Canadian Retail Thread

[Ozabald]

Originally Posted by Wigs

but unfortunately in the retail world it's not if you build it they will come. It's if the downtown develops an adequate population and reaches a certain population threshold, the retailers will come

That is true. I'm curious how tiny Grand Forks, ND is able to have and support a full-service grocery store in its downtown; which opened in 2022.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.9237...8192?entry=ttu

https://www.visitgrandforks.com/dire...ir-gallery-1-1

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Ozabald

That is true. I'm curious how tiny Grand Forks, ND is able to have and support a full-service grocery store in its downtown; which opened in 2022.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.9237...8192?entry=ttu

https://www.visitgrandforks.com/dire...ir-gallery-1-1

What's the difference between that and Family Foods on Donald St.?

[Ozabald]

Originally Posted by esquire

What's the difference between that and Family Foods on Donald St.?

Well, the Hugo's in D/T Grand Forks is larger. It's 25,000 sq. ft. It includes a full service bank, a pub and a liquor store. It has a full service meat counter, bakery, seafood, deli, self-serve salad bar, made-to-order food counter; with a grab-and go section.

It's an excellent example of a true urban D/T grocery store; all in a city of ~65K people.

[esquire]

^ Banks, pubs and liquor stores can all be found a stone's throw from Family Foods. FF has most of those other things you mentioned except for a standalone seafood area but you can find that nearby at Safeway.

You are certainly not alone in this regard, but I don't get why people act like Family Foods isn't a real grocery store just because it's not a major chain.

[Ozabald]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Banks, pubs and liquor stores can all be found a stone's throw from Family Foods. FF has most of those other things you mentioned except for a standalone seafood area but you can find that nearby at Safeway.

You are certainly not alone in this regard, but I don't get why people act like Family Foods isn't a real grocery store just because it's not a major chain.

The converse can also be asked why you cannot accept that D/T Winnipeg lacks a true full service urban grocery store like those found in many cities; including smaller cities. Plus, you do not have an answer as to why Grand Forks can support a true urban format D/T grocery store and Winnipeg cannot.

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by Ozabald

The converse can also be asked why you cannot accept that D/T Winnipeg lacks a true full service urban grocery store like those found in many cities; including smaller cities. Plus, you do not have an answer as to why Grand Forks can support a true urban format D/T grocery store and Winnipeg cannot.

I think it would be just as well to have a bunch of family foods style places DT Wpg rather than have one giant store that almost encourages people to drive to it. I mean, look at all the perfectly well-stocked and small stores in European cities.

I think we need to agree on what constitutes a full service grocery store before we start lobbing stones and say whether Winnipeg can or cannot support a downtown grocery store. Because, as Esquire mentioned, family foods is pretty good and offers a good amount of variety. It would be disingenuous to suggest that it isn't a true grocery store.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Ozabald

The converse can also be asked why you cannot accept that D/T Winnipeg lacks a true full service urban grocery store like those found in many cities; including smaller cities. Plus, you do not have an answer as to why Grand Forks can support a true urban format D/T grocery store and Winnipeg cannot.

Well, that's because I don't accept your premise. Family Foods is an "urban format D/T grocery store" and Winnipeg supports it.

[cslusarc]

Retail-Insider reports: Hudson’s Bay Launches Outlet Store Concept

Hudson’s Bay Launches Outlet Store Concept
By Craig Patterson
Date: August 24, 2023

Department store retailer Hudson’s Bay has launched a Hudson’s Bay Outlet division with a storefront in Toronto. An existing Hudson’s Bay location in Edmonton will also be modified to offer outlet pricing as part of a store downsizing.

Recently the 115,000 square foot Hudson’s Bay store at Eglinton Square in Toronto was restocked with clearance merchandise from Hudson’s Bay stores including apparel, accessories, intimates and footwear — home furnishings are also being offered in a space in the store that until recently housed a beauty department.

Kosi Sivasankaran, Chief Stores Officer at Hudson’s Bay, said in a statement, “Transforming our Eglinton Square location into an outlet store for customers creates a fun and unique shopping destination, distinct from the Hudson’s Bay full-line experience.” Pricing and product is meant to “surprise and delight”, according to Sivasankaran, which includes something of a “thrill of the hunt” element.

New product will be shipped to the Hudson’s Bay Outlet store every two weeks from the retailer’s full-priced stores. Customers can earn Hudson’s Bay Rewards points on all purchases made at the outlet location.

Tiffany Bourré, spokesperson at Hudson’s Bay, said that no other Hudson’s Bay Outlet store locations are in the works at this time.

Hudson’s Bay’s Londonderry Mall store in Edmonton is also being downsized to one floor as reported recently in Retail Insider, with that location offering outlet pricing — renovations will be completed next month. The smaller Hudson’s Bay store will span about 60,000 square feet, half the size of the current two-level full-priced department store. Earlier this year, Hudson’s Bay had announced that the Londonderry store would be closing, and we’ve since been informed that it’s no longer the case.

