The Metro Vancouver Retail Thread

[SpongeG]

HMV is over, all stores must shut down by April 30.

How many are in the Vancouver area?

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

HMV is over, all stores must shut down by April 30.

How many are in the Vancouver area?

Coquitlam
Guildford
Metrotown
Robson
Tsawwassen Mills

[SpongeG]

ok, i could only think of 2.

[SpongeG]

Shoes.com shuts down immediately
Troubled Vancouver e-commerce player was once a rising star
By Glen Korstrom | Jan. 27, 2017, 12:09 p.m.

Vancouver-based online shoe retailer Shoes.com announced January 27, without notice, that it would halt operations immediately.

The company has taken all three of its e-commerce properties – Shoes.com, OnlineShoes.com and ShoeME.ca ­– offline. It also closed the doors on its two Shoes.com brick-and-mortar stores, which are in Vancouver and Toronto.

...

https://www.biv.com/article/2017/1/shoescom-shutting-down-today/

[bluefox]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

Shoes.com shuts down immediately
Troubled Vancouver e-commerce player was once a rising star
By Glen Korstrom | Jan. 27, 2017, 12:09 p.m.

Vancouver-based online shoe retailer Shoes.com announced January 27, without notice, that it would halt operations immediately.

The company has taken all three of its e-commerce properties – Shoes.com, OnlineShoes.com and ShoeME.ca ­– offline. It also closed the doors on its two Shoes.com brick-and-mortar stores, which are in Vancouver and Toronto.

...

https://www.biv.com/article/2017/1/shoescom-shutting-down-today/

Did that store on Burrard even open? I recall the signage being put up after Lacoste closed but I don't think I ever saw the store open.

[connect2source]

HMV's receivership status means another gaping hole on the 1100 block of Robson, or perhaps that's the proposed Muji location?

[connect2source]

Tip Top Tailors look like the next to disappear from the Canadian retail landscape.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/grafton-tip-top-retail-1.3953307

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by bluefox

Did that store on Burrard even open? I recall the signage being put up after Lacoste closed but I don't think I ever saw the store open.

it did open, i saw it before Christmas but at the time it was past business hours.

[NewfBC]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

Shoes.com shuts down immediately
Troubled Vancouver e-commerce player was once a rising star
By Glen Korstrom | Jan. 27, 2017, 12:09 p.m.

Vancouver-based online shoe retailer Shoes.com announced January 27, without notice, that it would halt operations immediately.

The company has taken all three of its e-commerce properties – Shoes.com, OnlineShoes.com and ShoeME.ca ­– offline. It also closed the doors on its two Shoes.com brick-and-mortar stores, which are in Vancouver and Toronto.

...

https://www.biv.com/article/2017/1/shoescom-shutting-down-today/

"Weekends are for adventure.. workdays are for shopping!" Uh sure.. encourage people to steal time and resources from their employer to shop online all day. If I were an IT manager in a company I would have blocked access to all of their sites.

Ron.

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by NewfBC

"Weekends are for adventure.. workdays are for shopping!" Uh sure.. encourage people to steal time and resources from their employer to shop online all day. If I were an IT manager in a company I would have blocked access to all of their sites.

Ron.

Congratulations on your blind allegiance to your corporate masters.

Not-Ron.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by connect2source

HMV's receivership status means another gaping hole on the 1100 block of Robson, or perhaps that's the proposed Muji location?

How long ago do you think HMV knew it was going to close? It seems odd that they would open a store in Tsawwassen Mills knowing that they were about to go under. Also how long would it take for a contract to go through for Muji taking over their Robson location (assuming that they are taking the HMV spot, which seems pretty likely).

[mezzanine]

Originally Posted by mezzanine

I am thinking if it's the 1100 block robson - the HMV store. The next door Eddie Bauer, although relatively new to the area, may also have weakness going forward.

Yikes!

How big is the HMV store? Is EB going to eat it?

I miss the heydays of the HMV on robson/burrard. The mezzanine section was cool with the graphic novel section. They even had a DJ booth to play music for customers that was used in their initial days, before the money ran out...

