Canadian Retail Thread

[jonny24]

Canadian Tire functions like a department store as well, other than clothes which is the main-stay of all the others. And some do (used to) have a Mark's inside them filling that market as well. Appliances, kitchen stuff, home decor, furniture, storage, etc. The sausage cart outside is probably tastier than the inside-the-store diner, lol.

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

I don't understand why HBC can't become another outdoorsy lifestyle brand selling in posh boutiques globally. Blankets, housewares, winter accessories, handbags etc. Designed and manufactured in Canada.

Now that you say it, it seems obvious. They should be competing with North Face / Canada Goose, but with more varied products. Maybe aiming at Roots as well.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Proof Sheet

Are you MikeToronto in disguise

"Today, on a very special episode of MikeToronto..."

Originally Posted by casper

As a side note the North West Company is still around. They are global player in selling stuff in some of the most remote places of the world. They purchased the Russia-American Company (who ran trading posts in Alaska when it was still part of Russia) a number of years ago. North West Company has stors in the Caribbean, Hawaii and many remote south pacific islands as well as Northern Canada and the US. All run from a global head office in Winnipeg.

I think the NWC has a better chance of serving than HBC at this stage.

You're right, NWC has very good prospects. But bear in mind that it's a different company today, it just shares the name of the original, it isn't the same entity. It started up in 1987... it acquired the old The Bay locations in all the northern towns (in many tiny isolated communities, The Bay was literally the only store, although in those places it had the character of a general store and grocer as compared to the department store it is in cities). After NWC took them over, they became Northern Stores.

Here's a picture of the old The Bay location in Churchill, Manitoba before it converted to Northern in the late 1980s. This was way larger than the typical Bay/Northern store:

Originally Posted by J.OT13

We still have Simons.

Yeah, that's fair. I kind of thought of them more as a big specialty store focused on apparel but they might qualify as a department store.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by Wigs

That's one of the worst retail service experiences I've ever heard. Walmart level or worse. The Bay used to be at a high standard. Which Calgary location(s)?

It was at Southcentre which is one of our major malls.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by esquire

Yeah, that's fair. I kind of thought of them more as a big specialty store focused on apparel but they might qualify as a department store.

Yeah, Simons doesn't quite feel like other department stores like Sears and HBC; no appliances, furniture, tools, yard work section (does HBC even have those anymore?), all-in one type store however, they do have a home section and have taken the traditional role of anchor tenant for the malls they serve.

I guess Nordstorm would be another one. Not quite the wide selection as the older department stores, but still considered as such.

Don't know if Costco fits into this discussion as well.

[harls]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Don't know if Costco fits into this discussion as well.

Isssh..that's a stretch

I mean, they got lots of stuff.. except fancy escalators and mannequins.

[le calmar]

The modern Giant Tiger stores are honestly not that different from some of the budget department stores like Walmart. They’ve got everything from grocery to clothing to garden and garage accessories. I believe electronic items as well although it’s limited. The older locations don’t exactly offer the same experience though.

[esquire]

I'd lump Costco in with Walmart and other standalone big box discount stores.

[harls]

Originally Posted by le calmar

The modern Giant Tiger stores are honestly not that different from some of the budget department stores like Walmart. They’ve got everything from grocery to clothing to garden and garage accessories. I believe electronic items as well although it’s limited. The older locations don’t exactly offer the same experience though.

Giant Tiger has a distinct odor that Walmart doesn't. I can't quite put my finger on it. Sort of a mix of dog food and stale bananas.

Walmart just smells like bleach and citrus.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by harls

Isssh..that's a stretch

I mean, they got lots of stuff.. except fancy escalators and mannequins.

Oh yeah, that is quite a stretch. I guess I was thinking about someone mentioning Wal-Mart. Which brings me to this:

Originally Posted by esquire

I'd lump Costco in with Walmart and other standalone big box discount stores.

Yeah, I would agree.

Originally Posted by le calmar

The modern Giant Tiger stores are honestly not that different from some of the budget department stores like Walmart. They’ve got everything from grocery to clothing to garden and garage accessories. I believe electronic items as well although it’s limited. The older locations don’t exactly offer the same experience though.

