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SpongeG
Feb 1, 2007, 7:21 AM
Whistler debates letting London Drugs into the tony town

WHISTLER -- Sheila Dixon doesn't like paying $2 more for a tube of toothpaste in Whistler than she would pay in Vancouver.

The retired travel agent and Whistler resident is happy that London Drugs wants to open a store in the resort town where the median house price is $1.2-million and toilet paper is more than a dollar a roll.

The debate over whether London Drugs should come to Whistler has driven a wedge between small retailers worried about being run out of business and residents hungry for bargains.

Ms. Dixon and others will hear findings at an open house tonight from a recent municipal study that recommends against allowing stores such as London Drugs to open in the ski-resort town.

London Drugs wants to lease a two-level property from Vancouver-based Larco Investments in Whistler village that houses two high-end clothing stores on the main level and a parkade below.

London Drugs president Wynne Powell said the low-profile 1,433-square-metre main level of the proposed store would be less than half the size of other stores and would fit in with the town's West Coast-stylized mix of condos, shops and restaurants.

"We are trying to respect and recognize the ambience of the village," Mr. Powell said. "We worked really hard to build a different look and feel so it will be very much tied back into the village motif."

But the store's proposed 4,250-square-metre lower level requires rezoning to retail from an amended tourist accommodation category.

Shortly after the B.C.-based retailer expressed interest 18 months ago in opening a 5,683-square-metre store steps from gondolas and pricey condos in Whistler's pedestrian-only core of low-rise chichi shops, Whistler's council stalled the rezoning application. It then commissioned a study to poll residents' and tourists' shopping habits to see what shops, if any, need to be added.

Many Whistler businesses suffered in the five years after 9/11 and the resort has a 6-per-cent vacancy rate for commercial space.

Whistler's top planner, Mike Kirkegaard, said the study was in the works and London Drugs' interest put it on the front burner.

"Given the number of years of downturn [in visitor numbers], we were concerned about the economic health of retail as an important component of our overall experience," Mr. Kirkegaard said.

London Drugs' president said a company poll of 219 Whistler residents conducted by Vancouver-based Mustel Group Market Research in late December showed 77 per cent support the opening of a London Drugs in Whistler.

The municipality's study, conducted by Vancouver-based Thomas Consultants and presented to council Dec. 18 and which council will consider for acceptance after gauging open-house feedback, concluded that locals aren't happy with Whistler prices yet prefer locally owned stores over large-format retailers.

"It was hard to find much in the retail strategy that supports the approval of London Drugs," Mayor Ken Melamed said.

Rick Clare owns two photo-finishing shops in Whistler and doesn't support rezoning that would let in London Drugs. He said high overhead costs means he can't compete with the retailer.

"I would have to give notice on my lease and close the doors," said Mr. Clare, who has been in business for 22 years.

Ms. Dixon doesn't have a lot of sympathy for his view.

"Groups of merchants that have been here forever don't want London Drugs because they don't want competition," she said. "They have had a free ride for a long, long time . . . they need to face reality and realize that Whistler people can't subsidize their inefficiencies forever."

Whistler educator Sara Jennings is not in favour of the idea. Last year, Ms. Jennings helped organize a successful drive opposing the municipality's plan to convert the local wastewater treatment plant to a public-private partnership, but she sides with its planners on London Drugs.

"I do agree that we have some problems in Whistler around issues like affordability and that there is a lack of necessities for locals to purchase but there are better ways to fix these problems," she said, adding that there needs to be fewer chain stores, not more, in Whistler.

Realtor Bob Hamilton said it's too late to complain about large corporations moving in, pointing out that Intrawest holds 7,500 square metres of retail space within 15 shops in the town. (Intrawest says it is opposed to London Drugs opening at that location.) And although Nike is opening a 1,066-square-metre store in June, Mr. Hamilton said it doesn't mean big-box stores will want to also.

"There is an economic decision that big business has to make and the volume of potential business is just not in Whistler," Mr. Hamilton said.

The municipality has booked a 500-seat ballroom in the Telus Conference Centre to present study findings to the public at tonight's open house.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070129.BCWHISTLER29/TPStory/National

SpongeG
Feb 5, 2007, 3:40 AM
H&M Halifax?

Today there are 26 stores in the Canadian division, all located within the provinces of Ontario (19 stores) and Quebec (7 stores). Expansion into Western Canada will start in 2007 with two stores in Alberta at West Edmonton Mall and Calgary's Market Mall. The first store in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia is planned for Coquitlam Centre and is expected to open in Fall 2007. A store will also open in the Halifax Regional Municipality in 2007. from wikipedia

Plus15
Feb 6, 2007, 1:03 AM
LACOSTE is opening a 2,000 square foot store in Calgary at TD Square, across from Harry Rosen. Good for downtown.

malek
Feb 7, 2007, 6:22 PM
Rona buys Noble Trade
----------------------------
Rona fait un achat «noble»

7 février 2007 - 10h11
LaPresseAffaires.com
Presse Canadienne
http://lapresseaffaires.stockgroup.com/charts/newchart.asp?P29=FFFFFF&P25=140&P25c=1&P48=0&P65=FR&P62=1&P61=0&P30=07528F&P31=000000&P32=9C9C9C&P33=FFFFFF&P34=C1D9F3&P17=&P58=1&P8=1&P26=&P27=&P12=&P10=&P58=&P9=1&P11=0&P14=0&P15=0&P60=E53237&P1=T.RON (http://www.lapresseaffaires.com/section/LAINVESTIR06&sym=T.RON)



Le distributeur et détaillant de produits de quincaillerie, de rénovation et de jardinage Rona (http://www.lapresseaffaires.com/section/LANSTEIN&TaxIDList=20151922&Word=Rona) (RON (http://www.lapresseaffaires.com/section/LAINVESTIR06&tabnumber=0&sym2=T_RON&sym=T.RON)) se porte acquéreur de Noble Trade, une chaîne ontarienne de magasins spécialisés dans les produits de plomberie et chauffage

Le montant de la transaction n'est pas précisé.

La transaction sera financée à même les facilités de crédit existantes de Rona (http://www.lapresseaffaires.com/section/LANSTEIN&TaxIDList=20151922&Word=Rona) et sa clôture est prévue pour le deuxième trimestre de 2007.

Noble Trade est une compagnie privée issue de la fusion, en 1998, de Trade Plumbing Supplies et de Noble Plumbing Supplies, fondées en 1992 et 1993 respectivement.

Elle a réalisé des ventes d'environ 150 M$ au cours des 12 derniers mois et a connu une croissance annuelle moyenne de ses revenus de 27% depuis 1998, a précisé Rona (http://www.lapresseaffaires.com/section/LANSTEIN&TaxIDList=20151922&Word=Rona) en annonçant la transaction mercredi.

Noble Trade emploie plus de 300 personnes réparties dans 19 succursales et un centre de distribution en Ontario.

SpongeG
Feb 9, 2007, 10:25 PM
Circuit City to close 69 stores, mostly in Canada

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Circuit City Stores (CC), the nation's No. 2 consumer electronics retailer, said Thursday it plans to close seven domestic Superstores, a Kentucky distribution center and 62 company-owned stores in Canada to cut costs and improve its financial performance.
The closings will take place over the next six months at an expected total cost of $85 million to $105 million, all to be incurred in the current fourth fiscal quarter, which ends Feb. 28, Circuit City said.

"Because of the intensified gross margin pressures that we saw in the third quarter within the flat panel television category, we launched efforts to accelerate the timing of planned initiatives to improve sales and gross margin, as well as improve the efficiency of our expense structure," CEO Philip Schoonover said in a statement.

Circuit City would not identify the stores to be closed because company officials were in the process of notifying employees. The stores will be closed Monday, then reopen Wednesday for clearance sales, spokesman Bill Cimino said.

The company could not immediately determine the exact number of employees who would lose their jobs. The distribution center employs 12 people, and each of the seven Superstores slated for closing employs about 30 full-time and part-time workers, Cimino said.

Circuit City operates through 643 Superstores and 12 other locations in 158 U.S. markets. The international segment has more than 800 retail stores and dealer outlets in Canada. The company also sells it products online.

The retailer, second behind Best Buy (BBY), also is realigning its management structure. It named a new merchandising officer, David Mathews, who replaces Douglas Moore, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer. Mathews will be head of merchandising, marketing, services and supply chains. George Clark Jr. will lead Circuit City's retail channels.

The seven domestic Superstores slated to close by the end of February generated $71 million in revenue in 2006. Separately, one Superstore will be closed this month in advance of opening a replacement store in the first fiscal quarter of 2008.

Circuit City's distribution center in Louisville was used primarily for store fixtures and signage. A separate distribution facility there primarily used to distribute entertainment software will remain open.

Circuit City's international segment plans to close approximately 62 underperforming company-owned stores in Canada. Each of the stores employed between two to 15 people, Cimino said. The company previously announced that it would return 92 Rogers Plus stores to Rogers Wireless. The combined plans would result in the layoffs of 70 workers in the store support center and in field management, Circuit City said. The international segment also expects to incur costs related to plans to exit product lines and otherwise match up its merchandise with consumer demand.

The company also said it will shut down its Rapid Satellite business, which was being offered for sale. Circuit City purchased the small satellite-television retailer in 2005.

Raymond James & Associates analyst Dan Wewer endorsed Circuit City's restructuring effort.

"We believe it is critical for all consumer electronics retailers, including Circuit City, to lower their cost structure given ongoing pressures on gross margin rate," Wewer said in a research brief. "Frankly, we had anticipated Circuit City would look to close all of its Canadian businesses given their poor performance."

Circuit City has long struggled for market share against Best Buy, and analysts have said each of Best Buy's locations bring in about twice as much revenue as its smaller rival. Both have seen fierce competition from Wal-Mart Stores (WMT), which lowered prices for key products such as flat-panel televisions this past holiday shopping season, forcing Circuit City and Best Buy to follow suit and cutting into their third-quarter results.

Circuit City lost $16 million in the third quarter; Best Buy's third-quarter profit rose nearly 9% to $150 million. Circuit City will report its fourth-quarter results in early April, Cimino said.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2007-02-09-circuit-city_x.htm

malek
Feb 9, 2007, 11:19 PM
Chatters from Alberta wants to expand in Ontario and Quebec, plans for Quebec is for 50 stores in the next 5 years.

SSLL
Feb 11, 2007, 10:29 PM
From: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070130.RTWEEN30/TPStory/Business
_______________
U.S. retailer eyes 'tween' market
Targets La Senza with plan for 100 stores

MARINA STRAUSS
RETAILING REPORTER
Tween Brands Inc., the U.S. specialty retailer that has tried to define fashion sales for girls aged seven to 14, is preparing a major expansion in Canada to challenge Montreal-based La Senza's dominance of the fast-growing market niche.

The U.S. company, which operates Limited Too and its sister chain Justice, has hired a real estate consultant to scout locations in Canada, with an eye to opening its first stores next year. Robert Atkinson, a vice-president at Limited, said the company wants to eventually open as many as 100 stores here, citing the lack of competition.

"It's all the more reason to look at Canada as an opportunity, because of the dearth of competition there," Mr. Atkinson said in a telephone interview yesterday from the company's headquarters in New Albany, Ohio.

Tween Brands, which recorded about $760-million (U.S.) in sales last year in the United States, is entering the Canadian market with few rivals. The only specialty chain in the sector is La Senza Girl, owned by lingerie retailer La Senza, which agreed late last year to be sold to Limited Brands, owner of Victoria's Secret. Limited Brands spun off Limited Too in 1999.

Tweens in Canada have significant purchasing power. According to the 2005 YTV Tween Report, the 2.5 million "tweens" -- children between 7 and 14 -- account for $2.9 billion in retail purchases and, if given the choice, would spend about half of it on clothing.

Parents of "tweens" anticipated spending about $177 on back-to-school clothes and shoes alone for the 2005 school year, the YTV report said.

Limited Too and Justice both look for the latest styles in the fashion world to stock in its stores for a younger customer. Limited Too, a more established name in U.S. malls with 560 stores, is premium priced, while Justice, which was started just a few years ago and now has almost 160 U.S. outlets, offers styles at low prices.

Retail consultant John Winter said that the chains will be a welcome addition to malls and shopping centres, which have been challenged in recent years to cater to that age bracket.

Traditional Canadian retailers have struggled to produce the right styles for a demographic that is notorious for a wide range of body sizes, the result of girls maturing at different rates. Compounding the challenge is the fact that "tweens" tend to want to copy the fashion tastes of teens, even though they don't necessarily fit into clothes made for teens.

Mr. Atkinson said Tween Brands tries to deal with the challenges by carrying 17 different sizes in outlets.

Mr. Winter said the U.S. retailer has other potential opportunities in Canada, beyond cashing in on the paucity of direct rivals. "It's a growing market and there's a growing recognition that tweens have some money to spend."

Chain stores not specifically geared to tweens have started to tune in. Urban Behaviour targets 13-to-22-year-olds, while Costa Blanca is aimed at customers between 18 and 32, but both carry sizes small enough for tween girls. Among the top brands of clothing sought by tween girls are Gap, La Senza Girl, Old Navy and Roxy.

SSLL
Feb 11, 2007, 10:35 PM
From: http://www.icsc.org/srch/sct/sct0207/retail_canada.php
________________
CANADA’S RONA TACKLES U.S. HARDWARE MARKET
By Jennifer Hopfinger

CANADIAN HOME IMPROVEMENT retailer Rona Inc. is heading south, with plans to open stores in the U.S. this year. Though the company declined to reveal specific plans and store counts, CEO Robert Dutton has been quoted as saying that Rona plans to acquire small regional chains and independent hardware stores in the eastern U.S. as growth opportunities in Canada slow down.

Rona, which began as a group of small Québec hardware stores, has grown into Canada’s leading retailer-distributor of hardware, home renovation and gardening products. It boasts about 560 franchise, affiliate and corporate stores, generating about C$5 billion ($4.2 billion) in annual sales. In Québec it boasts a market share of about 43 percent, and in Canada overall it claims roughly 15 percent.

Rona continues to bulk up on the home front, buying smaller Canadian retailers while building about 20 new stores annually. The company’s goal is to generate annual sales of C$7 billion by the end of this year. The acquisitions account for much of Rona’s sales growth, but the company has also seen sales rise in its existing stores.

