The Metro Vancouver Retail Thread

[SpongeG]

sugarfina is now open at metrotown. Most of the items have no prices on them, there was a few people in the store, picked up a few things and couldn't find a price. I could hear muttering as people left that it was way ridiculously expensive. The only price list i saw was for tiny little bags, they had about 9 gummy candies in them and they were something like 5 bags for $26 i think it was. insane. I don't think metrotown is high end enough for them to survive, they will get the foot traffic i guess, but would be more suitable in oakridge perhaps.

[NewfBC]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

sugarfina is now open at metrotown. Most of the items have no prices on them, there was a few people in the store, picked up a few things and couldn't find a price. I could hear muttering as people left that it was way ridiculously expensive. The only price list i saw was for tiny little bags, they had about 9 gummy candies in them and they were something like 5 bags for $26 i think it was. insane. I don't think metrotown is high end enough for them to survive, they will get the foot traffic i guess, but would be more suitable in oakridge perhaps.

They're doing quite well @Nordstrom downtown.

Ron.

[officedweller]

The tiny cubes are Cdn$9.95 on the Sugarfina website.

[SpongeG]

well they should put prices on their stuff at metrotown. Ive seen the stuff at nordstrom its clearly priced. I think if people are like me and they don't see a price they ain't buying or they aren't going to ask. lol.

they had these little tasting bags, i think the sign next to them said 5 bags for $26 or 14 bags for $48. something ridiculous. it seems to work out $1 per little piece of candy.



i saw a number of people looking but none of them bought anything. Metrotown ain't as upscale as they thought perhaps. it ain't yorkdale. I really wonder how long they will last.

[Sheba]

Loblaw to close 22 stores, launch home delivery in Toronto, Vancouver

Loblaw Companies Ltd. is closing 22 stores and launching home delivery in two major Canadian cities, ahead of what it believes will be a challenging new year.

The grocery and pharmacy giant has finalized a plan that will result in the closure of 22 unprofitable stores across a range of its banners and formats, said spokeswoman Catherine Thomas in an email, who declined to provide specific store locations. The store closures are expected to be mostly complete by the end of the first quarter next year.

"We are excited about our future. But given all of the headwinds, we expect 2018 will be a very difficult year," said Galen G. Weston, Loblaw CEO, during a call with analysts following the company's earnings report.

Canadian grocers face increasing pressure from several fronts, including discount and online retailers, and pending minimum wage increases in some provinces.

...

The retailer is also doubling down on its e-commerce offerings, including launching home delivery with California-based Instacart in Toronto starting Dec. 6 and Vancouver starting January 2018.

Shoppers will order from local Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore or T&T locations via the Instacart website or app and the company will deliver the food.

"This is a premium service targeted at customers who are looking for the ultimate in convenience," Weston said.

...

Loblaw, which said in 2016 it had no plans to launch home delivery due to lack of customer demand, plans to expand the program rapidly next year.

In the U.S., Instacart aims to serve 80 per cent of households, said Ganenthiran. It will aim to do the same in Canada, which would require a presence in about 20 to 25 cities, he said. That could include partnerships with other grocers in the future.

Canadians currently have few options for grocery deliveries, with companies like Grocery Gateway and select large chains offering the service in limited locations. Walmart, for example, announced in March it would start delivering groceries to customers living in certain parts of Toronto and the surrounding area.

Most grocers, including Loblaw and Walmart, have opted to focus heavily on in-store pick-up for online orders instead. Loblaw launched its click-and-collect offering in 2014 and now offers it at nearly 200 locations. Weston said the company remains very committed to the program and is opening a new location nearly daily.

However, Amazon's recent acquisition of Whole Foods Market increased speculation that Canada's grocers would have to step up on home delivery offerings.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by s211

Downtown retail ownership is anything but monopolized. I'm not sure how anyone could jump to that conclusion.

The limited number of retail stores in only selected streets make them a monopoly. Pacific Centre is a monopoly, and that's why it is the top-grossing mall in the entire country. I don't know how anyone can fail to jump to that conclusion.

[SpongeG]

was out at park royal today. The new H&M isn't that big. On the mall level it takes up 1/4 of the space, there are 3 more stores next to it all with stores coming soon. The upstairs area is a good size but looks smaller than it does from the outside.