I guess I never considered Giant Tiger, or Zellers and Kmart for that matter, department stores because they are not a staples of malls. Department stores are to me the heritage stores with iconic downtown locations (and smaller versions in towns and villages) and/or traditional shopping centre anchors. The ones you usually see in strip-malls or giant suburban parking lots are more "big-box" as you say.

There are exceptions. In Ottawa-Gatineau, we have and have had a few Wal-Mart anchors, and we have Costco anchor, but they still feel separate from the malls themselves.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Yeah, Simons doesn't quite feel like other department stores like Sears and HBC; no appliances, furniture, tools, yard work section (does HBC even have those anymore?), all-in one type store however, they do have a home section and have taken the traditional role of anchor tenant for the malls they serve.

I guess Nordstorm would be another one. Not quite the wide selection as the older department stores, but still considered as such.

Don't know if Costco fits into this discussion as well.

We have a Simons and a Hudson's Bay at my local mall and they don't seem to be that different. Simons is smaller and way trendier and nicer, and they do have a small section of housewares and stuff. Not sure if the Bay still has appliances and bigger household items anymore.

I may be wrong but it seems to me that the Bay is moving more and more towards just clothing, accessories, shoes, jewellery and makeup, with a bit of lighter household stuff.

Not really all that different from Simons.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Acajack

We have a Simons and a Hudson's Bay at my local mall and they don't seem to be that different. Simons is smaller and way trendier and nicer, and they do have a small section of housewares and stuff. Not sure if the Bay still has appliances and bigger household items anymore.

I may be wrong but it seems to me that the Bay is moving more and more towards just clothing, accessories, shoes, jewellery and makeup, with a bit of lighter household stuff.

Not really all that different from Simons.

That's what I was thinking.

I agree, HBC just feels depressing and dilapidated compared to the younger and more energetic Simons. Fascinating how Simons, a 183 year old department store, was able to keep up with the times while the Sears and HBCs of the world struggled to adapt until the bitter end.

To be fair, I don't believe Simons left Quebec City until 1999, and the Province until 2012, so it wasn't a massive ship that was hard to steer like the others.

[le calmar]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Oh yeah, that is quite a stretch. I guess I was thinking about someone mentioning Wal-Mart. Which brings me to this:



Yeah, I would agree.



I guess I never considered Giant Tiger, or Zellers and Kmart for that matter, department stores because they are not a staples of malls. Department stores are to me the heritage stores with iconic downtown locations (and smaller versions in towns and villages) and/or traditional shopping centre anchors. The ones you usually see in strip-malls or giant suburban parking lots are more "big-box" as you say.

There are exceptions. In Ottawa-Gatineau, we have and have had a few Wal-Mart anchors, and we have Costco anchor, but they still feel separate from the malls themselves.

No you’re right about that, that’s why I called them “budget department stores”. You could probably call them discount stores I guess. And some unpleasant smells do emanate from them, contrarily to proper department stores. Not pure plastic like in your average Dollarama, but still.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by le calmar

The modern Giant Tiger stores are honestly not that different from some of the budget department stores like Walmart. They’ve got everything from grocery to clothing to garden and garage accessories. I believe electronic items as well although it’s limited. The older locations don’t exactly offer the same experience though.

I wish we had Giant Tiger in BC. The closest they come is Alberta, though I believe Calgary has only one store.

Funny enough I always see Giant Tiger trailers near YVR whenever I go to the airport. So distribution is likely not a major issue here.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

I wish we had Giant Tiger in BC. The closest they come is Alberta, though I believe Calgary has only one store.

Funny enough I always see Giant Tiger trailers near YVR whenever I go to the airport. So distribution is likely not a major issue here.

There must be some regional equivalent to Giant Tiger in BC, no?

I know that in Manitoba, the name of the Giant Tiger-like stores have constantly changed but there has always been something to play that role of smaller discount store with a basic selection of clothes, food and household goods. When I was a kid it was BiWay and Bargain Harold's, for a while Red Apple and The Bargain Store were common, now it's Giant Tiger. Although Dollarama seems to be creeping into their space as their prices climb higher and higher.

