Canadian Retail Thread

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

But, that's Canada's corporate culture in a nutshell. Senior executive positions are increasingly becoming positions of inheritance rather than ones of merit. This isn't Germany, Japan or Canada from previous generations. These rich connected brats are full of themselves and they expect millions in bonuses even if it comes at the cost of a hundred layoffs because they think they are worth it.

In other words, it's not bullshit at all.

I totally agree with you. I hate when people say they've earned the money because they worked hard. Bullshit!

[WhipperSnapper]

Don't get me wrong, there are more than plenty that are gifted and worked their way to these positions. It's more the growing trend towards being gifted these positions through family connections. Just look at the portfolios of senior executives at any large employer. A growing number have less experience and education than the a mid level analysts.

Anyways, It doesn't really matter whether it was earned or inherited. Executive salaries and severances are growing more and more out of control impacting productivity and most likely innovation through their massive costs.

[SpongeG]

And sears is pissing off people even more now.

Sears Canada shuts down Facebook comments amid flood of angry messages
Retailer also removes older public comments, switches to private messaging

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/sear...ents-1.4223078

the facebook comments on this CBC Article are pretty much 100% against sears, most saying boycott or they never shopped there anyway.

[q12]

330,000 square foot IKEA Halifax opening in Dartmouth Crossing September 27th.

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/about_ikea...g_Announcement


Source Twitter:
https://twitter.com/moneyhugger/stat...68997080203264

[hipster duck]

Pretty amazing that a metro of 400,000 has an IKEA.

Like a lot of things in this world, Canada is squarely between the US and Continental Europe in "IKEA density".

We're about at the same level as the UK and France; cities like Nottingham and Dijon, which are about the same size as Halifax, have an IKEA, but not on the level of Germany or Scandinavia where cities of 100,000 or less have IKEAs.

At the same time, there are no IKEAs in US cities as big as Cleveland. And the deep south has none outside of Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis and Houston.

Man, if I taught a stats class, I'd use the relationship between IKEAs per 100k people and health/education spending as an example of correlation not equaling causation.

[q12]

^
We are beating the State of Indiana (and it's nearly 7 million people), which is opening it's first IKEA two weeks after us, and it's 41,000 sq ft smaller than IKEA Halifax.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/about_ikea...s_opening_date


We did have an IKEA up until 1988.

IKEA Dartmouth (Screen Captures from CTV Atlantic)http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/






Here is the Globe an Mail article on it closing in 1988:


Source

[esquire]

^ Considering how massive IKEA stores are now, it's strange to see it as a regular strip-mall store 30 years ago.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Pretty amazing that a metro of 400,000 has an IKEA.

The Maritimes are somewhat unusual in terms of having a relatively large rural population and a relatively small urban population. There are 1.5 million people or so who live in a compact area around the middle of the region, but the biggest city only has 400,000 people. To have a similar ratio, you'd probably need to cut Ottawa out of Ontario and drop the GTA down to 1 million people.

Nova Scotia has 400,000 rural residents according to Statistics Canada and BC has 600,000. Ontario has 1.8 million rural residents and Atlantic Canada has about 1 million. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tabl...emo62k-eng.htm

There are similar areas in the US but probably not in countries like France. Nobody in France lives 10 hours from the nearest big city, and consequently the small cities probably have relatively small catchment areas in terms of people who will travel a long way to load up on IKEA stuff.

Halifax and Nova Scotia also have a lot of students, and a lot of people there live in apartments or relatively small houses compared to Americans. It is a pretty good scenario in terms of IKEA support per capita.

[SpongeG]

Simons CEO feels 'vindicated' as national expansion ushers in new era for retailer

Quebec-based company becoming 'a national powerhouse,' says retail analyst

By Ross Marowits, The Canadian Press


Shoppers ride an escalator in the Simons store at Londonderry Mall in Edmonton on Saturday, Aug.26, 2017. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press)

The head of Quebec-based department store chain Simons is feeling vindicated as it completes the first phase of a five-year, $200 million national expansion even as the empires built by the retailer's contemporaries seem to crumble around it.

While chains such as Sears struggle to survive a changing retail landscape, the 177-year-old company is gaining fans among millennials and older shoppers seeking something different both online and at its increasing number of bricks and mortar stores.

"I'm feeling really good about where we're at," CEO Peter Simons said in an interview from his eponymous store's second location in Edmonton.

The store opening on Thursday is its 15th outlet and the first equipped with solar panels on the roof and in the parking lot.

The chain's roots in Quebec and focus on exclusive merchandise, unique assortment, artwork and strong design have translated well in English Canada, Simons said. The mid-priced chain's narrow focus means it hasn't bother to diversify into cosmetics, appliances or furniture the way some of its competitors have.

Some observers wondered whether the company would have the financial means to accomplish its expansion without going public, but Simons said being privately-held has given it the freedom to take risks because the company doesn't have to answer to shareholders on a quarterly basis.

"We're in a period that requires long-term thinking and long-term adjustments that are at times painful in the short-term, but necessary," he added.

