1Hudson’s Bay Shuts Remaining Outlet Store Near Montreal
The Hudson’s Bay Outlet store at the Montreal Premium Outlets near Montreal has shut after operating for nearly seven years. It was one of two off-price outlet store locations for the Hudson’s Bay Outlet concept.
The Montreal Hudson’s Bay Outlet opened in the fall of 2014 in a 27,000-square-foot space in the outdoor outlet centre. It followed the opening of a Hudson’s Bay Outlet at Toronto Premium Outlets in 2013 which was converted to off-price retailer Saks OFF 5TH in March of 2016.
Saks OFF 5TH was also supposed to replace the Hudson’s Bay Outlet store at Montreal Premium Outlets. An announcement for the new store was made in late 2016 and it never came to fruition. Saks OFF 5TH was also supposed to open a 45,000-square-foot store at the Montreal Eaton Centre in downtown Montreal and that too never happened — the space is now occupied by French sports retailer Decathlon.
In Canada, Saks OFF 5TH operates 18 stores in Canada with only one of those being located in Montreal. Plans had been in place for 25 OFF 5TH locations in Canada and the expansion has been halted. Competition is fierce in the off-price space in Canada with TXJ banners Winners, Marshalls, and HomeSense continuing to open stores during the pandemic, as well as Nordstrom Rack which now has seven stores across Canada with more expected.
Retail Insider’s Montreal correspondent, Maxime Frechette, noted that liquidator Continental is currently occupying the former Hudson’s Bay Outlet space at Montreal Premium Outlets.
2Kim’s Convenience Store Hits Market with Hefty Price Tag
The famous Kim’s Convenience store, which has starred on the hit TV show of the same name for the last five years, is up for sale. Located at 252 Queen Street East near Sherbourne Street in Toronto’s Moss Park neighbourhood, the retail property hit the market a few weeks ago with the price tag of $198,000.
It’s the first time it’s been up for sale in 35 years, and the retail listing coincides with the final season of Kim’s Convenience — a seemingly strategic move for the current owner.
A hefty price tag, perhaps, but it has been reported that the 1,300-square-foot store brings in about $15,000-$18,000 in sales every week, plus additional income from the lottery, ATM, and parking behind the store. These higher-than-normal earnings can most likely be attributed to the popularity of the show.
Further information on the property is available only to qualified potential buyers, and interested parties are being asked not to speak about it to the owner or any employees at the store.
3Kartell Relocating its Montreal Storefront
Italian home furnishings retailer Kartell will shut its first Canadian location in Montreal’s trendy Griffintown neighbourhood according to Retail Insider’s Montreal correspondent, Maxime Frechette. The store opened in the summer of 2016 and the showroom will be relocated to Kartell’s suburban warehouse building.
The 1,500-square-foot Kartell store opened at 1120 Wellington Street in Griffintown, alongside other home furnishing retailers such as EQ3, West Elm, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, Ligne Roset, and others. Kartell featured a front terrace that will be open from May to October as well as an interior with soaring ceiling to display the store’s unique products.
Kartell was founded in 1949 and sells furniture, home furnishings, lighting and home accessories. The company collaborates with famous designers such as Philippe Starck and Eugeni Quitlet to create pieces, which are often colourful and unique. Plastic is used in innovative ways in many designs.
4eBay Canada Authenticating Sneakers in New Centre
Hot on the ‘sneaker head’ trend in Canada, online sales platform eBay has announced an ‘Authenticity Guarantee’ for sneakers being sold on the website. Select sneakers sold in the eBay Canada website exceeding $100 will be vetted and verified by an independent team of industry experts, according to the company.
eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee launches in early May with the opening of an authentication centre in Toronto dedicated to sneakers. eBay says that the collectable sneaker category on its platform increased by 325% last year. A pair of Air Jordan 1 “What The” Doernbecher was bought for more than $66,000, marking the highest sale for sneakers on eBay Canada in 2021 thus far.
The sneaker phenomenon is taking Canada by storm and this spring we announced that UK-based retailer Size? would be opening its first Canadian storefront this year in Toronto, with plans to expand further in Vancouver and potentially other markets. US-based online retailer StockX also expanded into Canada late last year as competition heats up.
5Mobile Klinik Offers At-Home Repairs with First Van Service of its Kind
Canadian smartphone and tablet repair company, Mobile Klinik, has recently launched Onsite Repair Units — the first van service of its kind to offer consumers and businesses the convenience of professional smartphone and tablet repair at the location of their choice.
Due to the changes in day-to-day life brought on by COVID-19, more Canadians are working and learning from home. The demand for at-home smart device repair services is on the rise and Mobile Klinik is now offering its expertise to over 100 communities nationwide from inside the Mobile Klinik service van or outside their homes or offices.
“The launch of Mobile Klinik’s Onsite Repair service is our latest initiative to make smartphone and tablet repair a more accessible, cost effective, and convenient option for Canadian consumers,” said Tim McGuire, CEO of Mobile Klinik. “Because we are spending so much time learning, working, and seeking entertainment at home, having reliable smartphones and tablets is paramount. We are proud to bring our services right to our customers’ doorsteps – at no extra charge – so they can resume using their device, often in less than an hour.”
Mobile Klinik says that it is committed to providing Canadians with flexible and affordable device repair options, servicing common issues like cracked screens, broken cameras, software updates, and battery replacements using high quality parts and state of the art diagnostics.
To further support Canadians during the pandemic, for a limited time, Mobile Klinik is waiving the $29.99 Onsite Repair Unit convenience fee. Customers in selected communities can book today either online or by phone to have a Mobile Klinik technician arrive at the location of their choice and service their repair in 60 minutes or less.
The company’s newest announcement comes less than a year after Retail Insider reported on Telus’ acquisition of Mobile Klinik, promising to bring with it an aggressive nationwide expansion.
To learn more visit mobileklinik.ca/onsite-repair.
6The Brick Celebrates Earth Day by Helping to Restore the Planet, Brick by Brick
In celebration of Earth Day 2021, The Brick, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leon’s Furniture Limited, has announced the company’s latest waste diversion statistics, as well as upcoming initiatives to engage Canadians in helping to restore the earth, brick by brick.
In an effort to contribute to the sustainability movement, this month The Brick is asking Canadians to document their good green deeds with a photo or video, share them on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #TheBrickEarthDay, and comment on the Facebook or Instagram contest post to be entered to win one of four $1,000 gift cards to The Brick. Two winners will be chosen from each social platform.
Additionally, for every share on social media using the campaign hashtag, The Brick will plant a tree — up to a total of 2,500 trees — through its partnership with Tree Canada.
“At The Brick, we challenge ourselves each day to be more mindful of our environmental impact. On April 22, we‘re challenging Canadians to do the same,” said Dave Freeman, President, The Brick. “Whether a community cleanup or adopting more sustainable recycling practices, we look forward to seeing how Canadians are “going green” and showing our appreciation for the positive impacts these actions will have.”
The Brick first implemented its ‘Project Green’ in 2007, serving as the catalyst for all the company’s environmental initiatives, spearheaded by a recycling program in partnership with Waste Management. Beyond this, the company is also a partner of Tree Canada — a partnership that has resulted in planting and maintaining a total of 886 trees nationwide.
The Brick is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
For more information on The Brick’s environmental initiatives, please visit thebrick.com/environmental/the-brick-goes-green/.