The stores come in three formats: big boxes (anywhere from 75,000 to 170,000 square feet), midsize stores (about 40,000 square feet, plus an additional 10,000-20,000 square feet for attached lumberyards and garden centers) and small specialty shops. This allows Rona to serve markets of varying sizes and customers of diverse types and to anchor open-air and power centers.

Though south of the border Rona will be entering a market dominated by Home Depot and Lowe’s, opportunities abound, observers say. (Home Depot posts some $82 billion in sales annually, Lowe’s about $43 billion.) The U.S. market is still highly fragmented, with independent retailers making up 60 percent of sales volume in the sector. “There is room for consolidation in the U.S., and Rona is very experienced at that,” said Ed Strapagiel, executive vice president of Kubas Consultants, a Toronto-based consulting firm.

“Canada’s economy is about the size of Texas, but the U.S. is 10 times as large,” he said. “As a result, retail in the U.S. is much more regionalized, and regional chains can dominate certain areas.”

Moving to the U.S. is a logical step, suggests John Williams, founder of J.C. Williams Group, a Toronto-based retail consultant firm. “Rona has more or less saturated the eastern and central parts of Canada, and there are limited opportunities in western Canada because of population,” Williams said. “So obviously, they have to look at the U.S. market to grow.”

That said, the current state of the U.S. housing market presents challenges, some say. “The decline in the housing market has been more severe in the U.S. than in Canada,” Strapagiel said. “Rona is going to have to be cautious and move slowly.”

Some analysts say the housing drop may have bottomed out, or at least that it will do so shortly. “Will the housing market be bad forever? Of course, not,” said Howard Davidowitz, chairman of New York City-based Davidowitz & Associates, a retail consulting and investment banking firm. “There are cycles in every segment. Retailers should take a long-term perspective.”

And that is just what Rona is doing. The record for Canadian retailers entering the U.S. is mixed, however. Many have failed. Among the roadkill: hard-goods retailer Canadian Tire, fashion retailers La Senza and Le Chateau, and coffee chain Second Cup. Of course, there have been some terrific success stories as well, including Canadian National Railway, financial services firm Manulife and Canada’s largest convenience store chain, Couche-Tard.

But success in Canada does not always translate into success in the U.S. “Rona may be able to dominate Canada, but it’s going to be another ball game in the U.S.,” Williams said. “Rona is going from the minors to the majors.”

Strapagiel agrees. “Many retail sectors in Canada tend to have oligopolies, where there are two or three strong competitors that operate in a state of tentatively peaceful coexistence,” he said. “In the U.S. the number of competitors multiplies, and their coexistence is not quite so peaceful.”

But Rona is not without experience against these U.S. competitors back home. Home Depot entered Canada in 1994 and currently operates about 140 giant warehouse stores in 10 Canadian provinces. Home Depot Canada is the second-largest home improvement retailer in Canada after Rona. Lowe’s announced plans to open in Canada back in 2005. It will start with six to 10 stores this year and has an eventual goal of up to 100 stores across the country.

This invasion of its home turf has left Rona little option but to expand into the U.S., says Davidowitz. “Rona can’t stand still in the face of this threat from Lowe’s,” he said. “They have to expand somewhere. Moving into foreign countries isn’t easy, but the U.S. and Canada are neighbors who speak the same language, which helps.”

And Rona has some competitive advantages that give it a solid shot at success, he adds. “Rona is a unique home improvement retailer in that they have diverse operations,” Davidowitz said. “They are both a retailer and a distributor, and they have different store formats. Because they have the ability to go smaller in terms of store size — and they’re comfortable doing that, because they’ve already done so successfully in Canada — my guess is that they’ll target smaller communities in a few carefully selected markets. That could be their niche.”

Davidowitz is not alone in that assessment. “Unlike Home Depot and Lowe’s, Rona has a portfolio of banners that include big boxes and corner hardware stores,” said Strapagiel. “Some retailers have one concept, but Rona has many cards to play. If the big-box business goes soft, Rona can focus elsewhere. That’s a real competitive edge.”

Smaller stores offer better service and more-convenient locations, which could drive traffic to Rona, says Fred Miller, president of Germantown, Tenn.-based Consumer Specialists. “Rona could fill a different need in the marketplace,” Miller said. “In our studies we’ve found there is enormous cross-shopping in home improvement.”

SSLL
Feb 11, 2007, 10:36 PM
From: http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/toronto/story.html?id=982736d4-4f55-4510-9a5d-a4f95fb8ce06
___________
Whole foods eyes 2nd location to rival Pusateri's
Avenue and Lawrence
Andy Georgiades, National Post
Published: Friday, February 02, 2007
Whole Foods Market Inc., the high-priced natural food retailer, has its eye on a second Toronto location across from Pusateri's at Avenue Road and Lawrence Avenue, according to a retail-industry source.
For years the proposed site housed a St. Hubert chicken restaurant, along with an RBCbranch and a Mac's convenience store.
But Toronto's condo market remains a hot alternative for first-time buyers priced out of the housing market, and so most developers covet the site, surrounded by trendy boutiques and restaurants, for multi-storey, residential/retail development.

A Whole Foods spokeswoman said new stores are only announced during its quarterly earnings calls. The next one is scheduled for Feb. 21.
Whole Foods' choice of location could also be considered payback of sorts. About a year after Whole Foods opened its first Toronto store in Yorkville in 2002, Pusateri's -- a well-known family- owned luxury food retailer -- opened its second store down the street from the U.S. newcomer. Both stores feature a wide variety of prepared foods, catering to the condominium residents and office towers in the area.
But the new Whole Foods store isn't a done deal. A spokesman for a community group said no formal application has been filed with the city yet. In addition, there's talk that some homes adjacent to the site have already been purchased by a real estate company in order to expand the site.
That would indicate that the project, thought to be a condo/ retail development, could be a lot bigger (and taller) than the community is willing to tolerate, and could draw the ire of local residents concerned about traffic congestion and other matters.
As it is, the neighbourhood isn't starving for food stores, with privately held Bruno's Fine Foods and No Frills already present.
Since opening in Yorkville, Whole Foods has opened additional Canadian stores in Oakville and Vancouver. A second Vancouver site is in development.

SSLL
Feb 11, 2007, 10:38 PM
From: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070208.wxrwinners08/BNStory/Business/home
___________
Winners eyes good fit in shoe market
The new footwear chain would turn up the heat on smaller shops, analysts say

MARINA STRAUSS
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
Winners, the merchant that helped define discount fashion retailing in Canada, is preparing to launch a specialty footwear chain in a move that industry observers say would put added pressure on smaller shoe shops.

The new Winners chain, expected to open its first stores later this year, will be another step in the transformation of the estimated $7.2-billion-a-year Canadian shoe retail sector. Once known for boutiques on main street, the industry is now dominated by low-price giants such as Payless ShoeSource Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., both U.S.-based.

Winners is looking to change the market even more. "There's an opportunity for them to become a major force in the Canadian footwear market," said John Williams of retail consultancy J.C. Williams Group.

TJX Cos., the U.S.-based parent of Winners, would not comment on its plans. But Fred Waks, chief operating officer of mall owner RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust, told a conference call yesterday that Winners is "establishing" a new shoe concept and "trying to roll that out this year."

Other industry sources said they heard that the first Winners shoe outlets would open for business within the next nine to 12 months.

"We're always testing new growth opportunities," TJX spokeswoman Annmarie Farretta said. "For competitive reasons, we don't share details about our concepts."

TJX has been the focus of attention for other reasons recently.

It was the victim of a massive security breach in mid-December, although it didn't reveal the problem until last month -- well after the Christmas shopping rush. The credit card information of Winners and sister chain HomeSense customers had been stolen from the TJX computer network.

Winners is different from many other discounters because it doesn't rely solely on low-priced products. It also carries clear-outs or excess merchandise from established high-profile companies, such as Ralph Lauren and Prada, at markdowns of up to 60 per cent.

It's often called "treasure hunt" shopping because consumers can't be sure what they might find in the stores.

"There's a gap in the marketplace for a big player" in the so called off-price footwear field, Mr. Williams said.

Winners already has a toehold in the Canadian shoe industry. Its 184 Winners outlets have a shoe department, and the latest plans for separate stores would expand on those offerings. "It's a company that does things very well," Mr. Williams said. "They have wide appeal."

The move comes as the retail footwear industry has experienced tremendous change over the past decade.

According to Kubas Consultants data, Payless and Wal-Mart are now the top two footwear stores in Canada; a decade ago, the most popular banners were the Bay (then a Canadian company) and Aldo (based in Montreal).

"There have been a lot of shoe retailers that went out of business in the last while," retail consultant Len Kubas said.

"We've been getting more of the big box players. It's quite a change."

Winners appears to want to accelerate the change. Still, Mr. Kubas said that the shoe business is a tough one, and not only because of the shifting, fickle tastes of consumers.

Footwear retailers need to stock a wide range of sizes -- a much wider array than in apparel stores. That makes it a challenge logistically to ensure that store shelves are filled. And revenues are depressed because shoe prices have been dropping with the influx of cheap imports.

Still, Mr. Kubas is a testament to Winners' solid record in footwear. He was wearing a pair of Rockport shoes that he bought recently at Winners for $65, while a comparable pair would cost as much as $100 at a conventional store.

SpongeG
Feb 12, 2007, 12:22 AM
the foot wear thing should be interesting

hopefully its like Shoe Pavillion - thats a great place for shoes

shoe warehouse is so bad

pegcity
Feb 12, 2007, 3:02 AM
Hopefully something like DSW in the States.

SpongeG
Feb 12, 2007, 3:08 AM
yeah DSW is ok too

that town shoes outlet thing we have in Canada is ok but it no bargain

they had some shoes on sale for $79.99 - the same pair was on sale in the states for $34.99

officedweller
Feb 14, 2007, 9:05 PM
Check out this Vancouver retail report.
It says L'Hermitage (Robson @ Richards) will have IGA Marketplace on the ground floor and Homesense on the second floor!

The old Holt Renfrew location will be divided into nine units reportedly anchored by a 25,000 SF space, with the remainder being filled by smaller units.

Also says the operators of Cardero's are opening a restaurant at 1066 West Hasting and the pedestrian bridge over the road is being removed. Sounds like a big redevelopment of the plaza there - formerly occupied by the lounge / restaurant where there were some shootings - Aqua?

http://www.barnicke.com/client/JJB/JJB_LP4W_LND_WebStation.nsf/resources/Retail+Reports/$file/Retail+(Year+End+2006).pdf

Another report:

http://www.bcrelinks.com/download/news/CBREretail.pdf

At ‘The Hudson’ (also on Granville and Dunsmuir), new retailers secured to date include: The Shore restaurant; Parrasuco; Sterling Shoes; Buffalo, Steve Nash Sports Club, Great Canadian News, Starbucks, and a specialty wine store.

malek
Feb 14, 2007, 9:19 PM
Proxim wants to expand in the ROC

SpongeG
Feb 14, 2007, 9:42 PM
ah homesense ion robson - should be interesting - i wonder if that will start getting more retailers east of granville - it seems west of burrard is where all the big names are maybe some more names will open further east along robson now as more space opens up

SpongeG
Feb 14, 2007, 9:43 PM
whoah - they are putting a home depot at 8th and cambie?

Rusty van Reddick
Feb 15, 2007, 12:00 AM
Damn you Vancouver and all your downtown grocery stores! I am insanely envious.

officedweller
Feb 15, 2007, 12:59 AM
Ah, but lots of downtown folk who actually cook still run out to the Real Canadian Superstore, Safeway or Save-on-Foods to do their big ticket grocery shopping and save the expensive downtown stores for the basics on the way to and from work. I know, it's sad when Safeway and Save-on-Foods are the cheaper option....

**********

SpongeG - one of the problems east of Burrard is the changein teh street grid. West of Burrard, there are nice long blocks for strolling - east of Burrard the grid shifts and you get the stubby ends of the blocks with lots of alleys and streets every 100 ft or so.
Homesense and IGA should be a good anchor cluster to the area - guess that's why Starbucks opened up across Robson. Now only if the Telus employee parkade were faced in retail fronting Robson....

murman
Feb 15, 2007, 1:06 AM
whoah - they are putting a home depot at 8th and cambie?

That's kind of weird, considering their large location just over on Terminal...

SpongeG
Feb 15, 2007, 1:22 AM
i wonder if it will be like the smaller one in West Vancouver than - that building doesn't look that big - it will also have Winners and Save-On-Foods in it - which are pretty big on their own

does anyone know whats going on with main and 12th next to the church? looks like something is going in there

ibz
Feb 15, 2007, 2:46 AM
Noticed there is a Mandarina Duck opening in Edmonton (WEM), not sure ive seen one elsewhere in Canada, seemed pretty popular in Europe and Asia though. le occitane en provence is opening next to that as well.

officedweller
Feb 15, 2007, 3:00 AM
i wonder if it will be like the smaller one in West Vancouver than - that building doesn't look that big - it will also have Winners and Save-On-Foods in it - which are pretty big on their own

After Home Depot did not get the rezoning for the Arbutus site, they opted for leasing space for their "boutique store" in this already-approved project. None of the backlash associated with "retailer-specific" protests.

SpongeG
Feb 15, 2007, 5:22 AM
Noticed there is a Mandarina Duck opening in Edmonton (WEM), not sure ive seen one elsewhere in Canada, seemed pretty popular in Europe and Asia though. le occitane en provence is opening next to that as well.


l'occitaine is great

their one soap is so good

they used to use it on delta airlines - they still might - it made the bathroom on their smell so good

mezzanine
Feb 15, 2007, 6:19 PM
[QUOTE=officedweller;2632409]Ah, but lots of downtown folk who actually cook still run out to the Real Canadian Superstore, Safeway or Save-on-Foods to do their big ticket grocery shopping and save the expensive downtown stores for the basics on the way to and from work. I know, it's sad when Safeway and Save-on-Foods are the cheaper option....
[QUOTE]

We do a lot of our shopping at Chinatown T+T - as a green grocer, you can't beat it with selection, and other things I have found by surprise to be very inexpensive (like balsalmic vinegar and olive oil).

officedweller
Feb 15, 2007, 9:31 PM
I tend to do my shopping late at night and T&T doesn't open late (as far as I know).

