Canadian Retail Thread

[Plus15]

The Bay opening Coach shops at the following locations this Fall:

Toronto: Queen Street
Quebec: Montreal Downtown, Fairview Pointe Claire
Alberta: Calgary Downtown
British Columbia: Vancouver Downtown, Richmond, Victoria Centre

[miketoronto]

Originally Posted by Plus15

The Bay opening Coach shops at the following locations this Fall:

Toronto: Queen Street
Quebec: Montreal Downtown, Fairview Pointe Claire
Alberta: Calgary Downtown
British Columbia: Vancouver Downtown, Richmond, Victoria Centre

That is useless. Coach can be bought across the street at the Eaton Centre. The Bay needs to introduce unique brands that can't be found at any other store in Canada and are unique.
The Bay introduced Desigual which is only carried at the Bay. That is unique. But Coach. Come on that is available everywhere now.

[MolsonExport]

I thought Coach went off the air years ago.

[Jay in Cowtown]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

That is useless. Coach can be bought across the street at the Eaton Centre. The Bay needs to introduce unique brands that can't be found at any other store in Canada and are unique.
The Bay introduced Desigual which is only carried at the Bay. That is unique. But Coach. Come on that is available everywhere now.

Hey, the Bay is trying at least... they're a shitload better than they were only a mere 5 years ago, when it was the Izod-Dockers fest in there. They still have a pile of work to go to even be compared to a Macy's though!

[SpongeG]

thats how it is though - holt renfrew has a coach section in it, there is a coach store in pacific centre and coach will be in the bay

but all three sell different products thats how coach does it

there are two coach outlets on the way to seattle - one sells one range and the other one sells a different range so most people stop at both of them

should do well in richmond - but i wonder where it will go was in the store today and it didn't seem like they had an area where they would put it

[Plus15]

Holt Renfrew no longer carries Coach. They stopped carrying their products a short time ago...now The Bay has picked it up, which IMO is a great step to getting younger women in the stores...the aspirational younger Coach customer who five years ago would be embarrassed to be seen in The Bay...now will flock there. Its about getting people in the stores.

[Gerrard]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

That is useless. Coach can be bought across the street at the Eaton Centre. The Bay needs to introduce unique brands that can't be found at any other store in Canada and are unique.
The Bay introduced Desigual which is only carried at the Bay. That is unique. But Coach. Come on that is available everywhere now.

It is not useless. It costs the Bay very little because Coach is a vendor and it makes the shop a draw.

Having a Louis Vuitton inside Macy's seems ridiculous too (Herald Sq.) but then again so does a Mac counter or any fragrance or cosmetics counter inside a department store when it's available at any drugstore or stand alone shop. It's about the experience not whether certain things are available elsewhere or not.

[Plus15]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

But Coach. Come on that is available everywhere now.

Everywhere BUT the Bay. Which is why no one shops there. Get the girls in the door to see what they know - (Coach) and maybe they'll see what they don't (Desigual). Why are your views so radical? Its a step in the right direction, not useless.

[miketoronto]

Originally Posted by Gerrard

It is not useless. It costs the Bay very little because Coach is a vendor and it makes the shop a draw.

Having a Louis Vuitton inside Macy's seems ridiculous too (Herald Sq.) but then again so does a Mac counter or any fragrance or cosmetics counter inside a department store when it's available at any drugstore or stand alone shop. It's about the experience not whether certain things are available elsewhere or not.

To be honest as cool as Macy's Herald Sq was, I found they had to much chain stuff, as in a McDonalds, and stuff like that. It was totally different from the Macy's State Street in Chicago which is all about the unique stuff that is only found in that store from the restaurants to other items.

The Bay is doing great things with their downtown stores. The transformation at the Queen Street store is just amazing. But I would like to see more energy put into the mens department instead of always a focus on the ladies. There is a segment of the male population that would like a nice wide selection of clothing, etc.

[DHLawrence]

Especially those who can't afford the second-floor offerings but who don't want the almost bargain-basement offerings on the main floor. I buy most of my clothing at The Bay (not a designer fan) but the stock could use improvement.

[Gerrard]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

To be honest as cool as Macy's Herald Sq was, I found they had to much chain stuff, as in a McDonalds, and stuff like that. It was totally different from the Macy's State Street in Chicago which is all about the unique stuff that is only found in that store from the restaurants to other items.

The Bay is doing great things with their downtown stores. The transformation at the Queen Street store is just amazing. But I would like to see more energy put into the mens department instead of always a focus on the ladies. There is a segment of the male population that would like a nice wide selection of clothing, etc.

I agree....

[SpongeG]

there's nothing unique anymore and men don't bring in much money most men's departments are dead when compared to womens

[SpongeG]

Green Mountain Coffee to buy Van Houtte

MONTREAL - Quebec-based coffee services company Van Houtte has been sold to Vermont's Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. for $915 million to strengthen the American-based coffee company's position in Canada and the United States.

