Canadian Retail Thread

[LordMandeep]

mall redevelopments are always needed to keep a mall from ever declining...

Anyone know if Hollister is going to expand???

Really to me it sounds like the next big fashion thing (for normal people) like h&m was and sort of still is.

[SteelTown]

I saw the rendering of the Centre Mall rendering, it's basically a hybrid of big box with traditional mall. All the big boxes are along the sidewalks facing towards the road, not the opposite. The parking lot is hidden in the centre of the Mall redevelopment plan, big boxes all along the sidewalks cover the parking lot. A traditional mall is at the back which will also include a farmer’s market.

I'm sure tomorrow they'll be a rendering available.

I'm excited, I hope some big name stores pop in. This $100 million plan should really help redevelop the East end of Hamilton, an area of Hamilton that could definitely use some investment.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by LordMandeep

mall redevelopments are always needed to keep a mall from ever declining...

Anyone know if Hollister is going to expand???

Really to me it sounds like the next big fashion thing (for normal people) like h&m was and sort of still is.

expand more in Canada?

probably - they are rumoured to come to Vancouver's Pacific Centre when it expands

they have 339 stores in the states

they are aimed at the 14-18 year olds though - thats their key market

Ruehl is nice - they should expand more - the store in San Francisco was really nice (its the over 25 crowd concept that they just started)

http://www.ruehl.com/

store interior - and yes it really is that dark inside the store - its ridiculous





store exterior

[IntotheWest]

Originally Posted by LordMandeep

Anyone know if Hollister is going to expand???

Really to me it sounds like the next big fashion thing (for normal people) like h&m was and sort of still is.

I heard they were planning to open in Calgary, along with Abercrombie....as both are in Edmonton for over a year now, it seems likely.

But as Spongeg mentions, they're targeted to a younger demo than even Abercrombie (both owned by the same company)...kinda like Gap is to Banana (or Old Navy to Gap).

[LordMandeep]

i think only two malls here have those two stores.

I was wondering it will go to Yorkdale and Sqaure 1.

[SpongeG]

they aren't that wide spread in the states either - most cities only have a couple compared to other chains - sort of like pottery barn saturation which is pretty minimal

unlike American Eagle or Aeropostale which is in every mall it can be in

[SpongeG]

this is already in Vancouver downtown...

'Fresh' approach to retailing
'Pop-up store' selling out of trailer unit in Churchill Square

Ron Chalmers
The Edmonton Journal


Wednesday, September 19, 2007


EDMONTON - It's a fresh look for Sir Winston Churchill Square -- Joe Fresh!

The "pop-up store" will offer Joe Fresh Style garments for pre-schoolers and back-to-schoolers, age two to 10, in a tractor-trailer unit on the east side of the square, through Saturday.

Joe Mimram, creative director of Joe Fresh Style, will be there, selling the Loblaw house brand that also is carried by Real Canadian Superstores.

This commercial use of Sir Winston Churchill Square -- rent free -- is unusual, Michele Finn, festival liaison in the city's community services department, said Tuesday. The square more often is filled with summer festivals and independent vendors.

But the Joe Fresh booking serves the purpose of that public place, Finn said. "We want to animate the square, day and night, summer and winter," she explained. "We want it open and active and programmed with something to see and do."

Joe Fresh's application was reviewed by the department's operations committee, she said. "We want more activities and we think this will be a great one."

Is the square open to every retailer? That question has never arisen, Finn said."We don't have anyone beating down the doors to have a store there."

Pop-up stores are a recent fad in the United States and western Europe where they pop up in surprising locations, then disappear after a few hours, days or weeks.

Target has operated a pop-up store on a barge on the Hudson river. The London Fashion Bus tours that city, selling at several locations. Oceanic sells cosmetics from the back of a minivan on Brazilian university campuses.

Joe Fresh Style claims that its 18-wheeler is Canada's first on-the-road fashion pop-up store. It already has visited Toronto and Winnipeg. After Edmonton, it's on to Calgary and Vancouver.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjourna...3-d36e8daa74a9

[SteelTown]

Mountain Plaza Mall getting $50 million facelift

October 03, 2007
BY STEVE ARNOLD
The Hamilton Spectator

Another venerable Hamilton shopping centre is slated for a multi-million makeover.

