True to the landlord’s word, Cadillac Fairview is setting out once again to redefine today’s retail experience by introducing a new creative streaming studio to CF Toronto’s Eaton Centre: Streaming at CF, as part of its Ravel initiative.
Marketed as a “dedicated storytelling space that enables content creators, celebrities, and Youtubers from a diverse set of backgrounds to come together and tell their stories with fans”, the studio will feature regular broadcast programming until October 31, with guest creators scattered throughout. The space is located on the second floor of the busy shopping centre’s south facing side near Queen Street.
Streaming at CF is part of Ravel’s plan to create a more consumer-centric retail experience. As we see online consumerism skyrocket, brick and mortar stores are begging for more attractive attributes to keep foot traffic flowing. Launched on August 1, Ravel’s Streaming at CF has taken this opportunity to celebrate Canadian creativity by introducing an interactive studio space, using state of the art equipment.
PHOTO: CF TORONTO EATON CENTRE VIA FACEBOOK
PHOTO: CRAIG PATTERSON
PHOTO: CF TORONTO EATON CENTRE VIA FACEBOOK
Shoppers have the opportunity to watch the action from the comfort of a multipurpose lounge. Merchandise pertaining to the current creator will be available for sale, and the lineup has something for everybody.
Launch day saw Danny Green, professional basketball payer and two-time NBA champion turned podcast host, take over the studio for a recording of his popular podcast Inside the Green Room at 3pm. Comedians and brothers Jae Richards and Trey Richards, of 4YE Comedy, filmed a Youtube skit on August 2 at 3pm, and following them, on August 3rd between 12-1pm, Toronto’s own Ajay Saxena (a.k.a. DJ Charlie B) entertained viewers with his latest tracks.
STREAMING BY CF HIGHLIGHTED IN RED ON THE FLOOR PLAN ABOVE.
PHOTO: CF TORONTO EATON CENTRE VIA FACEBOOK
PHOTO: CF TORONTO EATON CENTRE VIA FACEBOOK
PHOTO: CF TORONTO EATON CENTRE VIA FACEBOOK
Cadillac Fairview introduced Ravel at the beginning of 2019 with the hope of resurrecting Canada’s once solid retail industry, and reestablishing it as positive experience for shoppers and retailers alike. Wanting to utilize the potential of physical space, and somewhat relieve shoppers from their dependency on online retail consumerism, Ravel has, by way of digital platforms and artificial intelligence, smoothed out friction points and improved the seamlessness at which consumers shop.
Ease of payment, parking, and location of appropriate stores are all ‘friction points’ that are being tackled as Ravel becomes more knowledgeable and adept at anticipating the needs of consumers. Streaming at CF is another initiative that seeks to create inspiration and productivity for those who choose to shop at CF Toronto Eaton Centre.
This initiative has set Cadillac Fairview ahead of their competitors, both nationally and internationally. Amalgamating Toronto’s love of unique retail expression and innovative artistic expression is the first of its kind, and will no doubt be a match made in avant-garde heaven.
When you think of apps like Instagram, Tinder, Snapchat, and Twitter, what do they have in common? It’s Millennials and Gen Z. Now more than ever, Millennials and Gen Z have information readily available at their fingertips. However, even with all this evolving technology, the way to apply to jobs never changed. Prior to launching in November of 2017, we spent a year meeting Millennials and Gen Z’ers to learn about how they apply to jobs and their frustrations in doing so.
What quickly became evident and a consistent theme was the lack of resources and tools to help them in their employment search. While the ‘full-time, professional’ market has resources, there was nothing available for young job seekers and students. It was surprising to learn how common it is for young job seekers to print out resumes and spend hours handing them out to employers. For most, this was a frustrating experience. They felt their resume would get lost in a pile and never truly considered. This is why we developed
SWOB CO-FOUNDERS, ALEX AND STEPHANIE FLORIO WITH SIR RICHARD BRANSON PHOTO: SWOB VIA FACEBOOK
Swob is a social recruitment platform that helps employers in high turnover industries find real time, local applicants, quickly and easily. Similar to “Tinder”, once a job seeker downloads the app and answer a few simple questions, they can then swipe right to apply for a posted position, or left to ignore. They are able to filter jobs by distance, industry and type of employment desired.
Swob has seen tremendous growth amongst young job seekers. “It’s relevant to this audience and it’s something they understand will help make their employment search easier” says Alexander, Co-Founder of Swob. However, employers in high turnover industries struggle to retain staff, which has become a real problem. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for these employers to retain and find talent, with turnover exceeding 80% per year. Young job seekers are looking for tools like Swob and are moving away from traditional methods. It has become increasingly more important for employers, especially employers in high turnover industries, to adapt to new methods and not fall behind on new trends.
GRAPHIC: SWOB
At Swob, we listened to this underserved audience, and built Swob to help this underserved market. Listening to your target audience is critical, especially when trying to recruit them. “Anytime we say Swob is the “Tinder” for jobs, they understand the reference and download the app instantly” says Stephanie, Co-Founder of Swob.
To date, Swob has helped many young job seekers find meaningful employment and is working with companies such as McDonald’s, Virgin Mobile Canada, The Source, Tim Hortons, Cactus Club, etc.
Use the platform and language that millennials resonate with and understand. Let Swob focus on bringing the right candidates to you. Visit and sign up for our 7 Day Free Trial.
GOOP TORONTO’S NEW INTERACTIVE WEBSITE: GOOP TORONTO
This week, Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand goop launched a dedicated website allowing visitors to virtually walk through the recently opened Toronto goop MRKT pop-up store and shop for various products. It’s a strategy that could be utilized for other brick-and-mortar retailers looking to share their physical store experience with a broader range of shoppers, while adding experiential elements to ecommerce websites in an effort to drive sales.
The new shopable goop website can be accessed at: toronto.goop.com using any web browser to tour the Toronto store. The Matterport tour allows website visitors to shop online without having to scroll through pages of products on a website.
The immersive site is more experiential than a typical ecommerce site. Visitors may navigate through the three-dimensional version of the goop MRKT Toronto pop-up while shopping and engaging with digital content curated by the retailer. Purchases are said to be “frictionless and secure and occur in the same environment, as the technology integrates seamlessly with a merchant’s existing ecommerce platform.”
