Winnipeg Retail

[horrorbro123]

Originally Posted by vjose32

With the Lego announcement CF also teased a couple other new to Canada stores, I wonder what they are

Maybe Polo Park Will Added Build-A-Bear Workshop

[h0twired]

Originally Posted by horrorbro123

Maybe Polo Park Will Added Build-A-Bear Workshop

I hope not. What a waste of retail space.

[esquire]

A new Bomber Store has opened at Polo Park, apparently it's semi-seasonal, and will last for the rest of the year (presumably through the Grey Cup and Christmas seasons).

They also have such a location at Winnipeg Square.

I'm not sure why the Bombers keep messing around with the temporary store thing... why not bite the bullet and just get a permanent second store at Polo Park already? They move a lot of merch these days... you'd think it would work.

[CoryB]

^^ Polo Park confirmed that the Bomber Store there is a "Grey Cup Festival" store which is football code for "temporary". This is the same language used on the Winnipeg Square store which seems to never have any customers. The Grey Cup game is scheduled for Nov 29, 2015 so it would be a good bet that the stores stick it out through December and are gone before Jan 15, 2016. If sales at either location are high enough to cover expenses the team I am sure would consider making the location a more permanent one. That said the Bombers have a long history of temporary stores throughout the city so I doubt that will change.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by CoryB

If sales at either location are high enough to cover expenses the team I am sure would consider making the location a more permanent one. That said the Bombers have a long history of temporary stores throughout the city so I doubt that will change.

That's the head-scratcher, they're always doing temp locations and paying for space anyway... why not pick one and stick with it, and then at least people will know where to find you?

The Winnipeg Square location is pretty quiet when I walk by but I'm sure it'll get busier when the season starts and people start going to games again. It can't be any worse than the dud pop-up store they had at Hydro Place which opened just as the abysmal 2013 season was sinking into the toilet... I'm a diehard Bomber fan but even I couldn't stand to go in there and buy anything that year.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by CoryB

^^ Polo Park confirmed that the Bomber Store there is a "Grey Cup Festival" store which is football code for "temporary". This is the same language used on the Winnipeg Square store which seems to never have any customers. The Grey Cup game is scheduled for Nov 29, 2015 so it would be a good bet that the stores stick it out through December and are gone before Jan 15, 2016. If sales at either location are high enough to cover expenses the team I am sure would consider making the location a more permanent one. That said the Bombers have a long history of temporary stores throughout the city so I doubt that will change.

Since there's no sports venues near Polo anymore, it'd be awesome for all teams to "team" up and split the cost of a merch store. A Winnipeg ("major") sports store with Jets Gear, Bomber Store and Goldeyes Dugout all in one. That would be awesome.

[Danny D Oh]

I don't quite understand the way the CFL (or maybe it's just the Bombers) merchandise. They get 100% of what their store sells, and the vast majority of what they sell can't be found anywhere else.

I'd think it would work out much better for them if they sold all their merchandise through a place like River City Sports. Obviously they wouldn't get all the revenue, but they'd reach a wider market and sell much more you would think. The stuff that RCS and other retailers can sell is crap.

The Bombers main store is extremely isolated on the U of M campus. If they are going to stick with being the only retailer selling their own merchandise, you'd think they'd want their main permanent store at either St. Vital or Polo Park.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by esquire

That's the head-scratcher, they're always doing temp locations and paying for space anyway... why not pick one and stick with it, and then at least people will know where to find you?

I think with the temporary spaces they have significantly more leverage on their lease cost. Also as temporary locations they tend to not spend on building the space to any specifications and run with what is there. The Winnipeg Square location would seem to be the exception to that rule.

Originally Posted by esquire

The Winnipeg Square location is pretty quiet when I walk by but I'm sure it'll get busier when the season starts and people start going to games again. It can't be any worse than the dud pop-up store they had at Hydro Place which opened just as the abysmal 2013 season was sinking into the toilet... I'm a diehard Bomber fan but even I couldn't stand to go in there and buy anything that year.

