Canadian Retail Thread

[yaletown_fella]

I cant believe HBC is opening a Saks on freakin Queen. Pisses me off.

The high end brands should be kept in Mink Mile/Yorkville.

I hate that the city is becoming homogenized. Now tourists have less of a reason to venture north to Bloor.

If the high end shopping shifts to the CBD the city will feel smaller.

Having a satelitte "high street" is what makes Toronto unique compared with other cities.

[GreaterMontréal]

So, the Ogilvy-Holt Renfrew in Montréal will be the largest luxury store in Canada, at 220,000 square-foot ?

http://www.retail-insider.com/2014/01/combined-ogilvyholt-renfrew-to-be-one.html
7th largest in North America.

[vid]

I cant believe HBC is opening a Saks on freakin Queen. Pisses me off.

The high end brands should be kept in Mink Mile/Yorkville.

I hate that the city is becoming homogenized. Now tourists have less of a reason to venture north to Bloor.

If the high end shopping shifts to the CBD the city will feel smaller.

Having a satelitte "high street" is what makes Toronto unique compared with other cities.

Yeah, with a Saks on Queen there will basically be no reason whatsoever for anyone to go to Yorkville ever again. Saks is just such a major, dominant force that puny, insignificant Yorkville will never be able to compete.

[GreaterMontréal]

Yeah, with a Saks on Queen there will basically be no reason whatsoever for anyone to go to Yorkville ever again. Saks is just such a major, dominant force that puny, insignificant Yorkville will never be able to compete.

Maybe the goal was to compete with Yorkville ?

[miketoronto]

Maybe the goal was to compete with Yorkville ?

First of all, the Saks store will be puny and not be able to offer that much of a selection of anything.

Second, Yorkville has a ton of shops, including many unique one of a kind places, that can't be found anywhere else in the city.

Both areas can coexist and complement each other, like they do now.

[yaletown_fella]

First of all, the Saks store will be puny and not be able to offer that much of a selection of anything.

Second, Yorkville has a ton of shops, including many unique one of a kind places, that can't be found anywhere else in the city.

Both areas can coexist and complement each other, like they do now.

New York wouldnt be as unique if all the luxury brands and restaurants found in Midtown had twin stores located in Downtown Manhatten. The city would become more homogeneous.

Luxury is what defines the Upper East Side (similar to luxury defining Yorkville)

I fear this will set a precedent for luxury retailers to shift to the CBD in Toronto.

Also, I think Hudsons Bay is an iconic and historic part of Toronto's CBD upper-mid ranged retail scene. Theyve already put a great deal of money into renovation. It's a shame to see it go.

My guess is this is the cheapest option for the developer and Saks to "get their feet wet" in the market. Baker wants to start with the downtown store because the Yonge/Bloor store has insufficient ceiling heights to appeal to Saks (not to mention the bunker look) It will likely require a $300,000,000 (+) reno or partial demolition (of course preserving the structural supports of the HBC tower)
If the Queen store is reasonable successful then Saks will (fingers crossed) be willing to move into Bakers eventually renovated/rebuilt store at Yonge/Bloor.

[Martin Mtl]

New York wouldnt be as unique if all the Upper East side and 5th Avenue luxury brands and restaurants had twin stores located in Downtown Manhatten. The city would become homogeneous.

Luxury is what defines the Upper East Side (similar to luxury defining Yorkville)

I fear this will set a precedent for luxury retailers to shift to the CBD in Toronto.

Soho has a lot of luxury retailers and, in fact, provides a shopping experience just as fashionable or even more so than good old 5th Avenue.

[SpongeG]

yeah soho has all the big brands chanel, louis, prada, gucci, hugo, ralph, stella, dolce, you name it its there, the west village also hasa lot of high brands along bleeker

[LeftCoaster]

Can you elaborate, what is point ?

It seems like a good way for the Bay to get cash, and there is a lot less risk then converting the store on bloor (which will probably remain in the short term but I can see the Bay vacating the location ... and it getting redeveloped).

I thought they were converting the Bloor St Bay store into a Saks? Why convert a floor of the company flagship into another store, especially when there will be another 2 kilometers to the north.

Clearly the point of the buyout is that the Bay on Bloor is not being redeveloped into a Saks. It will remain a Bay, or something else, but it will not become a Saks.

So, the Ogilvy-Holt Renfrew in Montréal will be the largest luxury store in Canada, at 220,000 square-foot ?

http://www.retail-insider.com/2014/01/combined-ogilvyholt-renfrew-to-be-one.html
7th largest in North America.

No, The Norstroms in Vancouver will be larger at 230,000 SF.

It's a weird comparison anyway because the Saks plus the high end portions of the Bay downtown Toronto will be about that large too, but how does one measure that?

First of all, the Saks store will be puny and not be able to offer that much of a selection of anything.

Second, Yorkville has a ton of shops, including many unique one of a kind places, that can't be found anywhere else in the city.

Both areas can coexist and complement each other, like they do now.

How is 150,000 of ultra high end puny? The Holts in Pacific Centre is 110,000SF and is by far their most productive store. Size is not the important factor in high end retail. This isn't a Sears or Eatons, they don't sell dishwashers and craftsman tools...

This move will not kill Yorkville by any means but it is a big shot at their dominance in high end and Cadillac Fairview's attempt to concentrate high end shopping downtown rather than at Yorkville. It is also an attempt to take a bite out of Yorkdale's share of the destination shopping trips made within Canada.

It's a very smart move by CF. Expensive, but a strategic coup for sure.

[GreaterMontréal]

No, The Norstroms in Vancouver will be larger at 230,000 SF.

They have excluded Nordstrom

''In our analysis, we only included American retailers Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus/Bergdorf Goodman and Barney's New York. We've excluded retailers such as Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's, since both sell a considerable amount of mid-range merchandise that likely won't be carried in the new, upscaled Ogilvy.''

[LeftCoaster]

Fair enough, I suppose it could carry that distinction, that's more than a few asterisks next to that claim though.

[GreaterMontréal]

Fair enough, I suppose it could carry that distinction, that's more than a few asterisks next to that claim though.

Nordstrom : At 383,000 square feet (35,600 m2), the downtown Seattle location is the chain's largest store.

The Saks in Toronto should have more upscale merchandise than Nordstrom. If I go with their reasoning.

[GreaterMontréal]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/loblaws-coming-to-toronto-s-kensington-market-1.2513661

good or bad news ?

[Ramako]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/loblaws-coming-to-toronto-s-kensington-market-1.2513661

good or bad news ?

I'd say irrelevant. Yeah, Kensington does have a couple of food markets, but it's not groceries that encourage most people to go to Kensington.

