Canadian Retail Thread

[MolsonExport]

Confirmed this morning, the Apple Store coming to London. Masonville Mall.

[SpongeG]

CB2 rocks Queen West

Aging hipsters who recall Queen West as a nexus of early ’80s punk/new wave culture tend to look in wonder — and just a touch of wistfulness — at the studied hipness it’s acquired since then. In those days, it was home to small storefront art studios, some of whose upper floors played host to late-late-night speakeasies, alongside hangover-worthy greasy spoons, and “vintage” stores which back then described their wares by more pedestrian descriptions; to wit, old clothes and junk.

The latest entrant to the upwardly mobile mix is the first Canadian location of CB2 ( www.cb2.ca), a U.S. retailer that also owns Crate and Barrel ( www.crateandbarrel.ca), which landed in Canada a few years ago, and now has four locations — two in the GTA (Yorkdale and Square One) and one each in Calgary and Edmonton.

The new CB2 store is housed in what used to be the much-lamented Big Bop at Queen St. W. and Bathurst St. (aforementioned aging hipsters will remember even further back when it was the Holiday Tavern, a local watering hole with a certain picturesque, if time-ravaged, appeal.) It sits next door to the beautifully refurbished Burroughes Building, which houses the small independent Design Republic, which also offers home decor, often from local sources.

Alas, tempus fugit. But oldsters can take comfort in that the redesign of the building certainly is pretty, with a glass expanse that rises two stories on the west-facing side. The flood of natural light should make shopping there a welcome change from the fluorescent hell of the cavernous big box. Inside, the ghost of buildings past are reflected in small ways, such as concrete flooring, metal fixtures and original signage.

Beyond the fact that CB2 has re-thunk the space well, there are other reasons to like this plucky little retail chain, which is hoping to draw urbanites looking to create design looks in smaller spaces with affordable pieces.

The product offering is broad and includes furniture, kitchenware, art, bed and bath linens, lighting and accessories. I took my 19-year-old daughter with me for market testing purposes (also because she’s brilliant company). If she’s at the very low-end of their target age market, her reaction bodes well. She liked lots, starting with the high-colour graphic art, which includes both emerging and internationally recognized artists, sometimes in limited issue runs. Rumour has it that local designer Karl Lohnes will soon have a piece, inspired by the Jubilee Year, in CB2’s art collection.

There’s a decent-sized kitchen offering with fun tabletop items, such as perforated acrylic felt table runners (yes, you certainly could make one yourself. But will you?) for $23. Stainless steel semicircular snack bowls start at $13. We both liked the witty accessories — oversized chopsticks ($5) that function like giant clothes-pegs and plates ($5) with silly graphics of stale doughnuts and such by New York artist Dan Golden ( www.dangolden.com).

It’s also hard not to smile at Golden’s line of black and white accessories, partly because they so accurately reflect the anxieties and sensibilities of CB2’s young, urban shoppers in text and image. For example, a throw pillow ($35) features a “self-hating” elephant contemplating liposuction.

...

http://www.thestar.com/article/11218...cks-queen-west

[LeftCoaster]

maybe this will revive this thread from the dead.

Huge news out of the US which might lead to some speculation up north of the border...

GGP to Acquire 11 Sears Anchor Pads
Portfolio Totals 1.8 million Square Feet of Gross Leasable Area

Press Release: General Growth Properties, Inc. – 3 hours ago

CHICAGO, Feb. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- General Growth Properties, Inc. (NYSE: GGP - News) ("GGP") today announced a definitive agreement for the acquisition of 11 Sears anchor pads within its portfolio for $270 million. The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of 2012 subject to customary closing conditions.
"This portfolio represents a significant opportunity to recapture valuable real estate within our portfolio," said Shobi Khan, chief operating officer, General Growth Properties. "This acquisition also enhances several expansion and redevelopment opportunities including re-tenanting the anchor space and adding new in-line GLA. Over the next several years we anticipate adding 319,000 square feet of new in-line space, the majority at Ala Moana Center, our most productive mall with sales surpassing $1,200 per square foot. In addition, we look forward to continuing to work with Sears as they represent an important anchor tenant within our portfolio."

PORTFOLIO INFORMATION
Upon closing, GGP will own the following anchor pads. GGP anticipates Sears to continue occupying each space into 2013 until the final closing dates are determined.

Mall, Location
Ala Moana Center, Honolulu, HI
Apache Mall, Rochester, MN
Bellis Fair, Bellingham, WA
Coral Ridge Mall, Coralville, IA
Fashion Place, Murray, UT
Mall of the Bluffs, Council Bluffs, IA
Market Place Shopping Center, Champaign, IL
Provo Towne Centre, Provo, UT
Quail Springs Mall, Oklahoma City, OK
West Oaks Mall, Ocoee, FL
The Woodlands Mall, Woodlands, TX

ABOUT GGP
General Growth Properties, Inc. owns or has an interest in 136 regional shopping malls comprising approximately 140 million square feet of gross leasable area in the United States. GGP is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol GGP. For further information please visit the GGP website at www.GGP.com.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/GGP-Ac...75398.html?x=0

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by LeftCoaster

maybe this will revive this thread from the dead.

