Canadian Retail Thread

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

There is a recently built Walmart distribution centre in the Caledonia Industrial Park in Moncton. Amazon built a distribution centre in Halifax, but, AFAIK, it is not humongous, and, it might be possible a second distribution centre could be built in Moncton for NB/PEI.

Virtually all distribution centres in the Maritimes are in Moncton or Halifax. Big ones in Moncton include Walmart, Kent, Loblaw, and Matrix (SDM), There are multiple other moderate sized company specific distribution centres in the city as well.

Did some googling and it looks like the Amazon in Dartmouth is a delivery station, not a fulfillment centre, and I don't see any fulfillment centres in the maritimes for them yet, so I could see Moncton getting one. A fulfillment centre actually makes more sense for Moncton than it does for Halifax region based on geography. Amazon has really cut back on their growth lately though. They built their most high tech facility in Canada just outside London and it sat for several months because of softening demand last year before gradually ramping it up for the Christmas season. They've also built a new one in Kitchener Ont, and it's still sitting vacant even though it was completed late last year.

I could also see Moncton getting a delivery station when they decide to turf the various contractor companies they use now (which they will) once deliveries hit a certain threshold.

[cslusarc]

NY Post reports: Saks Fifth Avenue owner developing luxury hotel, apartments in former department stores


I wonder HBC will redevelop any of its Canadian stores to hotels or residential housing.

[cslusarc]

CNBC reports: Apartments, hockey rinks and Amazon warehouses: Macy’s closures will set off a wave of change at shopping malls

Macy's is expected to get down to 350-ish stores by 2027. I'm amused that Hudson's Bay isn't closing its stores as aggressively as Macy's. To mirror Macy's, I expect Hudson's Bay will downsize to about 42 stores closing all Silver and Gold tier stores by 2035 — in Winnipeg where I live this means only Polo Park will be left.

[casper]

Originally Posted by ericmacm

Pattison Food Group/Save-On-Foods has slowly been working its way east with expansions into Manitoba and Saskatchewan over the last 10 years. I think it is an opportune time now and in the near future to disrupt the non-competitive grocery sector since the feds and general public both want it to happen. I’d personally prefer a foreign grocer entering the market, but another Canadian one with national-level exposure probably would help too.

Pattison Food Group is not going to be overly helpful in bringing down prices. It is main full service banner Save-On-Foods is expensive. Its discount banner Buy-Low is equally expensive. It also have a number of speciality high-end banners that are also expensive.

We need someone that is a true discounter. That is not the Pattison Food Group.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by cslusarc

NY Post reports: Saks Fifth Avenue owner developing luxury hotel, apartments in former department stores


I wonder HBC will redevelop any of its Canadian stores to hotels or residential housing.

Flagship Hudson’s Bay Store In Downtown Vancouver To Be Transformed Into Reimagined Office, Retail And Transportation Hub


https://www.hbc.com/news/article/fla...portation-hub/

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Flagship Hudson’s Bay Store In Downtown Vancouver To Be Transformed Into Reimagined Office, Retail And Transportation Hub

How old is that article? Pretty sure that proposal went tits-up with the declining office market.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by whatnext

How old is that article? Pretty sure that proposal went tits-up with the declining office market.

Oh yeah, that was back in 2022. Someone posted this recently on RM Transit and I thought it was recently confirmed.

[davidivivid]

Canada's Couche-Tard makes preliminary takeover bid for Japan's Seven & i

Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard (ATD.TO), opens new tab has sounded out Japan's Seven & i (3382.T), opens new tab about a potential takeover, the two companies said on Monday, making the 7-Eleven owner the largest-ever Japanese target of a foreign buyout.

While the value of the offer has not been disclosed, the bid is the latest example of the growing interest in Japanese companies by Western investors, who have been drawn by the country's push for better governance.

It also turns a spotlight on a retail chain that, while founded in the United States, has become something of a cultural force under its Japanese parent. Unlike some U.S. convenience stores, Japanese "konbini" are closer to small supermarkets, stocking everything from fresh food to toiletries and clothing.