[miketoronto]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/loblaws-coming-to-toronto-s-kensington-market-1.2513661

good or bad news ?

This is totally bad, and just furthers the suburbanization of downtown Toronto.

On that record, I have no problem with supermarkets. But there is already a massive Loblaws literally a 10 minute walk away, plus a METRO store.

We are starting to see downtown get way too saturated with chains, and it is going to have an effect on unique areas like Spadina.
Spadina for example, has tons of food shops in Chinatown, and in Kensington Market. There really is no need for supermarket in this area, considering there are others not far away, and all the other stores here in the first place.

There really is going to be no reason to go to half of Toronto's neighborhoods in this trend keeps up. There used to be a pride in living downtown and supporting local places like Kensington Market.

While downtown is being made more boring, the suburbs are getting tons of unique mom and pop food shops, etc.

[yaletown_fella]

Soho has a lot of luxury retailers and, in fact, provides a shopping experience just as fashionable or even more so than good old 5th Avenue.

The problem is we're left with an embarrassing concrete bunker that was supposed to be the gateway to Yorkville/Mink Mile.

Hopefully Neiman Marcus will save Yonge/Bloor and we'll get a big new mixed use development (complete with classical style domed skylight)

[caltrane74]

So let me get this straight.. The Current Bay Yonge and Queen is going to become the South end of the. Eaton Centre????

If that happens... Then.

“This is the biggest expansion of the Eaton Centre since it was built,” said John Sullivan, president and chief executive officer of Cadillac Fairview, which owns and operates the mall.

John said ‘What if we purchased your complex and made it part of the Eaton Centre? . . . We could market it and advertise and do directories in the mall and signage in the mall and we could renovate the (pedestrian) bridge and really make it the single most exciting, most dynamic retail complex in all of Canada.’ ”

“To be honest it dawned on me when I saw that Richard bought Saks, that they would be a great anchor for the south end of the mall. Richard is a very astute guy. In about 60 seconds he saw the idea had a lot of merit,” he said.]

Retail analyst Maureen Atkinson of J.C. Williams Group said the move solves the problem the Eaton Centre used to have of essentially being prevented from expanding in all directions by existing buildings.
Atkinson believes moving into Canada is a first step for Nordstrom and Sak’s and that both retailers are likely considering international expansion strategies.

Read the Full Article Here (http://www.thestar.com/business/2014/01/27/hudsons_bay_co_to_sell_lease_back_downtown_toronto_properties.html)

[SpongeG]

nordstroms sells brands like dockers (http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/dockers)... i don't think they would ever be found in saks or holt renfrew the bay or sears you would

[trebor204]

Target to open 9 more stores in Canada in 2014

http://pressroom.target.ca/news/target-to-continue-canadian-expansion-in-2014

Spring 2014:

The Stockyards, Toronto, Ontario
Kingsway Mall, Edmonton, Alberta
Hillside Centre, Victoria, British Columbia

Summer 2014

Erin Mills Town Centre, Mississauga, Ontario
Park Place, Barrie, Ontario
Carrefour Candiac, Candiac, Quebec

Fall 2014:
St. Laurent, Ottawa, Ontario
Sheridan Centre, Mississauga, Ontario
Polo Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba

[Acajack]

This is totally bad, and just furthers the suburbanization of downtown Toronto.

On that record, I have no problem with supermarkets. But there is already a massive Loblaws literally a 10 minute walk away, plus a METRO store.

We are starting to see downtown get way too saturated with chains, and it is going to have an effect on unique areas like Spadina.
Spadina for example, has tons of food shops in Chinatown, and in Kensington Market. There really is no need for supermarket in this area, considering there are others not far away, and all the other stores here in the first place.

There really is going to be no reason to go to half of Toronto's neighborhoods in this trend keeps up. There used to be a pride in living downtown and supporting local places like Kensington Market.

While downtown is being made more boring, the suburbs are getting tons of unique mom and pop food shops, etc.

One of the reasons for this is that rents are cheaper in the suburbs, whereas as downtown rents climb, increasingly it is only the big guys (chains) are able to pay them.

Which squeezes the mom and pops more and more out of the central city and pushes them to the outskirts.

[SignalHillHiker]

Target to open 9 more stores in Canada in 2014

http://pressroom.target.ca/news/target-to-continue-canadian-expansion-in-2014

Spring 2014:

The Stockyards, Toronto, Ontario
Kingsway Mall, Edmonton, Alberta
Hillside Centre, Victoria, British Columbia

Summer 2014

Erin Mills Town Centre, Mississauga, Ontario
Park Place, Barrie, Ontario
Carrefour Candiac, Candiac, Quebec

Fall 2014:
St. Laurent, Ottawa, Ontario
Sheridan Centre, Mississauga, Ontario
Polo Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Their store in St. John's was a disappointment. I wouldn't be surprised if it closes.

People were expecting the difference between it and Walmart to be grand, but it's not at all.

[esquire]

Their store in St. John's was a disappointment. I wouldn't be surprised if it closes.

People were expecting the difference between it and Walmart to be grand, but it's not at all.

It has become de rigeur for people around here to trash Target. I don't get it... I love the place. Far nicer merchandise than Walmart but at comparable prices.

What is the big beef that people have with Target? Does the clothing selection not offer enough "Taz" or UFC prints like at Walmart? Are there too many design items for sale in the housewares department instead of ones that were created by some random factory in Zhengzhou? Are the Archer Farms food products not plain enough for our collective tastes? What is it?

[miketoronto]

One of the reasons for this is that rents are cheaper in the suburbs, whereas as downtown rents climb, increasingly it is only the big guys (chains) are able to pay them.

Which squeezes the mom and pops more and more out of the central city and pushes them to the outskirts.

To an extent. But we were able to maintain diversity in offerings before. It is not like downtown is only now popular.

Also other world cities are able to keep unique things in their cores. Part of this has to do with the city not protecting things, and over expansion by chains who just don't know when to stop.

London and other European cities have had market districts in the exact same place for hundreds, and in some cases a thousand years. I think Toronto and North American cities can maintain similar districts if they want. We just don't care, and are too obsessed with these stupid condos. People will start to care when they are faced with a boring downtown with nothing but condos and Loblaws, and not much more to offer.

[GreaterMontréal]

I think Toronto and North American cities can maintain similar districts if they want.

In Montréal we have

http://www.heritagemontreal.org/en/category/heritage-montreal/mission-et-definition/

[Retail-Insider]

We just wrote an article on Eataly, an Italian food concept retailer that will open its 1st Canadian location in Toronto: http://www.retail-insider.com/2014/02/eataly-will-bring-its-innovative.html

[Proof Sheet]

We just wrote an article on Eataly, an Italian food concept retailer that will open its 1st Canadian location in Toronto: http://www.retail-insider.com/2014/02/eataly-will-bring-its-innovative.html

They have an olive oil section so all is good.