Tuesday's deal involves two companies whose main business is selling Keurig single K-cup coffee, machines and services to homes and offices across North America. But while the friendly transaction continues the consolidation of North America's coffee sector, it isn't expected to affect the price of coffee or restrict choices for consumers.

At the retail end, there's plenty of competition and prices are mostly determined by the wholesale price of coffee, inflation and other corporate cost pressures.

Van Houtte was sold to a U.S. private equity firm in 2007 and roasts and sells gourmet coffee for homes and offices and distributes it through direct-to-store delivery and coffee services networks in Canada and the United States.

The Montreal company operates Selena Coffee, Red Carpet and Filterfresh (USA) brands and runs about 70 stores in Quebec. It also sells coffee machines and services to about 60,000 offices and workplaces in the United States and Canada.

Green Mountain already has a presence in Canada after buying the the wholesale and roasting operations of Toronto-based Timothy's Coffees of the World for $157 million late last year.

"What we are attempting to do here over time is really build out a North American infrastructure and to support all of our customers both in the home side of the business, through retailers, and the grocery or office coffee customers," Green Mountain chief executive Lawrence Blanford said Tuesday.

...

http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver/bu...buy-van-houtte

[SpongeG]

Chronic Tacos has opened in Vancouver - 382 West Broadway and a second is opening too in kits



read a review here

http://www.eatchronictacos.com/

by Daniel A. Biello and Randall L. Wyner. The idea came after a long night of revelry in a west Newport Beach , CA shopping center close to where the friends had lived for the past 12 years. The concept was fast, fresh, made- to- order Mexican food that was far superior to that of the competition, with large portions and fresh salsa at a great price. Our food comes from authentic third generation recipes.... Thank you Bonilla Family.

Newport Beach was the first store to open its doors and show off all its 800 square feet on July 2, 2002. It was just in time to welcome thousands and to be broken in by the annual Newport Beach Fourth of July celebration. After opening the first store, Randall and Daniel took it easy for a while so they could perfect their system. By 2004, Chronic Tacos had became a local destination and the owners realized more and more customers returning not only from Newport but from nearby cities as well. It was at this point they realized it was time to expand. In 2005 they opened Chronic Tacos in Huntington Beach and took the concept to the next level, offering beer and wine, pool tables and a jukebox. The HB locals thoroughly embraced them. Chronic Tacos then became a franchiseable company, forming Chronic Tacos Enterprises and opening its first franchise in San Clemente on April 20, 2006with a turnout of over 1,000 hungry and excited locals. There are now more than 25 Chronic Tacos throughout California, including franchises in Arizona and Idaho. All the stores have been a huge success and continue to thrive with new customers every day. Our corporate office is located at 1317 Calle Avanzado in San Clemente, CA 92673 and our salsa is made fresh daily.

A Message from the Founders -
We promise to keep it real with the same fresh, delicious food you have come to love. We will always serve it fresh and fast, and will strive to make our stores a great place for that Chronic Break. Thank you to all our friends, families and customers---we couldn’t have done this without you.

Sincerely, Daniel A. Biello and Randall L. Wyner

[CondoKing]

I was at work and word got around that Louis Vuitton and Gucci were looking at possible leasing space at Chinook Center. Do you guys think it would be a possibility? I think it could since Burrberry is joining the expansion.

[Me&You]

Originally Posted by CondoKing

I was at work and word got around that Louis Vuitton and Gucci were looking at possible leasing space at Chinook Center. Do you guys think it would be a possibility? I think it could since Burrberry is joining the expansion.

I'd really prefer these stores to be downtown.

Does Calgary really need another LV location in addition to the one within Holt Renfrew?

[Plus15]

Initially stores of that caliber were (reportedly) interested in Chinook, but the way the leasing ended up there is nothing ultra high-end at Chinook, even the Harry Rosen was scaled down from the original 12,000 sq.ft. to a more modest 8,000 sq.ft. Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co. are represented in the 3D tour on Chinook's website (albeit with modified names) but none of that came to pass, and probably won't. Burberry and Coach are a far cry from Louis Vuitton and Hermes.

[SpongeG]

Winnipeg: Asian supermarket eyed for old arena site

Reaction is mixed to plans for a major Asian supermarket to be constructed on the site of the old Winnipeg Arena.

The Asian market will be the major tenant on the two-hectare site, located between Canad Inns Stadium and the Polo Park shopping centre, which has been vacant since the arena was demolished in 2006.

Bob Downs, development manager for Shindico Realty, says the development, which will also include smaller retail outlets and offices, is worth tens of millions of dollars.

Shindico will not reveal the name of the supermarket owner, but says it is a Canadian company.

"It is an ethnic grocery store. It will provide a variety of food products for Asian market as well as other ethnic markets," Downs said.

Downs is still working out the final details of the project with the company, but says construction should begin before the end of the year.

A spokesperson for Vancouver-based T & T Supermarket Inc. said the company is interested in the arena location but wouldn't confirm it is the one in talks with Shindico.

Liam Sanders, a customer at a Chinese grocery store in Winnipeg's Chinatown district, told CBC News he is excited about the prospect of a T & T market.