SpongeG
Feb 15, 2007, 9:35 PM
i find meat really cheap at T&T and asian grocery stores in general

maybe because the portions are smaller

its much better when cooking for one

mezzanine
Feb 15, 2007, 9:36 PM
Don't quote me on this, but I think T+T chinatown is open until 10pm most nights (recent change).

as well, their deli foods (good quality sushi, hot foods, sandwiches) are discounted in the evening, with the discounts getting better as time goes on before closing. However, downtown students also know about this and the counter is a traffic jam by ~7pm. Good food for a late supper or lunch for the enxt day....

officedweller
Feb 16, 2007, 9:11 PM
I'll have to check it out.

******
Holt Renfrew Vancouver pics Feb 16th, 2007.
Almost looks too much like an office building now.

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/6712/p2160461qx6.jpg

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5673/p2160462jf4.jpg

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/8251/p2160463mj9.jpg

http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/2790/p2160465at9.jpg

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/9929/p2160466jg8.jpg

Plus15
Feb 17, 2007, 4:20 AM
SEPHORA will open at Calgary's Chinook Centre, centre court, across from Banana Republic, early summer 2007. The first of a planned western expansion, expected to include up to 8 stores.

SpongeG
Feb 17, 2007, 4:41 AM
nice

sephora was in bankruptcy or something not too long ago

it will do amazing business out west - there isn't anything like it really

love that store

SSLL
Feb 17, 2007, 9:53 PM
I wonder (and hope) if they'll open in Toronto Chinatown someday.

SpongeG
Feb 18, 2007, 10:07 PM
T&t?

SpongeG
Feb 18, 2007, 11:16 PM
in the papers:

H&M arrives in B.C. this fall

B.C. is finally going to get its own H&M store. The Swedish-based chain will open its first B.C. store in Coquitlam Centre this fall. It will carry fashion and accessories for children, men and women. The company's much-sought-after designer styles at domestic prices include exclusive lines by Stella McCartney, Karl Lagerfeld, and Viktor & Rolf. The store's new brand, M by Madonna, debuts next month. To see styles carried, go to hm.com.

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/liveit/story.html?id=97243f93-0de6-4819-b88b-ac91cc93d73c

SpongeG
Feb 18, 2007, 11:19 PM
Swedish fashion retailer moves into B.C.

Trendy Swedish fashion retailer H&M will open its first B.C. store in Coquitlam Centre this fall -- the first of up to 10 stores it expects to operate throughout Greater Vancouver.

The global chain that sells runway-inspired apparel at affordable prices will operate an 18,000-square-foot store in the mall and is searching for more locations in the region, H&M Canada country manager Lucy van der Wal said in an interview.

"We'd like to have up to eight or 10 stores around Vancouver but it depends on when landlords can give us the locations," she said.

H&M -- with more than 1,300 stores in 24 countries posting combined sales of $10.4 billion last year -- entered the Canadian market in 2004 and currently operates 19 stores in Ontario and seven in Quebec. It plans to open two new Alberta stores this spring.

H&M sells clothing and accessories for women, men, teens and children at affordable prices.

Its current Canadian catalogue shows women's shoes priced from $35, a $40 purse, $8 sunglasses and dresses priced from $40 to $50. Men's watches range from $30 to $60, a leather tie sells for $15 and a dress shirt costs $25.

One of the chain's hottest global sellers is a five-pack of men's black socks that costs about $7, van der Wal said.

H&M buys a major portion of its clothes from Asian manufacturers and van der Wal said the 60-year-old company has a lot of experience in cutting costs.

"It's the volume," she said. "We buy a lot of merchandise and have very few middlemen."

H&M also drives sales by collaborating with celebrity designers like Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney and Viktor & Rolf. Pop icon Madonna will bring a fashion line to H&M stores this spring -- the "M by Madonna" collection.

Madonna designed a track suit for H&M last year and she was featured in company advertising. Her crew wore H&M-designed clothes backstage during her 2006 Confessions tour.

Van der Wal said H&M appeals to a wide range of consumers but the biggest buying group consists of "high-fashion, trendy" women between the ages of 18 and 35. She predicts the store will do very well in the Vancouver market,

"We have experience all over the world and fashion is global," she said. "We see a similarity in Vancouver with other big European cities so I think we'll do very, very well there.

"The fashion level in Vancouver is quite high."

Vancouver retail consultant Phil Boname said many Canadian shoppers are price conscious now, regardless of their personal incomes, so H&M stores should do well in the right markets.

Thomas Consultants Inc. president Ian Thomas said H&M has clearly emerged as one of the "darling" new retail concepts in the world.

"They're not a Luis Vuitton or Burberry type of [ultra high-end] brand," he said. "But they're a brand that allows people to be at the leading edge of fashion at affordable prices.

"I can't think of any locations they've gone to where they haven't been an unprecedented success. I don't see why B.C. would be any different."

Thomas said the average H&M store -- with 15,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet of selling space -- is significantly larger than most fashion stores so they offer a wider, more diverse assortment of merchandise.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=f7c6fbaa-2737-489b-af54-8eee9dac4e17&k=18860

SpongeG
Feb 18, 2007, 11:56 PM
Shoe giant eyes Calgary market

High-flying GEOX shoes may not let users walk on water, but they're putting the boots to the once staid Canadian footwear scene.

And now the rapidly expanding manufacturer and retailer is eyeing the Calgary market for further growth in its march across the country.

In a short three-year time span, the Italian-designed shoes with the unique breathability soles have gained a substantial foothold with fashion-conscious Canadians.

Most of the 250,000 pairs sold so far have been through high-end retailers although GEOX has four of its own concept stores, a pair each in Toronto and Montreal.

"We use our own stores as laboratories in a sense. If the shoes work well there then we can say to other retailers they should take a look," said Gino Stinziani, the head of GEOX Canada.

GEOX is opening three more of its own stores, another in both Toronto and Montreal and a first in Vancouver, on Robson Street.

After that Calgary is the next target.


"Certainly we are looking seriously at Calgary, it is a growing market," said Stinziani. "We are now looking at various mall locations."

However, the city's booming retail sector comes with some downside.

High rental costs and the difficulty of getting staff are issues Stinziani says GEOX is having to deal with in planning a move to the city.

GEOX has been a worldwide phenomenon since its launch in Italy 10 years ago. So much so it now ranks third in brand popularity on the planet.

The brand boasts an exclusive technology that uses a perforated membrane which acts as a second skin inside the shoe's rubber sole.

This membrane manages sweat and heat allowing humidity to evaporate, keep water out and keeping the feet dry.

In short, this stops the feet sweating and then smelling.

Stinziani became a believer when he saw the success of the shoes while on an anniversary trip to Italy with his wife several years ago.

"They didn't have too many plans for Canada and as I was already in the shoe business I approached them," he said.

Now growth here is outstripping the U.S.

"The breathability makes a point of difference with the footwear. It's a fact feet sweat therefore if you keep them dry you are more comfortable.

"Now we see another great opportunity in Calgary."

http://calsun.canoe.ca/Business/2007/02/18/3642925-sun.html

hollywoodnorth
Feb 19, 2007, 8:37 AM
the one across the border in bellingham is now open 24 hours year round - it just started those hours this past summer

its weird almost all the grocery stores in bellingham are open 24 horus yet there are only a handful of 24 hour ones here in vancouver


I can't think of any grocery stores that are 24/7 still in Vancouver............SuperValu on Davie is now only open 6 AM to 2 AM..........kinda BUNK if you ask me.....

SpongeG
Feb 20, 2007, 12:44 AM
crazy

i like how they have people follow you around in super value if you go late at night

last time me and two friends went and this guy followed us around the whole time - he even offered to unlock the cheese if we needed some - he wasn't dressed as an employee at all

SpongeG
Feb 20, 2007, 12:47 AM
OH THERE was also something on the news, CTV i think, the other day about how there is such a shortage of workers that we can expect in Vancouver that things will be closed more often now that once were 24 hours such as gas stations, corner stores, cafes due to the labour shortage

hollywoodnorth
Feb 20, 2007, 1:19 AM
OH THERE was also something on the news, CTV i think, the other day about how there is such a shortage of workers that we can expect in Vancouver that things will be closed more often now that once were 24 hours such as gas stations, corner stores, cafes due to the labour shortage

yup it is a big concern.

can anyone familiar with Vancouver and Calgary/Edmonton let us know are there as many 24/7 operations in Alberta as there is in Vancouver?

hollywoodnorth
Feb 20, 2007, 1:22 AM
Also when in Toronto last I noticed how many Sobey's were 24/7........it actually made me very Jelous...........I hope they come out to Vancouver.........

same with Pizza Pizza and The Pickle Barrel.................the Barrel RULES hurrey up and come to Vancouver :)

LordMandeep
Feb 20, 2007, 8:00 PM
there is sobeys that is 24/7 about 5 mins from and a AP that is 24hrs 10 mins away from me. It more useful then you would think.

SpongeG
Feb 20, 2007, 10:50 PM
must be nice

labour shortage or not as long as I have been in Vancouver there has been maybe two 24 hour grocery stores

there are two 24 hour shoppers that i know of - one in the west end and one in surrey

other than that its gas stations - a lot of which lock their doors and you have to ask through the window or 7-11 - most corner stores seem to shut up early out my way - like 10 pm

also - are all malls still open late in ontario? the only mall open to 9 pm 6 days a week here is metrotown - all the others close at 6 and only stay open till 9 on wed-fri - archaic antiquated - grrr

danby
Feb 21, 2007, 3:42 PM
In edmonton theres hardly any 24 hour anything! there used to have 24 hour shoppers now i think theres 1 or 2 now most at up to 12am. Ofcouse 7-11 is open 24 hours but no grocerystores no walmarts (tho they were 24 hours during christmas but no acully cashiers worked it was all "self serve cashiers"


Theres a HUGE Job shortage here! go anywhere expect poor service or wait in line that is 20 deap

SpongeG
Feb 21, 2007, 11:02 PM
Best Buy expands stores in U.S., China, Canada

The leading consumer electronics retailer expects global growth of about 10 percent by the end of the year.

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Best Buy Co. Inc. plans to open about 130 stores in the United States, Canada and China during its fiscal year beginning March 4, the company said Wednesday.

The top U.S. consumer electronics retail chain said it expects global retail square footage of about 46 million square feet, representing growth of around 10 percent, by the end of the year.

In the United States, the company expects to open about 90 stores and to operate more than 900 by the end of the year.

In China, Best Buy expects to open up to 23 Five Star stores during the fiscal year, and also plans to open two or three Best Buy locations in the next 12 to 18 months. It expects to generate about $100 billion in annual sales in China by 2010.

Best Buy opened its first store outside North America, in Shanghai, in December. The company estimates its China retail square footage will exceed 5 million square feet by the end of its new fiscal year.

The company plans to open up to 14 stores in Canada, equally split between its Best Buy and Future Shop brands, in the year.


http://money.cnn.com/2007/02/21/news/companies/bc.bestbuystores.reut/

SpongeG
Feb 21, 2007, 11:07 PM
java u, Canadian coffee bistro chain, to open 8 to 10 outlets in UAE and Bahrain over next five years

java u, the well-known Canadian chain of coffee bistros and catering services, with 20 stores in Canada and North America, has announced plans to open 8 to 10 outlets in the UAE and Bahrain alone, over the next five years.

The first outlet of java u outside Canada and North America was opened today at Cascades Building in Dubai Marina, offering a distinctive range of hot and cold coffee beverages and a full-service menu featuring grills, steaks, sandwiches and salads. Two more stores are planned to be opened in the UAE before the end of the year

java u is being brought to the UAE by the Dubai-based Mostafa Bin Abdullatif Group LLC, which has interests in business systems, gift items, electronics, media and real estate.

Speaking at the launch of the Dubai outlet, Gary Hamady, the Group's Manager for Retail - Food & Beverages, said: 'java u has evolved into a chain that goes beyond food and coffee experience. Each java u outlet is a vibrant, upscale meeting spot, exuding a unique ambience. We are delighted to bring java u to Dubai to present an experience not duplicated anywhere else in this region.'

'The ingredients used at java u are fresh and all main menu items are prepared in-house according to java u standards. The Dubai outlet has been positioned as an upscale coffee shop with offerings of a full-service restaurant, with many dishes customized to suit local and regional culinary preferences,' added Hamady.

'With the launch of java u, Mostafa Bin Abdullatif Group is also delighted to bring another new concept to the region -- a café with an adjoining upmarket gift shop under the name 'chez u', offering an exquisite range of crystal gift items, dinner sets, cutlery, hand-painted tables and trays, etc. The entire range is from reputed brands like Heinrich Winterling, Andrea Fontebasso, Miller Rogaska and Pf4. Our plan is to re-brand The New Store retail outlets as Chez u.'

Mitchell Simon, Assistant Director, Operations, Java u, Canada, said Dubai shared a cosmopolitan ambience common to Montreal where java u originated a decade ago and has 16 outlets to date.

'java u is not just about food and coffee, it is about people and personality. We offer fresher and healthier alternatives to run of the mill coffee stores, and most of our dishes are prepared in-house with fresh ingredients,' said Simon. 'Another strong point is that each outlet reflects the ethos of the locality.'

Asked why java u took nearly ten years before venturing into overseas markets, Simon said: 'We did not want to expand until we had perfected our offering in the home market. Now we are ready to roll, with new stores planned for Jordan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bahrain and, of course, the UAE.'

Chef Christophe Vollard from Montreal, who is training the staff, said the menu for the Dubai outlet was planned keeping in mind the tastes of the people of the region. 'Our range of exotic drinks, especially the layered drinks, is very unique, and appreciated by our customers everywhere. We are committed to providing a very different dining experience to our customers in this market.'

Nizar Karim, General Operations Manager, Java u Dubai, commented: 'We have gone to great lengths to replicate the java u experience in Dubai. Factors like larger portions and extra sweetness in our drinks have been taken into consideration. Above all, freshness of ingredients and avoidance of artificial additives are what make java u stand out from other coffee outlets.'

http://www.ameinfo.com/images/news/7/36057-1q1q.jpg
Java U, the Canadian coffee franchise cum bistro and gift shop was launched at the Cascade Tower of Dubai Marina last Tuesday, Feb. 20. In attendance during the launch week were Mr.Nooruddin Mostafa, Director Mostafa bin Abdul Latif (MBAL) Group, Mr.Ian Thomson , Consul & Trade Commissioner of Canada, Mr.Graham Rush, Head of Consulate & Senior Trade Commissioner of Canada, Mr.Omran Mostafa,Managing Director - MBAL, Mr.Nizar Karim, Operations Manager of Java.u, Mr.Gary Hamady, Manager Retail - F&B.