The Hydro location was a bit of a head scratcher. It opened very late in the season as it was meant more as a holiday pop up location. I actually went in there a couple of times for different reasons and it was pretty quiet. That said the merchandise mix was poor to say the least. On top of that they had no system in place to transfer inventory from the main store for items you could see online or otherwise knew they had. That is pretty much how the Bomber store operates every day though as there are other times where I have looked for items in specific sizes only to not see them on the floor. Those same items in the sizes I was looking for then magically show up in large quantities at their clearance sale. Also as the league has a deal with Rebook each team tends to wear the same item in a given week for their "sideline" gear line. Based on that it would seem most of the seasons retail stock arrives in a single large shipment.

Originally Posted by Danny D Oh

I don't quite understand the way the CFL (or maybe it's just the Bombers) merchandise. They get 100% of what their store sells, and the vast majority of what they sell can't be found anywhere else.

I'd think it would work out much better for them if they sold all their merchandise through a place like River City Sports. Obviously they wouldn't get all the revenue, but they'd reach a wider market and sell much more you would think. The stuff that RCS and other retailers can sell is crap.

I know for fact that River City Sports carries the Sideline Gear line of Bomber merchandise. This tends to be some of the better product the team gets. The team store exclusive stuff is often cheaper quality stuff made by the same companies you could get clothing made for your staff picnic. Last year they even tried to launch a program where they did a fast turn on local printed t-shirts with the plan to basically have a new design every week. That would have meant that back in the day when Westwood first mentioned Banjo Bowl the team would have been selling shirts with that phrase before the game that same week.

Originally Posted by Danny D Oh

The Bombers main store is extremely isolated on the U of M campus. If they are going to stick with being the only retailer selling their own merchandise, you'd think they'd want their main permanent store at either St. Vital or Polo Park.

It ultimately comes down to lease costs and sales. The Bombers have very inflated price points for a lot of their clothing and are also known to heavily discount stuff after the season. This leads to a lot of people basically waiting the team out unless there is something they don't want to risk missing out on. For example one jacket I got from them normally sold for about $150 and I got it for $30. If you aren't paying close attention you won't notice but a lot of their stuff is extremely seasonal. Take the "pink week" for example. Before Ottawa joined the league ran "pink week" to raise money for cancer. The teams would market and wear specific pink items in this blitz. Each team would play one home game and one away game. The sales of the pink items would heavily be pushed in the week leading up to the game and then quickly moved to the back burner before the next home game. This year's pink items are of course different than last year, or two years ago. The pink stuff is more extreme but everything is very seasonal there and has a short shelf life. Its not unlike how car enthusiasts can spot the subtle differences between a 2014 model and a 2015 model.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by CoryB

It ultimately comes down to lease costs and sales. The Bombers have very inflated price points for a lot of their clothing and are also known to heavily discount stuff after the season. This leads to a lot of people basically waiting the team out unless there is something they don't want to risk missing out on. For example one jacket I got from them normally sold for about $150 and I got it for $30. If you aren't paying close attention you won't notice but a lot of their stuff is extremely seasonal.

I have to admit I tend to do this, but partly because I've been trained to do it that way. Bomber stuff, like so much licensed sports gear, is sold at very high markups, especially once you get beyond simple t-shirts... but the price inevitably comes down significantly at clearance sales, so I just wait for that opportunity once a year to buy a few things dirt cheap. I just bought a clearance New Era hat for $10 (regular price $40)... I'd never pay the full price knowing that it always comes down.

[CoryB]

^^ That's the exact challenge the Bombers have. Why buy that hat, golf shirt, jacket, etc at full price when it will likely be on sale for more than 50% off in the next six months. The changes from year to year are also marginal at best and only real hard core people would even notice. Heck the official team gear even gets their current logo wrong at some point every season.

[esquire]

I see that a new independent convenience store has opened up at Graham and Kennedy, where there was a bridal salon until not too long ago. It's just down the street from the new-ish V-Maxx convenience store. (Two convenience stores on the same downtown block? What is this, Manhattan?)