...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montre...iler-1.4264320

[SpongeG]

Hudson's Bay opening its first store outside Canada

David Friend, The Canadian Press
Published Monday, September 4, 2017 1:15PM EDT
Last Updated Monday, September 4, 2017 1:23PM EDT

TORONTO -- Hudson's Bay Co. chief executive Jerry Storch says bringing the iconic department store brand to the Netherlands wasn't his original plan, but feedback from local shoppers suggested the country could use more Canadiana -- and a few of those Bay blankets.

When the retailer opens its doors on Tuesday in Amsterdam it marks the first time in its history that Hudson's Bay stepped outside Canada's borders with its flagship name. Nine more locations will canvass the region before the end of the month, with five more set to open next year.

It's an aggressive push into new territory, Storch acknowledges, but the opportunity to pick up attractive local space from bankrupt Dutch chain V&D was too good to ignore.

"There was a big gap in the Dutch market between a very high-end luxury player and the discount chains," he said.
"We looked at all the markets in the country."

Putting up signs in the Netherlands for a 347-year old Canadian business that started as a fur trading company wasn't quite as obvious at first, he said.

Originally executives felt it made sense to simply migrate Inno, a Belgium chain they acquired two years ago, across the border assuming that consumers shared some familiarity with the brand.

However, they quickly learned that not everyone in the Netherlands favoured the idea of a neighbouring country setting up shop on its home turf.

"The Dutch people kept telling us, 'We don't want the Inno brand,"' Storch said.
"We couldn't believe it. Even the guys at the hotel restaurant would tell us, 'No, bring Hudson's Bay here."'

So HBC, which owns a number of other banners including Saks and Lord & Taylor, chose to make Hudson's Bay its top priority in the region. Another two discount stores under the Saks Off 5th name will open before the end of the year.

...

video at the source:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/hudso...nada-1.3574608

[SpongeG]

video of the new Hudson's Bay

• Video Link

• Video Link

[SpongeG]

if you speak dutch...

• Video Link

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Pretty amazing that a metro of 400,000 has an IKEA.

Halifax actually had north America's 1st IKEA way back in 1980. It eventually closed so it's nice to see it return. (I see someone has already mentioned this.)

[TorontoDrew]

Doesn't Barrie have one? I'm actually surprised every college town isn't home to one as well.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Doesn't Barrie have one? I'm actually surprised every college town isn't home to one as well.

Barrie doesn't have one but Vaughan has a large store.

[SpongeG]

hudson's bay rotterdam

• Video Link

saks off 5th rotterdam

• Video Link

[SpongeG]

9 New Initiatives At Hudson's Bay First Store In Amsterdam

SEP 20, 2017 @Walter Loeb , CONTRIBUTOR


When Hudson’s Bay opened their first department store in Amsterdam on September 5, 2017, there were several new initiatives to make the store more exciting and shoppable. The 190,000-square foot store is a new store located in the heart of Amsterdam. Nine additional department stores will be opened shortly in the Netherlands by HBC. Twenty stores are planned. These are all former V&D (Vroom & Dreesmann) stores that were bought by HBC.

There was a very warm reception on opening day. 400 people waited for the doors to open and over 21,000 people shopped the store on the first day. Social media, traditional media and in-person talk created the excitement for the first day. It was really a “dry-run” day with the formal opening scheduled a few days later.

Here are the nine initiatives that should make shopping in the store very appealing.

...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/walterl.../#21ac0b1d5fa4

[dansk]

I decided to take a look at the new store two days ago in Amsterdam. They did a really good job at incorporating into the local area. Hope to see more of these elements brought to Canada in the future.

[SpongeG]

Mastermind Toys ramps up expansion even as Toys "R" Us flounders

Chain with origins in Toronto has carved out a niche in the competitive toy business

The Canadian Press Posted: Sep 22, 2017 11:12 AM ET


Pedestrians walk past a Mastermind Toys store in downtown Toronto in this Sept. 19, 2017 photo. Mastermind Toys is shrugging off the challenges that have beset the retail sector with plans to open more stores this year. (Chris Donovan/Canadian Press)

Jon Levy's favourite playthings as a Toronto child growing up in the 1960s and 1970s included Lego blocks and fort-building kits — classics that still fly off the shelves of his Mastermind Toy stores today.

"My true innovation in this business is being able to get inside my inner kid and determine whether it is something truly fun to play with," said Levy, the chain's co-founder, CEO and chief toy merchant.

"Being able to explore that as an adult every day is quite an amazing occupation. And 90 per cent of the things I look at and interact with weren't around when I was a kid."

Indeed, much about the toy retail landscape has changed since Levy and his brother Andy co-founded Mastermind Toys back in 1984.

The latest evidence is the bankruptcy filing this week of big-box chain Toys "R" Us, and parallel proceedings by its Canadian subsidiary. It's the latest brick-and-mortar retailer to struggle amid the rise of e-commerce and changing consumer preferences.

And yet, Mastermind Toys is expanding its footprint across the country at the fastest pace in its history — aiming to grow from 56 stores to 60 by the end of the year, and 90 by the end of 2020.

After that, the retailer will home in on Quebec, where it has identified 18 to 20 potential stores.

...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/mast...sion-1.4302216

[q12]

IKEA HALIFAX now open

Day 1:





Sources:https://twitter.com/DartmouthXing/st...29628575993856


https://twitter.com/Lisette_Cormier/...35116197892096