Mostafa Bin Abdullatif Group, which holds the java u franchise for UAE and Bahrain, also plans to bring java u's flourishing catering business to the region, as part of the next phase of the partnership. The concept of opening Chez-u stores adjoining java u outlets will also be extended to other locations.


http://www.ameinfo.com/111457.html

Is java u only out east? have never seen or heard of the chain before...

SpongeG
Feb 21, 2007, 11:30 PM
Plazacorp Announces Four New Developments


Plazacorp Retail Properties Ltd. announced today that it will develop four new retail properties. These new development projects are located in Miramichi, Shediac and Sussex, New Brunswick and Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.

In all, the Corporation will be investing approximately $12 million for its share in these new developments. These projects are 100% leased to national retailers will add approximately 60,000 square feet to Plazacorp's portfolio of retail properties.

"We are pleased to be able to continue to grow our portfolio by developing new projects. Once again Plazacorp has demonstrated its ability to source, lease, develop and finance new development properties. These new projects will further diversify our asset base and allow us to continue to deliver a reliable and growing dividend to our shareholders." said Plazacorp President and CEO Michael Zakuta.

Plazacorp Retail Properties Ltd. is an owner of shopping malls and strip plazas throughout Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario. Plazacorp now owns interests in 77 properties comprising 4.2 million square feet of retail real estate. -- www.cnxmarketlink.com

http://www.huliq.com/11884/plazacorp-announces-four-new-developments

SpongeG
Feb 21, 2007, 11:32 PM
http://www.dcnonl.com/images/archives/2007/02/21/650.jpg

WILLIAM CONWAY/PROGRESS PHOTOGRAPHY

Construction has reached the roof of the Metropolis Retail and Entertainment Complex Phase 2 at Yonge and Dundas streets in Toronto. Construction manager PCL Constructors Canada Inc. began the 11-storey project in September 2005 and completion has been scheduled for December. The work includes a 24-screen theatre, retail, offices and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The Metropolis Complex was designed by Baldwin & Franklin Architects (base building) and Young and Wright Architects Inc. (AMC). Consultants are Halcrow Yolles (structural); ECE Group (mechanical/electrical-base building); and MCW Consultants Ltd. (mechanical/electrical-AMC). Subtrades include: Murray Demolition Corp.; Deep Foundations Contractors Inc. (shoring/caissons); Hardrock Forming Co. (formwork); Harris Rebar; Walters Inc. (structural steel); Innocon Inc. (concrete supply); Modern Niagara Toronto Inc. (mechanical); Plan Group (electrical); Paul & Douglas Automatic Sprinklers (fire protection); AGS Contract Glazing Ltd. (windows); Gage Metal Cladding Ltd. (metal deck); Modern Railing and Metalcraft Ltd. (misc. metals); Flynn Canada Inc. (roofing); Fujitec Canada Inc. (elevators); and Schindler Elevator Corp. (escalators).

http://dcnonl.com/article/20070221600

SpongeG
Feb 21, 2007, 11:35 PM
Planet Organic Markets Opens First Store in Ontario

EDMONTON, Feb. 20 /CNW/ - Planet Organic Health Corp. - (TSX Venture
Exchange - POH).
Planet Organic Market, Canada's largest natural foods retailer, today
announced the opening of the company's first Ontario store.
Planet's co-founder and VP of Marketing, Diane Shaskin, was on hand for
the opening, and she spent the day greeting customers, answering product
questions, and helping the staff. "Local customers have been waiting a long
time for this store to open. Their response has been very positive," said
Shaskin
The new Ontario store is located at Port Credit, in Mississauga, twenty
minutes west of Toronto. Like all Planet Organic Markets, the 14,000 square
foot store provides shoppers with organic groceries, all-natural supplements,
and 100% organic produce. The new store also features fresh deli food prepared
in the Planet Organic kitchen.
Shaskin says now that Port Credit store has opened they are concentrating
on securing other locations for Planet Organic Markets in the Greater Toronto
area. She says the company plans to add up to seven additional stores in the
GTA over the next two years.
Planet Organic Markets can be found in Calgary (two locations), Edmonton
(two locations), Victoria, Port Coquitlam, and Halifax.
"Good Food, Good for You, Good for the Earth" - that's been the company's
motto for the past 15 years. Planet Organic Markets sells only 100% certified
organic produce, all-natural groceries, a healthy deli selection, organic
meats, fair trade coffee and chocolates as well as all-natural supplements,
and personal-care products.


http://www.cnw.ca/fr/releases/archive/February2007/20/c2045.html

SpongeG
Feb 21, 2007, 11:40 PM
PetSmart to buy 19 super pet stores in eastern Canada

PetSmart Inc. (PETM), a specialty pet retailer based in Phoenix, plans to acquire 19 Super Pet retail stores in 17 Eastern Canadian communities.
It said it reached an agreement in principle to acquire the assets of substantially all the retail business conducted under the Super Pet name, including the leases, inventory, property and intellectual property. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.


http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/petsmart-buy-19-super-pet/story.aspx?guid=%7BE24D5E29-FE31-4AAF-92F2-C9D1FD7E7D5E%7D

hollywoodnorth
Feb 23, 2007, 5:17 AM
there are two 24 hour shoppers that i know of - one in the west end and one in surrey

also one at Kingsway @ Willingdon............and ya I can only think of those 3...........there must be another in the NE Sector or maybe in Langley or Abby...............anyone?

hollywoodnorth
Feb 23, 2007, 5:22 AM
http://www.dcnonl.com/images/archives/2007/02/21/650.jpg

WILLIAM CONWAY/PROGRESS PHOTOGRAPHY

Construction has reached the roof of the Metropolis Retail and Entertainment Complex Phase 2 at Yonge and Dundas streets in Toronto. Construction manager PCL Constructors Canada Inc. began the 11-storey project in September 2005 and completion has been scheduled for December. The work includes a 24-screen theatre, retail, offices and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The Metropolis Complex was designed by Baldwin & Franklin Architects (base building) and Young and Wright Architects Inc. (AMC). Consultants are Halcrow Yolles (structural); ECE Group (mechanical/electrical-base building); and MCW Consultants Ltd. (mechanical/electrical-AMC). Subtrades include: Murray Demolition Corp.; Deep Foundations Contractors Inc. (shoring/caissons); Hardrock Forming Co. (formwork); Harris Rebar; Walters Inc. (structural steel); Innocon Inc. (concrete supply); Modern Niagara Toronto Inc. (mechanical); Plan Group (electrical); Paul & Douglas Automatic Sprinklers (fire protection); AGS Contract Glazing Ltd. (windows); Gage Metal Cladding Ltd. (metal deck); Modern Railing and Metalcraft Ltd. (misc. metals); Flynn Canada Inc. (roofing); Fujitec Canada Inc. (elevators); and Schindler Elevator Corp. (escalators).

http://dcnonl.com/article/20070221600


thanks for the update I cant wait for this puppy to finish up!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59903165@N00/55038417/

SSLL
Feb 23, 2007, 11:26 PM
Most Dominion's/A&P and Sobey's are 24 hours, in fact, I think they all are. Very convenient indeed.

hollywoodnorth
Feb 24, 2007, 11:31 AM
Most Dominion's/A&P and Sobey's are 24 hours, in fact, I think they all are. Very convenient indeed.


WHY WHY WHY!!!!!! WE NEED THIS IN VANCOUVER :(

SpongeG
Feb 24, 2007, 10:00 PM
where i live the only thing open is a gas station and than there are two 7-11's that are a good 5 minute drive away - it would take a good hour to walk there and back if one didn't have a car

the safeway at lougheed mall would make a great 24 hour store it would have no competition

SSLL
Feb 26, 2007, 3:17 AM
Yes, Aeropostale is what's been missing from Canadian teens' wardrobes to be cool...

From: http://www.globest.com/retail/news/1_621/southeast/22498-1.html
_____________
Aeropostale Targets Canada
By Debra Hazel
Last updated: February 13, 2007 07:54am
NAPLES, FL—Canadian teenagers will soon be as hip as their US counterparts, as Aeropostale opens its first stores there this year, executives said at the 2007 Deutsche Bank Small Cap Conference, held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel here.
Plans call for between 80 stores and 100 stores in Canada, said Thomas P. Johnson, EVP and COO of the New York City-based retailer. “We’re very proud and excited to be entering the Canadian market,” Johnson said. “We see it as a big opportunity for us.”

Expansion also will continue in the US. The company currently has 728 units, and the chain expects up to 1,000 stores nationwide. California, Texas and Florida still have a great deal of growth potential, Johnson said.

All new stores and remodels from the second quarter on will be in the chain’s new, sleeker format prototype reflecting its more fashion-forward merchandise orientation. Two stores, at Woodfield Mall outside Chicago and Coconut Point in Estero, FL, the latter opening this week, have the new format.

SSLL
Feb 26, 2007, 3:18 AM
From: http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/184462
____________
Loblaw bets on apparel

FRANK GUNN/CP FILE PHOTO
Image consultant Daniela Mastragostino looks through Joe Fresh apparel at a Loblaws store in Toronto. The supermarket chain, which last month reported its first annual loss in 20 years, says the clothing line could grow to a $1 billion business within two years as it puts the brand in more stores.

Feb 22, 2007 04:30 AM
Dana Flavelle
business reporter
Canada's largest food retailer is betting its future success lies partly in an unexpected direction – clothing.

Loblaw Cos. Ltd. said its Joe Fresh brand of apparel could be a $1 billion business within two years, as it begins adding more categories, such as kids and accessories, and putting the brand in more stores.

The beleaguered company also committed to cut prices, boost service and invest in product innovation in a bid to "Make Loblaw The Best Again," the title of a strategy session with analysts yesterday.

As expected, the company offered few quick fixes – such as selling off assets or buying back stock – that would instantly boost shareholder value.

Instead, new executive chair Galen G. Weston outlined a package of fixes that he said could boost profit by 10 per cent, sales by 5 per cent and free cash flow to $250 million within three to five years.

The troubled food retailer, which last month reported its first annual loss in 20 years, mainly due to one-time costs, outlined a detailed plan that would see it spend the next 12 months fixing its existing stores.

The company said it would stop building new superstores until the "economics of those new formats and new stores are proven." The decision doesn't affect stores already in the pipeline, such as the one scheduled to open in Milton in August.

Its first Real Canadian Superstores in Ontario have disappointed so far, though the company said it believes they can be turned around and that they are "the right platform for growth for this business," Weston said.

"It's slightly challenged in Ontario, and for 2007 we're going to make some changes to that format, test those changes and make sure that when we roll it out, with further capital and further square footage, it will be on the back of a formula that absolutely works."


The company operates 1,000 stores across Canada under various names, including Loblaws, No Frills, Fortinos and Maxi.

The company's plans for Maple Leaf Gardens remained vague, despite the fact the analyst meeting was held in the hockey shrine, at centre ice.

Beyond saying it would be "a great Canadian food store," the company offered no further details.

An official told the Toronto Star earlier the company could begin cleaning out the interior this summer, followed by 22 months of construction.

Weston, who took over the troubled company last fall, painted a stark picture of a business in disarray after two years of inner turmoil that was supposed to make Loblaws more competitive with non-traditional rivals. "We need to improve virtually every key driver of the business.

"We have not been focused on our core strength of being the best food retailer in Canada, our organization is too complex and is ineffective and slow to respond to the customer and to the competitive environment," Weston admitted.

"Our actual prices relative to Wal-Mart's are significantly higher than we thought," Weston said. One chart showed Loblaws prices were 20 per cent higher than Wal-Mart in some categories.

"We are not delivering the right value for money and we are not getting the credit with the customer for the investments that we do make," Weston said.

In some stores, staff were using pencil and paper to track inventory, analysts heard. Within the executive ranks, no one knew who had bottom line responsibility for store profits, they also heard.

Loblaw executives outlined a detailed action plan for making immediate improvements in all of its stores, including designating some stores as "learning centres" where new staff receive training, and creating store "clocks" that ensure goods get moved from the back door to the shelves on time.

Several analysts questioned the food retailer's continuing focus on non-food merchandise, the area that seemed to trip it up in the first place.

But Mark Foote, who joined Loblaw Cos. from Canadian Tire last year, said the company has lots of room to grow, especially in pharmacy, kitchen gadgets and clothing.

Loblaw executives said the Joe Fresh line of stylish but cheap apparel, which is carried in only 100 stores so far, is popular and profitable and will help get the company back on track.

At one point, Weston, the 34-year-old son of billionaire W. Galen Weston, made an impassioned speech that drew parallels with his father's track record at the firm and urged investors to be patient and have faith.

Weston Sr. took over the business in his early 30s and stayed for 40 years, a course the younger Weston said he intends to follow. Along the way, his father created a retailing powerhouse.

"I think the management team in place is the right one," said Don Povilaitis, an analyst with Standard & Poor's. "I think their strategy is very well thought out and measured and logical. But it will take time. This is not a quick fix.''

"The issues they identified were consistent with our concerns," said John Chamberlain of Dominion Bond Rating Services. ``The challenges will be executing and convincing customers. Fixing food is critical because I think consumers have lost confidence Loblaws will have the right products at the right price."

SSLL
Feb 26, 2007, 3:19 AM
From: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003584993_retailreport23.html
______________
Taco Del Mar decides the time is right for eastward expansion
By Melissa Allison and Monica Soto Ouchi
Seattle Times business reporters

Taco Del Mar is eastward bound, and fast.

The Seattle chain of Mexican-food restaurants has 235 stores reaching from Hawaii to Orlando, Fla. It plans to open another 100 by year's end stretching as far as Toronto and possibly Connecticut. And, in 2008, the company is looking to Australia and maybe India.

"The time is now," says Taco Del Mar President David Huether. "We need to take advantage of this market opportunity."

It's a niche that Chipotle, Qdoba and a handful of other chains are competing to fill — something called Mexican fast-casual that is a cut above Taco Bell but not full-service dining.

The average customer check at Taco Del Mar is $7.50, and it does a thriving lunch business that it hopes will lead to a strong dinner crowd. With that thought, the chain recently added platter options — two entrée choices like a taco and enchilada, plus rice, beans and condiments on a plastic plate rather than rolled in foil. The platters already account for more than 10 percent of sales companywide.

It also hired a new ad agency, Grey Advertising's Vancouver, B.C., office, whose first Taco Del Mar campaign launches in mid-March.