SCREEN SHOT OF THE OPENING EXPLANATORY PAGE ON THE NEW GOOP TORONTO WEBSITE.
Visitors can learn about and buy products by ‘Clicking the G Spot’ as per instructions on the website. Another unique feature involves clicking on a video icon within the store, where Gwyneth Paltrow herself describes various products — something you wouldn’t likely get in an actual brick-and-mortar goop retail space.
The new website, which was created in partnership with Mastercard and Next Retail Concepts (NRC), is now live and will remain operational until September 22nd when the pop-up is technically scheduled to close. Staff in the Toronto goop MRKT have said that there is a possibility that its lease with landlord First Capital Realty could be extended, and it hasn’t been announced if the three-dimensional transactional website would also be extended as a result.
The actual Toronto goop MRKT retail space spans about 1,300 square feet and is located at the base of the Hazelton Hotel at 118 Yorkville Avenue. The pop-up opened in early June of this year. The store carries a range of “goop approved favourites” that include a range of clean beauty, wellness, upscale fashions, and curated home essentials.
SCREEN CAPTURE OF GWYNETH PALTROW DEMONSTRATING A SKINCARE PRODUCT ON THE INTERACTIVE SITE: GOOP TORONTO
SCREEN SHOT OF A PRODUCT FOR SALE ON THE GOOP TORONTO SITE.
The goop brand was founded by Ms. Paltrow in the fall of 2008 as a weekly newsletter with an aim to provide “unbiased” travel recommendations, health-centric recipes, and shopping discoveries. It grew into a lifestyle brand with six key pillars: wellness, travel, food, beauty, style, and work. A range of curated and edited “goop-approved products” were launched in Toronto as well as a developed in-house line of beauty, fashion, and wellness-focused items.
The Toronto goop MRKT was designed by Toronto-based design firm Yabu Pushelberg, which has been responsible for creating some of the world’s most dramatic retail environments. The retail space included a considerable amount of thought on the part of the designers.
“Creating the right tone for the pop-up has been an interesting process, a coming together of the psyche of what Toronto is all about with the strong personality of the goop brand,” said George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg of Yabu Pushelberg. “If the goop customer lived in Toronto, she would feel differently and live differently than the one in New York or Los Angeles. Each city and each context is unique, and that is the challenge, and the fun.”
SCREEN CAPTURE OF A PRODUCT FOR SALE ON THE SITE
The online Toronto goop MRKT experience is an innovative way of showcasing attractive store interiors to an audience that may otherwise not visit the actual physical store. Studies have shown that physical retail spaces are still important and can drive online sales as well, and that demographic groups such as ‘Gen Z’ like shopping in brick-and-mortar stores.
In April of 2017, Retail Insider partnered with retail consultant Warren Vandal to create a three-dimensional tour of the Off-White store on Yorkville Avenue in Toronto, which was the first permanent retail space for Virgil Abloh’s fashion brand in North America. Mr. Vandal’s Matterport technology showed the capabilities of being able to tour a retail space virtually while being able to shop for actual products carried in the store.
Virtual tours of attractive retail spaces may become more popular as the retail industry changes rapidly. Ecommerce is growing at a faster rate than physical store sales and at the same time, some brands may find it challenging to replicate the excitement of in-store experience online. The best retailers are investing heavily into their physical retail spaces, and virtual online experiences such goop’s may be another way for brands to showcase their stores while also driving sales online.
Retailers such as Holt Renfrew are spending a fortune upgrading their retail spaces, which have resulted in the creation of attractive ecosystems that help drive sales. While a Matterport tour such as goop’s may work for a smaller retail space for a period of time, it may be considerably more challenging to create a similar ecommerce experience for larger and dynamic retail spaces. Product assortments often change, for example, and in some cases new marchandising and even renovations would require continuous website tour updates, which could be both costly and time-consuming.
Lacoste Opening First Concept Store in Vancouver, Third in Canada: Known particularly for its polo shirts featuring a crocodile logo, French fashion brand Lacoste will be opening its third new-concept store in Canada at Metropolis at Metrotown in suburban Vancouver. It will be the first concept store in British Columbia.
YOKRDALE STOREFRONT. PHOTO: LACOSTE
Lacoste opened its first concept store at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre in the summer of 2018. A second concept store opened several months ago at Ottawa’s CF Rideau Centre. The Metrotown store will mirror both the Toronto and Ottawa stores in design and the company says that they expect Metrotown to sell about as much as Lacoste’s productive Toronto Yorkdale unit.
Lacoste’s new concept store’s design inspiration stems from the inside of a tennis locker, while incorporating a “chic and sophisticated look and feel.” As a tribute to Lacoste’s French heritage, the boutique’s design features a customer-centric experience.
PHOTO: LACOSTE
Next year, Lactose will create a customized online experience while also launching a new loyalty program in the next two to three years.
“We have always been dedicated to ensuring a personalized customer experience for everyone that walks into our boutiques,” says Lacoste Canada’s General Manager Grégoire Brasset. “The new loyalty program is a way for us to maintain and build relationships with our customers, while creating an exclusive and VIP experience for those that have been longtime friends of the brand.” The loyalty program was launched in the European marketing just over three-years-ago. “After a strong response from customers in Europe, we are excited to bring a more enhanced shopping experience to our Canadian customers,” Mr. Brasset said.
Lacoste says that it is looking to open a second concept store at the Vancouver market at some point. Lacoste operates a network of standalone stores across Canada, including full-priced units as well as off-price outlets. Lacoste also wholesales to retailers in Canada including Hudson’s Bay, Browns Shoes and Foot Locker. Lacoste was founded in 1933 and has distribution in 120 countries globally.
Frank And Oak Opening Dual-Gender CF Toronto Eaton Centre Flagship: Montreal-based fashion brand Frank And Oak is building a new storefront at CF Toronto Eaton Centre. It replaces an M0851 location that formerly occupied the space.