Pic of the progress of the new theatre

2017-11-15_10-01-46 by snub_you, on Flickr

[casper]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Loblaw to close 22 stores, launch home delivery in Toronto, Vancouver

A number of grocery stores in Canada already do home delivery. Most run on this platform www.mightyplus.com

[officedweller]

Nordstrom brings MoMA's cutting-edge Design Store to Vancouver for the holidays
https://www.straight.com/life/996746/nor...re-vancouver-holidays?platform=hootsuite

[officedweller]

RYU Apparel announces official launch of newest store located in Metropolis at Metrotown
http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/...ed-in-Metropolis-at-Metrotown-1008799735

[SpongeG]

Article mentions muji is likely to open at richmond centre next year and miniso will open at coquitlam centre and lynn valley centre soon.

Large Japanese retailers gain ground in Vancouver

Muji readies to open second B.C. store; Miniso and Uniqlo also expanding in the province
By Glen Korstrom | Nov. 24, 2017, 1 p.m.


Japanese household products store Muji is planning to open its Robson Street location on December 2 | Chung Chow

2017 in Metro Vancouver has been marked by the entry and proliferation of large Japanese retailers in the market – a trend set to continue December 2, when the household and consumer goods purveyor Muji opens its second store in the region, on Robson Street.

Muji opened its first Metro Vancouver store at Metropolis at Metrotown August 25, and it’s rumoured the company will open a third store in a shopping centre south of the Fraser River next year – possibly at CF Richmond Centre, where Cadillac Fairview senior vice-president and portfolio manager Tom Knoepfel confirmed that the company has been in “discussions” about opening a store.

“They’re in big-expansion mode, and Canada is on their hit list,” retail analyst and DIG360 principal David Gray told Business in Vancouver.

“For a lot of those big guys, when locating in Canada, it’s Toronto or Vancouver first. Locations are often determined by where the leases come up, and whatever space they can find that is suitable.”

Muji first opened a Canadian store in Toronto in late 2014, and the chain has since opened three more stores in the Greater Toronto Area.

...

https://www.biv.com/article/2017/11/large-japanese-retailers-gain-ground-vancouver/

[Vin]

Robson used to be on the 5th most expensive real estate in the world slightly more than a decade ago, in 2006.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=315000

How things have changed.....


Robson Street rent dropped more than 15% over the past year, and for the ranking in the Americas, it has dropped to 9th position, and definitely much lower internationally. Hmmm yet many retailers have not chosen to take up the shuttered shops.

https://www.biv.com/article/2017/11/robson-street-rents-drop-15-past-year/



Yet a short distance away, Pacific Centre is the 2nd most productive mall in this country.

https://www.biv.com/article/2017/1/vancouver-has-two-canadas-three-most-productive-ma/

[LeftCoaster]

And yet it used to be first...

[WarrenC12]

Starbucks certainly made a smart choice not renewing their Robson lease at the exorbitant rates demanded.

[phesto]

Lots of retail vacancies popping up along the art gallery/furniture row of South Granville as well.

[wrenegade]

As i've said before, with only a few exceptions, Robson street buildings are garbage. If landlords refuse to built new, appropriate retail spaces then the tenants will go elsewhere. Cadillac continually improves Pacific Centre so it makes sense to pay to be there. The only really decent buildings on Robson are Forever 21, Robson Centreplace, and Victoria's Secret. While the new Lululemon and Arc'Teryx may look alright from the outside, the buildings themselves are meh. Arc'teryx suffers from a low ceiling height and Lululemon's layout is a bit odd and small (their Whistler location is still one of the best I've been in). After spending some time in Tokyo I'm even more disappointed with what's available on Robson, but tenants are now voting with their feet. Hopefully landlords will wake-up over the next couple years and either substantially renovate or replace their buildings.

[SpongeG]

tax assesments are killing themselves. I just read an article the other day and New York is having the same problem with many empty storefronts. One of the conclusions in that article among a few was that landlords are just greedy and waiting on the property for a big name to move in. And in some cases some streets attracted the big fancy names but they end up closing and sitting empty cause the locations just didn't work out. So they booted out the mom and pop shops for the big chains, designers and then they end up shutting down and sitting empty.

Most of the empty stores on Robson that are emty are pretty crappy and need to replaced. Muji is ok but from the outside it looks like a mess.

I thought the small stores near TNA were going to be replaced, did that development stall?

[s211]

Originally Posted by phesto

Lots of retail vacancies popping up along the art gallery/furniture row of South Granville as well.

I wonder if that might have the added element of pending redevelopment of a few sites.

[Vin]

The City has A LOT TO DO WITH why the stores along Robson, as well as many other shopping streets, are crappy.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by Vin

The City has A LOT TO DO WITH why the stores along Robson, as well as many other shopping streets, are crappy.

Please explain...