[Ramako]

Madonna's Hard Candy Fitness club has opened at Aura: http://www.torontolife.com/style/toronto-health-and-beauty/2014/02/12/quoted-madonna-hard-candy/

Apparently it's the first one in North America.

[eternallyme]

One thing I notice is that smaller cities get no respect in the retail world these days...they may be about to fall behind...

[SpongeG]

Madonna's Hard Candy Fitness club has opened at Aura: http://www.torontolife.com/style/toronto-health-and-beauty/2014/02/12/quoted-madonna-hard-candy/

Apparently it's the first one in North America.

people had to pay $400 just to go to watch her open the gym! rip off

[MolsonExport]

Old leathery Madonna is really not something I need to see at the gym. Sounds like a Bari-style moment. No wonder the malls are dying. Time to stop the condo boom in downtown Toronto and force people to shop only at independent stores, but only those downtown. Down with the chains and up with the artisanal Olive Oyl Shoppes

[MonctonRad]

One thing I notice is that smaller cities get no respect in the retail world these days...they may be about to fall behind...

There's always Walmart I guess. :(

One thing that bothers me is that while Target has assumed most of the Zellers leases in large or medium sized Canadian cities, the Zellers in smaller cities and towns have been cast by the wayside.

For example, the mall in Amherst NS (about 45 minutes from Moncton) is like a tomb now. It used to be anchored by both a Zellers and a Sears store and used to be moderately bustling, but both are gone now and about 80% of the storefronts in the mall are now vacant. It is very sad. Sure, Moncton isn't very far away,but the residents of Amherst certainly deserve much better.

Hopefully Target will gradually infiltrate into small town Canada over time. Walmart needs some competition in rural Canada. :yes:

[Trevor3]

There's always Walmart I guess. :(

One thing that bothers me is that while Target has assumed most of the Zellers leases in large or medium sized Canadian cities, the Zellers in smaller cities and towns have been cast by the wayside.

For example, the mall in Amherst NS (about 45 minutes from Moncton) is like a tomb now. It used to be anchored by both a Zellers and a Sears store and used to be moderately bustling, but both are gone now and about 80% of the storefronts in the mall are now vacant. It is very sad. Sure, Moncton isn't very far away,but the residents of Amherst certainly deserve much better.

Hopefully Target will gradually infiltrate into small town Canada over time. Walmart needs sole competition in rural Canada. :yes:

I found the Amherst mall wasn't in that bad shape. Obviously Zellers being gone took a lot of traffic away but it's well occupied from the Tim Horton's entrance all the way down to Sobey's. It's only from Eclipse up to the Zellers that has been wiped out, which is 4-5 store fronts? There are a few other empty slots but they have a really good selection for a small town, places like Marks, a Coles Bookstore, Bluenotes, etc... Pretty good for them, it may not be much but it's a solid selection for a town that size.

Just Googled it and looks like Giant Tiger is taking a portion of the Zellers space but won't be connected to the mall. I hate when malls allow that.

[MonctonRad]

I found the Amherst mall wasn't in that bad shape. Obviously Zellers being gone took a lot of traffic away but it's well occupied from the Tim Horton's entrance all the way down to Sobey's. It's only from Eclipse up to the Zellers that has been wiped out, which is 4-5 store fronts? There are a few other empty slots but they have a really good selection for a small town, places like Marks, a Coles Bookstore, Bluenotes, etc... Pretty good for them, it may not be much but it's a solid selection for a town that size.

Just Googled it and looks like Giant Tiger is taking a portion of the Zellers space but won't be connected to the mall. I hate when malls allow that.

Good to hear about Giant Tiger, but I agree with you about it being a bad decision to allow it not to be connected to the rest of the mall.

Just out of interest, when were you last at the mall? I was there just before Christmas and it was really hurting then, especially when you compare it to what it was like five years ago. In particular, the end of the mall closest to the old Zellers location was virtually empty.

This is in stark contrast to the mini power centre across the street with Superstore, Walmart and Kent. One side of the street the parking lot was full, the other side the parking lot was empty……...

[Nouvellecosse]

When I was growing up, Amherst had TWO bustling malls, the older mall was called the Cumberland Mall (which is now just a mostly dead strip mall) and the current Amherst Centre Mall. The old mall was anchored by the Zellers and a Save Easy, and the new Mall was anchored by Sobeys and Kmart, a Bi-way, and had numerous other stores.

There was never an actual Sears dept. store though, always just a Sears furniture store and catalogue outlet, which is still there today.

The really surprising thing is that we still have our downtown dept store Margolians (which is now called Dayles).

Although I must say I find it rather ironic that urban enthusiasts on SSP would be lamenting the demise of suburban-style shopping malls and big box stores. I suppose it's rather telling about the state of things in Amherst that no one even mentions the fate of downtown, and that the best case scenario is to maintain the health of a shopping mall when even it is struggling...

[Trevor3]

Good to hear about Giant Tiger, but I agree with you about it being a bad decision to allow it not to be connected to the rest of the mall.

Just out of interest, when were you last at the mall? I was there just before Christmas and it was really hurting then, especially when you compare it to what it was like five years ago. In particular, the end of the mall closest to the old Zellers location was virtually empty.

This is in stark contrast to the mini power centre across the street with Superstore, Walmart and Kent. One side of the street the parking lot was full, the other side the parking lot was empty……...

I stop in Amherst whenever I make the trip from Freddy to Newfoundland, so my last stop would have been early January.

I can defintely understand it's probably not what it was, that inevitably happens when an anchor closes up shop but there are still some decent stores that make it worthwhile going into. That mall needs to be marketed well by its owners while there are still some larger chains operating in it. It doesn't have to die, nor should it.

When I was growing up, Amherst had TWO bustling malls, the older mall was called the Cumberland Mall (which is now just a mostly dead strip mall) and the current Amherst Centre Mall. The old mall was anchored by the Zellers and a Save Easy, and the new Mall was anchored by Sobeys and Kmart, a Bi-way, and had numerous other stores.

There was never an actual Sears dept. store though, always just a Sears furniture store and catalogue outlet, which is still there today.

The really surprising thing is that we still have our downtown dept store Margolians (which is now called Dayles).

Although I must say I find it rather ironic that urban enthusiasts on SSP would be lamenting the demise of suburban-style shopping malls and big box stores. I suppose it's rather telling about the state of things in Amherst that no one even mentions the fate of downtown, and that the best case scenario is to maintain the health of a shopping mall when even it is struggling...