News of the deal sent shares of Seven & i surging by almost 23% in Tokyo, valuing the retailer at around 5.6 trillion yen ($38 billion). Couche-Tard, which operates Circle-K convenience stores, is valued at roughly $58 billion.

Seven & i said Couche-Tard has proposed buying all outstanding shares of the company. Alimentation Couche-Tard confirmed a "friendly proposal" was sent to Seven & i, adding it was focused on reaching a mutually agreeable transaction.

Seven & i employs some 77,000 people worldwide, according to LSEG data, and the bulk of its sales come from its overseas convenience store business. By geography, it is overwhelmingly American, with North America contributing three-quarters of revenue.

[...]

https://www.reuters.com/markets/deal...ys-2024-08-19/

[cslusarc]

Retail-Insiders.com reports: Loblaw pilots new no name® store

[GreatTallNorth2]

It baffles me that a company would want to have so many grocery brands under one umbrella. In the UK you have the Tesco brand with their regular size grocery stores, then Tesco Extra are the largest format and then Tesco Metro which are small neighbourhood stores. But they are all the same brand and you expect to pay more in the smaller stores. I can't even count how many Loblaw stores there are but it seems stupid to have so many different brands. No Name? No Frills? Loblaws? Superstore? Valumart? Zehrs? I don't see the USA chains having multiple brands. It would be great to get a chain like Aldi to open up here and provide real competition. Smaller format stores, don't have to have 35 different salsas to choose from.

[WarrenC12]

They are trying to hide the fact that there's a strong grocery oligopoly in Canada. If they had a strong brand name people actually liked they'd riff off that (Walmart, Walmart Superstore, Walmart Express). But they don't.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by GreatTallNorth2

I can't even count how many Loblaw stores there are but it seems stupid to have so many different brands. No Name? No Frills? Loblaws? Superstore? Valumart? Zehrs?

I know you are in London, so don't forget T&T soon opening at Wonderland and Oxford, and the Valumart at Richmond and Oxford being rebranded Your Independent Grocer. Surprised one of these new smaller format No Frills being or soon to be built (12,000 and 18,000 sq ft respectively) aren't going to be a No Name store given London's test market history.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by cslusarc

Retail-Insiders.com reports: Loblaw pilots new no name® store

No refrigeration sounds like Valdi's of the 80's. I wonder if the cases of canned goods will just be stacked on the floor in their cardboard boxes and become huge disaster areas by afternoon as well.

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by cslusarc

Retail-Insiders.com reports: Loblaw pilots new no name® store

It’s a good idea but saddens me that it’s come to this. Something about it gives a whiff of state run economy or broken society. Regular food can’t be affordable so we have to shovel out the lowest quality slop for the masses.

It’s one step closer to soylent green or a daily food ration pill, lol.

[cslusarc]

Originally Posted by GreatTallNorth2

It baffles me that a company would want to have so many grocery brands under one umbrella.

I also think that Loblaw has too many banners. I think the following banners (outside of Québec) are superfluous:
1. Zehrs (42 stores in ON)
2. Dominion (11 srores in NL),
3 Extra Foods (4 stores remaining in Western Canada),
4. Fortino's (24 stores in ON)
5 ValuMart (27 stores in ON & PQ,
6 SuperValu, Shop Easy Foods & Lucky Dollar Foods (in Western Canada),
7. Freshmart and Red & White Food Stores (in ON and Atlantic Canada)

[jonny24]

How many of them are from buying other companies and keeping the name?

[J.OT13]

Loblaws is mostly just your typical grocery store, with one pharmacy and one Asian market. Metro and Sobeys have more variety.


https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/com...cery-1.6889712

[MolsonExport]

I hope Lidl or Aldi come to Canada to steal a yacht or ten from Galen Weston.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

They are trying to hide the fact that there's a strong grocery oligopoly in Canada. If they had a strong brand name people actually liked they'd riff off that (Walmart, Walmart Superstore, Walmart Express). But they don't.

very likely, I suspect that this is the case.

Imagine if Loblaw's co just called all their retail outlets "Galen's".

[Nouvellecosse]

Sobeys also owns Needs (formerly Green Gables). Not sure why that isn't listed.