Executives decided in the summer of 2002 that Taco Del Mar needed to expand faster to cash in on the Mexican fast-casual bonanza. The company was a decade old then and had 52 stores, most in Seattle, but others in Montana, Alaska and as far south as Portland.

Its small group of 35 employees work at its South Lake Union headquarters and the chain's only company-owned restaurant on Queen Anne. Another 35 contractors known as "master developers" work closely with the company to spot new locations and find franchisees.

Taco Del Mar has a second restaurant concept called Slo Joe's Backyard BBQ that might eventually become available to franchisees. A test Slo Joe's location opened in South Lake Union two years ago, and a second one arrived on Mercer Island last year.

Some of Taco Del Mar's 26 owners have a stake in other restaurants as well.



John Schmidt, who co-founded Taco Del Mar with his brother, James, in 1992, opened the Southlake Grill near REI this month. He is also the principal investor in the Greenlake Bar & Grill and Eastlake Bar & Grill.

James Schmidt and Patrick Coyne are the principal investors in Paddy Coyne's Irish Pubs in South Lake Union and Tacoma.

SSLL
Feb 26, 2007, 3:21 AM
From: http://www.thestar.com/Life/article/181300
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Nike takes shot at pop-up concept

Feb 17, 2007 04:30 AM
Derick Chetty
Air Force One 431 Richmond St., upper level

There is no gleaming signage, no billboard-sized posters of sports stars and there's no pounding music luring customers into the store.

In fact, to find Toronto's newest "high concept" store tucked away on the second floor of a nondescript building, you have to know where you're going. Even as you climb the dark and dingy stairwell, you may still not be sure you're in the right place.

Remarkably this is a Nike store, the "Just Do It" retailer not particularly known for quiet understatement. It's the only one of its kind in Canada and it's dedicated to selling only one kind of Nike shoe – the iconic Air Force 1.

To mark the 25th anniversary of this basketball shoe this year, Nike teamed up with the über-cool sneaker shop Goodfoot, located on the ground level of the same building, to staff and operate this temporary "pop up" shop.

That's right – temporary. Despite the serious money that Nike pumped into the space to transform it into a studio-like environment with expensive polished wood and sparkling glass cases that display the shoes in a manner more museum than street-wear shop, the store will, according to plan, close in a few months. It only opened in January.

This guerrilla retail concept – setting up shop in a temporary location for a limited time – is not new. The Paris avant-garde fashion label Comme des Garçons pioneered this method of retailing in cities around the world. But their modus operandi was simple and involved very little overhead: Organizers would just roll racks of clothing into a sparse space for a few months, sell as much as possible and move on.

Now behemoth retailers seem to be catching on to these temporary arrangements. When New York designers Proenza Schouler collaborated with the Target store chain for a limited edition cheap-and chic-collection, Target selected a cool Soho store, Opening Ceremony, to sell only this special collection during New York Fashion Week.

As temporary as these arrangements seem, they still require considerable thought.

Partnering with Goodfoot in this venture was based on Nike's longstanding relationship with the store, says Nike spokesperson Jane Shaw.

"They are one of the premium sneaker destinations in Canada," she says. "They are sneaker connoisseurs."

Goodfoot, with just three stores across Canada, has quietly cultivated a following amongst sneaks freaks as the go-to place for limited editions, re-issues and hard-to-find stock.

The admiration flows both ways between the David and Goliath companies. "Nike shoes are titles of hip-hop songs," says Ace Russell, one of the buyers for Goodfoot. "You can't buy that kind of cool."

But what is it about the AF1 that separates it from the pantheon of styles that the global powerhouse sells?

"It has tremendous staying power – to transcend generational gaps since 1982, to be embraced by sport, street, hip-hop culture and still be relevant today is incredible," says Russell.

When the high-top leather shoe with the ankle strap came out in 1982, it was hailed as revolutionary. Nike designer Bruce Kilgore was charged with coming up with solutions for a better performing basketball shoe. His shoe design with an ankle strap, concentric circle outsole and an air-packed insole immediately won over professional players but also garnered fans in the hip-hop community, which helped make it into an icon.

The store will also stock exclusive special editions commemorating the AF1 silver anniversary, from a brown croc leather with 14k gold lace tips and dog tag to a pristine white anaconda version. Both sell for $3,000.

But even if you got the original old-school version that starts at $140, you'll still show that you've got game.

SSLL
Feb 26, 2007, 3:22 AM
From: http://www.thestar.com/News/article/177995
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Why not shop the better way?

http://www.thestar.com/images/assets/185021_3.JPG
ILLUSTRATION FROM TALBOT CONSULTANTS INTERNATIONAL INC. AND WATT INTERNATIONAL INC.
In the early ’90s, the hope was that revenues from retail spaces at subway stops could help pay for and maintain not-yet-built routes

mall dreams | Hong Kong is doing it big-time. Other cities are following suit. So why isn't the TTC using retail to bail itself out?
Feb 04, 2007 04:30 AM
Andrew Chung
It's one stop from the end of the line, and the subway station North York Centre kind of feels that way, too. After emerging from the platform, the rider arrives at a concourse that's been boarded up on each side, as if condemned.

Behind the boarding there were meant to be stores, all kinds of stores, to serve both riders and non-riders – you don't have to pay a fare to access the mall – and benefit both businesses and the Toronto Transit Commission.

But the TTC says there simply weren't enough passengers to make a go of it. Meanwhile, just outside the subway doors, Loblaws, Future Shop and myriad other establishments have sprung up in a separate glassy cathedral of shopping. With none of the money going to the TTC.

It's not much different elsewhere along the system. Few stations have retail components, and the ones that exist seem stranded: a newsstand or coffee shack is typical.

Why does it matter? Because, critics say, the eternally cash-strapped TTC, which faces at least a $100-million budget shortfall for each of the next five years, could be doing much more in the way of generating its own revenue to potentially avoid fare increases. There have been two in the past two years, for a total hike of 50 cents per adult ticket, to $2.75. "To not benefit from obtaining revenues that would subsidize your ticket prices sounds extremely short-sighted," says Richard Talbot, an international retail marketing consultant based in Markham.

"Every time they need more money, they just put fares up or ask the taxpayer for more. It's a totally non-entrepreneurial, revenue-driven model."

The TTC makes just over $8 million in rent from its retail components. Given its $1.1-billion annual budget, however, that rent is the equivalent of a housefly on the side of an elephant. Reduce fares it will not.

Around the world, mass transit systems are learning, as airports have done, that public dollars are finite, and that it's essential to find other ways to generate revenue. TTC general secretary Vince Rodo, who's in charge of the budget, understands this. Subways are terribly expensive, and so "you really have to do all these things to defray costs," he notes.

The new TTC chair, councillor Adam Giambrone, agrees. "We should be having more retail," he says. But Giambrone adds that transit retail is surprisingly hard to get right. "What I've learned is that the issues around this are not simple, and in some cases to get the retail it's very expensive."

For instance, he says, putting a Tim Hortons in a station without retail might require the installation of water facilities at a cost that far outweighs the value of a lease. Bathurst station is another example. There are empty retail spots that no one wants, because business people don't think they'd be profitable.

Rodo points out that many TTC stations are already adjacent to major shopping areas, such as the Eaton Centre in downtown Toronto. And while that retail provides no revenue to the TTC, he says the heavy traffic benefits transit and the city "largely in terms of riders and taxes."

Other cities, however, are moving toward integrating retail into their stations. Increasingly for transit systems from Tokyo to Shanghai to Bangkok to London, stores mean cash.

In London, an $800-million project will begin this summer to renovate the Cannon St. tube station, expanding retail on the concourse and underground levels, and topping it with an eight-storey office building.

Nowhere has the retail mindset been more successfully realized than in Hong Kong. Not only is retail central to this towering city's transit system, the MTR, but the system itself is also a major property developer.

It's not uncommon for MTR stations to have full-service banks, convenience stores, travel agents, medical clinics, dry cleaners, fast food outlets, coffee shops and the ubiquitous Maxim's bakeries.

The numbers compared to Toronto are telling. Even though the MTR has only 53 stations to the TTC's 69, station commercial rents brought in nearly $52 million in 2005 – nearly seven times more than in Toronto. The tally for last year is expected to be higher.

Yearly ridership in Hong Kong is about twice that of Toronto's subway, and the MTR makes about 30 per cent more than the TTC in fares. But when it comes to non-fare revenue, which includes station commercial rent as well as advertising, it's in a different league entirely. In 2005, the most recent year for which comparative data is available, non-fare revenue for the TTC was $46.7 million. For the MTR? It was $234 million, about 400 per cent more.

The TTC has had some modest success with a few stations – such as Eglinton, which counts nine stores inside the pay area of the complex, including a Second Cup, a Cinnabon, a bookstore and a place that sells purses.

Much of the Commission's attitude toward retail is coloured by experiences at sites like North York Centre and a belief that, in certain circumstances, the private sector is better suited for the job. "We don't take risks like the private sector does," says Charles Wheeler, the TTC's former manager of property development, who oversaw the building of the Sheppard line and is now in charge of doing the same for the Spadina subway extension.

"Could we do it better?" he asks. "Probably. But is there a huge amount of retail that we don't currently do? I don't think that's the case."



Some people believe the Sheppard line represents a wasted opportunity for the TTC to bring in a lot of extra cash. Back in 1990, when provincial money for the line seemed nowhere to be found, then-North York mayor Mel Lastman wondered if the private sector could find a way to help pay the costs.


A consortium of private interests stepped forward with a plan to chip in 25 per cent of the construction costs. At the same time, a plan was devised to build the new stops not as stations per se, but marketplaces.

"Our recommendation was to use the traffic flows through the subway station to generate retail revenues and develop essentially a strip mall all around," says retail consultant Talbot, who was tapped by the consortium to research the retail viability. "Over time the revenues could keep pace with inflation and traffic flows and the general demand of the area." Talbot's 148-page report looked at traffic volumes and potential revenues. It also proposed a distinct station design: accessible at all corners of the intersection, built as an atrium with a first level for drop-offs and car parking, and a deeper retail concourse centred around a subway entrance.

The retail would include conveniences such as a photo shop or grocery store to serve busy commuters, but also "destination" places – even a cinema – to attract non-passengers. The report pegged annual rental revenue in all the line's stations at $30 million. The model, Talbot thought, was viable since Toronto was already getting a taste for underground shopping with its downtown PATH system.

But before the subway doors could chime, the plan was dead. The TTC and Metro government delivered a resounding no to the consortium's proposal. "The concept was rejected as being financially unworkable," TTC executive Wheeler recalls.

For one thing, he explains, the consortium "wanted to be able to collect the property taxes to help pay for the Sheppard subway, which was not acceptable to Metro. But on the retail leasing side ... we didn't feel their numbers were even remotely obtainable."

If North York Centre station wasn't getting enough people to make retail work, "how can you do it on Bayview?" Wheeler says, referring to one of the stations on the Sheppard line, which today connects Yonge St. to Don Mills with five stops.

However, Talbot calls it "mind-boggling" that the TTC didn't try to "create value" at the stations.

For the Sheppard stations that went on to be built, a familiar maxim has become reality: the stores weren't built, and the customers didn't come. A few shops thrive at Don Mills station, to be sure. But take a look at the Leslie station's expansive mezzanine between the platform and the street. You'll find that even the sole, lonely newsstand has closed down.

Perhaps the thinking is best summed up by Al Leach, a former cabinet member in the government of Mike Harris and before that, the head of the TTC. "Nobody's going to spend a lot of time at Leslie and Sheppard," he says in an interview from Florida. "It's a commuting area, not a shopping area."

Leach doesn't buy the argument that subways could follow the path of airports and integrate retail wholeheartedly into their premises, thereby reducing – or at least stabilizing – passenger fares, just as airports reduced landing fees, and theoretically creating a pleasant space for riders.

"Airports are a different ball game," Leach contends. "You've got hundreds of thousands of people there. They're captive for hours and have all kinds of time to wander around and spend money. You're not in a subway station for more than 10 minutes!"

The question is, would that be the case if the station were built as a "destination" marketplace, as the private consortium envisioned it?



The TTC has come up with another potential way to make money. It recently announced that it's looking into selling off properties around subway stations, such as a parking lot at York Mills and the old bus terminal at Eglinton.


Apart from getting cash from the deals themselves, the TTC says that new developments – whether office or residential – would build up neighbourhoods around stations, adding riders and revenue. But it doesn't appear that developing these sites itself is in the cards for the TTC.

It's possible that the system could sell or lease the land above ground but retain ownership of the below-grade portion. But Wheeler says the developer would want control over the ground floor, and so the TTC would likely "give them the surface rights."

Why couldn't the TTC build and lease out its own retail on the ground floor? "Developers want that retail-leasing revenue. You might drive away development if you do that."

Wheeler argues that the TTC would still get substantial revenues because the retail potential would be reflected in either the land sale price or leasing payments. "But the private sector is in a better position to lease out to the Staples or Business Depots than the TTC is."

Hong Kong's MTR takes the opposite view. That system – which is run as a corporation and is traded on Hong Kong's stock exchange – is a major residential and commercial property developer and manager, both above existing stations and along new line extensions. Apartment dwellers stand a good chance their monthly payments will eventually make it back to the transit system.

Among the MTR's assets are six major malls – including one built to resemble ocean waves – housing hundreds of stores and services. In 2005 alone, the MTR's property rental and management revenue reached $200 million and its property development profit was a stunning $928 million.

The TTC's next expansion is expected to be into Vaughan, with six potential new stations on the horizon, including student-rich York University. Which retail path will the TTC choose?

All Giambrone will say is, "We'll be looking at having increased retail." He wants to assure riders who've grown tired of fare hikes that this hasn't escaped officials' minds. He cites a $30-million renovation this year at Victoria Park station, the design of which will increase retail possibilities. "But this doesn't mean we can't do more. And we're trying."

SpongeG
Feb 26, 2007, 4:25 AM
Yes, Aeropostale is what's been missing from Canadian teens' wardrobes to be cool...

From: http://www.globest.com/retail/news/1_621/southeast/22498-1.html
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i like aero - its quite cheap - good for xmas gifts for the nephews and niece :tup:

i bought my friend a hoodie there for $8

SpongeG
Feb 26, 2007, 4:58 AM
Whistler council shoots down Village London Drugs
Retailer still seeks Whistler location, but says Squamish may get store too
The rezoning application that would have paved the way for a London Drugs store in the heart of Whistler Village was killed this week, but the company’s president said there is still the possibility of a London Drugs store in Whistler’s future.

