BRIEF: Sephora to Open Almost 50 Stores in Canada, Cadillac Fairview and Ivanhoé Swapping Assets

Multi-brand beauty giant Sephora will open nearly 50 stores in Canada over the next two to three years. That’s according to a paywalled report in the Globe & Mail this week.

The expansion comes after US-based competitor Ulta Beauty announced that it was shelving its Canadian expansion for the time being. The two would have competed for customers while competitors, Shoppers Drug Mart and Hudson’s Bay, also beef up beauty offerings.

The Sephora store expansions will happen primarily in markets between 100,000 and 300,000 residents according to the Globe & Mail article. Sephora will also begin fulfilling online orders from its stores — currently the company does so from distribution centres in Toronto and Vancouver. Sephora is looking to operate stores outside of malls according to the report. In 2015 a Sephora representative had said that a standalone Edmonton location would have a drive-through window though it never came to fruition.

Sephora has over 80 stores in Canada. In 2016 the retailer launched a ‘Toronto Takeover’ initiative that saw new stores open while others were renovated and expanded. The Toronto market is said to be one of Sephora’s top globally.

Jeff Berkowitz of brokerage Aurora Realty Consultants handles Sephora’s real estate in Canada.

According to a French language report in La Presse, landlords Ivanhoé Cambridge and Cadillac Fairview are in the process of doing a real estate swap in Montreal that is related to an expropriation for a transit line. The article says that Ivanhoé Cambridge will become the sole owner of the CF Galeries d’Anjou centre in Montreal, which means that the centre’s “CF” will likely be removed from its name when a rebranding is complete. At the same time, Cadillac Fairview will reportedly become sole owner of the CF Fairview Pointe-Claire Centre on Montreal’s West Island. Both malls are currently owned in a 50/50 partnership with the two landlords.

As of April 29, the deal was not yet finalized according to La Presse. The CF Galeries d’Anjou will accommodate the terminus station for the new Blue Line metro — the STM is expropriating a substantial portion of the mall site for a station and parking. Cadillac Fairview sued the city and things got messy according to the news report.

CF Fairview Pointe-Claire will be part of a new “downtown West Island” including a new urban core area that will be developed adjacent to the shopping mall. Included will be high-rise residential buildings, a hotel, offices, and parks.

C-West Custom Fixtures worked with Lise Watier to shift the brand’s in-store display from a wall insert to a floor feature in order to amplify brand engagement. Impressively, it led to a reported 50% increase in sales. The custom fixture was designed and fabricated by the C-West team and has already been installed in over a dozen retail locations. The exquisite details featuring magnetic graphics, attractive backlit duratrans, LED frames, and acrylic captivates shoppers.

As brands evolve, their retail footprint must follow suit and reconnect with customers on a new level. When it comes to luxury cosmetics the stakes are that much higher and creating a premium retail display is a key to sales growth. Cosmetic retail is an incredibly competitive space as brands are generally displayed adjacent to their direct competitors.

Prestige Brands and Their Customers Expect Sustainability

The new-and-improved Lise Watier cosmetic display was manufactured in a LEED compliant facility using FSC Certified Laminate, particleboards, and melamine. The C-West team is committed to working with FSC certified suppliers and they use LED lighting exclusively in all builds focusing on selecting the lowest power drawing light available. Using value engineering options, C-West was able to provide Lise Watier over 30% cost savings.

Sustainability is built into every step, even for the delivery process. The C-West team delivers the fixtures directly to the store and use that opportunity to collect all the packing materials to bring them back to the warehouse for reuse. Remarkably, all the materials used to create this stunning display are recyclable. For C-West Custom Fixtures, being a leader in prestige retail displays goes hand in hand with being good stewards for our planet.

For more information on C-West Custom Fixtures, visit www.cwestfixtures.com

*This section of the Brief is sponsored content.

The Hudson’s Bay Foundation has announced the launch of its new social impact platform, Hudson’s Bay Charter for Change. The Foundation is committing $30 million over the next 10 years to organizations working to advance racial equity and inclusion. Focusing on three key areas as the platform’s pillars — Education, Employment, and Empowerment — this commitment is starting with five charitable partners: Indspire, Black Youth Helpline, CEE Centre For Young Black Professionals, CPAC Foundation, and MLSE Foundation.

Through this initiative, the Hudson’s Bay Foundation aims to impact more than 300,000 lives through programs run by its partner organizations. Beginning with providing scholarships and bursaries for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students pursuing post-secondary education, empowering Black youth with career readiness and training programs in high-demand fields, and using sport to teach life skills, the social impact platform hopes to empower racialized communities and improve academic engagement and workplace readiness.

“Racial equity is one of the most urgent issues facing society, and through Hudson’s Bay Charter for Change our goal is to create tangible and measurable change that makes a difference in the lives of Canadians,” said Iain Nairn, President and CEO of Hudson’s Bay. “With our own 350-year company history that in the past included discrimination and inequity, we have a responsibility to take action and drive progress in creating a fair and equitable Canada for all.”

Hudson’s Bay has a track record of giving back to its communities. Last March, at the onset of the pandemic in Canada, the company donated $1 million to Food Banks Canada and Kids Help Phone to help those in need.

A study by Afterpay shows that users have changed their preference from shopping later in the day to the pre-work hours. The bi-annual trend report also notes that many are still dressing casually. Melissa Davis, head of North America, Afterpay, said:

“The pandemic has not only shifted the way consumers shop, but also when they’re shopping. Our Bi-Annual Trend Report found that Afterpay customers are now shopping during pre-work hours rather than later in the day. This is valuable insight for our merchant partners to help them dictate timing for product drops, new content, marketing new lines and more.”