Huge news out of the US which might lead to some speculation up north of the border...

It's interesting you've posted that link, as Sears Canada seems to have a long recovery ahead after years of the brand going downhill, according to reports in the Toronto Star. The most telling thing in that article was the comments. Virtually all of the 55 comments echoed a common sentiment that I agree with: customer service at Sears in Canada sucks big time.

[davidivivid]

IKEA is investing $80M to expand its Montreal megastore, which will see its surface area jump from 258 000ft² to 469 000ft² and making it IKEA's biggest store in North America.
http://www.lesaffaires.com/archives/...ontreal/542975


Also, Harry Rosen intends to invest $20M in Montreal in order to open a new 40 000ft² flagship store.
http://www.lesaffaires.com/archives/...n-phare/542982

[Martin Mtl]

Ogilvy proposal 'fantastic' for downtown

Project combining shops, condos, hotel one of 10 planned developments

BY ALLISON LAMPERT, THE GAZETTE APRIL 4, 2012

If it comes to fruition, the proposal to redevelop the former Ogilvy department store downtown would transform de la Montagne St., north of Ste. Catherine St. W.



Photograph by: ALLEN MCINNIS GAZETTE FILES , The Gazette

A $150-million project to reinvent the landmark Ogilvy department store in downtown Montreal as part of a hotel, residential and highend shopping complex is ambitious, even for a city undergoing an unprecedented real estate boom, real estate observers say.

The Maison Ogilvy project would expand the iconic store, which would be connected to a new development on de la Montagne St. that combines ground floor shopping and underground parking with 110 condos and a 120-room hotel, a description published Tuesday by Montreal's downtown Ville Marie borough said.

The Hotel de la Montagne would have to be demolished and a parking lot would be developed for the new construction, which would be up to 16 stories high.

"If it comes to fruition, it would be a fantastic project for downtown Montreal," said Jeffrey Berkowitz, president of Aurora Realty Consultants, a retail and real estate specialist.

The project - presented to the borough Tuesday night and is contingent on city hall approval - is the brainchild of Selfridges Group Ltd., which owns Ogilvy, along with Montreal-based partner and developer Devimco Inc. The Quebec Federation of Labour's Fonds de solidarité is a financial partner.

"It's the first step in a very long process," said Jean-Sébastien Lamoureux, a Montreal-based spokesperson for Selfridges.

The 545,000-square-foot project was at one point designed to reach all the way to de Maisonneuve Blvd.

But the owner of Wanda's strip club at the corner of de Maisonneuve refused multimillion-dollar offers to sell his building to developers, so the project is going ahead without him, sources told The Gazette.

Lamoureux would not address rumours that Selfridges-owned Holt Renfrew department store would be moved into the Ogilvy's building.

The Maison Ogilvy project is one of 10 developments - with a combined 1,600 condo units and 555,000 square feet of office space - planned by private developers for downtown Montreal, the Ville Marie borough said.

In fact, some of these 10 projects, including the transformation of the Ekers Brewery on St. Dominique St. into condos, along with plans by developer Cadillac Fairview Corp. Ltd. to build an office tower on Saint Antoine St. near the Bell Centre, have already been announced.

In several cases, the projects would be conditional on making adequate sales or, in the case of office space, securing tenants willing to pay the higher net rents charged by developers for new construction.

A handful of developers, have already proposed building new office space in Montreal, but have yet to announce deals with anchor tenants.

Fuelled by historically low interest rates, condos are being built in record numbers in Montreal and other Canadian cities like Toronto. The new housing market, however, is expected to soften this year in Montreal with analysts expecting starts to drop 15 to 20 per cent compared with 2011.

alampert@ montrealgazette.com Twitter@RealDealMtl



Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/busin...#ixzz1rCCmQik8

[ue]

Rogers to exit video store business

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/stor...ers-video.html

Remaining 93 stores to be converted to wireless/tv stores like all the rest.

[MolsonExport]

^"to serve you better" Fucking Rogers. Not that I have set foot in a Rogers/Blockbuster for at least 5 years. Rogers is the master of price creep. I hate Rogers with every whole-grained fibre of my soul.

[SpongeG]

most of the rogers stores closed here months ago - only one of them seems to have become a cell store - we can't have rogers tv here so none of them would ever become that

[ue]

They still have one Rogers Video in Edmonton and two in Calgary. I'm sure there's at least one in the Lower Mainland.

