Canadian Retail Thread

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

indeed. there is no comparison. None.

The main difference, imho, is that one is insanely salty, the other almost criminally so.

[isaidso]

Never seen a Giant Tiger but heard about it. Is it a scaled down Walmart?

[WhipperSnapper]

Depends on the store apparently. That one looks like a Walmart. The ones I've been in were more like a Bargain Harolds or Biway.

Remember Towers? That was a great store.

[SpongeG]

back to chicken, there was talk that Burger King was going to buy Popeyes.

The only Giant Tiger I have been to was in Grande Prairie Alberta, I don't think there are any in BC. It seems like a bigger version of Fields which still exist in Alberta's small towns along with TBS! The Bargain Store.

[OutOfTowner]

We really do need more shitty American franchises in Canada.
We don't have nearly enough as it is..

[Loco101]

Our newer Giant Tiger store looks nice, is clean and has groceries but the store just isn't that great. There really isn't a wide selection of merchandise. Nothing interesting either. GT just doesn't stand out in any way.

[MolsonExport]

yes, giant Tiger reminds me of Fields and the Bargain! Store. And Biway.

Complete shite, the lot of them.

[MolsonExport]

Seems like all the Couch Turds and Macs (convenience stores) are converting to Circle K.

What the fuck is a Circle K? The Ultra Americanization of Canada continues unabated.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/mac-s-convenience-stores-to-be-rebranded-as-circle-k-1.2575071

Lucky Quebec gets to keep the Couch Turd name. I much prefer it over Circle-jerk fucking K.

theDude

[Horus]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

back to chicken, there was talk that Burger King was going to buy Popeyes.

That deal was done. Popeye's was bought by Restaurant Brands International (Burger King, Tim Hortons) for $1.8 Billion back in February
http://www.businessinsider.com/burger-king-owner-restaurant-brands-to-buy-popeyes-2017-2

[Horus]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Seems like all the Couch Turds and Macs (convenience stores) are converting to Circle K.

What the fuck is a Circle K? The Ultra Americanization of Canada continues unabated.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/mac-s-convenience-stores-to-be-rebranded-as-circle-k-1.2575071

• Video Link

[MonctonRad]

Circle K is pretty ubiquitous in Atlantic Canada. Several years ago all the Irving Mainway locations converted to Circle K.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Seems like all the Couch Turds and Macs (convenience stores) are converting to Circle K.

What the fuck is a Circle K? The Ultra Americanization of Canada continues unabated.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/mac-s-convenience-stores-to-be-rebranded-as-circle-k-1.2575071

Lucky Quebec gets to keep the Couch Turd name. I much prefer it over Circle-jerk fucking K.

theDude

I've seen at least one Circle K so far, in Scarborough last weekend. This one was at an Esso station.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

it's only recently that nordstrom turned itself upscale, in the 90's and 00's it was family friendly affordable american style clothing, only a handful of their US stores that I have been to are what we have in Canada. Most are more on par with Macys or a typical Hudsons Bay store.

I can't see the High end Vancouver and Toronto nordstroms going into places like Winiipeg or Halifax etc.

Nordstrom has no interest in going mid-market and nor should they, mid-market retail is getting decimated. Their stores in the US will continue to trend upward in brand and price point as the retail world continues to be split into fast fashion or lux.

Originally Posted by niwell

Nando's is pretty good! The locations in central Toronto seem a bit upscale in decor which is interesting, but certainly caters to the lunch crowd in my work area. My friends who have lived in the UK regarded it more as late night drunk food which does not seem to be market they are aiming for here at all. I haven't been to any in the suburbs though. The one's I saw in SA ranged from almost as fancy to more bare bones fast food depending on the area.

Nando's is excellent, best chicken out there period, and it doesn't even have to resort to being fried to be good!

From what I understand from a few British expats in Canada the UK Nandos is quite different than the Canadian one, both in vibe and taste.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Nordstrom has no interest in going mid-market and nor should they, mid-market retail is getting decimated. Their stores in the US will continue to trend upward in brand and price point as the retail world continues to be split into fast fashion or lux.