The Queen Street West BIA and Riverside BIA are promoting “Queen Street Virtual Tours” this weekend. Three tours have been created and will officially launch on May 7th as part of the Jane’s Walk Weekend and the walks will highlight local restaurants, public art, and historical elements of these two popular Toronto neighbourhoods. Jane’s Walk Toronto 2021 takes inspiration from noted urbanist and philanthropist Jane Jacobs. She was “…an urbanist and activist whose writings championed a fresh, community-based approach to city building”.

Tours can be viewed online after and when things are safe (and open), people are encouraged to come to the neighbourhoods to explore. As part of the initiative, there will be a weekly draw valued at $100 with a gift card for a restaurant in each of Queen West and Queen East (Riverside) for the first five weeks on the BIA’s respective Instagram channels:@riverside_bia, @queenstreetwest

You can also learn more about each walk on our respective websites:

• www.queenstreettoronto.com/queen-street-virtual-tours
• riverside-to.com/queen-street-virtual-tours

More tours are planned to be released in the fall with the potential of hosting in-person tours, dependent on COVID-19 protocols.

Empire-owned, Ottawa-based grocer Farm Boy opened its 38th store on Thursday at the Queen’s Quay Terminal in downtown Toronto. The 19,317-square-foot store is located on the waterfront and employs 135 people. The store, which was rebranded from Sobeys, serves a large urban population living in nearby apartment buildings.

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The store features a wide range of freshly made grab-and-go options as well as fresh seasonal produce and high quality meat options, among other departments. Retail Insider’s Dustin Fuhs noted that the store currently does not have directional arrows or related signage as is seen in some grocery stores during the pandemic.

Fuhs and Maple Leaf Displays Principal, Norman Katz, took photos for this article.

3222 Yonge Street in Toronto is currently available for a variety of retail uses. Located in the centre of the family-friendly, bustling shopping strip in the Yonge and Lawrence neighbourhood, the 3,150-square-foot lower-level retail space is available immediately with a 5-10-year lease agreement. Cushman & Wakefield is listing the space.

The Yonge & Lawrence neighbourhood offers some of the strongest demographics in the city, with a walk score of 92 and a transit score of 82. It is also home to various co-tenancies including, RBC Royal Bank, Shoppers Drug Mart, Scotiabank, Starbucks, TD Canada Trust, and Metro. This opportunity features the ability to lease the lower level either with the ground floor or separately for both retail or office uses.

Some highlights include:

• Prominent frontage close to the corner
• In the heart of main Yonge & Lawrence retail strip
• Good frontage to depth ratio
• Clean rectangular floor plate
• Minimal columns and ability for open floor plate
• Kitchen infrastructure from previous tenant
• Ability to offer the basement to an incoming retailer or office user

With a population of over 17,000 people — and a daytime population of 9,496 — within a one kilometre radius of this location, the space is being leased at $16.75 per square foot (est. 2020).

For more information contact:

Cameron Stajer, Associate, Urban Retail Services Cushman & Wakefield. Direct:  +1 416 359 2712 Cell: +1 416 454 2727 email: cam.stajer@cushwake.com

London Drugs has launched the Local Central program to support local retailers in Western Canada by offering shelf space to small businesses impacted by COVID to sell their house-brand, consumer-packaged products in stores.

“The collateral damage to small businesses created by the pandemic has been devastating and, the restaurant industry — particularly those small and locally-owned — have sustained one of the heaviest blows,” explains Clint Mahlman, President and COO of London Drugs. “As a company, we want to offer any support we can to restaurateurs and businesses in our communities right now, and we know our customers do too.”

Since its launch exactly a year ago, the program has supported more than 100 local businesses, helping them earn hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time when they might otherwise have had no revenues due to pandemic-related store closures.

One year after the initial launch, London Drugs is further expanding its support. Any restaurants with specialty items suitable for retail sales – such as sauces, jams, rubs, apparel – are encouraged to submit them for immediate consideration to be stocked and sold on London Drugs shelves.

To submit products for review, restaurant owners can visit the application form online at www.londondrugs.com/local-central-application.

Bed Bath & Beyond, together with DoorDash, has announced that same-day delivery services are now available in Canada, making it easier and more convenient to shop online for products from Bed Bath & Beyond and select buybuy BABY locations.

Same-day delivery follows last year’s successful introduction of buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS) and contactless Curbside Pickup services, and will enable customers to shop products online and have them delivered to their doorstep within hours of purchase. Same day delivery across Canada from Bed Bath & Beyond and buybuy BABY will be powered through DoorDash Drive – DoorDash’s white-label fulfillment platform that powers direct delivery for any business.

47 Canadian cities across nine provinces can avail of the same-day delivery service and until May 20th, 2021, it is being introduced at a discounted flat rate of $4.99 for orders over $39 CAD, and $9.99 CAD thereafter.

Customers in eligible postal codes can utilize the service by going to bedbathandbeyond.ca and buybuybaby.ca and selecting the option for same day delivery at checkout. Orders placed by 4 p.m. local time on Monday to Saturday will be delivered the same day, while the ordering deadline for same-day delivery on Sundays will be 3pm.

This announcement is in keeping with the aggressive push toward enhanced omnichannel experiences we’re now seeing across the board — a trend hugely accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, Altitude Sports announced the introduction of next-day delivery to customers in Western Canada, additionally, Oxford Properties recently implemented same-day delivery options from all of its shopping centres.

Read More News Briefs From Retail Insider:

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