A suburban style shopping mall is a bit different when it's in a smaller centre like Amherst. In a large city like Toronto, a mall such as the Amherst Centre would be part of a sprawling suburb that took shoppers and money away from downtown. In a smaller place like Amherst they bring shoppers into town and are generally beneficial to the community.

[Nouvellecosse]

Sorry, but I don't see it as any different. In fact, I see that type of development as much more justifiable in a large city since it isn't reasonable to expect everyone to travel such a huge distance to get downtown for shopping. But in a place like Amherst, no such issue exists. Downtown is actually more central to the majority of people compared to the malls.

Before those malls and box stores opened in the 70s, shopping was done in downtown Amherst which is now a skeleton of surface parking and closed and struggling businesses. I can still remember when the downtown had three grocery stores (has one now), and was home to the region's Canadian Tire (where I got my first bike) the Maritimes oldest pharmacy (which finally gave up the ghost around 2010), the headquarters of the local paper, the Dairy Queen, the health foods store, etc. and that was after the malls were already open. Now all those things have moved to the character-less fringe. I have no doubt that all those businesses would still be a draw if they weren't in the shopping mall or box box format, and may draw even more people since the town would actually be attractive and interesting.

Stores like Margolians and Dayles are actually unique and interesting. They even advertise as far away as Halifax and are a draw much further than things like Walmart or Zellers. Every town and city has a box walmart et al, so no one is going to come to town for that unless there's no location any closer. And those people would be coming to town anyway because they have nothing where they live.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

I hear ya nouvellecosse, and while I theoretically agree with you (I remember downtown Amherst from the 60's and 70's), and there is no doubt that the suburban malls helped to cripple the downtown economy, I think Trevor has a point. it is true that the Amherst Centre Mall has become the de facto retail hub for the town, and it's current sad state is bad for the town.

With Zellers gone, there is really no competition left for the Walmart, and the only real alternative is 45 minutes down the road in Moncton.

While as a Moncton former I welcome our status as a regional shopping hub, I dislike seeing this happening at the expense of outlying regional towns. I think the shopping experience in small town Canada is undergoing a radical shake-up and it isn't a good thing…….

[Nouvellecosse]

What would have been ideal in my mind is if the planned Giant Tiger could be built downtown. GT isn't nearly as big as Walmart or even Zellers so I see no reason why they couldn't have found any number of places to put it. Maybe not as cheaply or conveniently, but not everything is about the cheapest and most convenient option.

The only new store to open downtown in recent years is the new Lawtons, which built a new stand-alone building only a block from the old one.

I just wish it had been a Shoppers as I've never been a big Lawtons fan. :P

We need a new Shoppers anyway, as our current one sucks and is way too small and closes at 9 on weekdays and 6 on weekends. I want one of the full size 12am ones like in the HRM. And even if not downtown, I would at least like to see the malls area better organized and not so completely desolate and auto-oriented in design. Maybe they could build the new shoppers on the old Cumberland Mall's parking lot which is way bigger than needed now that the mall is basically closed.

Oh and speaking of Moncton, it seems like it's suffering a similar fate. There are big suburban shoppering areas around Champlain Place and up on Mountain Rd. but downtown, there doesn't seem to be much other than a few bars and restaurants. I walked all around downtown last night and didn't notice much in the way of actual stores other than a couple small speciality boutiques, convenience stores, and news stands. And away from Main St. the parking is horrendous - almost as bad as Amherst. When I was a kid there was a full size downtown dept. store (the Bay I believe) which anchored a downtown shopping center full of stores. That seems to be gone now.

Maybe there is stuff downtown that I missed?

[MonctonRad]

Oh and speaking of Moncton, it seems like it's suffering a similar fate. There are big suburban shoppering areas around Champlain Place and up on Mountain Rd. but downtown, there doesn't seem to be much other than a few bars and restaurants. I walked all around downtown last night and didn't notice much in the way of actual stores other than a couple small speciality boutiques, convenience stores, and news stands. And away from Main St. the parking is horrendous - almost as bad as Amherst. When I was a kid there was a full size downtown dept. store (the Bay I believe) which anchored a downtown shopping center full of stores. That seems to be gone now.

Maybe there is stuff downtown that I missed?

Champlain Place is the mall that ate Moncton. It is a super regional mall similar to MicMac or Halifax Shopping Centre in HRM. It not only crippled retail on Main Street, it also ultimately destroyed the other malls in the city as well. The competition now is the big box district up around the Trinity Power Centre. We have a lot of the same retail as Halifax, even high end stuff, it's either just at Champlain or Trinity, not downtown.

Main Street is coming back in a sense. There are a lot of new interesting restaurants opening up downtown, and some of the local stores in Champlain Place that were kicked out when Cadillac Fairview decided to go upscale (like Colpitt's Mens Wear) have transitioned back to Main Street with good results.

Highfield Square downtown is where the Bay (and formerly Eaton's) was located. It closed for good last year and will be demolished this year. This is where the proposed downtown events centre (a new arena with 9-10,000 seats) is proposed to be built. It is hoped that it will revive the DT in a manner similar to the downtown arena in London ON did.

[Trevor3]

The way I look at it is that any town with some shopping/retail sector is a service centre for its region. That sector is drawing in people who don't live there but live in the greater area for shops and services that they don't have. People can either have a Walmart in their town and draw in people from neighbouring communities, or watch as though people drive elsewhere to get to Walmart. If Amherst didn't have a decent mall or the assortment of big box stores that it has, people would drive 45 mins up the road to Moncton. People can either spend money in your town or the next one, but they will go to where the big boxes and malls are, such is the age we live in.

I try to speak from what I know, so that would be Corner Brook as the hub of western NL and Stephenville as a sub-hub for the southwest coast, and it's quite analagous to Amherst and Moncton, I think anyway. We could either have Walmart in our mall and attract shoppers from the southwest coast to come shop in our town, spend money at our Walmart which employs our people, who in turn spend their money in town, visitors spend money at restaurants, gas stations, check out some of the local shops downtown (this is the biggest difference, our mall is on Main Street). We could have said no to Walmart and watched them set up in Corner Brook and then watch as everyone passes us by, including our own residents, to shop in that city. Then our own downtown would have emptied out, as it stands it is quite vibrant and busy.

The bottom line is, people want those big chains and will drive to find them if they don't have them. Had Amherst not built malls and attracted them, either someone else would have or people would have driven to Moncton. In that scenerio I think business in Amherst would probably have dried up and there would not be any of the service sector jobs that exist now.