Mountain Plaza Mall at Fennell Avenue and Upper James Street, which has been quietly declining for years, is to be rebuilt in a $50-million project.

Plans for the work are expected to be filed with the city within a month.

“We’re evaluating what the future of that mall will look like,” said Flavio Volpe, spokesman for Smart Centres Ltd, the Vaughan-based company that bought Mountain Plaza last November.

“This is certainly an aging product, but it’s in a great market,” Volpe added. “It’s in a fairly large market and a good location so that leaves a lot of options open.”

Volpe was coy about the company’s specific plans for Mountain Plaza, saying some concepts have been developed but “all plans at this point are preliminary. We’re looking at a series of configurations, we’re looking at an investment of $50 million plus and all options are open.

“This project is current and the time table is very short,” he added.

One draft plan for the site envisions five or six separate buildings with the current Wal-Mart store relocated to the south end of the property and a massive Shoppers Drug Mart facing Upper James Street.

In September plans were unveiled for a $100 million revival of the Centre Mall, on Barton Street East, that would replace the current enclosed plaza with a 23-building power centre almost as big as Lime Ridge Mall.

[Jay in Cowtown]

Originally Posted by kirjtc2

Not true....the Wal-Mart McDonald's in Campbellton NB has a drive-thru. Never seen anything like it...says a lot about the laziness of people in this country...

There's a drive-thru at the Wal-Mart McDonalds in Okotoks, Alberta too.

[neilson]

Originally Posted by Jay in Cowtown

There's a drive-thru at the Wal-Mart McDonalds in Okotoks, Alberta too.

I've never seen that at any Wal-Mart Subway locations in the USA.

I really hope you guys get a ton more Subway locations inside your Wal-Marts, Subway is the best. Better then Mr. Sub by a little bit too.

[kirjtc2]

Originally Posted by neilson

I really hope you guys get a ton more Subway locations inside your Wal-Marts, Subway is the best. Better then Mr. Sub by a little bit too.

Quizno's rules all.

[neilson]

Originally Posted by kirjtc2

Quizno's rules all.

Yeah if you want to pay a ton. Quizno's is good but expensive. Mr. Sub is good but not Subway good.

[IntotheWest]

^I find the Canadian Mr Subs better than Subway. The biggest problem with Subway is the quality differences between subways. Either way, some of the stuff both of them offer is pretty gross (chicken for one).

I actually prefer Extreme Pita anyway...good Canadian franchise. Something about many of these Canadian-based franchises just seem fresher and new (Jugo Juice, Booster Juice, Bad Ass Jacks, etc...).

EDIT: Tim Horton's are in the Super Wal-marts. And that's one Canadian-based franchise that ironically, isn't that "fresh".

[Jay in Cowtown]

Originally Posted by IntotheWest

^I find the Canadian Mr Subs better than Subway. The biggest problem with Subway is the quality differences between subways. Either way, some of the stuff both of them offer is pretty gross (chicken for one).

I actually prefer Extreme Pita anyway...good Canadian franchise. Something about many of these Canadian-based franchises just seem fresher and new (Jugo Juice, Booster Juice, Bad Ass Jacks, etc...).

EDIT: Tim Horton's are in the Super Wal-marts. And that's one Canadian-based franchise that ironically, isn't that "fresh".

I fucking despise Subway, I swear the droids working there must get flogged by the owners if they add more than the allowed 6 pickles on your sandwich... and I love how they'll spend 10 minutes prying apart slices of deli meat, cause god forbid they couldn't just give it to you... not to mention it's over priced!

On an unrelated note... I ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp in Time Square last week, christ was the popcorn shrimp delicious, hope they start building a few up here soon.

[SpongeG]

i can't eat quiznos

its that sauce or something they use it just ruins it

mcdonalds actually has really good subs or sandwiches i guess they are

[miketoronto]

That is good news about Downtown Calgary. For a couple years there, Chinook Centre was stealing all the fire from Downtown Calgary. So it is good to see a retail spark being lit downtown.