AT CF TORONTO EATON CENTRE. PHOTO: CRAIG PATTERSON
Frank And Oak will boast considerable visibility from Queen Street West, as the store will feature an exterior presence facing Saks Fifth Avenue and Hudson’s Bay, while also being adjacent to the busy Queen Street entrance to CF Toronto Eaton Centre.
Frank And Oak launched its women’s collection in 2017 and began opening standalone women’s stores that fall. The current Frank And Oak women’s store at CF Toronto Eaton Centre, located a few doors north of the new space, will close when the dual gender store opens next month.
PHOTO: CRAIG PATTERSON
Sources say that Tesla was supposed to open a large store where Frank And Oak is now opening. In the spring, Tesla announced that it had halted its store expansion that was expected to see several more locations open in Canada over the next couple of years. Fortunately, Tesla decided not to close all of its stores as planned, which means there are several still operational in Canada. That includes a highly productive unit at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre that is said to do gangbusters sales.
Frank And Oak was founded in 2012 in Montreal as an online men’s brand and began opening stores in 2014. The brand became known initially for its subscription service where for a cost, shipments of clothing would arrive in the mail for customers.
Aritzia Looks to Open Stores in China: A report in Business of Fashion notes that Vancouver-based fashion retailer Aritzia could eventually open stores in China. That’s according to an interview in the publication by Artizia’s CEO, Brian Hill.
50 BLOOR ST. W. IN TORONTO. PHOTO: ARITZIA
Aritiza is seeing success with its brick-and-mortar stores in the United States, according to Mr. Hill. The company is picking the “best locations”, he said, including the recent opening of an Artizia store at Hudson Yards in New York City. About a third of Aritzia’s 92 stores are in the United States, which is impressive considering that Artizia only entered the US market a few years ago where it opened in high-rent locations on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, for example.
Celebrity endorsements have played a part in Aritzia’s global success. Megan Markle is a fan, for example.
Mr. Hill explained how opening physical stores has also led to increased online sales in those areas. That reflects a recent study by International Council of Shopping Centres where a “halo effect” leads to increased web traffic of up to 37% in areas where brands open brick-and-mortar retail spaces.
Aritzia’s market capitalization is at about $2.2 billion, which is impressive. At the same time, its share price sits at about $17.50 — not much higher than its initial share price when Aritzia went public in 2016. The exit of investor Berkshire Partners may have something to do with it. Berkshire had acquired a majority stake in Aritzia in 2005 and helped fund the expansion.
While there’s no timeline in place, Mr. Hill told Business in Fashion that Aritiza will expand into China “at some point in the future.” The article notes that by 2021, China may surpass the United States as the world’s biggest retail market.
In Canada, brokerage JLL represents Aritzia in its real estate site selection, under the direction of Dianne Lemm.
Ontario’s first Cadillac-Exlusive Dealership Opens in Woodbridge: This week the new Roy Foss Cadillac Woodbridge facility at 2 Auto Park Circle opened to the public, spanning about 7,000 square feet on one level.
Roy Foss Cadillac Woodbridge, the first Cadillac-exclusive dealer location in Ontario opens in Woodbridge. Photo credit: Cadillac Canada/Nino Michela
Four vehicles are on display in the showroom and an additional six vehicles are displayed on the parking pad in front of the retail space. Inside, there are two ‘delivery pods’, which are essentially offices where consumers “complete their purchasing journey and take possession of their new vehicles”. The new dealership also includes four Cadillac-dedicated service bays.
The facility is LEED certified and includes three electric vehicle charging stations — Cadillac says that it is preparing to deliver on “an all-electric future”.
Roy Foss Motors Ltd. was founded in 1962 and has operated in Woodbridge for 13 years.
This follows Cadillac’s recent innovation where it launched a digital car shopping experience in Toronto, where consumers can view vehicles from home while interacting with live agents who demonstrate various features.
Small-Farmed, Locally-Sourced Meal Subscription Box Company partners with Penguin Pickup:truLOCAL, an Ontario-based monthly meat delivery subscription box service that allows customers to choose from a vast assortment of locally-sourced non-GMO, antibiotic-free meats produced on small farms, is partnering with PenguinPickUp to create a network of pick-up locations specializing in online deliveries. The strategic partnership is anticipated to help bolster truLOCAL’s growth significantly by unlocking the door to GTA-based condo-dwelling consumers with seamless delivery.
PHOTO: TRULOCAL VIA FACEBOOK
While truLOCAL, a Kitchener-based company, has been growing rapidly across Ontario, delivering directly to GTA condo dwellers has become increasingly challenging for food companies due to ongoing building entry limitations. This is a major hurdle to overcome when you consider more than 20 per cent of the GTA population (roughly 1.2 million people) live in condos, according to Statistics Canada.
CHURCH STEET IN TORONTO. PHOTO: PENGUINPICKUP VIA FACEBOOK
With the partnership, truLOCAL customers can order from truLOCAL.ca and pick up their meat subscription box from one of PenguinPickUp’s convenient and secure, temperature-controlled locations across Ontario once they are notified directly by PenguinPickUp. truLOCAL and PenguinPickUp serve customers across Canada, however, the initial partnership is exclusive to Ontario at this time.
Maison Ethier Shuttering Montreal Stores Amid Bankruptcy: Quebec-based furniture retailer Maison Ethier is liquidating its two stores in Saint-Basile-le-Grand and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in suburban Montreal after filing for CCAA protection. The Toronto office of Tiger Capital Group is managing the retailer’s liquidation sale which is ongoing.
PHOTO: MAISON ETHIER VIA FACEBOOK
In all, about $25 million in inventory is being cleared out, including furniture, mattresses, rugs, accessories and appliances. The retailer has been operating for 35 years. The going-out-of-business sales are being held at 267, boul. Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier, Saint-Basile-le-Grand, and 126, rue Jacques-Cartier Nord, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
The court has also authorized the addition of millions of dollars of new, special-purchased items offered at liquidation discounts
All items available for purchase at both stores will be available for immediate pickup or delivery.
PHOTO: MAISON ETHIER VIA FACEBOOK
Maison Ethier’s flagship store in Saint-Basile-le-Grand includes 150,000 square feet of showroom space and a 70,000-square-foot warehouse. The original showroom and warehouse at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu spans about 75,000 square feet.