This isn’t the first time that Hudson’s Bay has had an outlet division. In August of 2014, the retailer launched its Hudson’s Bay Outlet concept with a 25,000 square foot storefront at the Toronto Premium Outlets. A Hudson’s Bay Outlet subsequently opened at the Montreal Premium Outlets in the fall of 2014 in a 27,000 square foot space.

The Toronto Premium Outlets location was converted to HBC-owned Saks OFF 5TH in March of 2016, and the Montreal Hudson’s Bay Outlet was shut in the spring of 2021. Unlike in Toronto, the Montreal location was not converted to the Saks OFF 5TH banner, which is said to now be struggling in Canada with some locations having closed.

The timing could be right for Hudson’s Bay to relaunch its outlet division. Several months ago, Nordstrom Rack shut its seven Canadian outlet stores to coincide with the company’s exit from the Canadian market.

Hudson’s Bay Outlet will also compete with TJX’s Canadian retail brands Winners, Marshalls and HomeSense given the categories carried.

Department stores have been beefing up off-price offerings in the United States as well, with Macy’s expanding its Backstage concept. US-based Target was spawned from Minneapolis-based Dayton’s which once operated upscale full-priced department stores in the Midwest. It’s not yet known if the Hudson’s Bay Company will look to introduce outlet departments to its full-priced department stores as Macy’s has done.

It’s also not known for how long the Toronto Hudson’s Bay Outlet will remain open, given massive mixed-use redevelopment plans for Eglinton Square that include thousands of condominium units in towers. No major redevelopment plans are known to be in the works for Londonderry Mall in Edmonton.

[esquire]

HBC just keeps throwing stuff at the wall.

[Djeffery]

Guess who's coming back, in a different form?

https://consumersdistributing.com/

Story also at

https://retail-insider.com/podcast/2...eur-interview/

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by esquire

HBC just keeps throwing stuff at the wall.

Strange that the outlet shop seems to be taking out the beauty department. I thought that was were department stores had there biggest mark-ups.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Guess who's coming back, in a different form?

https://consumersdistributing.com/

Story also at

https://retail-insider.com/podcast/2...eur-interview/

Now that's interesting.

[SpongeG]

I never understood Consumers Distributing, I can look at a sample of what I want and then go wait in a lineup and then wait while somebody goes to the back and gets it then go to pay for it.

Reading their page sounds like they don't realize that the internet exists and you can just buy stuff from the comfort of your couch.

[le calmar]

They announced they were coming back to the US 3 years ago but it never materialized. Maybe another failed attempt is brewing.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

I never understood Consumers Distributing, I can look at a sample of what I want and then go wait in a lineup and then wait while somebody goes to the back and gets it then go to pay for it.

Reading their page sounds like they don't realize that the internet exists and you can just buy stuff from the comfort of your couch.

It felt very Soviet-esque
See the item in a catalog, fill out a seemingly pointless form and then voila the item appears after the 20yr old retrieves it from the warehouse in the back, or comes back 5 minutes later after taking a cigarette break and says "sorry this location does not have your item in stock"

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

I never understood Consumers Distributing, I can look at a sample of what I want and then go wait in a lineup and then wait while somebody goes to the back and gets it then go to pay for it.

Reading their page sounds like they don't realize that the internet exists and you can just buy stuff from the comfort of your couch.

No porch pirates with Consumers Distributing and returns are a breeze.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

No porch pirates with Consumers Distributing and returns are a breeze.

Are porch pirates a thing in Moncton?

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Wigs

Are porch pirates a thing in Moncton?

It happens, but it is uncommon. I hear it happens a lot in other larger cities on the continent.

I'm just paranoid about such things. I also hate returns. I also really hate giving some website my VISA card number. While I do some transactions online (hotel reservations, event tickets etc.), I refuse to online shop. Anytime I am forced to give out my VISA info to a new website, a little piece of me dies.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

I never understood Consumers Distributing, I can look at a sample of what I want and then go wait in a lineup and then wait while somebody goes to the back and gets it then go to pay for it.

Reading their page sounds like they don't realize that the internet exists and you can just buy stuff from the comfort of your couch.

No, I'd rather have to drive to the store, wait in line, wait awhile and then find out that the item is not in stock. Time well spent!

Most online retailers even tell you how much stock they have for each item. Sure some people like to see items in person but that costs the retailer a lot and leads to higher prices.

[le calmar]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

It happens, but it is uncommon. I hear it happens a lot in other larger cities on the continent.

I'm just paranoid about such things. I also hate returns. I also really hate giving some website my VISA card number. While I do some transactions online (hotel reservations, event tickets etc.), I refuse to online shop. Anytime I am forced to give out my VISA info to a new website, a little piece of me dies.

You could use Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, PayPal… not every website has incorporated those systems, but it’s becoming increasingly common. Unless you’re not comfortable with the idea of having your credit card info on your phone at all.