“Obviously we’re disappointed but we said all along we would respect Council’s decision,” London Drugs President Wynne Powell said Tuesday (Feb. 20). “The pieces just didn’t line up to the comfort of Council at this time.”

Council voted unanimously on Monday (Feb. 19) not to move forward with the rezoning application that would have allowed for almost 13,000 square feet of retail space in an underground section of the Village Centre complex. London Drugs has been eyeing that space as part of a two-level store plan for more than two years.

Even though the Village Centre space is now out of the question, Powell said London Drugs will continue to look for other spaces in Whistler that would be convenient for both locals and tourists, and provide enough space to retain the various departments that give London Drugs its “special magic.”

“This particular chapter’s closed but I don’t think the book’s completed yet,” Powell said.

He said the amount of public support for the store within the Whistler community has been humbling and he’s grateful for the citizens who invested their time to campaign for the store.

“We’re absolutely delighted at… the tremendous outpouring of support from the residents of Whistler,” Powell said. “We are always wishing to reach out to communities that are wanting us to come to them.”

But he said Council’s suggestion that a 5,000-square-foot London Drugs would be better for Whistler just won’t work for the company’s model. “No, we couldn’t bring that special magic that London Drugs brings in that size of store.”

He said at about 17,000 square feet, the proposed store design for the Village Centre was already smaller than the average London Drugs, and with less than 5,000 square feet on the ground level, it was a creative proposal. “It was a pretty small footprint,” he said.

A smaller store means departments would have to be cut and that puts London Drugs’ ability to draw customers into the store at risk, he said. When asked about the possibility for a London Drugs in Squamish, Powell said he could see stores in both Squamish and Whistler in the future.

“We don’t believe they’re exclusive,” he said.

The Squamish community has been asking for a London Drugs for a long time, but there are concerns that Squamish could become the shopping place for Whistler, he said. “We don’t think it’s a good sustainable model in the long run,” he said.

Jim Watts, who created the London Drugs Yes website and collected about 1,100 names on a petition in favour of the store, also expressed disappointment with Council’s decision.

“People are very disappointed and angry,” Watts said on Tuesday. “They just don’t understand what the problem is.”

Even though he said he’s glad he went ahead with the petition, he feels the decision against London Drugs was made long ago.

“I think they made up their minds long before and they weren’t willing to listen to the 70 per cent of the population that would like to see this store a reality,” Watts said.

Along with others, Watts criticized the lack of a formal public consultation process for the rezoning application. “When a citizen has to go out and start a petition and a website in order to force the government to look at our feedback… I think that’s pretty poor,” he said.

But Mayor Ken Melamed and some councillors argued that with all the letters, petitions and informal public dialogue about the issue they had a good understanding of how the community felt. “We need to move on,” Melamed said. “We’ve had enough dialogue. Twenty-two months is a long time.”

Watts said he’ll keep the London Drugs Yes website up and people are still welcome to sign the petition and make comments. Though he thinks the issue is dead at the current Council table, he said it will be up to voters in the next election to decide if it’s still an issue.

Ultimately, it was the expected effect the store would have on the character of the Village that prompted Council to vote in favour of squashing the rezoning application.

The Village was designed to be a “special place” for visitors to the resort, a place that people enjoy while on vacation because it’s different than what they see in their everyday lives, said Mike Kirkegaard, manager of resort planning for the municipality. The location, size and character of a London Drugs doesn’t belong in the Village, he said. “We can’t jeopardize what makes us attractive,” he said.

Melamed and each councillor spoke about the unique quality of the Village and its draw for visitors to Whistler.

“The more we look like Coquitlam Centre, the less reason people have to come here,” said Councillor Gordon McKeever of the prospect of a single, 17,000-square-foot retail space in the Village.

Moving ahead with the rezoning would take Whistler away from the unique and authentic experience that people are looking for when they come here, echoed Councillor Bob Lorriman.

Councillor Eckhard Zeidler expressed fears of setting a precedent for large stores in the Village. “This is not a genie that I wasn’t to see let out of the bottle,” he said.

Mayor Ken Melamed said Council has heard the community express its needs for affordability and a range of goods, but it’s difficult to balance the needs of the community with the success of the resort.

“I’ve come to understand really we are so joined at the hip, we are a resort community, it is a unique… animal,” he said. “We’re acting in the long-term best interests of the community and the resort. We have an obligation to do that.”

He said the municipality would try to address the community’s needs for affordability through other initiatives.

Despite an air of tense energy at Monday’s Council meeting, the crowd of about 65 that waited until about 10 p.m. for Council’s vote on the rezoning application were well behaved and patient.

After the meeting, Melamed said the decision was a gut-wrenching and difficult one.

“I don’t feel relieved. I feel a certain amount of anguish because I know that there are people who are going to be dissatisfied with the decision and feel like I’ve betrayed them, and I take that personally and I have to try and mend those relationships,” he said. “It doesn’t end tonight.”

http://www.squamishchief.com/madison%5CWQuestion.nsf/0/E8C515D8DA697D628825728B007C0672?OpenDocument

ibz
Feb 26, 2007, 6:52 AM
Taco Del Mar is expensive and disgusting....

adeep88
Mar 7, 2007, 6:01 PM
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/business/story.html?id=e6c7e1f9-1d19-486f-b5fd-946d0cf1d44f

The mall continues to attract high-end American and European retailers whose stores are unique in Edmonton.

Among the most prestigious new arrivals will be H & M, a Swedish fashion and cosmetics chain, building its first Western Canadian store in the mall. Mandarina Duck, an Italian seller of handbags and luggage, will open its first North American store there.

Other shops to open this spring include: Sephora, a French retailer of skin care products; L'Occitane, an Italian skin care and fragrance supplier that has no other Edmonton stores; and Marciano, Miss Sixty, and Make Up Store -- all with their first Alberta outlets.

malek
Mar 7, 2007, 7:11 PM
come on, H&M is not high end. And Marciano is rebranded Guess stuff :)

LordMandeep
Mar 7, 2007, 7:59 PM
H & M is not a high end store at all.

It just has cool looking fashion at a decent price.

SpongeG
Mar 7, 2007, 10:10 PM
come on, H&M is not high end. And Marciano is rebranded Guess stuff :)

georges marciano is the guy who started guess - its suppossed to be like a "higher" end thing than regular guess - but yes its pretty much exactly the same stuff

Plus15
Mar 7, 2007, 10:41 PM
That article mentions that WEM is expanding again? That's crazy...how about fixing up what exists instead? The place is doing very well at attracting new stores, despite its SERIOUS aesthetic shortcomings. I guess the complete lack of competition for shoppers in Edmonton negates the need to provide a clean modern shopping environment.

adeep88
Mar 8, 2007, 1:34 AM
That article mentions that WEM is expanding again? That's crazy...how about fixing up what exists instead? The place is doing very well at attracting new stores, despite its SERIOUS aesthetic shortcomings. I guess the complete lack of competition for shoppers in Edmonton negates the need to provide a clean modern shopping environment.


I think it's wayyyy wayyy overblown about the aesthetic shortcomings. Sure a few parts of the mall can use a little renovations, but IMO for the most part it's a clean shopping environment.

Southgate and Londonderry Mall do seem a bit more modern, but it's easier to renovate a smaller mall than it is to renovate one of the world's largest. The article mentions 28M - for tourists, those things are negligible. For those who visit every month, they may seem like a bigger deal...

m0nkyman
Mar 8, 2007, 1:54 AM
I'd disagree. I noticed that the place looked run down on my first visit. It certainly didn't feel like someplace really special and exciting. And it looked especially crappy since the place I really wanted to go to was down a the nastiest part of the mall that is open to the public (and those of you who have gone to the Wild West Shooting Centre know what I'm talking about).

As a tourist, I wasn't impressed...

Claeren
Mar 8, 2007, 2:24 AM
I'd disagree. I noticed that the place looked run down on my first visit. It certainly didn't feel like someplace really special and exciting. And it looked especially crappy since the place I really wanted to go to was down a the nastiest part of the mall that is open to the public (and those of you who have gone to the Wild West Shooting Centre know what I'm talking about).

As a tourist, I wasn't impressed...


^ I agree with this.

The first time i went i was like 15 and it was cool and everything but it has hardly changed at all. Going back as a 25 year old there were palces i remembered from 10 years ago as if it were yesterday. The only difference was that it was dirtier, older, and less trendy than ever.

There is a hallowness in that mall. Something that seems very... unauthentic.

There are also huge dead spots in the mall, mostly on the edges.

Compared to Chinook or Market Mall in Calgary it seems downright ancient and dirty.



Claeren.

adeep88
Mar 8, 2007, 2:35 AM
^ I agree with this.

The first time i went i was like 15 and it was cool and everything but it has hardly changed at all. Going back as a 25 year old there were palces i remembered from 10 years ago as if it were yesterday. The only difference was that it was dirtier, older, and less trendy than ever.

There is a hallowness in that mall. Something that seems very... unauthentic.

There are also huge dead spots in the mall, mostly on the edges.

Compared to Chinook or Market Mall in Calgary it seems downright ancient and dirty.



Claeren.

You have to remember this is a skyscraper forum. To the average Joe, I don't think they would find anything different from say Southgate Mall or WEM in terms of authenticness.

How many people outside of Calgary even know about Chinook center/mall anyways?

The authentic subjective feeling can only take you so far...

ibz
Mar 8, 2007, 3:37 AM
The mall has actually done quite a bit about eliminating those dead spots you speak of Claeren, a couple years ago there certainly was a few, but they seem to have done pretty well in increasing traffic through those little fingers that branch off the main part.

As far as a place to shop, its value to the city of Edmonton...I generally am avid supporter of the mall. However its pretty tough to argue that the mall doesnt need some asthetic upgrades. No amount of Manadarinas and French Connections can hide the dirty cracked floors, smudgy brass and mirrors and the leaky parkade.

However the mall does get some credit for keeping at least some of its attractions clean and up to date. Ex. The hotel, waterpark, galaxyland, deep sea adventure and golf course.

Plus15
Mar 8, 2007, 3:46 AM
WEM is just so huge and market dominant, it doesn't NEED to care about its appearance. There would be no financial gain whatsoever for them to spend cash on making things sparkle. Unfortunate situation, really.

m0nkyman
Mar 8, 2007, 4:15 AM
WEM is just so huge and market dominant, it doesn't NEED to care about its appearance. There would be no financial gain whatsoever for them to spend cash on making things sparkle. Unfortunate situation, really.

Europa Boulevard or Manulife Place? I know where I go... And it has a heated underground parking lot. WEM is getting it's clock cleaned at the upper mid-range.

The one place that confuses me is Harry Rosen. Why are they where they are?

ibz
Mar 8, 2007, 4:30 AM
WEM is just so huge and market dominant, it doesn't NEED to care about its appearance. There would be no financial gain whatsoever for them to spend cash on making things sparkle. Unfortunate situation, really.

I agree.

You gotta wonder what a complete overhaul of WEM woudl cost as well, if you think how much it cost to do Chinook a few years back, imagine doing the same to WEM these days, would be astronomical.

Saying that however, while there might not be any financial gain from a major reno, WEM in parts is bordering on not even keeping up with basic maintenence - at some point something will have to be done.

miketoronto
Mar 8, 2007, 4:35 AM
Anyone know whats going into the Downtown Toronto GAP Flagship store at Yonge and Dundas. Walked by there last night on my way to university and noticed it all shut down and the GAP signs taken off.

I always found it weird they had store there, while there is one right across the street in Eaton Centre.

adeep88
Mar 8, 2007, 4:38 AM
Europa Boulevard or Manulife Place?


What's wrong with Europa Boulevard? It's very clean, looks great. High end stores.

Sure Manulife Palace area has some nice retail - so?

What's the need for comparison?

m0nkyman
Mar 8, 2007, 4:48 AM
WEM is just so huge and market dominant, it doesn't NEED to care about its appearance. There would be no financial gain whatsoever for them to spend cash on making things sparkle. Unfortunate situation, really.

What's wrong with Europa Boulevard? It's very clean, looks great. High end stores.

Sure Manulife Palace area has some nice retail - so?

What's the need for comparison?

My point was that, as huge and dominant as it is, it is getting beaten. That it does matter that it is slowly degrading. That appearance and maintenance matter. That one of Edmonton's main tourist attractions should smarten. the. fuck. up.

It matters to me because if the folks from Yellowknife, Ft. Mac and every rural town in the north decide that it's worth the negligible extra time to go down and shop in Calgary at Chinook, 'cause WEM isn't as nice as it used to be, then they won't see my ads, and maybe come to my store.

Clear?

adeep88
Mar 8, 2007, 4:59 AM
It matters to me because if the folks from Yellowknife, Ft. Mac and every rural town in the north decide that it's worth the negligible extra time to go down and shop in Calgary at Chinook, 'cause WEM isn't as nice as it used to be, then they won't see my ads, and maybe come to my store.

Clear?
Yeah that isn't happening anytime soon

Plus15
Mar 8, 2007, 5:26 AM
My point was that, as huge and dominant as it is, it is getting beaten. That it does matter that it is slowly degrading. That appearance and maintenance matter. That one of Edmonton's main tourist attractions should smarten. the. fuck. up.

It matters to me because if the folks from Yellowknife, Ft. Mac and every rural town in the north decide that it's worth the negligible extra time to go down and shop in Calgary at Chinook, 'cause WEM isn't as nice as it used to be, then they won't see my ads, and maybe come to my store.

Clear?

No argument here...appearance and maintenance do matter. It just doesnt matter to the bosses WEM. Manulife place is shiny and will always have Holt Renfrew and a scattering of prestige retailers. It caters well to a small (affluent) percentage of shoppers. But its not competing with WEM and it's certainly not a threat to WEM's dominance.

WEM had no trouble signing deals with Zara, Bose, Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Lacoste, French Connection UK, Urban Outfitters, Bebe, Forever 21, G-Star Raw, H&M...despite the mall's physical degradation. What big name, high traffic draw stores have opened up at Manulife or City Centre recently that point to it 'beating' WEM? I know of none.