“Ecommerce, generational change and the continued expansion of mass-market discount chains pose competitive pressures across North America. We are seeing this everyday and are working hard to help both healthy and distressed retailers adapt to the changes,” said Mark Bannon, Director of Furniture Solutions at Tiger Capital Group.
Canadian cities have seen the opening of new food halls over the past couple of years, and many more are expected to follow. Various sources are saying that food halls are seeing success in Canada overall, and are becoming a significant source of foot traffic for shopping centres as well as neighbouring businesses.
Food halls have opened both in downtown cores as well as in suburban shopping centres, and the phenomenon will continue into 2020 and beyond as developers look to increase footfall while seeking new uses for vacant commercial space. It’s part of a bigger trend as landlords seek out food and beverage operators as traditional fashion retailers slowdown in leasing activity.
The Greater Toronto Area appears to have been first to lead the trend, with Montreal and Calgary following soon after. Other regions confirmed for new food halls include Vancouver, Quebec City, Ottawa and Winnipeg, and secondary markets could also follow if the trend continues.
PHOTO: ASSEMBLY CHEF’S HALL VIA FACEBOOK
PHOTO: ASSEMBLY CHEF’S HALL VIA FACEBOOK
PHOTO: ASSEMBLY CHEF’S HALL VIA FACEBOOK
Downtown Toronto is home to several food halls. That includes Assembly Chef’s Hall at 111 Richmond Street, which features concessions for some of the city’s most popular dining establishments, and also features a large outdoor patio area in the warmer months. Assembly Chef’s Hall has been a hit according to landlord Oxford Properties, which continues to open locations downtown as well as in suburban shopping centres. Italian ‘grocerant’ concept Eataly will also open a 50,000 square foot location at Toronto’s Manulife Centre towards the end of this year, which will be the first location of the brand in Canada. ‘The Well’ mega-development on the edge of the city’s Entertainment District will feature a 90,000 square foot ‘market hall’, while Oxford Properties’ recently announced Union Park will also feature a food hall, and there are other examples in the city as well.
SAKS FOOD HALL BY PUSATERI’S AT CF TORONTO EATON CENTRE ALL PHOTOS: RETAIL INSIDER
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“It started as a dream and we saw the opportunity to do something that wasn’t yet in Canada — a combined luxury retailer and food hall”. Mr. Luchetta says that he called Richard Baker, Governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, when he discovered that the Saks concept would be coming to Canada. “I told Richard Baker that if he wanted to build the Harrod’s of North America he’d require a food hall, and he got it,” said Mr. Luchetta.
The concept resulted in a hybrid grocery store and food hall in an upscale environment including marble floors and attractive fixtures, housing a wide range of food options as well as dining opportunities. As part of the Saks Fifth Avenue Food Hall by Pusateri’s, concession operators were welcomed to open in the space which sees a whopping 55,000 people pass through on a weekday.
Most recently, family-owned pasta retailer AMA Pastai Italiani opened a restaurant at the downtown Toronto Saks Food Hall, featuring a simple menu of fresh pasta and sauces. AMA also sells pasta for customers to take home and so far, it’s been a hit.
HARROD’S FOOD HALL IN LONDON, ENGLAND ALL PHOTOS: HARROD’S
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Mr. Luchetta explained that the CF Sherway Gardens Saks food hall, which was the first ever to open in a Saks store in March of 2016, is more of a grocery store though it also features a Champagne bar as well as sit-down options. Mr. Luchetta also revealed that he had at one time been in talks with Saks to open Pusateri’s food halls at Saks Fifth Avenue’s then-new store at Brickell City Centre in Miami as well as eventually in Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and Palm Beach. A fire at Pusateri’s flagship store on Avenue Road in Toronto in 2015 became a priority when the store had to be rebuilt. It reopened in November of 2016, a couple weeks after the opening of the downtown Toronto Saks Pusateri’s location.
Landlord Oxford Properties opened Canada’s first two suburban food halls in the Greater Toronto Area, and both are seeing remarkable success. Sales and foot traffic are up as a result, and sales are even up in the mall food courts as well as in full-service restaurants.
Sherif Masood, Vice President of Retail Asset Management at Oxford Properties, said that both the Upper Canada Mall and Square One shopping centres have seen double-digit increases in foot traffic since the food hall openings. The food halls are also drawing in customers from a wider area and people are also staying longer in the malls and coming more often, he said. It’s been good for local communities as well — residential developers in Mississauga, for example, have touted the Food District as being a nearby amenity.
Greg Taylor, General Manager of Square One in Mississauga, said that the Food District had seen more than 600,000 visitors since its opening in April of this year. Foot traffic is up in the centre as well, and sales in the mall’s food court and restaurants have also seen increases. The addition of the Food District, as well as entertainment concept The Rec Room and new retailers OVO, Morphe and Uniqlo at Square One, resulted in foot traffic increases between 10% and 15% overall, he said.
Keeping things fresh is important as well. To create an experience, the Food District is hosting themed events and last weekend launched its first Night Market. Photographs from the evening indicate that the Food District was very busy. On the same day, Top Chef Canada host, Eden Grinshpan, led an interactive baking demonstration at Square One’s ‘District Kitchen’ located in the Food District.
SQUARE ONE’S FOOD DISTRICT ALL PHOTOS: THE FOOD DISTRICT
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PHOTO: THE FOOD DISTRICTPHOTO: THE FOOD DISTRICTPHOTO: THE FOOD DISTRICT
This fall, Oxford Properties will open its third suburban food hall at Galeries de la Capitale in Quebec City that includes a RICARDO restaurant that recently opened. It will be the first such food hall in the Quebec City market, which is one of several Canadian cities to see new food halls being added (we’ll be publishing a separate article about it next week).
Calgary is home to the Avenida Food Hall & Fresh Market, which is seeing tremendous success despite being in a standalone suburban location. The 22,500 square foot space, located on the city’s south side about a kilometre south of the Southcentre Shopping Centre, features 42 vendors and restaurants with a parking lot that is often near or at capacity.
