In 2020, the Canadian retail industry changed significantly amid ‘non-essential’ store closures and shifting consumer sentiment. Retail is increasingly moving online while some retail brands struggle. We will be identifying the lasting impacts from 2020 for years to come.
Over the course of the year, some articles published in Retail Insider saw many thousands of readers, and we’ve listed the top ones below.
20. BRIEF: J. Crew Shuts all But 1 Store in Canada, Lululemon Expanding Flagship
Other News: Nordstrom shuts main floor designer boutiques in Toronto, Saks Food Hall shut until 2021, Balenciaga opens in Montreal, Zadel Jewellery Studio opens Granville Island workshop.
19. Nordstrom Launches Canadian E-Commerce Site After Shutting all Stores Amid Coronavirus [Analysis]
After opening its first store in Canada more than five years ago, the retailer has unveiled an ecommerce site featuring luxury brands to boost revenue in this country. Given the vast assortment, competitors could take a major hit.
18. Reitmans Files for and Obtains Bankruptcy Protection
The iconic Canadian retailer says that this was “the hardest decision we have had to make as an organization in our almost one hundred years of history”.
17. Retailers Begin Opening Stores in Canada as COVID-19 Restrictions Are Lifted
A careful, phased approach to the reopening of the economy has begun in several provinces after many businesses were effectively shut down in mid-March to prevent the spread of the potentially deadly virus.
16. President of Arc’teryx Urges Apparel Industry: Don’t Save Sinking Supply Chain by Pushing Garment Workers Overboard
Jon Hoerauf, President of Arc’teryx, says that 2020 is a reckoning for the global apparel sector.
15. 1st Prototype Urban ‘Real Canadian Superstore’ Opens in Downtown Calgary
It is unlike any other Superstore location in Canada. The 80,000-square-foot store is also joined by other Loblaw nameplates in the same RioCan complex which is part of the city’s East Village revival.
14. Second Wave of Retail Bankruptcies Expected in Canada Amid COVID-19 Pandemic: Expert
It’s an inevitable consequence of the devastating economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, though the future could be promising when retail adapts to a new world.
13. Invisible Face Mask ‘Mingle Mask’ Targets Canadian Retailers and Businesses
The made-in-Canada invisible, ergonomic mask provides all the benefits of mask protection while allowing one’s face to be completely visible.
12. The End of ‘Hero Pay’ for Grocery Workers in Canada an Operational Necessity: Expert
Sylvain Charlebois says the temporary increased costs made operating grocery stores almost unprofitable.
11. Landlords to Face Mass Vacancies for Taking Hard Line on Retailer Rent Relief: Experts
Industry sources blast landlords and suggest solutions amid the COVID-19 epidemic which could result in “tumbleweeds blowing through malls” if businesses go under.
10. Hudson’s Bay Exiting Downtown Edmonton After 207 Years
The loss of the last department store in downtown Edmonton is a blow to the city’s core which saw Holt Renfrew exit earlier this year, as well as Woodward’s and Eaton’s in years past.
9. Retail in Canada to Change Forever Amid Restructuring, Bankruptcies and Permanent Store Closings
Retailers across the country are evaluating operations to determine if they can remain operational. Some retailers such as Army & Navy have already announced that they will close forever.
8. Reitmans Permanently Shutting all 131 Addition Elle and Thyme Maternity Storefronts Amid Restructuring
After obtaining bankruptcy protection last month, the company will shut two of its retail banners while at the same time reducing its workforce by about 1,400 employees.
7. Cadillac Fairview Prepares to Reopen Canadian Shopping Centres with Plans and Protocols [Interview]
Executive Vice President of Operations Sal Iacono discusses what will be done to enhance safety as mall stores across the country reopen in the coming weeks.
6. Canadian Government Announces 75% Rent Relief for Small Retailers and Businesses
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday that the federal government has reached an agreement to implement the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) which could help save the economy.
5. Victoria’s Secret Quietly Closing Canadian Stores
One major landlord says that the US-based lingerie and underwear retailer has seen plummeting sales in Canada over the past two years.
4. Mass Store Closures in Canada Escalate Significantly Amid COVID-19 Pandemic [Update]
A sudden collapse of retail in Canada has some shaming retailers that remain open while malls operate at reduced hours.
3. Hundreds of Stores to Close in Canada in Early 2020 [Analysis]
Retail Insider counts well over 700 retail locations that will shutter early on this year amid a shift in consumer preferences and an otherwise challenging time for the industry. At the same time, some analysts expressed optimism as new concepts open and expand in Canada.
2. BRIEF: Hudson’s Bay Receives Eviction Notices From Malls, Banana Republic Shutters on Bloor
Other News: Diesel opens only Canadian store at Yorkdale, Frank And Oak looks to international expansion after acquisition, Oxford Properties supports food banks, interview with Muji President, King & Bay innovates to fight the spread of COVID-19.
1. Wave of Store Closures to Hit Canada in the Summer of 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is partly to blame for hundreds of permanent retail store closures that will happen over the next couple of months.
Keep reading Retail Insider, as we’ll be reporting on Canadian retail industry stories in 2021. Let’s all have a safe and prosperous new year!
As a former retailer,wholesaler and college retail instructor, I have absolutely no empathy for retail chains and their greedy landlords and the more chains that explode, the happier I am.
They pay their full time employees shit anyway.
I come from an era which my children will never experience unless I take them to Montreal. And that is diversity in the retail experience. Here is a major reason they are in trouble that no one seems to talk about. I left the wholesale footwear business because of two reasons. WallyMart & Payless coming to Canada. The independents who offered unique designs from buying travels to other countries.
You don’t see that much anymore as most are gone. Jobs lost. Many of them. Go to ANY mall, pick any mall you like across Canada. What do you see. Same shit, different location. It’s boring. Dull boring. And they wonder why retail is diving. We are headed towards having to spend money online, The Walton’s and the Weston family as they control this country. Landlords have shot themselves in their greedy foot by not offering retail space to independents because they think they won’t get paid,(how’d that work out) and not making enough %s off their sales. Have fun going into these chain stores and buying the same clothes your friends are wearing. Mall landlords, you deserve this. Happy 2021😁