Canadian Retail Thread

[habfanman]

Originally Posted by SpikePhanta

Shopping just goes above otherstuff while traveling.

Really? That's the most disturbing thing I've read in a long time!

[habfanman]

Originally Posted by SpikePhanta

TR, R&R at a Vegas outlet mall

Ok, I see where you're coming from now. I take it those initials stand for some sort of brands that you feel obligated to buy in order to look the same as all the other people in your condo/subdivision?

[SpikePhanta]

True Religion and Rock&Republic,|look the same as all the other people", no I chose those two to differentiate from others...
Also I no longer live in a condo and I don't live in a subdivison, Vancouver(proper) is very much the exception in NA in regards to subdivisions and suburbia.

Also it seems like you misunderstood my traveling statement, What I said is that I agree with you that traveling to other parts of NA just for shopping isn't great, what I mean is that I would only shop as a last choice on things "to do"...

Edit, I my sarcasm detector is broken for your first post of the two above.
But habfanman I think you should just take a chill pill in regards to other's opinions, you'd be surprised at how easy everything gets when you "ignore" others with different views, and not go out of your way to attack that viewpoint.

[SpongeG]

my friend saw a Ralph Lauren RSL jacket at Macys for $199 he saw the same one at Harry Rosen for $425!

[MolsonExport]

quit being such an ass, habsfanman

[miketoronto]

I more and more am trying to seek out unique clothing and items that are not usually mass produced and sold everywhere in the world.

For example, the Design Exchange in downtown Toronto has some amazing made in Canada ties with unique patterns. Yes they are more expensive, but they are also handmade in Canada.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by habfanman

freeweed, are you female? If so, I've dropped girls like you because they got all "shopping crazy".

Lay off the sexism, buddy. People talk about having you banned from here a lot, and the mods are generally tolerant of your ridiculous antics, but if you want to start getting hostile towards women I think I could make a case to shut you up permanently.

If you honestly cannot have a discussion without insulting 50% of the planet's population, you have some serious issues my friend.

[CondoKing]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

You are joking right? Macy's and The Bay are basically identical when it comes to Men's clothing. Exact same lines.

Not because I am a Bay supporter above all else. But The Bay has done an amazing job at bringing in some great new men's clothing lines, etc. In fact the downtown Toronto store is looking amazing. My only pet peeve is some of the lines they have brought in are a tad on the high end side. Great stuff, but a little expensive when not on sale.

The Targets I have been in are basically a carbon copy of Zellers. They all are just isles of stuff with no character to them.

I have to agree with miketoronto, I live in Calgary and the normal Bay at Market Mall and Chinook are starting to carry some great lines. Armani, some True Religion shoes, Diesel, and the higher end brands you wouldn't have expected. There even starting to carry men's Coach accessories at the South Centre Bay. It is pricey but sign up for those e-mail and they send some good deals time to time. I'm not marketing for The Bay, but it's better then dealing with snooty associates at Harry Rosen.

[SpikePhanta]

Yeah the Bay Downtown here in Vancouver is pretty good, but the other stores are half half, IMO.

The Sales associates at the Bay are really nice, and as Bonnie Brooks from the commercial says, their renovations will bring some other good brands into the store.

[SpongeG]

should be good to see what they do - not too much room to play with in the vancouver mens store unless they move some of it to another floor

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by SpikePhanta

The Sales associates at the Bay are really nice

Next you'll be telling me you've seen an actual Air Canada employee smile.

Come on, pull the other one!

[Travis007]

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily...150012662.html

Macy’s department store seeks new miracle north of the 49th parallel

By Marc Weisblott | Daily Brew – Fri, 3 Jun, 2011

Macy's announced last week it will offer shipping to Canada through third-party management service FiftyOne, although its online catalogue has been configured to fluctuate with the exchange rate. For now, that could result in cheaper items than usual.

The delivery costs, however, reportedly offset any particular bargain. A comment left at the shopping site Smart Canucks noted a $35 dress came with delivery charges of $42 along with $12 duty.

The discovery was met with particular frustration because other U.S. retailers like L.L. Bean have courted the Canadian market without a shipping charge.

Regardless, the tactic seems a relatively low-cost way for the companies to establish a connection to the country before rolling the dice on opening retail locations.

Target's purchase of the leases for 220 Zellers stores made it the most prominent of a wave that has also included the recent or imminent arrivals of Dollar Tree, Express, J. Crew, Marshalls and Victoria's Secret.

Kohl's, an American department store with more than 1,000 locations, has admitted to scouting out Canada, but rival JCPenney won't say either way.