The best thing for smaller centres to do is have the mall at the town centre where it can anchor the downtown or at least very near to it, that's what we have and it's very successful. So yes, I definitely understand what you mean, Nouvellecosse, by the fringe bix boxes and malls killing your downtown, but if there is a way to work those amenities into the core of the town/city it doesn't have to be doom and gloom. Though that's not always possible which is too bad.

[Nouvellecosse]

I understand the argument of competing with other places, but honestly, there will always be stores in Moncton and Halifax that Amherst will not be big enough to support so people will make their monthly or semi-monthly trip there anyway. We have no Best Buy/Future Shop, Chapters, Sears or Bay, Staples, Bulk Barn, Costco, and many others. So most people in Amherst make trips to Moncton at least several times per year, with some every month or more (partly for the shopping, but also because it's boring to be stuck in s small town full time and never leave). And that was true even back when not only walmart was here, but both malls were open, and Zellers was still around. But there's no way people are going to drive all that way on a weekly basis for very basic things that you can get anywhere and I have no doubt that without Walmart there would still be smaller stores selling most common products.

I remember when Walmart first opened in Moncton and this was about 10 years before it opened in Amherst. It was one of the places we decided to go on one of our trips as we had never been to one before. It didn't seem much different than a slightly larger version of Zellers or Kmart, and we didn't really understand all the fuss that was being made over it. At that time, our retail sector was MUCH healthier before Walmart got established here as there were multiple stores sharing the market instead of just one huge one.

Personally I despise walmart and have been boycotting it for over a decade now. The last time I had to buy something there was when I needed a computer monitor for work correspondence and no place else was open. But I made sure I took it back as soon as I managed to get one somewhere else as I refuse to do anything that could aid the company's profitability.

But honestly, my perspective is not that I want to eliminate chains (other than walmart) it's that I want the chains to be better integrated into the urban environment. If they cannot build urban format stores downtown, then at the very least, arrange the stores in a more pedestrian friendly set up. Instead of having them what seems like a half km from the street behind an expanse of asphalt, how about putting at least some of the parking behind?

[SignalHillHiker]

I try to boycott Walmart too but they're hard to avoid with four large stores in St. John's. One of them is smaller and more centrally located in the West End, but the others are all enormous and on the edges of the urban area.

The only saving grace here is that St. John's is still a city where local rules. It's hard to even find chain restaurants in the Downtown, and there are lots of large, popular, local alternatives to chains in just about every retail category.

For the Walmart crowd, our local equivalent is Pipers. They have a smaller selection, and slightly higher prices, but it's a much more enjoyable shopping experience in much more central locations.

http://i59.tinypic.com/2nrg7s1.png

The only comparable competitors are Target (which is also out in the middle of nowhere) and Pipers (which has a smaller section, but has centrally-located stores peppered throughout St. John's).

Pipers is the one I choose if at all possible.

[SignalHillHiker]

Whoa... Avalon Mall tenants are being hit with significant increases in rent.

Owner of Mom’s Place closes doors after rent goes up nearly 100 per cent

Shirley Hong, owner of The Rice Bowl and Mom’s Place in the Avalon Mall food court, said she closed the latter restaurant at the end of January because she couldn’t afford to keep both places open after the mall almost doubled her rent, from $130 a square foot per month to $250.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said.

Hong said she was told that the increase better reflected market rates.

Hong decided she would keep The Rice Bowl open because it has more customers, but regrets closing the door on more than three decades of Mom’s Place, which opened in 1980 and specialized in Newfoundland-style cooking.

“I wanted to stay for another five years, and then I would wind it down.” Hong said she’d cherish the loyalty of customers who helped keep her going as long as she did.

But even with the higher sales at The Rice Bowl, said Hong, paying the rent will be a struggle. She needs to renovate The Rice Bowl and install a new electrical system, because its power comes through the system at Mom’s Place.

Rising rents at the mall reflect rising rents across St. John’s, said mall manager Sue Freake, who said it’s up to business owners such as Hong to decide on renewal.

“The negotiation was no different than any other renewal, in that we sat with her to negotiate a renewal of lease and she made that decision to not renew in one location and keep the other open,” she said.

“I’m not able to speak specifically to any tenant or their lease or rent or all. … Market rents do not remain the same.”

Other local business owners at the mall are warily expecting to see similar price hikes, and worry that too much of an increase will force them to close, too.

Paul Thomey, who owns sporting equipment and apparel shop That Pro Look, hasn’t heard yet from mall management about his lease, which is up at the end of August. “I’ve indicated I’m interested in renewing, but it comes down to how much,” said Thomey. “I am concerned that a significant increase would force us to look at other alternatives.”

Upstairs at A Special Touch, owner Sandra Avery has just begun negotiations for a new lease. She says she’s “definitely concerned” about rent increases. “Fifty per cent sounds like what it’s going to be. I’ve been in the mall 23 years, and I’ve never had an increase that high ever.”

Guy Randell, owner of The Art and Frame Shoppe in the mall parking lot, is in the middle of his five-year lease, and said he’s heard that rents are going up substantially.

“My last lease, it went up 50 per cent,” he said. With another increase like that, he said, he wouldn’t renew his lease."

http://www.thetelegram.com/Business/2014-02-17/article-3618053/Avalon-Mall-local-tenants-eyeing-rising-rents/1

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Rents have gone up substantially at Champlain Place in Moncton too, although this was part of a campaign by Cadillac Fairview to drive the remaining local merchants out of the mall to make room for national high end retailers like Coach, Sephora, Swarovski, Fossil, Victoria's Secret etc.

I guess it's all about maximizing revenue per square foot.......

[SignalHillHiker]

Well, that makes more sense to me. Champlain Place is, at least according to Google Maps (and in my recollection), WAY bigger that the Avalon Mall. And it also has less competition. It's more of a destination than ours.

Champlain Place:

http://i59.tinypic.com/2moqfye.png

Avalon Mall:

http://i62.tinypic.com/102oz1i.png

Only caveat: is Champlain Place all one level? I forget. The Avalon Mall is two levels for the most part, excluding the anchor tenant branches. Either way, Moncton's is still bigger.

[SignalHillHiker]

Found it. Yours is way bigger.

http://i61.tinypic.com/2qiaj5s.png http://i61.tinypic.com/a0upeh.png

[Acajack]

:previous:

Rents have gone up substantially at Champlain Place in Moncton too, although this was part of a campaign by Cadillac Fairview to drive the remaining local merchants out of the mall to make room for national high end retailers like Coach, Sephora, Swarovski, Fossil, Victoria's Secret etc.

I guess it's all about maximizing revenue per square foot.......

Seems to be a trend all over the place. Here in Gatineau, Oxford has bought our largest mall (Les Promenades) and has forced out numerous local retailers for this same reason, and has undertaken a huge reno as well.