[SteelTown]

New Zellers will buy into wind, solar power

Eric McGuinness
The Hamilton Spectator
(Oct 12, 2007)

Zellers is putting green power into the Flamborough Power Centre.

Its store, set to open Dec. 1 at Clappison's Corners west of Waterdown, will be the first in the chain -- and maybe the first retailer in Hamilton -- to use wind turbines and solar panels to generate electricity.

"This will be our greenest store," says Fred Ware, manager of sustainability and environment for Zellers' parent Hudson's Bay Company (HBC).

Among other environmental features, the store will have a white roof to reflect summer sun and a ventilation system that warms incoming fresh air with heated exhaust air.

The wind power plan came to light because Zellers is asking the committee of adjustment to allow two 16-metre-high Skystream windmills in a zone where the limit for accessory structures is 4.6 metres.

In the world of wind turbines, the Skystreams from Southwest Windpower of Flagstaff, Ariz., are relatively small and compact, with three blades spinning in a 3.7-metre circle.

A business magazine dubbed them the iPods of wind power, and USA Today described them in July as quiet, sleek, residential power appliances selling for $12,000 US, largely to people with as little as a half-acre (0.2 hectares) who want to shave their electric bills.

Ware couldn't say how much of the store's power needs would be met by wind and solar energy, saying the installation is an experiment that can be expanded if successful. At 1.8 kilowatts, each wind turbine would produce at most 1,800 watts, enough to light 18 100-watt bulbs.

[SSLL]

From: http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/f...d418b8&k=45319
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Cleveland developer enters Toronto market with $150M project
Garry Marr, Financial Post
Published: Wednesday, October 03, 2007

TORONTO -- A major American real estate investment trust announced plans on Wednesday to enter the Canadian marketplace, a move that prompted speculation that RioCan REIT could become a takeover target.
Cleveland-based Developers Diversified Realty, which has a market capitalization of about US$7-billion, said it is a partner in a 74-acre project north of Toronto to be developed for $150-million.
"Does large U.S. retail REIT entry into Canada increase likelihood of a takeover of RioCan REIT," asked analyst Jeffrey Roberts of Desjardins Securities, in a note to clients.

Mr. Roberts noted Developers Diversified is considered a major retail player in the United States with 735 properties in 45 states and Brazil totalling 156 million square feet. It has another 24 million square feet in the pipeline. RioCan is the largest REIT in the country with a market capitalization of $5.2-billion and more 29 million square feet of space with another 2.4 millions square feet in the pipeline.
"With this investment, Developers Diversified is giving a strong vote of confidence to the future of the Canadian retail real estate market. The REIT recognizes the positive fundamentals in Canada, including its strong demographic growth, relatively high per capita income and constrained supply of new retail properties," said Mr. Roberts.
The U.S. REIT said it will take a 50% equity stake in the project to be located in Richmond Hill. It is a mixed used development with 700,000 square feet of lifestyle, retail and office space. Developers Diversified is teaming up with Rice Commercial Group on the project which will begun construction in 2009 and open as early as 2011.
"This site acquisition marks our first investment in Canada and we believe it represents a very attractive development project in a market with strong demographics and considerable supply constraints due to recent Greenbelt regulations in Toronto. We look forward to finding additional attractive investment opportunities to increase our presence in this large, nearby market," said David Oakes, the REIT's chief investment officer.
Mr. Roberts noted the project barely makes a "dent" in the company's portfolio. He believes the company has other reasons for jumping into the project.
"It is not likely to be worth the REIT's efforts to come to Canada by making occasional investments in one-off projects that will take four years to complete. Rather, we would not be surprised if Developers Diversified, with its positive view of Canada, attempts to make much larger retail investments in this country in the short to medium term, perhaps by way of a takeover of an existing REIT or real estate operating company," said the analyst.
He believes the likely candidate is RioCan which doesn't have one dominant shareholder who might scuttle a bid. "We have stated previously that RioCan REIT is a prime takeover candidate and Developers Diversified move into Canada reinforces our view. We would not recommend a stock based primarily on takeover speculation, although it does enhance the REIT's units' desirability," said Mr. Roberts.
Interestingly enough, the U.S. REIT's top posted item on its Web site under what's new is an overview of the Canadian marketplace. The company notes Canada is the world's 8th largest economy with a gross domestic product of $1.3-trillion. In addition, Toronto is said to have generated $50-billion in retail sales last year.
It notes the wealth of residents surrounding the Richmond Hill location where it plans to build. "Over 470,000 residents with an average household income of $112,000 live within a 10 kilometre radius of the development site. These figures increase to over 1.1 million residents with an average household income of $98,000 that live within a 15 kilometre radius.
In Rice Commercial, Developers Diversified is teaming up with a company focused on the greater Toronto area. It owns and manages the development of 500 hundred acres of property with more than three million square feet of predominantly retail assets.