I personally seldom ever shop at Giant Tiger. It's kind of a half assed version of Walmart or Superstore. It only makes sense if you can't easily make it to one of those others, i.e. you don't have a car and you live far from the nearest Walmart or Superstore location.

[casper]

Originally Posted by esquire

There must be some regional equivalent to Giant Tiger in BC, no?

The equivalent in BC would be Field's. (https://fields.ca/)

Field's use to be a division of the Hudsons Bay Company. Like the North West Company it was sold off at some point to management.

Growing up as a kid in Vancouver, they use to have a presence in the city. My parents shopped at their Kingsgate Mall location for kids clothing. Now it is a shoppers drug mart. Over time they left the big city and only exist in small town BC now.

They are still the place to go if you want plaid shirts.

Originally Posted by esquire

I personally seldom ever shop at Giant Tiger. It's kind of a half assed version of Walmart or Superstore. It only makes sense if you can't easily make it to one of those others, i.e. you don't have a car and you live far from the nearest Walmart or Superstore location.

When I lived in Deep River Ontario I shopped at Giant Tiger all the time. They were the only department store in town. That was their main selling feature and I think critical to their business model.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

I wish we had Giant Tiger in BC. The closest they come is Alberta, though I believe Calgary has only one store.

Funny enough I always see Giant Tiger trailers near YVR whenever I go to the airport. So distribution is likely not a major issue here.

I don't believe the Giant Tiger trailers are owned by the store, but by Canada Cartage, the trucking company that hauls their loads. Not uncommon for companies like that to have branded trailers of their customers that are being used elsewhere in their operation. Even if they are owned by GT, they might be used by CC when a mechanical swap had to be made somewhere in the system. My employer has our branding on trailers with a couple trucking companies we use to haul loads across the country but they don't necessarily use those trailers for only our loads.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

I wish we had Giant Tiger in BC. The closest they come is Alberta, though I believe Calgary has only one store.

Funny enough I always see Giant Tiger trailers near YVR whenever I go to the airport. So distribution is likely not a major issue here.

Giant Tiger (GT) is headquartered in Ottawa which isn't the typical place for a retailer to have its headquarters. The store seems to do better in smaller communities and small cities in Ontario and Quebec from my observations. There aren't a lot of locations in the Atlantic region I believe but the prairies does have quite a few stores. Not sure why there are none in BC but my guess is that there isn't much opportunity for its type of store. We have two locations in Timmins. In the East End (South Porcupine and Porcupine) it is the only "department" store. I'm not big on GT but I sometimes like the deals they have on their grocery items which includes fresh meats and produce.

[Loco101]

The not so large discount (not dollar) "department" store chains I can think of that exist today in Canada:


Giant Tiger
The Bargain Shop / Red Apple
Hart
Rossy
Fields
Riff's (only in NL)


Any others?
There used to be Stedmans but there may be only a few locations left?

[harls]

Originally Posted by esquire

there must be some regional equivalent to giant tiger in bc, no?

I know that in manitoba, the name of the giant tiger-like stores have constantly changed but there has always been something to play that role of smaller discount store with a basic selection of clothes, food and household goods. When i was a kid it was biway and bargain harold's, for a while red apple and the bargain store were common, now it's giant tiger. Although dollarama seems to be creeping into their space as their prices climb higher and higher.

I personally seldom ever shop at giant tiger. It's kind of a half assed version of walmart or superstore. It only makes sense if you can't easily make it to one of those others, i.e. You don't have a car and you live far from the nearest walmart or superstore location.

What about SAAN?

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by harls

SAAN? I am sure someone of your age remembers them. They were and still might be giant tigeresque.

Oh I remember them. I don't think that we ever had one in Timmins but Iroquois Falls had one right until the company went under and I think it was actually built in the early 2000s. One chain discount store we did have in Timmins was The Met (Metropolitan Stores). It had the smokiest lunch counter of all of the department store restaurants here. As a kid I found it entertaining to observe how grumpy many of the older customers were. Many just went for coffee and were there for long periods of time. The main aisle of the store went right beside many of the booth-style tables so you had no choice but to breathe in cigarette smoke.