These smaller retailers have complained in the media, but I wonder if this might not be an opportunity for our main streets - if local retailers (who initially flocked to the mall because that's where the people were) are forced out of the big malls, will they return to main streets, which could become THE place for specialized, unique local retail again?

And the malls will then be home to the exact same retail that you can find in any city anywhere in the world.

[SignalHillHiker]

That would be so awesome. :D

I'm trying to think of stores on Water Street of which there is more than one in the world, and the list is short. Second Cup, Subway, Tim Horton's, Cora's...

Freak Lunchbox is a chain, but barely - started in Halifax and they only have a handful of stores.

Smoke's Poutinerie is another chain.

Beyond that, I think the rest are all fully local?

[MonctonRad]

I wonder if this might not be an opportunity for our main streets - if local retailers (who initially flocked to the mall because that's where the people were) are forced out of the big malls, will they return to main streets, which could become THE place for specialized, unique local retail again?

The poster child for this trend here in Moncton is Colpitt's Mens Wear. They were originally on Main Street, but opened a store in Champlain Place about 20 years ago. After they were given the heave ho by CF, they returned to Main Street (in a prominent location), and their sales have actually gone up since the move. The store is convenient for the downtown lawyers and accountants etc to pop into over lunch time and has benefitted from this demographic.

Hopefully this trend will continue. Downtown in Moncton has been coming back recently due to new unique restaurants as well........

[vid]

http://i59.tinypic.com/2moqfye.png


Rue Paul! :ack:

[Nouvellecosse]

LOL. I drove down that street on Saturday night and didn't even think of that.

[SpongeG]

did you drag race?

[Acajack]

The poster child for this trend here in Moncton is Colpitt's Mens Wear. They were originally on Main Street, but opened a store in Champlain Place about 20 years ago. After they were given the heave ho by CF, they returned to Main Street (in a prominent location), and their sales have actually gone up since the move. The store is convenient for the downtown lawyers and accountants etc to pop into over lunch time and has benefitted from this demographic.

Hopefully this trend will continue. Downtown in Moncton has been coming back recently due to new unique restaurants as well........

Downtown Gatineau (Vieux-Hull) is looking a lot better and approaching respectability when it comes to restaurants, bars, hotels and offices, but the pickings are still relatively slim when it comes to shopping.

Unfortunately I suspect that we are still one stage away from seeing what it happening in the mall(s) having a positive spinoff downtown, and that any refugees from Les Promenades will end up in smaller strip malls and other retail spaces in the immediate vicinity of Les Promenades, which is still a pretty sprawly suburban area a few km away from the true downtown.

[caltrane74]

Wow! Two Serious Assholes Right Here!!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=613711478707259


http://www.thestar.com/business/2014/03/04/sears_worker_fired_after_racial_exchange_with_customer.html

As far as I'm concerned they're both ASSHOLES!!

Sears worker fired after racial exchange with customer

WINNIPEG—A Sears store employee has been fired after what appeared to be a racially charged exchange with a customer that was recorded by a witness and uploaded to social media.
The Saturday incident at a mall outlet was allegedly sparked by the employee telling the customer to get his child off a lawn mower that was on display.
The video shows the worker respond with “You just came off the boat?” when the customer, who appears to be Asian, refers to the staff member coming from a job at a local gas bar after being told security had been notified.
The video also shows the customer swearing at the employee and demanding he be fired.
Vincent Power, a Toronto-based spokesman for Sears Canada, says the worker was immediately suspended and a decision was later made to fire him and issue an apology

[esquire]

^ That customer was spoiling for a fight. Even though the clerk was an idiot to say what he said, the other guy was no angel here.

[Rusty van Reddick]

I think that customer should have been arrested - he's incredibly aggressive and "cocksucker" is hate speech.

[Martin Mtl]

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre Wants To See Bars Opened Until 6am

Montreal mayor Denis Coderre is pushing for bars staying open til’ 6am. I guess Coderre like to late night party like we do.

At a municipal executive meeting, Coderre pitched the idea of allowing certain bars in certain areas to stay open three hours later than the standard last call of 3am.

After a taste of all-night action of Nuit Blance, maybe the city’s mayor saw the awesome benefits of bars staying open until the wee hours of the morn.

No specifics on exactly where the pilot project would be installed, or when, but we can hopefully assume more that a few bars on the main St. Laurent strip will be included and that the 6am last call will be in place in time for the summer.

Fingers crossed this goes through. Who doesn’t want to get wasted til 6am?

For more on all things news worthy in Montreal, follow Michael on Twitter @MDAlimonte
Source (http://www.mtlblog.com/2014/03/montreal-mayor-denis-coderre-wants-to-see-bars-opened-until-6am/)

[SHOFEAR]

did you drag race?

wow.


http://i.imgur.com/BbgL7x3.gif

[SpongeG]

rupauls drag race badum bum on rue paul...

Uniqlo in talks to open stores in Canada in 2016, sources say


BY HOLLIE SHAW, FINANCIAL POST MARCH 26, 2014

Japanese fashion giant Uniqlo, a popular destination for Canadian shoppers travelling abroad, is in negotiations to open stores here in 2016, according to sources.

With more than 1,300 stores in 14 countries, Uniqlo is the world’s fourth-biggest fashion retailer, behind Zara, H&M and Gap.

Its arrival in Canada has been anticipated by retail watchers and fans alike since stepping up its U.S. expansion in 2011 and a bold vow from founder Tadashi Yanai to make Uniqlo the biggest specialty clothing chain in the world by the end of this decade.

“Uniqlo is one of the finest fashion retailers on the planet and it has refined and fine-tuned its offering to an unprecedented level within the fast-fashion community,” said Anthony Stokan, partner at Toronto-based shopping centre consultancy Anthony Russell and Associates.

http://www.theprovince.com/business/...400/story.html

[icetea93]

J. Crew will be opening 4 new Canadian stores in 2014, no word on locations yet

[SpongeG]

yay more clothes no one wants to buy

i remember when j crew was affordable :(

[OTSkyline]

^ I'm guessing one of these locations will probably be Ottawa. Ottawa-Gatineau is on steroids with new retail developments lately:

Rideau Centre Expansion
Bayshore Expansion
Les Promenades Expansion
New retail @ Lansdowne
Tanger Outlets in Kanata
Recently announced retail complex right next to Tanger in Kanata

Would be fun to have tally of the total square feet of retail all of these add up to...

[osirisboy]

How's place d'orleans doing?

[Acajack]

How's place d'orleans doing?

It was a struggling a bit in recent years. St Laurent which is nearby was doing really well and hurting it by competing aggressively plus a huge amount of strip mall retail was built on Innes Rd in Orleans and drew much business away from the area where the mall is located.