Nando's is excellent, best chicken out there period, and it doesn't even have to resort to being fried to be good!

From what I understand from a few British expats in Canada the UK Nandos is quite different than the Canadian one, both in vibe and taste.

I can't say I recall a taste difference, but that could well be. The UK Nandos I've seen have tended to be a bit downmarket from the newer ones I've been seeing in Canada. And, at home in South Africa, Nando's has the best TV commercials, including my favourite, for their "bigger, fuller, bouncier double breasted burger":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k97AIRy5Z5U

[WhipperSnapper]

Best chicken chain no doubt. I've had better Peri Peri elsewhere in Toronto.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Nordstrom has no interest in going mid-market and nor should they, mid-market retail is getting decimated. Their stores in the US will continue to trend upward in brand and price point as the retail world continues to be split into fast fashion or lux.



Nando's is excellent, best chicken out there period, and it doesn't even have to resort to being fried to be good!

From what I understand from a few British expats in Canada the UK Nandos is quite different than the Canadian one, both in vibe and taste.

they adapt to the market though, Calgary's store carries quite a more affordable selection than the Vancouver store. Nordstrom was never high end until the last few years. They were always affordable and a stop off for back to school clothes in the 80's on road trips to seattle.

As For Circle K I grew up with that store in BC, there aren't that many Macs around, 7-11s are all over the place in Vancouver and more are being added as gas station stores convert to the 7-11 banner.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Circle K is pretty ubiquitous in Atlantic Canada. Several years ago all the Irving Mainway locations converted to Circle K.

You left out the two weeks where all Mainway locations became Blue Canoe.

On that note I should bring up an observation i've had recently. Irving has a pretty strong foothold on gas stations throughout the Maritimes but i've noticed that most new builds are from others (Esso & Shell especially). Irving still has all the key locations but their number of locations is staying flat as others enter and expand in the market. It's interesting to watch play out. If anything, Irving has a stranglehold on a lot of rural areas and those locations are dwindling fast.

Along with this some of the Irving Gas & Restaurant stops are being bypassed by new highway builds which must seriously eat into their bottom lines by losing traffic. Pennfield and Degelis are the two examples I can think of where highway twinning has bypassed existing locations and pushed them off of the main route.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

they adapt to the market though, Calgary's store carries quite a more affordable selection than the Vancouver store. Nordstrom was never high end until the last few years. They were always affordable and a stop off for back to school clothes in the 80's on road trips to seattle.

As For Circle K I grew up with that store in BC, there aren't that many Macs around, 7-11s are all over the place in Vancouver and more are being added as gas station stores convert to the 7-11 banner.

It's been a lot longer than 'a few years". It's been decades since Nordstrom has been a middle class shopping destination.

And yes Nortstrom has different price points between a place like Calgary and Vancouver, however you'd be hard pressed to argue they are both anything but high end to anyone but the most discerning of customers.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

they adapt to the market though, Calgary's store carries quite a more affordable selection than the Vancouver store. Nordstrom was never high end until the last few years. They were always affordable and a stop off for back to school clothes in the 80's on road trips to seattle.

As For Circle K I grew up with that store in BC, there aren't that many Macs around, 7-11s are all over the place in Vancouver and more are being added as gas station stores convert to the 7-11 banner.

That's just it. Esso sold their "On The Run" convenience stores to different parties in different provinces. In BC, they will be renamed 7-11. In Ontario, it's Circle K.

http://globalnews.ca/news/2565603/imperial-oil-to-sell-esso-stations-for-2-8b/

[Taeolas]

Before that, Irving sold their convienance stores, and Couche-Tard bought them up, shortly before Couche-Tard bought up the US chain CircleK.

The Irving stores all switched over to Circle K branding almost right away (Irving didn't really have much store branding; Blue Canoe was close but it didn't catch on), and the Ontario chains (that Couch Tard already owned or bought later; I can't recall now) are now following suit, probably to sort out branding purposes.