Canadian Retail Thread

[caltrane74]

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

This is a silly argument, but I'll step in for some clarification. Nordstrom Eaton Centre will be a flagship like Nordstrom Pacific Centre. The Vancouver location is larger, however.

http://http://www.retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2015/5/nordstrom-flagships

Retail-Insider used one of my crappy nighttime cellphone pics.

I'm honoured.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

I'm sure all their stores will be flagships in their own unique way.

I mean, should companies even be opening non-flagships stores in this day and age?

Flagships refers to the often historic downtown locations after secondary locations were built in the burbs. Anything downtown is still often called a flagship regardless if it is the only location in that urban centre. So, yeah, it doesn't mean a whole lot.

[whatnext]

It always surprises me when people get all worked up about the opening of yet another chain store that can be found in any retail node in any major city.

[WhipperSnapper]

Worked up? Just a little confusion that should be now resolved.

[miketoronto]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Flagships refers to the often historic downtown locations after secondary locations were built in the burbs. Anything downtown is still often called a flagship regardless if it is the only location in that urban centre. So, yeah, it doesn't mean a whole lot.

Not really. Flagships usually are the largest store in the city, with the most selection.
As American cities show, a flagship can be in a shopping mall, and not downtown. Even in Canada, this is seen in some weaker downtowns like Winnipeg, where the flagship Hudson's Bay is really Polo Park Mall. Or Edmonton, where the flagship is also in the suburbs.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

Not really. Flagships usually are the largest store in the city, with the most selection.
As American cities show, a flagship can be in a shopping mall, and not downtown. Even in Canada, this is seen in some weaker downtowns like Winnipeg, where the flagship Hudson's Bay is really Polo Park Mall. Or Edmonton, where the flagship is also in the suburbs.

In Winnipeg and (I believe) Edmonton, the downtown area demographics do not support retail these days, which is why downtown malls built in the 1980s floundered badly, while they were very successful in Toronto and Ottawa (running even with, or even outmatching, the suburbs).

In the case of Toronto, there are 2 main downtown retail nodes.

[esquire]

The downtown Winnipeg Bay store ceased to be the "flagship" when a new Bay store opened up at CF Polo Park in the site of the former Eaton's back in the early 2000s. Polo Park is a bit like Chinook Centre in that it's definitely suburban, but still very central relative to downtown.

In some respects the large and magnificent Bay downtown building has made watching the store's gradual demise painful... while Edmonton's store just moved into a smaller, more modern and more appropriately sized location, ours remains in the grand old building which never gets fixed up and continues to see more floors go dark.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Worked up? Just a little confusion that should be now resolved.

No, I just meant the discussion is almost all about chain stores that can be found on any retail strip from Vancouver to Toronto to London to Dubai...etc. Very little discussion of cool independent stores unqiue to each posters city.

[Loco101]

What retail chain has the most stores across Canada?

I know it might be Loblaws but that includes stores of different names.

If we go by a chain where all of the stores have the same name I'm wondering if it is Home Hardware. I've seen locations in larger places and many smaller places where you wouldn't find a Canadian Tire. I have also seen stores in rural Newfoundland and Labrador, rural francophone Quebec and in all other provinces.

I thought it might be a convenience store chain or something else but there doesn't seems to be anything big with a consistent names used across Canada other than Home Hardware. Maybe Rona is a close second?

[Innsertnamehere]

^tims, by far.

[Loco101]

I mean retailers and not restaurants/cafes.

[SpongeG]

shoppers drug mart, the source

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

Not really. Flagships usually are the largest store in the city, with the most selection.
As American cities show, a flagship can be in a shopping mall, and not downtown. Even in Canada, this is seen in some weaker downtowns like Winnipeg, where the flagship Hudson's Bay is really Polo Park Mall. Or Edmonton, where the flagship is also in the suburbs.

I'm not talking about Hudson's Bay.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by whatnext

No, I just meant the discussion is almost all about chain stores that can be found on any retail strip from Vancouver to Toronto to London to Dubai...etc. Very little discussion of cool independent stores unqiue to each posters city.

Everyone can relate or measure up to a chain store. Why would anyone in Vancouver be interested in hearing about an amazing designer on Spadina in Toronto?

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

shoppers drug mart, the source

Shoppers would be an excellent candidate as they're truly national (if you include Pharmaprix) and have a high saturation of small and medium sized stores rather than fewer large ones. Apparently they have 1,253, and the Source as 650. According to Wikipedia Dollarama has over 900.

[Taeolas]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Shoppers would be an excellent candidate as they're truly national (if you include Pharmaprix) and have a high saturation of small and medium sized stores rather than fewer large ones. Apparently they have 1,253, and the Source as 650. According to Wikipedia Dollarama has over 900.

Wiki also says Home Hardware has over 1000 store; but that probably includes the 3 store brands. Canadian Tire only has 490 CT stores apparently (Though that feels low to me).

Circle K/CoucheTard might actually be the biggest, once they finish rebranding all the Macs stores. The Wiki articles don't really have a clear number for store counts, but Ontario alone seems to have over a thousand, and that doesn't count the old Mainways in the Maritimes.

[Nouvellecosse]

I didn't even think of them because down here they're almost all part of gas stations, and if we were to include gas stations, one of them would probably be the winner. Maybe Ultramar, Esso, or Shell? The question is how many stand alone Circle K and CoucheTard stores there are.

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by miketoronto

The Eaton Centre Nordstrom will a flagship as well.

Toronto and Vancouver will be the only Nordstrom flagship locations in Canada. In Nordstrom's case they do actually differentiate their flagship product from their main line stores somewhat significantly. In addition to the extra size, the brands and services offered are beyond what you would find in a suburban or mainline Nordstrom location.

And for what it's worth the Vancouver store will still be a few thousand SF bigger than Toronto, but it's irrelevant as they both offer the exact same program, one might just have an inch wider walkways or one more sink in the washroom...

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by Loco101

I mean retailers and not restaurants/cafes.

Though people in the industry would insist those are "stores" too.

[WhipperSnapper]

I

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

I didn't even think of them because down here they're almost all part of gas stations, and if we were to include gas stations, one of them would probably be the winner. Maybe Ultramar, Esso, or Shell? The question is how many stand alone Circle K and CoucheTard stores there are.

Does it matter if the stores are part of a larger service station?

AFAIK, On The Run is the largest convience store chain in the GTA. I guess Couchetard will be rebranding these too. It will be tough for anyone to top Circle K.