He used to shop there when he lived in B.C., and said "they have a great selection of stuff [and] there's really good produce.

"The prices are good and the service is really good," he added.

However, some owners of Asian grocery stores currently operating in the city aren't looking forward to that kind of competition.

Francis Tsang, who owns Oriental Grocery, believes there aren't enough Asian people in the city to support such a large store as well as the smaller ones like his.

...


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/st...-winnipeg.html

[SpongeG]

Polo North has anchor
Asian supermarket to open on former arena/CTV-WTN site


Artist’s rendering shows the planned Polo North centre. The new Asian supermarket, with office space above it, would occupy the building on the right.

Polo North has landed its first major retail tenant, and this one is sure to cause a stir in the local ethnic-food sector when it opens next year.
Shindico Realty Inc. officials confirmed Thursday that a 45,000-square-foot Asian supermarket will be the anchor retail tenant in Cadillac Fairview's 210,000-square-foot Polo North development, which is being built on the former Winnipeg Arena/CTV-WTN site at Polo Park.

The Shindico officials -- development manager Bob Downs and broker/developer John Pearson -- refused to disclose the name of the Asian grocer, saying some aspects of the leasing deal have not been completed.
However, all signs point to it being Canada's largest Asian supermarket chain -- Vancouver-based T & T Supermarket Inc.

T&T marketing manger Sandra Creighton said in an interview last November, after Edmonton-based Lucky Supermarket announced it was opening a new 32,000-square-foot Asian supermarket here, that T & T was also interested in opening a store in Winnipeg.

Creighton said Thursday the company has been looking at several locations, including the Polo North site. But she maintained a leasing deal has not been completed and she wouldn't speculate on how soon that might happen.
She said the fast-growing company, which started in 1993 with one outlet in Vancouver, will be opening its 19th megastore later this fall, also in Vancouver. The company has eight stores in the Vancouver area as well as two in Calgary, two in Edmonton and six in Ontario.

The Lucky Supermarket store near Notre Dame Avenue and McPhillips Street boasts about 20,000 square feet of retail space and is Winnipeg's largest Asian supermarket.

The next biggest is believed to be the 13,000-square-foot Sun Wah Supermarket on King Street. The remainder of the more than one dozen Asian grocery stores in the city are smaller operations.

Downs and Pearson said the Asian supermarket is one of a number of prospective tenants they've been negotiating with. They said they hope to complete a number of other leasing deals before the end of the year.
"We really have solid momentum on the leasing now," Pearson said.
"Once they (other prospective tenants) know you've got an anchor, they're more confident it will work," Downs said.

The only tenant that has been publicly identified is the Corus Entertainment network. It's leased the second floors of the CTV and WTN buildings, which are joined to one another, for its three local radio stations -- CJOB 680 AM, Power 97 FM, and Groove 99.1 FM.

The multimillion-dollar redevelopment of the CTV-WTN buildings is already well underway. Downs said construction of a new 150,000-square-foot, three-storey building on the former arena site will begin later this fall and should be completed by late next year.

The Asian supermarket will be one of the retail tenants on the main floor of that building. Downs said there is another 32,000 square feet of space still available, "and that could be taken by one (retail) tenant or a couple of tenants."

...

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bus...103697154.html

[SpongeG]

Toronto’s Bloor Street strip 20th among world’s most-expensive for retail rents: survey

Garry Marr, Financial Post · Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010

TORONTO — Toronto’s so-called “Mink Mile” managed to crack the top 20 of a list of the world’s most expensive places for retail rents, says Cushman & Wakefield.

The New York-based real estate company said the strip along Bloor Street in downtown Toronto now charges an average rent of $313 per square foot per year. That’s up from $300 per square foot per year a year earlier when Toronto finished 21st.

Put in perspective, even the most expensive place in Canada to do business in is cheap by international standards. New York’s Fifth Avenue garnered the top spot with rents of US$1850 per square foot. That was an 8.8% increase from a year ago.

Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay had rents of $US1,664 per square foot per year followed by the Ginza in Tokyo which average rents of US$877 per square foot per year.

Cushman &Wakefield said retail rents have been rising over the pat year in 66% of the 50 countries it surveys. The trend is in stark contrast to last which was worst in the 25 years the report has been released.

“Canada continues to offer outstanding value for money for high-end retailers from the US and Europe,” said Pierre Bergevin, President and CEO of Cushman & Wakefield in Canada. ““Despite significant upheaval due to construction along the entire Bloor retail strip, luxury retailers continued to drive demand leading to higher rents.

Vancouver’s Robson Street was the next most expensive location in Canada after Bloor Street with rents of $220 per square foot per year, up 4.8 from a year ago. Next up was Saint-Catherine West with average rent of $150 per square foot, flat from a year ago. Toronto’s Queen Street West was fourth with rents of $110 per square foot, also flat from a year earleir.

...

Read more: http://www.financialpost.com/news/To...#ixzz10UOJVVOR