Canadian Retail Thread

[jamincan]

Originally Posted by esquire

It was pretty common in MB/SK at one point, but I guess a lot of the in-store Starbucks weren't doing that well because the number has been dramatically scaled back in recent years. At least in Winnipeg. There are still some left but not as many as before. Not 100% sure but I think some other chains may have them too, like Save-On?

My local Zehrs has a Starbucks kiosk as well, so it sounds like it isn't an exclusive business relationship.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by JHikka

TimBiebs was one of, if not their best, marketing campaigns ever, IIRC.

I had Tim Biebs almost every time I went there, which is usually a weekend breakfast thing for us. Instead of a muffin or cookies, I got those instead. I liked them in a junky snack sort of way. The Tims I go to has a McDonalds at the other end of the parking lot, and if I want an actual breakfast sandwich, I go to McD's for a Sausage Egg McMuffin and I prefer their hashbrowns to Tims as well. At Tims for breakfast, I get a bagel with cream cheese. Bagel places are rare around here now, the odd Great Canadian Bagel shop and maybe some local ones I never hear about. We used to have a small chain back in the 90's called Zally's. The reminded of Einsteins Bagels that I had in Florida a few years ago. One of those was a meal itself.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by jamincan

My local Zehrs has a Starbucks kiosk as well, so it sounds like it isn't an exclusive business relationship.

The last cruise we went on several years ago, my wife was happy to see the ship had a Starbucks on it.

[cslusarc]

My local Safeway @ River East Plaza (in Winnipeg) lost its Starbuck this spring about 10 years after they enlarged the store and redeveloped the micro-mall.

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Y'all getting world class now.

You know it!
Once we get our first Wendy's we will truly be a top international destination!

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by thewave46

Eh, it's just an ordinary thing now instead of a mark of pride.

Maybe it's a secret shame for some uppity types, but it's more in the McD's category of background noise for the rest of the country.

Similarly, Starbucks isn't the uppity place it used to be either, once places like Sudbury, Brandon, Prince Albert, and Timmins got locations.

Sudbury has had Starbucks since at least 1999 and the only location there up until a few years ago was in the Chapters store. Timmins has had a Starbucks for only a few years. Many people here predicted that it wouldn't last but it has been very busy and I'm hearing of plans to open a larger location with a drive-thru.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Maybe is the ownership was Canadian rather than Brazilian there would be more pride.

Maybe if they still made their donuts daily on site with a guarantee of freshness there would be more pride.

Maybe if they had a stable wholesome menu limited to soups, chile and sandwiches rather than always chasing something new there would be more pride.

Tim Horton's is a shell of it's former self. I virtually never go there any more. Not even if I am looking for a coffee on a road trip.

I feel exactly the same way. We both live in cities with a very high number of Tim's per capita.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by YYCguys

Is Starbucks inside Safeway stores a standard feature nowadays? I don’t shop in Safeways other than my local store, which has one, and is in a small city-burb of Calgary, so I can’t speak to other locations. Wondering if Safeways in Sask and Man have them?

The safeway locations in Northwestern Ontario I've been to all have Starbucks in them. That includes Kenora, Dryden, Fort Frances and Thunder Bay.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

I had Tim Biebs almost every time I went there, which is usually a weekend breakfast thing for us. Instead of a muffin or cookies, I got those instead. I liked them in a junky snack sort of way. The Tims I go to has a McDonalds at the other end of the parking lot, and if I want an actual breakfast sandwich, I go to McD's for a Sausage Egg McMuffin and I prefer their hashbrowns to Tims as well. At Tims for breakfast, I get a bagel with cream cheese. Bagel places are rare around here now, the odd Great Canadian Bagel shop and maybe some local ones I never hear about. We used to have a small chain back in the 90's called Zally's. The reminded of Einsteins Bagels that I had in Florida a few years ago. One of those was a meal itself.

I remember Zally’s, they had locations all over London in the mid-90s. They were really good, they had a huge selection of cream cheeses too.

Tim Hortons introduced bagels in 1996, and many of the Zally’s closed within two years after. I recall Masonville Place still had one for a few more years, I think it was still there as late as 2006.

[SpongeG]

All the Safeways here in BC have Starbucks inside them, a few Save-On-Foods also have Starbucks inside them. Most of them do not work for pre-ordering with the ap.