RENDERING’S FOR MONTRÉAL EATON CENTRE’S TIME OUT MARKET RENDERINGS: IVANHOÉ CAMBRIDGE
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Vancouver is a bit late to the game in terms of opening food halls, and three are already confirmed for the downtown core as well as in the suburbs. Landlord QuadReal announced that it will be opening two food halls in Vancouver. One will be at it’s ‘The Post’ in downtown Vancouver, which will span more than 25,000 square feet at part of the redevelopment of the former Canada Post building that will also include a grocery store and other retail, as well as a substantial office tower component. Vancouver’s highly productive Oakridge Centre in the city’s West Side will see a spectacular overhaul over the next few years that will include new retail as well as residential and other components. It will also include ‘The Kitchen’, which will be a “world class” food hall spanning nearly 100,000 square feet over two levels.
Developer Shape’s ‘The Amazing Brentwood’ in suburban Vancouver, which will feature a mix of retail (including luxury), residential and office space, will also include a chef-driven food hall that will also include chain options, according to the developer.
CALGARY’S AVENIDA FOOD HALL PHOTO: AVENIDA FOOD HALL
CALGARY’S AVENIDA FOOD HALL PHOTO: AVENIDA FOOD HALL
CALGARY’S AVENIDA FOOD HALL PHOTO: AVENIDA FOOD HALL
In November of 2018, Retail Insider reported on the opening of Ottawa’s 10,000 square foot food hall called ‘The Queen St. Fare’. Included are six food counters as well as one central licensed bar. In downtown Winnipeg, the 25,000 square foot Hargrave St. Market will open in the fall on the second level of True North Square, and will include a range of unique food and beverage offerings as well as a 5,000 square foot gourmet grocery store on the ground floor. The area around Queen St. Fare has seen an increase in footfall following its opening, according to nearby businesses. Downtown Winnipeg could definitely benefit from anything that could increase foot traffic in the area — the core has struggled over the years with the closure of Eaton’s and Holt Renfrew, and with the future of the downsized Hudson’s Bay flagship being uncertain.
Will Canada eventually become saturated with food halls? Despite the rapid growth over the past two years, there is likely room for more. After all, humans eat food and food halls are considered to be experiential in nature. Millennials are said to be seeking out experiences and are increasingly preferring to spend money with friends as part of a social experience. The ‘Gen Z’ segment, which is in early adulthood, is statistically shown to seek out physical retail experiences over online shopping as is popular with the ‘Generation X’ demographic.
At the same time, in the United States, some are concerned that there may become an over saturation of food halls as developers race to build them. According to a report by Cushman & Wakefield, the United States is expected to have approximately 450 food halls open by the end of 2020. That’s up from 120 food halls in 2016. Herb Heiserman, Managing Principal at Streetsense, said that he doesn’t think that all 450 will succeed. In an interview with Bisnow, Mr. Heiserman said “I think there will be a lot of failures in there, and I think it will be related to the operating model.”
SQUARE ONE’S NIGHT MARKET AT THE FOOD DISTRICT ALL PHOTOS: SQUARE ONE
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He went on to say that he thinks that the first food halls in the United States to fail will be those where a landlord tries to “shoehorn” the concept into a vacant retail space that is less than ideal. That is, it can’t be a “filler” and “many more things have to come together”. That includes high foot traffic throughout the day that can make food halls become a natural community gathering place.
Canada doesn’t have nearly as many food halls as in the United States. Despite concerns of possible over saturation, many of Canada’s top shopping centres could eventually see the addition of food halls, and with great success. Canadian cities, particularly Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, also boast vibrant downtown cores housing significant resident populations as well as workplaces and attractions — something less common these days in cities in the United States.
So far, the food hall experiment seems to be working in Canada. Food halls are creating foot traffic while drawing in consumers from a wider area and as a result, are creating community gathering places. Greg Taylor explained how at Mississauga’s Square One during the Toronto Raptors playoffs, many Raptors jerseys could be seen from those also attending nearby Celebration Square that had been dubbed ‘Jurassic Park West’. On rainy days before games, the Food District was packed — no doubt as a result of the food hall being enclosed.
The closure of Target and Sears Canada resulted in millions of square feet of real estate that had to be repurposed. At the same time, brokers and landlords say that it’s becoming more challenging to lease out retail space to traditional retail tenants. As well, the traditional department store anchor has been on the decline for decades. Will food halls be the new ‘anchor’ for malls? Given the success of the phenomenon so far, it appears to be likely.
Calgary-based retailer Upside is proving that the business of reselling second-hand items doesn’t have to be something that’s solely undertaken by the Value Villages of the world, thrift stores and consignment stores.
In fact, Upside has been successful in launching its model in the more upscale, luxury side of that particular retail sector as Canada’s largest online resale platform of luxury goods – handbags, shoes, accessories, clothing, fine jewelry – with over 200 luxury brands available.
Lauryn Vaughn founded the company in November 2015 with the warehouse/office and small retail space located in Calgary.
PHOTO: THE UPSIDE VIA FACEBOOK
“We are in the resale space. We are an ecommerce company that provides women a seamless luxury experience where they can buy and sell luxury goods. So the value proposition on the buy side is obviously it’s 100 per cent online. So you can get authenticated luxury goods for a fraction of retail delivered to your home,” said Vaughn.
“And then on the sell side we offer more back outside of selling it yourself. We have pickup options as well and we pay for the shipping to receive the items or you can drop it off if you are located in Calgary.”
Vaughn said the concept for now is geared to women but the company does hope to expand to items for children and men in the coming years as an expansion strategy.
PHOTO: THE UPSIDE VIA FACEBOOK
“The luxury resale market is growing for a number of reasons. Consumers have woken up to the reality that in some cases they are sitting on thousands of dollars tied up in handbags and other products that are not being worn. Having been manufactured with high quality materials, luxury products can last for decades and have a very long product life cycle. In many cases they hold much of their value. They are often timeless in design,” said Bruce Winder, a retail expert and consultant.