But now there are very recent signs that things are looking up for PdO. New retailers are coming in. Not sure about any expansion plans though.

[GreatTallNorth2]

More talk of Uniqlo. We've shopped there in the UK and elsewhere in Europe and they have a good reputation, well designed clothes and low prices, similar to H&M. They would be a welcome addition to a country where our only home grown clothing stores are a subsidiary to a tire store (Mark's WW) and a grocery store (Joe Fresh).

http://business.financialpost.com/2014/03/26/uniqlo-in-talks-to-open-stores-in-canada-in-2016-sources-say/

[ue]

More talk of Uniqlo. We've shopped there in the UK and elsewhere in Europe and they have a good reputation, well designed clothes and low prices, similar to H&M. They would be a welcome addition to a country where our only home grown clothing stores are a subsidiary to a tire store (Mark's WW) and a grocery store (Joe Fresh).

http://business.financialpost.com/2014/03/26/uniqlo-in-talks-to-open-stores-in-canada-in-2016-sources-say/

lululemon, aritizia, simons, aldo?

[GreatTallNorth2]

lululemon, aritizia, simons, aldo?

Ok, well I was referring to clothing stores that appeal to a broad range of customers, not niche stores. And btw, Lululemon has to self destruct soon. How a chain which built it's brand on tights with bell bottoms has existed so long is beyond me. Canada's fashion industry is so far behind Europe and even behind the USA.

[bikegypsy]

Canada's fashion industry is so far behind Europe and even behind the USA.

And South America and Asia as well. We are on par with Australia, I think.

[GreaterMontréal]

you compare a country to a continent ?

[SpongeG]

what about le chateau... or le crapeau as my friends and i call it

[ue]

^ lol

And yeah, comparing Canada to Europe, with 700 million people, is a bit unfair. I'd say we do ok, but could do better.

[bikegypsy]

Eeer.. I think it's quite clear that he meant "European country"... Obviously. Canada is far far faaaar behind places like Germany, France, the Uk, Italy and Spain.

[miketoronto]

Eeer.. I think it's quite clear that he meant "European country"... Obviously. Canada is far far faaaar behind places like Germany, France, the Uk, Italy and Spain.

Behind the fashion centers like France and Italy, I don't know about Germany. I was there last year and they dress just as bad as Canadians. Not much style at all, especially after having been in France, you notice the difference.

Canada used to have a lot more homegrown fashion stores before NAFTA.

[ue]

^ Were you in Berlin or the Rhine-Ruhr?

[Rusty van Reddick]

Behind the fashion centers like France and Italy. I don't know about Germany. I was there last year and they dress just as bad as Canadians. Not much style at all, especially after having been in France, you notice the difference.

Bullshit. Germans dress like Europeans. And I don't think Canadians dress badly, just differently.

[Rusty van Reddick]

^ Were you in Berlin or the Rhine-Ruhr?

Duesseldorf is the heart of Rhein-Ruhr and it's the Milano of Germany so what are you implying with that question? Berliners dress like Beltline hipsters.

[ue]

^ No need to get so defensive. I agree, that's why I was asking mike if he'd been to these places, as they're quite known for being hip and fashionable. Dusseldorf is the design centre of Germany and Berlin is a major fashion city.

[eternallyme]

It was a struggling a bit in recent years. St Laurent which is nearby was doing really well and hurting it by competing aggressively plus a huge amount of strip mall retail was built on Innes Rd in Orleans and drew much business away from the area where the mall is located.

But now there are very recent signs that things are looking up for PdO. New retailers are coming in. Not sure about any expansion plans though.

If that is the case, St. Laurent may get seriously squeezed and may end up as the mall that falls behind...we shall see.

[miketoronto]

^ Were you in Berlin or the Rhine-Ruhr?

No. Stuttgart.

[MustangJay]

J. Crew will be opening 4 new Canadian stores in 2014, no word on locations yet

I have it on good authority that one of these locations will be in Sherway Gardens, an upscale mall in Toronto's west end.

[GreatTallNorth2]

Germany isn't known as a high fashion country. I would say Italy, UK, France, Netherlands...most western European countries - the people dress classy. This doesn't mean that some Canadians don't dress well, but a higher percentage dress bad and I mean really bad. I worked at a busy shop in a major tourist town in the UK and believe me, we could all pick out the Americans and Canadians before they said a word. No one in Europe wears Columbia outdoor pants and Tilly hats as a fashion statement except North Americans. The UK is obviously highly influenced by Europe, but it also has its own sense of style and a lot of distinctly UK stores that define their look. And it's not just youth that dress cool, it's adults too. Having said this, after shopping a bit at Hudson Bay, I think that they have some great clothing brands there and my hope is that with all the European shops and influence growing in Canada, that people will put aside their track pants and lululemon clothes and dress better.

[ue]

^ Simons' expansion into the ROC also is helping things, not to mention Nordstrom entering the market.

No. Stuttgart.

Maybe that's why. I don't know much about Stuttgart, but I'm guessing it isn't as cosmopolitan as Berlin, the Rhine, or Hamburg.

[kwoldtimer]

Germany isn't known as a high fashion country. I would say Italy, UK, France, Netherlands...most western European countries - the people dress classy. This doesn't mean that some Canadians don't dress well, but a higher percentage dress bad and I mean really bad. I worked at a busy shop in a major tourist town in the UK and believe me, we could all pick out the Americans and Canadians before they said a word. No one in Europe wears Columbia outdoor pants and Tilly hats as a fashion statement except North Americans. The UK is obviously highly influenced by Europe, but it also has its own sense of style and a lot of distinctly UK stores that define their look. And it's not just youth that dress cool, it's adults too. Having said this, after shopping a bit at Hudson Bay, I think that they have some great clothing brands there and my hope is that with all the European shops and influence growing in Canada, that people will put aside their track pants and lululemon clothes and dress better.

Highly unlikely, imho. We are blessed to live in a country where appearances count for very little.

[eemy]

We're talking about high fashion Britain here?

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/2127/dawnfrenchshelleypollarch6.jpg

[bikegypsy]

We're talking about high fashion Britain here?

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/2127/dawnfrenchshelleypollarch6.jpg

Ha ha ha! Gotta love Little Britain. Girls like these actually exist; i've seen quite a few angrily pushing their baby carriage on the streets... with a cigarette in their mouth

[GreatTallNorth2]

Yes, there is a percentage of the population that choose to dress chavy. However, there are probably more thriving fashion stores per capita in the UK than any country in the world and I believe a lot of those stores are making their way to Canada and the USA. I don't know of any Canadian clothing company that is taking their business abroad, but UK shops like Topman, Jack Wills, All Saints, Ted Baker, FCUK have already come to US/Canada and lots of others are rumoured to come.