[SSLL]

From: http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/f...67617b&k=53667
_________

Reitmans retools over-45 chain
; Cassis; Reitmans Canada Ltd.
Hollie Shaw, Financial Post
Published: Saturday, September 01, 2007
After a shaky start, womenswear giant Reitmans Canada Ltd. is trying to work out the glitches in Cassis, the chain it opened a year ago to cater to women over 45.
The Montreal-based owner of Reitmans, RW & Co., Smart Set and plus-size chains Penningtons and Addition Elle is renovating all 12 Cassis stores with an eye on a new fashion direction.
"We'll be elaborating next week [when second-quarter results are announced] -- I don't really want to get into it right now," chief executive Jeremy Reitman said when reached yesterday.

The Cassis Web site promises customers will see a "brand-new concept" and "fresh new stores" when the boutiques reopen in September.
Given the upward demographic shift and sensing a void in the market for maturing women, the veteran retailing company launched Cassis last August, predicting it could open as many as 80 stores in coming years.
But while there is clearly potential in the segment -- Baby Boomer women have more disposable income than women in their 20s and are often willing to pay more for quality apparel --hitting upon the right formula has proven to be tough for even the most experienced apparel retailers.
In recent years, several U.S. clothing giants catering to younger consumers have developed Baby Boomer concepts, with decidedly mixed results.
Gap Inc., operator of Old Navy, Banana Republic, Baby Gap and Gap Kids, pulled the plug in
February on its experiment in female Boomer chic, Forth and Towne, after 18 months of lack-lustre sales. Children's clothing retailer Gymboree also closed its 17 Janeville stores this year after its cottage-in-the-Hamptons style failed to resonate with consumers. Ruehl, developed by Abercrombie & Fitch, struggled in its first year and had to lower prices but has improved of late, adding new stores and seeing store sales at locations open for more than a year increase 2% in the second quarter.
Martin & Osa, launched a year ago by American Eagle for women and men aged 25 to 40, has replaced its president and reconfigured its pricing, but is still growing.
"I have not seen a lot of 'gotta haves' or freshness in the clothes and I have wondered if [Reitmans] has had a lot of young buyers making assumptions about what older women would want," said David Howell, president of consulting firm Associate Marketing International and former vice-president of Liz Claiborne Canada.
"I don't think [Boomer women] want to be slotted or put into a category. The segment is huge, but women do not want to be bound to what buyers think they should be wearing.
Fifty is the new 40 and 40 is the new 30, and most women [in that segment] are not wearing, by historical standards, what older women used to wear."

[SSLL]

From: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...?query=mirabel
__________

Quebec mall puts West Edmonton on notice
After long delay, work set to begin on Lac Mirabel, which would boast 14 million square feet of retail space
HELGA LOVERSEED
Special to The Globe and Mail
October 9, 2007
MONTREAL -- It's been a long time coming, and it still has a way to go until completion, but at least the heavy equipment is finally arriving at the site of what will be one of the world's biggest shopping malls.

Lac Mirabel, north of Montreal, started to come off the drawing board almost five years ago and was supposed to be completed this year but faced bureaucratic and other delays. Now, the ground is being prepared, and construction crews are expected to start foundation work soon, officials say.

The grand opening is scheduled for 2009 and, when completely finished, the mega-mall will cover an area twice the size of the West Edmonton Mall, with 14 million square feet of retail, residential and commercial space, its backers say.