Meanwhile, a reporter from The Wall Street Journal placed a call to Macy's, whose spokesman said last week international stores are in the long-term interest of the company, yet there were no current plans to open new ones.

Those plans might have already changed. Globe and Mail business reporter Steve Ladurantaye tweeted that law firm WeirFoulds confirmed Macy's was looking for Canadian spaces.

Some could even come from the Zellers locations that Target decides not to keep for itself.

[SpongeG]

if you can get shipping deals from US retailers they can be good - otherwise its not worth it - the charges are ridiculous

i ordered something from the UK once and the postman wouldn't take a cheque for the duty - and he wouldn't give me the package until the duty was paid with cash and i had none on me at the time - so that was the end of ordering from overseas

[manny_santos]

[davidivivid]

La Maison Simons from Quebec City looking to open a store in Winnipeg.

Quebec retailers keen on city

A Quebec City-based retailer that had its sights set on anchoring an ill-fated redevelopment project at the Canad Inns Stadium site could still be on the leading edge of a potential invasion of new stores from Quebec.

The head of La Maison Simons chain of fashion mega-stores said the family-owned firm is keen on opening an 80,000-to-100,000-square-foot store in Winnipeg, even though it wasn’t able to strike a deal to become an anchor tenant in The Elms upscale retail development that had been planned for the stadium site at Polo Park.

[...]

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bre...?device=mobile

[SpikePhanta]

They are also looking at Vancouver.

[SpongeG]

Lowe’s to open in south Edmonton Monday

Fourth location in Alberta for U.S.-based hardware retailer

By Bill Mah, edmontonjournal.com June 8, 2011


EDMONTON - Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse is opening its first Edmonton store Monday.

And the world’s second-largest hardware retailer isn’t stopping at one store in the region.

“I can tell you that we’ve got several sites under consideration,” said Lowe’s Companies Canada president Alan Huggins Wednesday at the company’s latest store at the southern edge of South Edmonton Common.

“We’ve got good plans for Edmonton, but I can’t disclose how many sites we’re going to have but we’ll be in the general vicinities where you would expect us to be.”

Although dignitaries sawed a ceremonial board to celebrate the launch Wednesday, the store won’t open to customers until Monday.

It’s the fourth Lowe’s in Alberta; three are in Calgary. Other stores will open in Regina and New Westminster, B.C., for a total of six in Western Canada.

There are now 25 Lowe’s in Canada after entering the market from its U.S. base about four years ago.

Lowe’s is the latest entry into a local market already thronged with big-box rivals such as The Home Depot and Rona. In fact, both competitors have stores within a few minutes’ drive of Lowe’s South Edmonton Common site.

“We think it’s a great market. There’s a lot of stores here, but what we found is every time we go into a market, the customer decides where they want to shop and we’ve been pretty well received.

He said Lowe’s differentiates itself with brighter, wider aisles and larger breadth of assortment in “fashion-forward categories” such as lighting and bathroom accessories while keeping price parity.

...

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Lowe+...dmontonjournal

[mintzilla]

more good retail news for the Edmonton region

Edmonton proves to be a retailers’ gold mine

EDMONTON - If anyone should know why so many retailers and restaurants choose Edmonton to break into a new market, it’s David Ghermezian.

He’s an executive with Triple Five Group of Companies and a member of the family who runs the largest shopping and entertainment centres in North America — West Edmonton Mall, Mall of America — and is rescuing the even-bigger, but unfinished American Dreams Meadowlands in New Jersey.

West Edmonton Mall is where iconic U.S. retailers Apple Store and Victoria’s Secret opened their first Alberta locations in recent years.

But the mall is also luring other big-name retailers to Edmonton, Ghermezian says.

They include: J. Crew, Steve Madden, Simons and True Religion. Apple, meanwhile, is also expected to double its West Edmonton Mall store, which was already its largest Canadian outlet when it opened in 2008.

Edmonton is a magnet for expansion-minded U.S. and Canadian retailers.

...

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/busin...584/story.html

[miketoronto]

Massive expansion of Simons is going to be the death of the quality that the store offers.

Right now you get very personal service and the family is able to keep a tight eye on the stores, as they only have a couple.

If this turns into a major national or international chain, there is no doubt the store will lose the quality and good style that it has.

I know they are opening in Edmonton. But if they are smart, I would stick with what they got and stop. If they open too many stores they will just become another chain and have no major draw like they do now.

[SpikePhanta]

I have to agree with that, Simmons is quite fun during a trip back east for me, People here(VAN) always asks about my Simmons stuff , it would suck if it lost that special feeling along with much poorer service.