SpongeG
Mar 8, 2007, 5:36 AM
we used to drive 8 hours to get to Edmonton - not primarily for shopping but we would always hit WEM - i can't imagine driving a few more hours to go to Calgary - that would be insane

SpongeG
Mar 24, 2007, 8:14 PM
Shopping malls set sights on regional growth

Major retail conference being held in Alberta

Canada's shopping malls are filling their carts with new businesses as they reinforce their role as a major retail industry player.

Despite playing second-fiddle to surging power-centre growth over the last decade, shopping centres say they still want to be the primary place where customers shop 'til they drop.

Industry officials say that they expect the mall format to become popular once again, even though Vaughan Mills - the mega-mall north of Toronto that includes a mix of outlet and non-outlet retail along with entertainment features - is the only regional mall that's been built in Canada in the last 15 years.

"Over the next five to seven years, regional shopping centres should re-emerge as a growth centre of our business, probably on the peripherals of the cities - on main traffic arteries," says Bob Knight, retail vice-president for Western Canada for the Oxford Properties Group.

New enclosed regional shopping centres will also surface on a limited basis, he adds. But these newer malls may well be different than their earlier cousins, which were traditionally anchored by a number of department stores.

"They may well be unanchored, meaning there will be no department stores. You'll see some medium-sized box stores becoming the new anchors. That's the next best trend that will emerge in retail real estate," Knight predicts.

Knight is the Prairie provincial chair for the New York-based International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), which is holding its 2007 Western Canada Business Forum in Kananaskis, Alta., at the end of this month.

The ICSC is a not-for-profit trade association with more than 65,000 members in more than 80 countries, including 2,800 Canadian members.

While Knight says department stores need to reinvent themselves if they are to survive - many old stores need to be renewed, rebranded and improve customer service - he notes there are plenty of potential new mall tenants.

"One of the trends we are seeing as a result of our economy is that we've become a great destination for not only Canadian but U.S. and European retailers," says Knight, including American fashion chains such as Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister, and European players such as H&M (fashion) and Sephora (makeup).

That trend is quite evident at West Edmonton Mall (WEM), which already is home to Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister, and just recently announced 10 new stores, most of which will represent a retailer's first Canadian or first Western Canadian operation.

Italy's Mandarina Duck opens its first North American store at WEM in May, carrying backpacks, purses and luggage, while Sweden's Make Up Store has just opened its first Canadian retail store at the Edmonton shopping destination.

Meanwhile, Swedish-based H&M - already in malls in Ontario and Quebec - unveils its first western Canadian store at WEM in April and Sephora, a leading European retail beauty chain, and Miss Sixty (fashion) are eyeing June WEM openings for their first Western Canadian stores.

"In certain circumstances, existing tenants are coming up for renewal and we're not renewing them. In other instances, tenants are coming into the shopping centre and buying out my existing leases, subject to our approval," says Don Ghermezian, president and CEO of West Edmonton Mall Property Inc.

But not all is rosy in the shopping centre arena, says Peter Woolford, vice-president of policy development and research for the Retail Council of Canada (RCC), a not-for-profit association representing more than 40,000 stores of all retail formats.

"What we hear from our members is that power centres are extremely popular with Canadians, they continue to flourish and prosper. On the other side, we are hearing that malls are an increasingly disadvantaged way to do retail for many retailers," says Woolford.

Woolford says malls are drawing a younger demographic such as teenagers and those in their early 20s, leaving retailers who don't cater to that age group in a tighter spot. Couple that with high rents and the mall is a tough sell for many retailers, he says.

The exception are the better-positioned or stronger malls that are leaders in their market. Nor does it hurt, he says, if the mall is located in Alberta, B.C. or Saskatchewan where the economies are strong.

However, Knight believes malls can still be refreshed to succeed in today's marketplace. "What a market owner has to do is to reinvest in their property. If they let it sit, it will grow tired," he says.

"The consumer likes to go there and feel there is something new and exciting going on. If you don't keep the consumer stimulated, you're going to find yourself in trouble. It's a matter of keeping the (tenant) mix fresh and current, but it's not always easy to do."

Terry Napper, co-chair of the ICSC Western Canada Business Forum, says industry members need to stay abreast of what is going on, either through a regionalized ICSC event or the annual fall conference.

The Western Canada forum, now in its second year, "was designed as an educational program for people in the industry who operate shopping centres and/or are retailers who are interested in operating issues and how they can help better their property," says Napper, the general manager of Calgary's Chinook Centre.

Among topics at under discussion at the event are labour issues, specifically how to grow retail with a limited labour force - especially in Alberta.

Immigration is one answer, says Napper, who also mentions that the hot retail stores such as the H&Ms and the Sephoras usually don't have trouble drawing applicants because they are in vogue.

Another labour answer could come from the RCC. With the need for retail employees on the rise, it expects even more applicants this year for its annual Retail as a Career Scholarship Program (www.retaileducation.ca).

Designed to increase awareness of the diverse job opportunities that exist in retail, the program will award 20 $1,000 scholarships to post-secondary students across Canada.

http://www.businessedge.ca/article.cfm/newsID/14984.cfm

LordMandeep
Mar 24, 2007, 8:34 PM
H&M is so typical now...

leading beauty chain....

no its a cheaper alternative to trendy stores.

SpongeG
Mar 24, 2007, 9:35 PM
out east its typical perhaps

but its still causing a stir on the west coast

most major US cities like LA, seattle, san francisco still think its a big deal

i went to a few in london and in california - never bought anything but the crowd they can bring is a mall owners dream

SSLL
Apr 5, 2007, 1:37 AM
From: http://www.icsc.org/srch/sct/sct0307/onTheGroundCalgary.php
______________
High-energy market is a tough one to tap

By Steve Bergsman

Think of Calgary as the Houston of Canada. It sits in the middle of energy-rich Alberta province, home to the oil sands, which supplies 25 percent of the crude oil the U.S. imports. Though much of the oil is pumped elsewhere, all those energy companies are based in Calgary.

The city has exceeded the 1 million population mark, and some 25,000 to 30,000 new residents move in each year. Those kinds of numbers fill shopping carts, says Kevin Deeks, an associate vice president of the retail group at Cushman & Wakefield LePage, in Calgary. “The retail market is booming because we have a young population that has a lot of disposable income,” Deeks said.

Although most Alberta markets are doing well, Calgary is the province’s biggest city and attracts the most action. “Demand for retail space remains extremely high, with new projects being completely leased as fast as they are developed,” said Robert Walker, a vice president and partner at Colliers International, Calgary.

The existing market stands at about 22 million square feet, but a lot of new space is just around the corner. Colliers reports almost 6 million square feet of projects proposed or under construction; Cushman & Wakefield sets the number at closer to 8 million square feet.

Developers are erecting no new malls in Calgary, so most of the recent construction takes the form of neighborhood or power centers. The city is about to get its first lifestyle center, the 920,000-square-foot Deerfoot Meadows, developed by Calgary-based Heritage Partners and anchored by Wal-Mart. All this development has been attractive to American retailers. Home Depot has been active in Calgary and elsewhere in Canada for years, and Lowe’s will be entering the area this fall with four stores. There is talk, too, that Applebee’s, Cabela’s and Target are searching for space.

Actually, a number of American retailers have looked at Calgary and “walked away,” says Deeks, not because they did not want to be there but because unemployment is so low that finding workers is tough. Some fast-food restaurants have closed their sit-down areas and operate solely as drive-throughs because they lack the manpower, Walker says. And this with Subway sandwich shops paying C$14 ($12) an hour.

Real estate expenses have become painful too. An acre of land that cost C$400,000 five years ago now goes for C$1 million. Construction of a free-standing bank building once cost C$80 per square foot, but now it is C$200 per square foot. And High Street leases are on target to crack the C$100 per square foot mark this year.

No surprise, then, that Tiffany is scheduled to open its first store in Calgary. Real estate moguls will need a place to spend those hard-earned loonies.

SSLL
Apr 5, 2007, 1:47 AM
From: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070315.RSOBEYS15/TPStory/Business
___________
'Wal-Mart effect' feeds grocer price wars
Sobeys posts 27-per-cent plunge in profit; 'the marketplace went a little irrational'

MARINA STRAUSS
RETAILING REPORTER
Wal-Mart Canada Corp.'s aggressive expansion into groceries has plunged Ontario supermarkets into an "irrational" price war, the head of a leading rival says.

The pricing frenzy will continue "for the foreseeable future," Bill McEwan, chief executive officer of Sobeys Inc., predicted yesterday.

As a result, Loblaw Cos. Ltd., the hard-pressed market leader, is not alone in feeling the wrath of Wal-Mart. Sobeys, the No. 2 grocery chain in Canada, saw its third-quarter profit drop 27 per cent -- to $33.3-million or 51 cents a share -- as it raced to revamp its operations to take on the stiffer competition. Since last fall, Wal-Mart has opened its first seven Supercentres in Ontario, and it's expected to expand rapidly across Canada in the coming years. The mega-outlets carry a full array of food along with everything else.

"The marketplace went a little irrational," Mr. McEwan told a conference call. "We wanted to make sure that we protected the price competitive position that was so hard fought and so difficult to achieve over the last two to three years with all our investments. We had no intention of letting it slide, irrespective of the impact on the short-term results."

While Mr. McEwan doesn't think that a similar tumble in prices will happen when Wal-Mart starts rolling out Supercentres in Western Canada -- expected later this year -- others weren't so sure.

Robert Gibson, retail analyst at Octagon Capital, said Loblaw would likely react quickly to the new entry in Western Canada by lowering its prices, forcing Sobeys and others to follow suit.

"It's the Wal-Mart effect," Mr. Gibson asserted.

"When I think of a price war, I think of a temporary period of time that will end. With Wal-Mart in here, I don't know if this is temporary. This could be the new reality," Mr. Gibson said. The Wal-Mart factor is forcing all players to find new ways to operate more efficiently to boost profits, he said.

Yesterday, Sobeys warned that it faces further restructuring costs in the next two quarters, which analysts said will pinch margins.

On the Toronto Stock Exchange, Sobeys shares slid 4.2 per cent or $1.75 on the day to close at $39.91.

The major grocers have been overhauling systems and slashing their prices to battle discounter Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer. Loblaw has seen a steady drop in its profit over the past couple of years as it tried to get ready for the inevitable. But the restructuring went awry, and now it's working it over under new leadership.

Analysts said the food pricing environment is a nail-biter for investors -- and will remain that way for the next couple of years -- but a treat for consumers.

"This is just the cost of doing business now," added Don Povilaitis, retail analyst at Standard & Poor's bond rating agency. "You have to keep reinvesting in your back end to keep competitive in your front end."

Sobeys, Loblaw and others are pouring money into upgrading their backroom distribution systems in order to run a tighter ship and keep prices down at the "front end" -- that is, the store. It leaves the companies with razor-thin profit margins.

Still, Mr. McEwan said he thought Sobeys is well prepared for the Wal-Mart Supercentre entry into the Western provinces. He said Sobeys has already lowered prices in that part of the country.

But Mr. Gibson said that even so, Loblaw will probably cut its prices in the face of the arrival of Supercentres in the West, forcing Sobeys and others to do the same.

In the latest quarter, Mr. McEwan said that Sobeys managed to make a 1.8-per-cent gain in same-store sales, compared with a year earlier -- even in the tough environment. Same-store sales are those in stores open a year or more, and are considered a key measure in retailing.

"Our third-quarter results reflect our continued solid same-store sales performance and commitment to sustain our price position as competition intensified, particularly in Ontario," he said. (However, same-store sales increased 4.1 per cent in the same period a year earlier.)

Mr. McEwan said it will take a few more years to get Sobeys' systems in place to be fully prepared for the sharper competition. That follows major restructuring over the past few years to improve productivity.

SpongeG
Apr 5, 2007, 1:49 AM
target in calgary?

nooo

target should not come to Canada - booo

SSLL
Apr 5, 2007, 1:49 AM
From: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070321.RWALMART21/TPStory/Business
________
Wal-Mart takes expansion up a notch
Retail giant eyeing downtown locations and aims to spend over $500-million

SHIRLEY WON
Discount powerhouse Wal-Mart Canada Corp., whose foray into the grocery business has sparked a price war in Ontario supermarkets, plans to spend "considerably more" than $500-million to open 21 more supercentres this year.

And the retailer, which has typically opened its stores in suburban areas and small towns, yesterday said it is also eyeing opportunities in downtown neighbourhoods of major Canadian cities.

The aggressive expansion of the super centre format "represents by far our single largest annual investment in Canada," Mario Pilozzi, chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Canada, told analysts during an investor day in Mississauga. "Many will be in Ontario. Some will be in Alberta, and some are already under construction."

These megastores combine Wal-Mart's traditional discount store format with a grocery section carrying everything from fresh produce and baked goods to organic foods.

The expansion, which will be on top of seven supercentres opened in Southern Ontario since last fall, includes 10 newly built stores, 10 conversions of existing discount outlets and one relocation.

"This is in our opinion a smart investment," Mr. Pilozzi said. "This is unquestionably our most important change since 1994."

That was the year the Bentonville, Ark. retailer entered the Canadian market by purchasing Woolco, a struggling discount department store chain. The acquisition immediately gave it 122 locations.

The move also shook up the Canadian retail industry that resulted in the closure of several major chains. Sears Canada Inc. and Hudson's Bay Co. are the only other major department-store rivals.

With its supercentres, Wal-Mart is going head to head with Loblaw Cos. Ltd.'s Real Canadian Superstores, which Canada's largest grocer had been rolling out in Ontario in anticipation of the new competition.

The launch of Wal-Mart supercentres in Ontario has already taken some toll on Loblaw, which lost money in the fourth quarter, and Sobeys Inc., which recently reported a 27-per-cent decline in quarterly profit as it struggled to streamline its operations.

Wal Mart's supercentres, which range from 100,000 to 250,000 square feet, are about 50 per cent larger than its traditional discount stores. The retailer also expects to add eight more discount stores this year. It has 289 stores in Canada.

Wal-Mart also plans to open stores in downtown cores of cities like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, Mr. Pilozzi said. He did not elaborate whether these stores will be the traditional discount store or supercentres.

"There is a trend to redevelop the urban core, and we plan to take advantage of the opportunities that this trend presents," he said.

In Toronto, there are development plans for an old building on a major downtown route along the waterfront and Wal-Mart expects to be part of that renewal, Mr. Pilozzi said. In Vancouver, Wal-Mart has a project under way on an old car dealership property.