[SpongeG]

there probably is i just can't think of any of the locations - the one near me and the one downtown on davie street are the only two i can recall of existing

probably one somewhere in maple ridge or surrey

[Metro-One]

I know the one downtown Maple Ridge closed, that location had been there for quite some time. The other on the west side of town I am not sure. The only video rental store left in Maple Ridge that I have seen is a local family owned one, which is now about half the size of what it use to be.

[davidivivid]

When is La Maison Simons store in Edmonton scheduled to open?

[isaidso]

Edmonton is getting a Simons? I'd like to have one in Toronto. All we have here in Sears, the Bay, and Holts. Not a lot of choice for a city this size. Chicago has about 6-7 different department stores. Would be nice to get a Simons, Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, and Macy's.

[SpongeG]

simons is opening in WEM in 2012 - they plan to have 20 stores across canada in the coming years

Quebec's Simons set to head west

all the WEM site says is:

Coming Soon
Here is a preview of some of the exciting new retailers coming to the Mall:
J.Crew is opening at WEM this spring! The new store will carry J.Crew’s women’s collection and, new to Canada, its highly coveted men’s collection.
Simons is one of Canada's leading fashion retailers. They carry many of the world’s hottest designers and Simons' own original labels.
Steve Madden is considered to be the fashion footwear mogul of the 21st century.
Kiehl’s has been dedicated to serving the finest quality skin and hair care formulas for more than 159 years.
XXI Forever (expansion) is doubling its current size!

http://www.wem.ca/#/shop/coming-soon

the WEM style blog says it opens August 2012

La Maison Simons – August 2012
Only location outside of Quebec
www.simons.ca
One of Canada‟s leading fashion retailers—La Maison Simons—is opening a 120,000-square-foot store along Europa Boulevard. Founded in 1840 in Quebec City, La Maison Simons has built its reputation on being passionate about fashion, a passion that transcends throughout their unparalleled selection of cutting edge, high-quality fashion merchandise. The WEM location will spotlight many of the world’s hottest designers and Simons’ own exclusive, original house labels in a revolutionary shopping environment on par with the world’s top names in fashion.

http://styleblog.wem.ca/fashion/wem-...new-retailers/

[miketoronto]

"“I'm gambling that there are places in the country where people are ready for a more unique, less cookie-cutter experience,” Mr. Simons said."

Except with expanding into a national chain, Simons will become just another cookie-cutter store.

Simons in my opinion will lose its style and character when it becomes a national retailer. Right now it has a cache and is something special when you visit Quebec.
Also the plans to downplay the clothing at the Edmonton store will make Simons not an interesting place to shop. Part of the fun of Simons is the unique and classy clothing they sell. Downgrading it to fit a "sloppy Edmonton style" will downgrade the store.

It is a shame a store does not know when they have a good thing going and to just do well with what they have, instead of always trying to expand and make their business into just another chain that loses its personality, customer service, etc.

[Me&You]

I vote Miketoronto as the worst person to run a business on these forums.

[miketoronto]

Originally Posted by Me&You

I vote Miketoronto as the worst person to run a business on these forums.

Or maybe I would be the best!

The fact is the Simons family makes a ton of money already, and they live well. Do they really need to expand and make more money?

Second, if massive expansion was always the key, then chain stores would not be in such massive bad shape as they are now.
Chain after chain is facing financial difficulty, because expansion alone does not mean you are going to make money.

I guess Honest Eds in Toronto is the worst person to run a business, since he stated he would never operate branch stores or turn Honest Eds into a chain, because it takes away from the business when you become a national chain.

Simons had existed for well over 100 years only operating in Quebec City, and more recently with a few extra stores around Quebec.
When I have had to contact them for stuff, I have gotten personal responses from the president of Simons.

You can bet that will all be going out the window as the number of stores they have will mean no longer having that close hands on relationship with the stores.

It happens to almost every store that becomes a huge national or international chain.

Another great store that refuses to branch out is Kingsmills in London, Ontario. People keep calling for the death of department stores, and point to the huge national chain stores and their declining profits, etc.
Yet for over 120 years Kingsmills has been operating in a less stellar than vibrant downtown, and has even expanded their store in recent years.
They have amazing customer service and style that you just don't get in a chain, and they have loyal customers because of it.

Expanding your business across the nation is not always the way to make extra money. But it is a good way to put your company into financial ruin, as most of these chain stores show.

Simons really has a good thing going, and part of that success is being different and unique, and not something that can be found everywhere. As this expansion continues it will just become another H&M or GAP, etc. It will lose its cache. That is a fact.

[SpongeG]

there is nothing wrong with that - more choice for consumers is always a win win

not everyone has the jet setting budget like yourself to go clothes shopping in quebec

[miketoronto]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

there is nothing wrong with that - more choice for consumers is always a win win

not everyone has the jet setting budget like yourself to go clothes shopping in quebec

Well then I guess we should just carbon copy every single store and restaurant in every city and make sure every world city has the exact same thing.
No sense in having anything unique in each city anymore.