“At the same time the stigma of buying used products has been significantly reduced as Millennials and Gen Z customers look for ways to stretch their money yet look great. In addition, technology through marketplace platforms has enabled the almost frictionless buy and sell relationship needed to form a strong and growing market on both sides. Finally, with higher price points, there are enough profit dollars available to intermediaries to inspect and manage the exchange while still yielding a decent return once volume gets to a certain level.”
Vaughn has always wanted to be in the fashion industry. She spent some time in Paris for a couple of years before moving back to Calgary. Living in Europe, she noticed there was a different mindset about consignments.
PHOTO: THE UPSIDE VIA FACEBOOK
“I don’t think there’s such a negative connotation associated where I found in North America it was kind of frowned upon. If you were selling stuff you needed the money or if you were buying you couldn’t afford new. There was these kind of negative connotations around consignments and even when you thought about the traditional consignment stores you could almost smell the mothballs, very over-crowded spaces. So the customer experience wasn’t great,” she said.
But Vaughn thought it could be done better. When she moved back to Canada, RealReal, an online and brick-and-mortar marketplace for authenticated luxury consignment in the U.S., was gaining traction. She researched what was available in the Canadian market.
“I found that there was nothing that had a full breadth of product online. You either had a consignment store that posted one or two things. But there was nothing that was a fully-functioning online boutique focused on the retail industry,” added Vaughn.
PHOTO: THE UPSIDE VIA FACEBOOK
“When we first started we were in my basement. We’ve grown since then . . . We’ve now outgrown our current warehouse. We’re 3,100 square feet now. We are moving in the next couple of months here to a space that will probably be 6,000 or so square feet. From an actual space perspective we’ve grown immensely. We now have online over a thousand people signing up every month and our database we have about 11,000 users and growing online.”
Vaughn said that segment of the retail industry is growing for a number of reasons. Sustainability, for one, is a huge factor for many people, especially for younger demographics.
Of course, affordability is another.
“The other thing I think resale really provides is that you can get quality, variety and quantity. So the ability to be constantly changing your wardrobe.”
Another international brand has announced that it is entering Canada with two confirmed locations.
US-based plant-based restaurant chain by CHLOE. has secured a space in Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre, which will open this fall. A second Toronto location will open next year in Toronto’s Financial District as by CHLOE. gains a foothold in the Canadian market that could see more locations open in other markets.
The by CHLOE. concept is a ‘fast casual’ chain that offers flavourful vegan foods that “fuel and energize without compromising flavour, taste or satisfaction”. The company was funded in 2015 and has its flagship in the West Village area of New York City. There are currently 12 by CHLOE. locations in the United States including seven in greater New York City, three in Boston, and one each in Los Angeles and Providence, Rhode Island. Another location in New York City will open soon, according to by CHLOE.’s website. Its first international location opened in London’s Covent Garden area in February of 2018, and the chain subsequently opened three others in the city. In the fall of 2016, as well, by CHLOE. opened ‘Sweets by CHLOE.’, which is a plant-based bakery that is located adjacent to its West Village flagship.
The Yorkdale by CHLOE. will be the first ever for the chain to be located in a large enclosed shopping centre. The company’s other locations are located on urban street-fronts, and the Los Angeles location is connected to a Whole Foods store on Glendale Boulevard.
Samantha Wasser, by CHLOE.‘s Founder and Creative Director, was recently named one of the “100 Coolest People in Food and Drink” by Business Insider. In a written statement, she said, “We couldn’t be more excited to expand our brand into Canada. Toronto’s vibrant and diverse community, paired with its innovative food scene, makes for the perfect destination for our first location in Canada. The brand by CHLOE. was created to make plant-based food approachable, accessible, and of course, fun! We look forward to our future growth throughout Canada and promoting an inclusive plant-based community with our new customers.”
Towards the end of September, by CHLOE. will open its first Canadian storefront at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The 2,300 square foot space will be located in Yorkdale’s most recent expansion wing which is anchored by RH Restoration Hardware and Sporting Life. Other nearby tenants include German appliance retailer Miele, which opened a first in the world concept store in the summer of 2018. A Kit-Kat-branded retail space will open this fall nearby as well — the expansion wing features several food and beverage concepts, including unique Japanese restaurant concept TORA, Village Juicery, as well as Toronto-based health focused iQ Foods, which is expected to be a fierce competitor to by CHLOE. Other nearby retailers include an Escada Sport pop-up space, as well as a recently opened Canadian flagship for Hong Kong-based eyewear retailer Mujosh.
BY CHLOE WILL OPEN NEAR RH AND SPORTING LIFE, AS CIRCLED IN RED IN THIS INTERACTIVE YORKDALE MALL MAP.
Yorkdale’s by CHLOE. will be feature the brand’s signature dining menu as well as market specials that change with the season, grab-and-go options, and fresh-baked sweets. The menu will be 100% plant-based with gluten-free and soy-free options available. An exclusive “Toronto by CHLOE.” menu will be featured at the Yorkdale location and it will be inspired by “classic Canadian dishes and local ingredients”.
Popular meal options include the Guac Burger, Quinoa Taco Salad, and Pesto Meatball. The ‘Sweets by CHLOE.’ line will also be carried at the Yorkdale locations as well as a collection of house-made, dairy-free ice creams and sorbets called ‘Chill by CHLOE’.
The Yorkdale retail space will be “a replica of the brand’s first ever flagship location in NYC’s iconic West Village,” according to the company. That includes a reproduction of by CHLOE.’s Bleecker Street facade. The interior will include colourful stripped banquettes and tiled tabletops, as well as Toronto-inspired neon signage, swing chairs, and bathroom wallpapers.
BY CHLOE’S FIRST LONDON LOCATION IN COVENT GARDEN
Yorkdale has been adding dining options to diversify its retail offerings, as landlord Oxford Properties continues to grow square footage dedicated to food and beverage options within its shopping centres. Yorkdale’s by CHLOE. will add another health-focused dining option to what has become Canada’s most productive shopping centre in terms of annual sales per square foot, and is also the highest-grossing mall in the country with annual sales approaching $2 billion. Yorkdale sees more first-to-Canada openings for retailers than any other place in Canada, and several restaurant concepts have also opened their first Canadian locations in the busy shopping centre. Cheesecake Factory is an example, and the restaurant is said to be one of the chain’s top performers.