[pegcity]

I could see Home Sense opening up shop at the former Polo Park Future Shop location, but it may be a bit big. I'm surprised there's only one Home Sense location in Winnipeg, that place is always busy with mom's.

Who's with me?

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by horrorbro123

Maybe Polo Park Will Added Build-A-Bear Workshop

Originally Posted by h0twired

I hope not. What a waste of retail space.

haha i believe the chain has been downsizing the last few years, they shut down a store or two in the vancouver area a while back, tough to sell $100 teddy bears with clothes that cost more than clothes for a human

but they were a fun concept

[Danny D Oh]

Originally Posted by CoryB

I know for fact that River City Sports carries the Sideline Gear line of Bomber merchandise. This tends to be some of the better product the team gets. The team store exclusive stuff is often cheaper quality stuff made by the same companies you could get clothing made for your staff picnic. Last year they even tried to launch a program where they did a fast turn on local printed t-shirts with the plan to basically have a new design every week. That would have meant that back in the day when Westwood first mentioned Banjo Bowl the team would have been selling shirts with that phrase before the game that same week.

RCS is usually about a year behind in terms of hats and sideline gear. Actually just spend a couple weeks trying to pickup a new Bomber hat, dropped into the River City location at KP and on Henderson and could not find anything new, all the designs from the last couple years and nothing with just the simple W on it. Kind of trivial I know. I ended up grabbing a hat at the Bomber Store when I picked up my season ticket card.

They also do not have the same stitching on jerseys. I wonder what the situation is in other cities. The only other city I've spent significant time in that cares about the CFL is Regina, and I seem to recall their official merchandise being more widely available, but I lived there a decade ago.

[armorand93]

Saw this while trying to look for a job/trying to photograph the electric Xcelisor (blue bus). What do you guys think?

[plrh]

Originally Posted by armorand93

Saw this while trying to look for a job/trying to photograph the electric Xcelisor (blue bus). What do you guys think?

I may have seen you today. Were you walking around with a manilla envelope? I would never eat at a restaurant called signage.

[Biff]

Originally Posted by plrh

I may have seen you today. Were you walking around with a manilla envelope? I would never eat at a restaurant called signage.

Sounds Asian.

[CoryB]

In terms of the Polo Park Future Shop, that location would be ideal for the combined Winners/HomeSense format you see everywhere else. For those that haven't seen it, the exterior appears to be two separate stores. In the case of the Future Shop site, there would then be a south door for HomeSense and a north door for Winners. There is a dividing wall down the middle of the space with pass throughs at the front and rear. Staff appear to be shared across the store and the share a single bank of checkouts between the two doors.

..

Separately, its time to kick the dying horse again. Sears Canada released their quarterly financials with a loss of $59.1 million and revenue decline of over 10% compared to the first quarter last year. There is only so long these losses can go on before someone makes the call and forces them into bankruptcy. There cupboards are also getting pretty bare in terms of assets that can be liquidated to keep propping up this ghost.

Source

[esquire]

Originally Posted by CoryB

..

Separately, its time to kick the dying horse again. Sears Canada released their quarterly financials with a loss of $59.1 million and revenue decline of over 10% compared to the first quarter last year. There is only so long these losses can go on before someone makes the call and forces them into bankruptcy. There cupboards are also getting pretty bare in terms of assets that can be liquidated to keep propping up this ghost.

Source

I wonder what it is people don't like about Sears? I thought they did a pretty good job of covering the bases for a typical family... decent clothes at good prices (much better value than Wal-Mart IMO where the clothes are cheaper but uglier and lesser quality) including an excellent selection of kids' clothes, good appliances and housewares, good hardware and electronics lineup.

It's not a bad store, but for whatever reason they can't seem to get people in the doors anymore.

[cllew]

Things like getting rid of the Craftsman tool line are a reason I don't go in as much any more.

I would usually go through the men's clothing on the way out after browsing the tools, and buy something if it was on sale, but now that they have downsized the tools, I go to other stores and look at tools that don't sell clothing