[north 42]

Roots!

[Acajack]

We make a lot about how people dress differently but my observation is that in western developed countries, generally there is a huge "middle" population everywhere where people generally dress quite similarly. I find this is true of, for example, Calgary vs. Paris.

It's the outliers that stick out in our mind when we travel but if we really looked at things more closely they are only a small fraction of the population. (Though their percentages may seem higher depending on specific neighbourhoods of cities or events that draw a certain demographic, etc.)

But sure, there are those outliers like the British Chav women from Little Britain. You don't see that so much in continental, although a Slavic variant does start to appear a bit more frequently once you get more into central and eastern Europe.

Some of the differences I spot in my part of the world is the greater prevalence of the "Gino Camaro" look in Quebec. It's similar to the Mike the Situation look from Jersey Shore, but much more likely to have his hair spiked and much less likely to wear sneakers on his feet. Likely to have neon lights *under* his car. You don't see this look very much at all in Ontario for example, outside of a few immigrant communities in Toronto. People from Ontario often make fun of these guys when they visit Quebec.

On the other, what I call the sci-fi Dungeons and Dragons geek look is much less common in Quebec (virtually non-existent in fact) in Quebec than elsewhere in Canad and the US. This is the guy in his late teens or early 20s, with often uncombed hair, sneakers that have seen better days (even though he hasn't done any sports since high school), a slight belly bulge under a generic computer company t-shirt, and very plain jeans with no belt.

But once again, these are only a small fraction of the population. But you do tend to notice them when travelling.
__________________

[GreatTallNorth2]

Roots!

Nope, no Roots stores anywhere but Canada and 2 stores in the USA. There is no way they could compete with the shops in Europe or USA. Why people pay $68 for baggy track pants is beyond me.

[kwoldtimer]

We make a lot about how people dress differently but my observation is that in western developed countries, generally there is a huge "middle" population everywhere where people generally dress quite similarly. I find this is true of, for example, Calgary vs. Paris.

It's the outliers that stick out in our mind when we travel but if we really looked at things more closely they are only a small fraction of the population. (Though their percentages may seem higher depending on specific neighbourhoods of cities or events that draw a certain demographic, etc.)

But sure, there are those outliers like the British Chav women from Little Britain. You don't see that so much in continental, although a Slavic variant does start to appear a bit more frequently once you get more into central and eastern Europe.

Some of the differences I spot in my part of the world is the greater prevalence of the "Gino Camaro" look in Quebec. It's similar to the Mike the Situation look from Jersey Shore, but much more likely to have his hair spiked and much less likely to wear sneakers on his feet. Likely to have neon lights *under* his car. You don't see this look very much at all in Ontario for example, outside of a few immigrant communities in Toronto. People from Ontario often make fun of these guys when they visit Quebec.

On the other, what I call the sci-fi Dungeons and Dragons geek look is much less common in Quebec (virtually non-existent in fact) in Quebec than elsewhere in Canad and the US. This is the guy in his late teens or early 20s, with often uncombed hair, sneakers that have seen better days (even though he hasn't done any sports since high school), a slight belly bulge under a generic computer company t-shirt, and very plain jeans with no belt.

But once again, these are only a small fraction of the population. But you do tend to notice them when travelling.
__________________

So true that it practically symbolizes the dark side of the river for many folks in Ottawa. I don't know whether it's still true but the same guys tended to wear Cuban heels when they dressed up (to make up for their lack of height).

On the other hand, the British chav women would be totally at home in Downtown Kitchener!

[Acajack]

So true that it practically symbolizes the dark side of the river for many folks in Ottawa. I don't know whether it's still true but the same guys tended to wear Cuban heels when they dressed up (to make up for their lack of height).



Had to look up Cuban heels and still not sure, but yeah you see men wearing boots with heels here. Not high pointy heels (talons aiguilles) of course, but thick heels - sure. It's not uncommon.

I am fairly tall and I definitely feel taller walking through crowd in the mall at Les Promenades than I do at Bayshore.

And I stand out more in Trois-Rivières than I do in Regina.

Probably another anecdotal non-scientific example of how many, many French Canadians have recessive aboriginal bloodlines.

[Acajack]

On the other hand, the British chav women would be totally at home in Downtown Kitchener!

You can see people resembling British Chav women here and there across Anglo-Canada. I've seen them in Australia too.

Whereas the stereotypes of lower class Québécois people are almost reminiscent of the negative stereotypes some people have of the Roms:

http://content6.flixster.com/question/46/49/16/4649168_std.jpg

[Acajack]

So true that it practically symbolizes the dark side of the river for many folks in Ottawa.

Gino Camaro is a name used for them across French-speaking Canada.

In the Outaouais and also francophone Ottawa there are also local names: Jos Gat, Jos Gatineau and Ti-Jos Gatineau.

[Acajack]

Oh, and I almost forgot Jos Gatineau's faithful (OK maybe not always faithful) companion: Ginette Spray-Net!

[kwoldtimer]

Ginos and Ginettes was what my circle always called them.

Example of a (fairly high) man's Cuban heel.

http://i59.tinypic.com/2wg515u.png

[SpongeG]

Nope, no Roots stores anywhere but Canada and 2 stores in the USA. There is no way they could compete with the shops in Europe or USA. Why people pay $68 for baggy track pants is beyond me.

the track pants are so worth it, they are so comfy compared to other ones i have tried

anyway joe fresh is expanding overseas, theres a canadian brand

la senza (which started out canadian) has a number of overseas stores, south africa, UAE, saudi arabia

Roots has 75 outlets in taiwan and 16 in china

[Acajack]

Ginos and Ginettes was what my circle always called them.

Example of a (fairly high) man's Cuban heel.

http://i59.tinypic.com/2wg515u.png

Yeah, I see men wearing stuff like this sometimes here. What about in K-W? Or Ottawa?

[OTSkyline]

Canadian fashion explained in one outfit? THIS --)
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BFBThUeCQAALCwE.jpg:large

[Boris2k7]

Canadian fashion explained in one outfit? THIS --)
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BFBThUeCQAALCwE.jpg:large

*shudder*

[kwoldtimer]

Yeah, I see men wearing stuff like this sometimes here. What about in K-W? Or Ottawa?

I've never noticed it in Ottawa. In K-W you might see them on some ethnic types (Portuguese, Salvadoran) but I think that would be the rare exception rather than the rule. I once embarrassed myself by referring to the look as "greasy" only to realize that the person (born in Portugal, raised in small town Manitoba) to whom I had said it was wearing shoes with Cuban heels! I have had a peculiar sensitivity to them ever since.