The Metro Vancouver Retail Thread

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by whatnext

It seems odd that every store would have such an antiquated HVAC system. I can see downtown having problems but all the rest?

Out of curiosity would the systems in the old Eatons in PAC Centre have been upgraded by Nordstrom when they moved in?

Yes the systems in Nordstrom would be brand new (in 2015 when it opened).

It may not be that the system is antiquated and can't keep up, but that they don't want to pay the bills to keep it cool. They really are that broke.

[jollyburger]

Someone should ask the HBC rep what maintenance they did. I'm guessing they did nothing and we just need another heatwave to prove it. Some guy on Reddit said he talked to a building operations guy at a HBC and said the heating/cooling is controlled remotely from HQ

Other guy said they can't pay for their escalator servicing contracts. And this:

I used to do the call-outs for HBC technicians - corporate office would intentionally delay contractor payments or do partial payments, just to buy a couple more months until the end of the fiscal quarter. Months turn to years and eventually the contractors just stop showing up..

https://www.reddit.com/r/VictoriaBC/...wn_hbc_closed/

Winnipeg thread says their AC has been dead since last summer..

https://www.reddit.com/r/Winnipeg/co...o_park_closed/

[Vin]

Shameful how Hudson Bay can spend little maintaining their landmark stores when they have no qualms spending billions purchasing other large American chains that may make them bleed more money:

Hudson's Bay Company to buy luxury retailer Neiman Marcus in $2.65B US deal
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/hud...deal-1.7254406

I don't think Saks is performing stellar after being bought by Hudson Bay.

What a lousy asset-rich company: You insult Canadians with the horrifying services provided and turn the once-great department stores your forebears built into eyesores and major embarrassments in cities everywhere.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

Yes the systems in Nordstrom would be brand new (in 2015 when it opened).

It may not be that the system is antiquated and can't keep up, but that they don't want to pay the bills to keep it cool. They really are that broke.

Maybe the Bay should have listened to forumers when they suggested HBC move into Nordstrom when they left. Though it sounds like CF would have been rolling the dice with that!

[Migrant_Coconut]

HBC was bought out by the Americans back in '06. No longer our circus, no longer our monkeys.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Maybe the Bay should have listened to forumers when they suggested HBC move into Nordstrom when they left. Though it sounds like CF would have been rolling the dice with that!

Not a chance in hell CF would do that deal. There's already far too much HBC exposure in Canadian mall owner's portfolios, no way any of them want more.

[whatnext]

Long article in the Province about the Bay’s AC issues. Some stores are reopening. This from the end of the article made me laugh out loud! How clueless is their management team?

….When asked about the continiuing closures, HBC spokeswoman Tiffany Bourre said no executive was available to comment.

Bourre said Wednesday that the company hadn’t discussed what the issue is or why the HVAC systems were strained at so many locations all at once.

https://theprovince.com/news/closure...9-3cf1021da55a

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Long article in the Province about the Bay’s AC issues. Some stores are reopening. This from the end of the article made me laugh out loud! How clueless is their management team?

….When asked about the continiuing closures, HBC spokeswoman Tiffany Bourre said no executive was available to comment.

Bourre said Wednesday that the company hadn’t discussed what the issue is or why the HVAC systems were strained at so many locations all at once.

https://theprovince.com/news/closure...9-3cf1021da55a

Well the heat wave was pretty wide spread. The downtown location looks like it's still closed today and they changed the sign to say HVAC issues or something.

[logicbomb]

Originally Posted by Vin

Shameful how Hudson Bay can spend little maintaining their landmark stores when they have no qualms spending billions purchasing other large American chains that may make them bleed more money:



I don't think Saks is performing stellar after being bought by Hudson Bay.

What a lousy asset-rich company: You insult Canadians with the horrifying services provided and turn the once-great department stores your forebears built into eyesores and major embarrassments in cities everywhere.

HBC has so many diversified assets that there's zero interest to really upkeep the stores. It's impossible to restore the reputation to gain back the market share from Gen Z and Millenials. The land isn't losing money and HBC's retail losses are offset by gains in other areas.

Modern day corporations are cancerous. There is zero long-term benefit to the consumers when equity groups buy up companies. These companies are bled dry and intentionally left to sink, and the executives make off like bandits and usually get off without any consequences.

[officedweller]

Agreed - zero priority for the retail stores - or the customers.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Agreed - zero priority for the retail stores - or the customers.

And that’s the death knell for any service-sector business. None of these leveraged buy out kings care about the business they’re supposedly in.

[jollyburger]

But the Bay was pretty much dead when the equity groups got interested in it. And sure there was no reason to shop at HBC consumers are fine with supporting Walmart or Amazon so it's not like people are all about doing the right thing either.

I mean why did every other major department store in Canada seem to manage to fail from the 1990s and onwards?