A second by CHLOE. location will open in Toronto’s Financial District next year, according to the company, and details have yet to be provided. Other Canadian markets could be in line for the plant-based chain — the Vancouver market is a likely target for by CHLOE. given its demographics and healthy-focused lifestyle ethos.
Competition will be fierce as homegrown plant-based chains such as rapidly growing Montreal-based Copper Branch also continue to expand operations into Canada while Toronto-based iQ and others add units as well. The healthy eating trend is on the upswing in Canada, including in shopping centres, breaking away from offerings found in traditional mall food courts. Meatless meal options are also going mainstream in fast food chains such as A&W, which has seen tremendous sales from its Beyond Meat burger options.
We’ll follow up on this story when by CHLOE. opens its Yorkdale storefront, and do a side-by-side comparison with the Bleecker Street flagship which will be Yorkdale’s primary design inspiration.
An Edmonton-based jewelry brand has found a unique way to build its business – by sharing storefront space with another retailer with a similar customer base.
And Cara Cotter, owner/creative director of So Pretty, believes the concept, with Pura Botanicals, can be replicated elsewhere in the future – perhaps in Calgary.
Cotter designs every single piece of jewelry the company sells as well as overseeing all the creative elements of the business including the website, branding and store operations.
So Pretty began in 2005 on a very small scale. She was hand-making everything herself and was just online and through wholesale. She built the business very slowly. Then three years ago, she opened her design office on 124th Street in Edmonton – next to the downtown.
PHOTO: SO PRETTY/PURA BOTANICALS
“That was just purely to maintain our wholesale business and have some more space and to be able to hire people for our team. As an experiment one holiday season, we did a pop-up with some other local entrepreneurs in Edmonton. Poppy Barley. Pura Botanicals. We did it in Manulife Place across from Holt Renfrew. We did that for a month and a half and it was such a pleasant surprise. I’d never really done retail before. We just had our wholesale business. And it did really well,” said Cotter.
“So my thought on the business really changed at that point. I thought testing out different areas of the city to see where we would be successful would be a good start. We did pop-ups with Poppy Barley again and continued with Pura Botanicals. We seemed to have a lot of crossover in our demographic which is like the 25 to 55 (year old) professional woman. We did Southgate. We did West Edmonton Mall. We did Manulife Place. Then last spring space became available right on 124th (Street) below our office.”
Although it is a smaller space than Cotter would have liked, it does serve as a perfect incubator for the company’s future retail.
Having a pop-up together with Pura Botanicals, a natural skin care and green beauty products retailer, they realized there was a crossover market for So Pretty. Branding is very similar and the two retailers get along really well.
INSIDE SO PRETTY AND PURA BOTANICALS SHARED RETAIL SPACE ALL PHOTOS: SO PRETTY/PURA BOTANICALS
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“The direction of retail is really influenced by experiences and community and giving customers something different. So we thought why not do a collaboration, not because we need to financially, but to do something different,” said Cotter. “And we saw through our pop-ups how that experience was translating. So we had proof it would work. Our first year has been really, really good. We opened July last year.”
When a customer walks through the door, it looks like one store but with signage for each retailer.
“We didn’t want it to look like a market or just two separate brands thrown together. We wanted it to be when you walk in you see essentially one store but you discover two brands within that store. Whether they’re coming to see Pura or So Pretty they have an amazing experience but also they’re discovering maybe something different,” said Cotter. “And being part of the community. We’re both female-founded brands. So having that story really helps to connect with our customers. We’re both from Edmonton. That also helps.
LANE EDWARDS OF PURA BOTANICALS PHOTO: SO PRETTY/PURA BOTANICALS
“The esthetic is very similar. A lot of whites, and blush pink. Feminine but still very modern . . . I always wanted to make a product that was sort of the attainable luxury category. I’ve never made jewelry out of any base metals or brass. The largest part of our category is everything has a sterling silver base with 18-karat gold really heavily plated on top or just solid sterling pieces. We range from $50 to $450 in that category and our average ticket bill is about $185. We want something that’s price sensitive but also really good quality for what you’re paying. Every design is unique and everything’s handcrafted and we make very limited runs of pieces. We’re not a mass manufacturer. We come out with four collections a year. So there’s always something different for customers.”
So Pretty also sells online with about 30 per cent of its business in that area. The online business began before the storefront was opened.
Cotter said that in an ideal world she would like to do a standalone store in a mall with its own branding.
“But Pura and I have also discussed opening another duplicate store of what we have here in Edmonton in Calgary. That would be a year from now and it really depends on finding the right location with a lot of foot traffic and the right size. So we’re investigating that at this point. We don’t have any solid plans,” she added.
The challenge for smaller independent retailers and businesses these days is clear.
Rising costs including rent and property taxes, wages, and operations, are making it extremely difficult for many of them to simply survive. Combine that with the big players of the world who are making it tough to compete on price point and of course the proliferation of ecommerce, and you have a scenario where being an independent retailer in today’s world is most likely a tough go.
So how do you survive in that environment?
July was Independent Retailer Month where consumers were encouraged to shop locally and it also cast a light on how independent retailers can not only survive in these tough times but also thrive.
The key is for them to provide unique experiences for customers, great customer service and develop personal relationships with those people who are coming into their places of business and spending money.
Robert Phelps is President of Silver Chef Canada, a leading dedicated hospitality financier that has supported 30,000 hospitality businesses globally, including more than 3,000 in Canada, to either create their business or expand their business.
“Our ultimate purpose is to help people achieve their business dreams,” said Phelps.
“The hospitality sector as a whole is an art and a passion. It’s a dynamic and vibrant industry. The operators with their business are able to display that passion which creates that element of differentiation and that’s why a lot of operators actually set out to start a business in the industry. That differentiation point is what consumers, as we continue to see, are looking for from a point of difference in the experience and whether that creates an extended stay, whether that’s an opportunity to connect for a longer period, or that drive for additional choice. Consumers are looking for a point of difference.”
Silver Chef has supported the hospitality sector for more than three decades – 32 years in Australia, 15 years in New Zealand and five years in Canada.
