anjou with a new concept. Those will be under construction in February for a hopefully mid-March re-opening.
“As far as growth, we’re not looking at an aggressive plan to open stores everywhere. We just wait for the right location and if the fit is good and the mall and the location in the mall is fine we go for it. For example, Bayview Village we wanted to be in that mall for the last five to eight years I think – as long as I can remember. The timing wasn’t right and then suddenly an opening happened and we jumped on it. We think we’re going to do very well there. We’re very excited about that store. We have a couple of other locations we like very much in Toronto but we’re waiting for the right opportunity.”
RENDERINGS OF THE JEAN-PAUL FORTIN LOCATION AT BAYVIEW VILLAGE. RENDERINGS COURTESY OF GH+A DESIGN STUDIOS AND JEAN-PAUL FORTIN
Image: Bayview Village Shopping Centre
He said most of the Clarks stores will be renovated to the new concept by the end of 2021, 2022. The new concept is more fashion oriented.
The current ownership, under the Monat family, bought the company in 1997 from founder Paul Fortin, who had a five-store operation in Quebec City.
“We had a shoe store based in Trois Rivieres which is based between Quebec City and Montreal. Mr. Fortin was getting older and he wanted to sell his business. We showed him interest and after about a year of negotiation he decided to sell his business to us. We moved to Quebec City and our first move was actually to close down a store that wasn’t doing very well. It was a very humble start but after that we decided it was time to bring Jean-Paul Fortin to Montreal and got the opportunity at Ogilvy, so we operated the women’s shoe department at Ogilvy for almost 20 years,” said Monat.
“We were bought back by Holt Renfrew last year – a year ago in February. They bought our lease back. So we were out of there. In the meantime, between 2000 and 2015 we opened six more Fortin stores. A couple of years ago we opened our first store in Toronto which was at Yorkville Village. The store is doing very well there.”
Jean-Paul Fortin at Yorkville Village
JEAN-PAUL FORTIN, YORKVILLE. PHOTO: BEN RAHN/A-FRAME
JEAN-PAUL FORTIN IN THE 1960S. PHOTO: JEAN-PAUL FORTIN
Monat said the company does most of its product buys in Italy and Spain so many of its buys are exclusive and it doesn’t have much overlap with other stores on the market.
“We’re very unique in the types of products that we offer.”
When the Monat family, whose youngest generation is the third one in the business, acquired the Fortin brand, it made the decision to keep the Jean-Paul Fortin name as it had become synonymous with quality, exclusivity and a one-of-a-kind customer experience, says the retailer on its website.
Jeff Berkowitz of Aurora Realty Consultants negotiated the Bayview Village lease deal on behalf of Jean-Paul Fortin, and represents the brand in its expansion. QuadReal is the landlord for Bayview Village.