Clowns

And in some stores that had reopened it appeared the HVAC issues remained unresolved. For instance, at The Bay store at Park Royal shopping centre in West Vancouver, numerous portable fans whirred throughout the display floor and all the doors leading in and out of the store were propped open to promote air circulation.

“It’s a compelling argument to say that there’s a profit agenda behind what’s going on as the operating profit on any given day in this store is likely less than the cost of repair for an HVAC system,” said Kopke, former CEO of clothing retailer Kit and Ace Designs. “For top retailers like Lululemon or Apple, you’re looking at sales in the $1,500 to $2,500 range per square foot (per year), but for department stores like The Bay that number is more like $100.”

Meanwhile, WorkSafeBC confirmed this week that it had carried out an inspection related to a report of heat stress at the Hudson’s Bay store at Coquitlam Centre mall, which has been closed for several days.

An inspector reported no heat-stress-related incidents.

“The employer is working on repairing the HVAC, however a completion date was not available during the inspection,” the report said.

WorksafeBC guidelines indicate that indoor workplaces must close if they exceed the range of between 23 and 27 C.

https://vancouversun.com/news/closur...ship-customers

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

But the Bay was pretty much dead when the equity groups got interested in it. And sure there was no reason to shop at HBC consumers are fine with supporting Walmart or Amazon so it's not like people are all about doing the right thing either.

I mean why did every other major department store in Canada seem to manage to fail from the 1990s and onwards?

Clowns


https://vancouversun.com/news/closur...ship-customers

On the other hand, Simons is still expanding. Nordstrom Vancouver was one of their busiest stores.

Even the Bay downtown looked great after they redid it. But if you’re not committed to the business you’re in, whatever it is, you’ll fail. If retail for today’s consumer is all about “experiences” a large department store should be able to deliver that in spades.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by whatnext

On the other hand, Simons is still expanding. Nordstrom Vancouver was one of their busiest stores.

Even the Bay downtown looked great after they redid it. But if you’re not committed to the business you’re in, whatever it is, you’ll fail. If retail for today’s consumer is all about “experiences” a large department store should be able to deliver that in spades.

I wonder what happened to all the Nordstrom Vancouver customers? Over to Holt Renfrew? It would be interesting to see if Simons tried to open in downtown Vancouver if they could get anywhere close to Nordstrom's numbers even with the different product lines..

Nationally the strongest retailers (minus supermarkets) are probably Ikea, Canadian Tire, Walmart, Costco and Amazon?

[Capitol Hill]

With all of the yearning for Eataly it seems to me that if the Bay were to make their lowest level a food hall and cooking demonstration sales area they’d garner some interest for people to explore the rest of the store. Of course, every other department would also need an overhaul to make it more exciting.

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Capitol Hill

With all of the yearning for Eataly it seems to me that if the Bay were to make their lowest level a food hall and cooking demonstration sales area they’d garner some interest for people to explore the rest of the store. Of course, every other department would also need an overhaul to make it more exciting.

The only value left with the Downtown Bay is as a redevelopment site. There is zero chance they kill that potential with something new in the basement.

[s211]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

I wonder what happened to all the Nordstrom Vancouver customers? Over to Holt Renfrew?

From a Harry Rosen salesperson, I'm told that they got quite a big jump in sales after Nordstrom closed. The same person said they also got all of Nordstrom's shoplifters.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by s211

From a Harry Rosen salesperson, I'm told that they got quite a big jump in sales after Nordstrom closed. The same person said they also got all of Nordstrom's shoplifters.

Of course, it’s Vancouver.

Retail Insider had an article last year that Holt’s was also booming so I’m sure they picked up a lot of the customers.

https://retail-insider.com/retail-in...rdo-interview/

[Vin]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

But the Bay was pretty much dead when the equity groups got interested in it. And sure there was no reason to shop at HBC consumers are fine with supporting Walmart or Amazon so it's not like people are all about doing the right thing either.

I mean why did every other major department store in Canada seem to manage to fail from the 1990s and onwards?

Clowns




https://vancouversun.com/news/closur...ship-customers

Why would customers shop in a store that is so dated, pricey and lacking good service? HBC has always been wealthy, mostly from assets left from colonial past when governments from both sides of the pond supported them and allowed them to monopolize many of the large industries in Canada then. Despite that, modern managers are too cheap to put out some money to make their stores better and keep up with the times. This shows their disregard for the customer base and company's reputation, as well as them lacking the pride of this old institution that has been part of Canada for so long. That's shameful. If they don't care about retail anymore, they might as well shut all the stores down today. Perhaps this can help them save the only thing they crave: money.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by Capitol Hill

With all of the yearning for Eataly it seems to me that if the Bay were to make their lowest level a food hall and cooking demonstration sales area they’d garner some interest for people to explore the rest of the store. Of course, every other department would also need an overhaul to make it more exciting.

back in the 90s the basement was a food hall, it was nothing compared to now but it had deli counters, cheese, bakery candies, cafes, wine cage, etc. it was great.