[SpongeG]

Location, location: Why Edmonton is preferred by U.S. chains making their Canadian debut

Dickey's Barbecue Pit opened its first Canadian location in Edmonton on Thursday
Kashmala Fida Mohatarem, Ariel Fournier · CBC · Posted: May 01, 2022


Dickey's Barbecue Pit, a restaurant chain based in Dallas, opened its first Canadian location in Edmonton on Thursday. (Trevor Wilson/ CBC Edmonton)

188 comments

Alberta's capital city is known for many things — a giant mall, a gorgeous river valley and a pretty successful NHL franchise.

You can add to that list Edmonton's appeal as a testing ground for U.S. chain stores and restaurants looking to expand into the Canadian market.

Dickey's Barbecue Pit, a popular Texas-based chain restaurant that opened its first Canadian location in Edmonton on Thursday, is one of a few major American chains that have eyed the Alberta city for expansion.

In December, American convenience store chain 7-Eleven opened a licenced location in north Edmonton that includes a dining area for liquor consumption on the premises.

California Pizza Kitchen, meanwhile, has said it will open its first Canadian location in south Edmonton sometime this year.

Industry experts say the city's population demographics, eating habits, affordability and even the presence of a giant mall are factors in attracting businesses keen to test the taste buds of Canadians.

"Edmonton is a very good place to start because you limit your risk and you get a good market test," Ziad Kaddoura, a franchise consultant based in Edmonton, told CBC's Edmonton AM.

He said the city is a great place to figure out whether companies are up to the challenge of introducing a franchise in Canada with the least amount of damage in case their venture fails.

"And it's not as saturated as other markets," he said. "So I think it ticks all the right boxes."

...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...ebut-1.6432465

[WhipperSnapper]

mmm ... Texas barbeque

[Airboy]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

All the Safeways here in BC have Starbucks inside them, a few Save-On-Foods also have Starbucks inside them. Most of them do not work for pre-ordering with the ap.

Most Safeways here have Starbucks but the Saveons do not have any coffee place.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

Location, location: Why Edmonton is preferred by U.S. chains making their Canadian debut

Will remember this the next time someone wants to claim Toronto is filled with wannabe Americans.

[Coldrsx]

IKEA Announces Toronto Downtown Store Opening Date

The Swedish home furnishings retailer will open its 66,000 sq. ft. downtown location, a first to Canada concept with a new food concept added as well.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ret...TNmSTJxQ%3D%3D

[MonctonRad]

Also, Simons has officially announced their 17th store at the Halifax Shopping Centre in Halifax. It will be part of a $57M reconstruction of the former Eatons/Sears store at the mall. Opening will be in spring 2024.

I'm surprised q12 has not announced it here. He has already posted in the Halifax subforum about it.

[Airboy]

Originally Posted by Airboy

Most Safeways here have Starbucks but the Saveons do not have any coffee place.

So an update, Starbucks are clearing out of the Safeways here now.

[casper]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

IKEA Announces Toronto Downtown Store Opening Date

The Swedish home furnishings retailer will open its 66,000 sq. ft. downtown location, a first to Canada concept with a new food concept added as well.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ret...TNmSTJxQ%3D%3D

Disappointed the article does not answer the critical question everyone has. Will it have hot food. Ikea meatballs in downtown Toronto would be ideal. If they do a campaign needs to be organized to bring the concept to Vancouver. No meatballs, then it is ok if Toronto is the only location.

At the end they mentioned that Ikea had a deal with Penguin Pickup. Interesting concept. I wonder how well the Penguin locations do give the relative large size of many of the Ikea products.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by casper

Disappointed the article does not answer the critical question everyone has. Will it have hot food. Ikea meatballs in downtown Toronto would be ideal. If they do a campaign needs to be organized to bring the concept to Vancouver. No meatballs, then it is ok if Toronto is the only location.

At the end they mentioned that Ikea had a deal with Penguin Pickup. Interesting concept. I wonder how well the Penguin locations do give the relative large size of many of the Ikea products.

I ordered a couple tables from IKEA last year and had them held for pickup at a company called "Custom Delivery" in London. That location was just a few blocks away from where the IKEA Pick-Up Point store was before they closed them all, in a plaza that has a Brick and a Bad Boy and a few other large stores. I can't imagine rent was cheap there. Now they have moved to the former Sears warehouse in the south London industrial park, so not sure how well that location would do for IKEA now (although it is only about a mile away from where the full scale IKEA store was supposed to be built). If they are offering Penguin Pickup (as well as, or instead of), I think they have a location in the Walmart Supercentre big box plaza in north London, closer to the university.

[urbandreamer]

I noticed Odds & Ends on Queen St W of Bathurst has closed. I used to live a few doors down the street and never figured out how that old man made a living.