Creating unique customer experiences and developing closer customer relationships becomes a key differentiator for independent businesses as they strive to compete in an increasingly competitive world. It’s also a key in getting return business – repeat customers.
“It’s essential,” said Phelps.
Anna McMillan, founder and general manager of The Garden in the Strathcona neighbourhood in Vancouver, has followed that formula in setting up her new venture.
“We opened 10 months ago. We’re a new business. We’re a cafe as well as a retail shop and an event space. The retail section we focus on sort of home and personal products and our key focus is sourcing products from companies that are ethically produced. So we have a big emphasis on local products as well as environmentally and socially responsible companies and products,” she said.
THE GARDEN STRATHCONA IN VANCOUVER, BC PHOTO: BRIAN M VIA GOOGLE MAPS
The Garden has received some financing from Silver Chef for its operations.
“From my perspective and one of the reasons I started The Garden and why it’s sort of a unique offering in the services and products that we provide is to really be a differentiator from those traditional spaces,” said McMillan. “Personally, I’m really passionate about bringing people together in real life to focus on core values and things that people genuinely care about. So that’s why we focus on the sustainable and ethical products and to have some conversation around that.
“Originally my idea was to open a retail store but I knew that it needed to be something a little bit different because traditional brick and mortar retail is struggling as we all know. So including food with that and a really beautiful space that people would want to come together and spend time in was something that is more unique especially in Canada and in Vancouver. And our approach to food is really similar to that of our products. A lot of chain type of restaurants are just not in that space. It’s not a priority in that sense. They’re more of a traditional and typical offering. We’re trying to send out in the type of products that we carry, and the way we present those products to our consumers, and the environment and the experience we’re creating around that, a new experience.”
Chicago-based , an innovative education platform for the retail sector, has launched an initiative to expand its presence in Canada.
Ray Riley, the company’s Co-CEO, said Progress Retail’s learning experience platform creates a meaningful ‘one-stop shop’ for retail sales training, sales management, product knowledge, and brand communications.
With a strong conviction that brick-and-mortar retail is alive and well, Progress Retail pioneered a human-centered, live in-person retail sales and leadership education program that has been operational for nearly thirty years. With the launch of Progress Retail’s learning technology platform, the company is the exclusive learning and development partner for omnichannel brands such as Mecca, Volcom, Chatters, and Seed Heritage.
RAY RILEY
The company was founded as People in Progress in 1989 in Australia by Terry Hawkins, Co-CEO. With a strong personal growth and personal development component deeply rooted in empathy, Progress Retail’s professional skills and processes were able to be implemented with considerably more success than the majority of mainstream retail ‘training’. This unique approach led to the company working with numerous high-profile retail brands such as Ralph Lauren and Nordstrom. Since 1989, the company has more than 100,000 alumni globally who have attended in-person courses from its C.A.R.E. Customers Are Really Everything®, and S.M.A.R.T. Superior Management of a Resourceful Team® retail education systems, among several others.
“We are very unique in the fact that retail education has become very stagnant. Many retailers see learning and education as an add-on rather than the core of their business. As such, learning and education isn’t given a high priority. So rather than developing people in a highly effective manner, short cuts are taken. For example, many “buy” experience, or copy concepts, training modules etc. I say, buy cheap, buy twice, ” said Hawkins
TERRY HAWKINS
“We believe in long term, sustainable development. And our secret sauce is that we have been able to unlock the ability to teach people how to truly connect with the customer, and others, on a very deep, personal level. This has a game changing effect on results,” Hawkins went on to say.
“As a retailer partnering with Progress Retail, you’re able to distribute and manage the most relevant learning and development that exists for the industry, both offline and online,” said Riley. “Learning is our core, and our platform is rapidly developing in areas of performance analytics and retail sales management. We’re carefully building an ecosystem of tools and learning that have a dramatically positive impact on sales professionals and store managers of the future,” he went on to say.
Progress Retail can point to specific, evidence-based results that demonstrate the impact of its unique approach. In a recently published study, Progress Retail’s retail partners from fiscal year 2018 (July 1st 2017 to June 30th, 2018) decreased retail employee turnover 61% in fiscal year 2019 (July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019).
Progress Retail’s roots come from Hawkins’ background in the retail industry, where she commenced her retail career on the shop floor.
“I remember feeling so embarrassed to tell people that I actually worked in retail. When I moved into a training role, I just loved witnessing what knowledge and inspiration could do for someone regardless of their role, whether they were scrubbing cupboards in a cafeteria, or building a rocket ship, it changed how people approached their work,” she said.
“That’s how it all started. I could see the influence of really impactful learning.”
Today, the company’s mission is to “enable every member of a retail organization to connect deeply with themselves, their company, their career, and their customers.”
Jo Horgan, founder of Australia-based Mecca, (a cosmetics and beauty retailer with 100 stores boasting 10 percent of Australia’s $4.2 billion beauty market) said: “We regard Progress Retail as a partner and not a supplier – they are integral to our success. We have seen our dollar spend per customer increase significantly while at the same time dramatically improving our customer service standards and staff retention. They stand alone in retail transformation.” Hawkins and the business first partnered with Mecca Brands in 1997 when the beauty retailer had fewer than 10 stores.
Progress Retail is operating today in Australia, Canada and the United States. The company’s first client and launch partner in Canada is hair salon chain Chatters, which began working with Progress Retail in Ontario in January of 2019, followed by Alberta in June.
Barb Sim, Vice President of Operations and Distribution at Chatters, said, “The reason we’re investing a significant amount in education is because we believe that this will set us apart. C.A.R.E.™ was really key for us in providing our leadership team that structured approach on coaching our team members at the store level, and really making sure we understand the steps to deliver an exceptional experience.”
“In Canada there is no shortage of retail trainers, or consultants. They may dabble in retail training and also do keynote speaking. We don’t rely on a personality – we are performance-based with equal doses of scalable purpose and process that is assisting in transformative outcomes for our retail partners. We’re taking the heavy-lifting out of crafting a powerful, strategic learning journey and meaningful employee experience for retailers,” Riley said.