Wal-Mart has opened six Sam's Club outlets in Ontario since 2003, but there are no plans to open any more this year.

"The Sam's business is not what we would like it to be," he said.

Sam's is battling warehouse-club leader Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd., which is well established.

SpongeG
Apr 5, 2007, 1:50 AM
i hope they open a super walmart in vancouver area soon

hopefully its cheese is as cheap as it is in seattle - haha

SSLL
Apr 5, 2007, 1:59 AM
From: http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/199201
_______
Yorkdale attracts top U.S. retailer
TheStar.com - Business - Yorkdale attracts top U.S. retailer

Toronto first stop in Crate and Barrel expansion drive

April 04, 2007
Dana Flavelle
business reporter

Crate and Barrel, a leading U.S-based home furnishings and housewares retailer, is opening the first of a chain of stores in Canada.

The Chicago-based retailer confirmed yesterday it is opening its first store outside the U.S. in Toronto's Yorkdale Shopping Centre in the fall of 2008.

"It's the only one we have in Canada so far," said Crate and Barrel spokesperson Bette Kahn. "We hope to have more in Toronto and our expansion plans call for more stores in Canada. We feel Canada is a very sophisticated and interesting market and a natural choice for our first international expansion."

She was unable to provide details on the number of stores Crate and Barrel has planned for Canada, nor on future locations outside the Greater Toronto Area. But observers said Calgary and Vancouver are likely choices.

The company operates 145 stores in the U.S.

Crate and Barrel's arrival will raise the bar for competitors, including department stores, other specialty retailers, such as Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn, and to some extent Ikea, industry observers said.

"The whole sector has been growing so quickly in the last couple of years. The housing market is still growing strong. I think there's room. But I also think others will feel it," said retail consultant Wendy Evans, of the Toronto firm Evans and Co.

"They're very well run, very astute," Evans added.

"They're the best home retailer in the world," said retail consultant John Williams, of the J.C. Williams Group Ltd. in Toronto. "Their taste level. The price points. The stores are a treat. You can't go in without buying something."

From its glassware, priced at under $12 (U.S.) apiece, to its colour-co-ordinated furnishings, about two-thirds of the merchandise is designed exclusively for its stores, a Crate and Barrel spokesperson said.

Crate and Barrel "adds another dimension" to Yorkdale's existing offerings in the home furnishings segment, Yorkdale's general manager John Giddings said. "It's very much a niche market. They change their offerings, their colour schemes, so quickly. They let you see the complete package, from the cutlery to the dishes to the furniture. It all matches. They tie it all together."

Construction on the two-storey, 35,000-square-foot store is scheduled to begin in June, Giddings said.

"We're relocating a few tenants," Giddings said, citing Tip Top Tailors and Eddie Bauer as two of the stores affected.

Started by a husband and wife team, Crate and Barrel is now majority-owned by German mail order giant Otto Group. Founder Gordon Segal is still Crate and Barrel's chief executive officer. The Otto Group publishes the German equivalent of the Sears catalogue.

Yorkdale's Giddings said it took two years of negotiations to secure Crate and Barrel as a tenant.

He said the retailer was attracted by Yorkdale's "brand" and its very high productivity level. The mall sells $1,000 (Canadian) worth of merchandise per square foot, the highest for any mall in Canada, and is synonymous with fashion and quality, he said.

kirjtc2
Apr 5, 2007, 6:32 PM
From: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070321.RWALMART21/TPStory/Business
________

They already have quite a few inner-city stores here, at least more than in the US (Dufferin Mall in Toronto and one off the Decarie in Montreal come to mind).

Most (if not all) of Wal-Mart's new stores in Canada are purposely built with open space to the side for future expansion and conversion to a Supercentre. Within 10 years they'll probably make up at least half of the location roster here.

habsfan
Apr 5, 2007, 6:48 PM
I'm against Wal-mart. I never shop there!

SpongeG
Apr 5, 2007, 8:51 PM
From: http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/199201
_______

nice

went to the Crate & Barrel in Bellevue and Seattle last week

there was a desk there for $399 US - it was the EXACT same desk as is available at Jysk where it sells for $179 CDN

they had some decent stuff but really most of it can already be found at other stores

SpongeG
Apr 11, 2007, 4:36 AM
interesting article about vancouver's granville street in todays paper - a lot of retailers are opening up - finally

anyway one of the tidbits is that store Heavens Playground is a Dutch company behind the Gsus label and the Vancouver location is its first North American store :tup:

West_aust
Apr 13, 2007, 12:05 PM
From http://www.lapresseaffaires.com/article/20070413/LAINFORMER/704130673/5891/LAINFORMER01
Lucky Jeans débarque à Montréal

13 avril 2007 - 07h20

La Presse

Laurier Cloutier

La chaîne de magasins Lucky Brand Jeans, de Californie, et son propriétaire Liz Claiborne -qui comprend 15 bannières, dont Yzza- débarquent à Montréal.

C'est au Centre Eaton, rue Sainte-Catherine, que Lucky Jeans ouvrira son plus grand magasin au monde, le 29 juin prochain, a déclaré à La Presse Affaires Kevin Castanheiro, vice-président des produits chez Liz Claiborne Canada.

La superficie de 3500 pieds carrés du Lucky Jeans de Mont-réal dépassera même la taille du magasin ouvert à Las Vegas, l'an dernier, souligne le vice-président. Le magasin, qui sera aménagé sur deux étages, aura à la fois pignon sur rue et accès au Centre Eaton, «soit le meilleur de deux mondes», note Kevin Castanheiro.

Lucky Jeans ouvrira par ailleurs un magasin de 2200 pieds carrés, soit de taille moyenne pour cette chaîne, au Carrefour Laval, le 16 août prochain, dit-il.

Lucky Brand Jeans dénombre 139 magasins aux États-Unis et trois à Dubaï. Sa nouvelle collection de vêtements de la saison s'inspire de l'Inde coloniale.


À noter que le groupe Liz Claiborne Canada a déménagé son siège social discrètement, de Toronto à Montréal, à la fin de 2005.

L'automne dernier, Lucky Jeans ouvrait ses deux premières boutiques canadiennes, au centre-ville de Vancouver et de Toronto. Cette année, outre celles du Centre Eaton et du Carrefour Laval, Kevin Castanheiro signale deux ouvertures, dans le quartier torontois de Yorkdale, le 14 juin, et au centre Square One de Mississauga, le 7 juillet. Un autre lancement sera finalisé plus tard, à Vancouver.

En 2008, le responsable prévoit sept autres Lucky Jeans, tout comme en 2009, au Québec, en Ontario et dans l'Ouest canadien. Calgary fera partie du programme de l'an prochain, mais Edmonton devra attendre un peu.

Lucky Jeans mise d'abord sur les artères commerciales, comme Sainte-Catherine, mais sans négliger les centres commerciaux, explique-t-il. La chaîne base son concept sur le petit magasin de quartier, la contre-culture, le mouvement hippie, le rock n'roll et la mode rétro.

Kevin Castanheiro a rencontré les fondateurs, Gene Montesano et Barry Perlman, à plusieurs reprises en Californie, pour s'assurer de bien traduire le concept à Montréal. Le traitement du tissu doit donner des vêtements aussi confortables que ceux portés depuis des années, selon lui. Lucky Jeans vise les clients de 15 à 60 ans, dont les baby-boomers, et se retrouvera dans les plates-bandes de Parasucco, de Montréal, et de David Bitton, du groupe Buffalo, dit le vice-président.

Des vedettes comme Brad Pitt, Jessica Simpson, Gwyneth Paltrow et Ben Affleck portent des Lucky Jeans avec le slogan humoristique Lucky you imprimé à l'intérieur de la braguette.

Par ailleurs, après des ouvertures dans l'Ouest canadien et en Ontario (dont à Ottawa), la bannière Yzza a lancé son premier magasin québécois à Trois-Rivières, la semaine dernière (5 avril), pour les femmes de 35 ans et plus qui cherchent des vêtements tendance à moins de 100 $, déclare Kevin Castanheiro.

Pourquoi Trois-Rivières? Parce que Liz Claiborne exploitait déjà un de ses magasins Mexx dans le centre commercial où des locaux sont devenus disponibles, réplique le vice-président.

D'ici la fin de l'année, Yzza comptera neuf magasins au Canada. En 2008, six Yzza ouvriront et huit autres en 2009, dit-il.

SpongeG
Apr 23, 2007, 12:26 AM
Eastgate Square celebrates changes

East end mall boosts its focus on fashion
By Lisa Grace Marr
The Hamilton Spectator
(Apr 21, 2007)
It's amazing how a $1.7-million reno can spruce up a place.

This week Eastgate Square hosted a celebration of its recent changes, including a makeover of the front entrance, to coincide with the grand opening of Jack Astor's Bar and Grill.

Over the last four years Redcliff Realty, property managers of Eastgate and Centre Mall, have been securing leases with the tenants they felt best matched their market: a mix of students, seniors and families.

The result is a substantial Wal-Mart, a stand-alone LCBO now the biggest in the area with a dynamite Vintages section, a stand-alone Beer Store and Wimpy's restaurant along with a slate of new retail banners.

John Winter, a Toronto-based retail analyst, said there are two options for old style shopping centres such as Eastgate: reinvest and reinvent or demolish. He said the fashion focus of Eastgate will help its long-term outlook.

"We're not seeing any building of enclosed malls. They're all like Meadowlands. The ones we've got are fashion centres where people can walk up and down and compare and contrast the merchandise."

The retail focus at Eastgate is definitely on fashion. Those include the Shoe Warehouse fresh out of British Columbia, Please Mum, Tabi and Stitches. At the same time, Eastgate Square is shuffling around stores in an effort to keep up with demands from some retail hot spots for bigger digs.

Katie Simpson, marketing director for the east-end shopping centre, said requests have come in from The Source, Ardene and Garage Clothing.

"They're doing so well they need more space."

Eastgate will also be the home of some retail stores new to Hamilton including Eclipse, a women's clothing store and Stiletto & Stoiree - S2, a shoe store. Eclipse, which has stores throughout Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Northern Ontario, will open this spring. S2 will open in the fall. Other new arrivals this year include The Telephone Booth, Urban Behaviour (clothing) and Le Salon and Spa.

The mall is also working with the city to establish a new set of lights at Centennial Parkway to deal with the increase in traffic.

The market-driven renovations at the mall indicates a strong local economy in the east end, said Simpson.

"People here like to shop and they like to spend money. (Hamilton) is a great place for retailers."

http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/images/hs/hs1614043_1.jpg
Kaz Novak, the Hamilton Spectator
A new $1.7-million front entrance and new food court invites shoppers to Eastgate.


http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=hamilton/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1177130123090&call_pageid=1020420665036&col=1112101662835

malek
Apr 23, 2007, 2:34 PM
Place Montréal Trust welcomes the downtown flagship store of trendy fashion retailer StyleXchange


MONTREAL, April 20 /CNW Telbec/ - The team of Place Montréal Trust, a
downtown shopping centre owned and operated by Ivanhoe Cambridge, is happy to
announce the upcoming grand opening of StyleXchange's newest location, on
April 24. The open-concept store, complete with 30-foot-high ceilings, will be
located on the McGill College Avenue side of the property, giving the renowned
fashion retailer a spectacular view overlooking one of Montreal's most dynamic
streetscapes, just north of Sainte-Catherine Street.
"The new StyleXchange at Place Montréal Trust will be the perfect
complement to the retail mix we provide consumers," said general manager
Debbie Ruel. "StyleXchange will join the already strong lineup that makes
Place Montréal Trust one of the city's choice shopping destinations, with such
well-known names as Zara, Mexx, Winners, Indigo and Omer De Serres, along with
our newest arrivals, Inglot and Dumoulin Electronique."
StyleXchange boasts a trendy, youthful selection of affordably priced
unisex apparel, footwear and accessories with distinctive urban flair,
including such popular men's and women's brands as Diesel, True Religion, Dom
Rebel, Juicy Couture, Miss Sixty, J. Lindeberg, Rock & Republic, 7 for all
mankind, Energie, G-Star, Triple 5-Soul, Jack & Jones, Fornarina, Motel 77,
Matt & Nat, Michael Kors and Mackage, as well as its exclusive Numero in-house
brand.
"We are very proud of our Place Montréal Trust store, which represents
the culmination of seven years of work," said Mark Batchoun, president of
StyleXchange. "With its incomparable visibility, innovative design and
one-of-a-kind concept, this new location is undeniably our flagship location
in the downtown area. We have pulled out all the stops to make this a
must-visit destination in downtown Montreal that will help further strengthen
the StyleXchange brand."
About Place Montréal Trust
Place Montréal Trust stands in the very heart of Montreal, and attracts
over 15 million visitors a year. Located at the intersection of the major
commercial thoroughfare, Saint-Catherine Street, and the prestigious McGill
College Avenue, Place Montréal Trust accesses the two busiest Metro stations
in the underground city within a city. It is home to 75 stores and
restaurants, of which several are large spaces occupied by well-known brands
such as La Vie en Rose & Compagnie, Mexx, Zara, Winners, Omer DeSerres, Indigo
and, since spring 2007, a brand-new StyleXchange.
About StyleXchange
StyleXchange is an innovative and sought-after retailer dedicated to
showcasing the latest fashions trends. An undisputed leader in the Montreal
and Toronto markets, StyleXchange offers an impressive selection of jeans,
leading European brands and certain collections exclusive to Canada.
StyleXchange is the preferred point of sale for Diesel in Canada and also
specializes in Energie, Miss Sixty, True Religion, Dom Rebel, J. Lindeberg,
Rock & Republic, 7 for all mankind, G-Star, Triple 5-Soul, Jack & Jones,
Fornarina, Motel 77 , Michael Kors, Mackage and Matt & Natt handbags - in
addition to its popular in-house brand, Numero. Besides this new location,
StyleXchange operates stores at Fairview Pointe-Claire, Rockland and Place
Versailles in Montreal and at 181 Yonge Street in Toronto.

For further information: Elise Bérard, Marketing Manager, Place Montréal
Trust, (514) 843-8000, eberard@ivanhoecambridge.com,
www.placemontrealtrust.com (http://www.placemontrealtrust.com)

Taller Better
Apr 23, 2007, 4:04 PM
I rode my bike past the StyleXchange downtown yesterday.

Policy Wonk
Apr 23, 2007, 6:11 PM
target in calgary?

nooo

target should not come to Canada - booo

What is wrong with Target?