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by mezzanine

Yikes!

How big is the HMV store? Is EB going to eat it?

I miss the heydays of the HMV on robson/burrard. The mezzanine section was cool with the graphic novel section. They even had a DJ booth to play music for customers that was used in their initial days, before the money ran out...

3,000 square feet.

[cairnstone]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Grafton Fraser (Tip Top) gets Court Protection
http://www.news1130.com/2017/01/26/tip-t...urt-protection-to-deal-with-cash-crunch/

wow surprised by this as there is . tip top seems to be the goto place for suits. I usually grow out of my suits ant ended up buying a cheaper suit every year or so ugh

[cairnstone]

Originally Posted by retro_orange

It's about a 15-20 min walk across the bridge from 22nd st. station, I have done it a few times. Lets hope there's a residential redevelopment in it's near future, for a fairly new development it has poor pedestrian realm just walking between the stores, let alone walking outside of the development.

with Hamilton bus yard a block away and also huge development in Queensboro maybe it will survive. For some reason i dont think the owner are flexiable on leases thats why they stay closed.

[cairnstone]

Originally Posted by connect2source

Was just at IKEA Coquitlam picking up some part for a PAX wardrobe and noticed while grabbing a bite in the cafeteria, that they've switched to paper plates, plastic low quality cutlery and paper cups. I've never been crazy about their food but this takes it to new lows, the plates are super-flimsy and very small and the cutlery is very cheap and cuts the plates while trying to cut the food.

The whole experience 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 and I'm surprised at this move which I'm sure many customers will not approve of, also seems rather unsustainable for a company as green as IKEA.

ah but the did just buy a wind farm. most likely its all compostable

[cairnstone]

Originally Posted by Sheba

How long ago do you think HMV knew it was going to close? It seems odd that they would open a store in Tsawwassen Mills knowing that they were about to go under. Also how long would it take for a contract to go through for Muji taking over their Robson location (assuming that they are taking the HMV spot, which seems pretty likely).

the store on robson needs to be demoed. Has many ongoing issues with mechanical and leaks from above cincins. since aquilini owns restaurant and no idea on that lease. may be empty for a while.

Its not unusual for brands to expand prior to bankruptcy as gives more spaces to get rid of product.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by cairnstone

the store on robson needs to be demoed. Has many ongoing issues with mechanical and leaks from above cincins. since aquilini owns restaurant and no idea on that lease. may be empty for a while.

Its not unusual for brands to expand prior to bankruptcy as gives more spaces to get rid of product.

They don't seem to be trying very hard - HMV's website says 'up to 30% off' and yet when I was in the store today all I saw were 10% and 20% signs. It 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 for my friend who ordered a dvd that should have been in soon - they cancelled all orders on Friday. As expected, staff didn't know anything about this until Friday (and the one we were talking to found out on Facebook).

[SpongeG]

When they go into receivership or liquidation an outside company comes in and takes over the stock and does the pricing. Those companies will usually revert back to the original retail price and slowly start discounting after that point, prices in a closing down sale are often more expensive then the previous weeks prices, they will take clearance item tags off and replace them at the full retail price, once that process starts. It happenned with zellers, target, eatons, hmv - when it closed down before - before being saved by a new buyer.

You get the best deals in the final two weeks usually if you can hold out for something that isn't popular.

----------

I noticed the other night that there is still a Dollar Giant on Hastings @ Willingdon, i wonder why it wasn't rebranded Dollar Tree years ago when it was bought out.

[jollyburger]

Tesla is opening a showroom at Park Royal Village:

Signage went up Friday afternoon for a new Tesla store at the Park Royal shopping centre in West Vancouver. The store will be located in the centre’s outdoor ‘Park Royal South’ component, next to Old Navy. Tesla will replace retail units for Lenscrafters and Pinkberry, and will be just over 2,900 square feet in size.

http://www.retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2017/1/tesla

And that was Pinkberry's first Canadian location.