To most people, developing such a huge project would be a near-impossible task, but to Rubin Stahl, Lac Mirabel's Montreal-born promoter, it's all in a day's work.

"To develop a project of this size takes an enormous amount of time," Mr. Stahl says. "Lac Mirabel isn't just any old shopping mall. It's a destination, with many, many elements. There are dozens of planning stages to go through, before a shovel hits the ground."

Then again, Mr. Stahl is an old hand at promoting developments such as this. He cut his teeth on the West Edmonton Mall ("The world's largest shopping centre" as it bills itself), where he was president.

Lac Mirabel, he says, will create more than 3,200 jobs and generate $6.5-million in annual property taxes for the City of Mirabel. The federal and provincial governments will benefit, too, by earning some $40-million annually in sales taxes, he says.

Lac Mirabel will be constructed in stages, over several years, by a number of developers. An initial investment of $475-million will be spent on constructing the first 1.8 million square feet of mall space, but over the next seven years, as the mall takes shape, investment in the project (including a residential component) is expected to top $1.2-billion.

According to Mr. Stahl, 70 per cent of the retail space is spoken for. The jewel in the crown will be Cabela's Inc., a U.S.-based outdoor supplies company whose commitment to Lac Mirabel represents the company's first foray into Canada.

Cabela's stores, which are destinations in themselves, are part retail, part wildlife museum - a formula that fits Mr. Stahl's vision for Lac Mirabel. Like the other stores south of the border, this one will be huge, occupying 170,000 square feet of space. Other retailers who have signed up include Best Buy Co. Inc. (35,000 square feet) and Groupe Les Ailes de la Mode Inc. (76,000 square feet), an upscale Montreal fashion outlet.

Three-hundred retail outlets are planned, along with a food emporium, which will border a man-made lake and a river stocked with trout. A $100-million, million-square-foot sports complex will house an 8,000-seat arena for major junior hockey. Also planned are an indoor soccer field, aquarium, go-cart track and a 70,000-square-foot educational centre.

Such family-friendly attractions, sporting activities and entertainment could prove to be a canny move on Mr. Stahl's part. Montreal's suburbs are marching steadily northward as young families buy homes in and around Mirabel, where property is cheaper. Moreover, the region is on the doorstep of the Saint-Sauveur Valley with its cluster of ski villages and factory outlets (a major draw for weekend shoppers). And it's within an hour's drive of Tremblant, a year-round mountain resort, which offers skiing, golf and a myriad of other outdoor activities.

Lac Mirabel, its boosters predict, will attract locals and day-trippers from Montreal and tempt tourists to linger en route to Tremblant and the Upper Laurentians or, better still, stay put for a night or two.

"Lac Mirabel is going to be a hub for tourism, entertainment, accommodation, recreation and fun retailing," predicts Louis Grenier, director of Lac Mirabel.

"We're mixing the idea of a tourist attraction with shopping as entertainment, and it will be like nothing that has gone before. We anticipate attracting between 16 [million] and 20 million visitors annually from around the Montreal area and some two million visitors from outside the region."

Given that Greater Montreal is home to just over 3.6 million people, skeptics say that those figures are wildly optimistic. Naysayers point out that Lac Mirabel is much too big to be supported by the local population, but not everybody in the real estate industry takes the negative view.

"I could certainly see Lac Mirabel becoming a major destination for Montrealers" says Louis Burgos, senior managing director with Cushman & Wakefield LePage.

"There will be nothing like Lac Mirabel in or around Montreal and I'm sure that will be a major drawing card. Destination retail, combined with activities and entertainment, is becoming very popular."

Connecticut-based Gordon Group Holdings LLC is financing and developing much of the initial construction, and recently brought in Morgan Stanley, which has injected $110-million into the project - another reason why Lac Mirabel is suddenly moving forward.

"With the financing from Morgan Stanley, it's now full steam ahead," Mr. Grenier says. "Lac Mirabel will prove that Quebec is a pioneer and, when it's finished, we'll be 10 to 15 years ahead of the rest of North America."