The Metro Vancouver Retail Thread

[SpongeG]

is the japanese bookstore in yaohan centre closed?

[usog]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

is the japanese bookstore in yaohan centre closed?

Iwase Books closed about after the big earthquake in Japan last year, and after Book-off I think there won't be any more Japanese book stores. To be honest though Book-offs selection hasn't been the best being all used stuff, I ended up just hitting up kinokuniya last time I was in California for my...manga rather than relying on book-off. But yeah from what I heard the book-off location in Vancouver just wasn't doing well enough for them to keep it open.

[mezzanine]

book off is (was?) cool. I was surprised to bump into one in paris.

FWIW there is some idle chatter of seattle landing a uniqlo.

http://www.seattlemet.com/blogs/wear...ited-may-2012/

[Metro-One]

I reallt hope that is not true.

It honestly really makes me mad that we are losing a major piece of japanese culture here, and if it turns out that not only do we not have any more Japanese bookstores, but our neighbor to the south will also be gaining a Uniqlo while we are not, I will be really, really pissed off, haha!

I checked Vancouver Japanese forums and there is a lot of anger over book off closing on it.

The last thing I need is more of a reason for my wife (and friends) to demand me to drive them to Seattle to go shopping...

Honestly, we use to have 4 or 5 Japanese book stores in Metro-Van, now we are going to have none! Why do we seem to be losing diversity / flavour in our retail market all the time?

[Joat]

I went to Uniqlo for the first time last week and it really is a great shop. It just opened recently here in Tangshan, China. Kind of a bummer that some random Chinese city gets one before Vancouver. Hopefully they start expanding more in North America soon.

I must say, its really insane how many malls there are being built here. There's like a chain of mall/residential/office? complexes called Wanda Plaza and they're being built all over China. And each of the malls is at least as big as metrotown.

[VancouverguyDowntown]

Uniqlo might open in Vancouver, according to this news website: http://www.retail-insider.com/2012/0...store-and.html

"Japanese chip and chic retailer Uniqlo has announced it will open a 29,000 square foot flagship location in San Francisco Fall 2012. It will be located at 111 Powell Street. Uniqlo's first US location opened in Manhattan October 2011.

This is the first of literally hundreds of proposed Uniqlo locations across the United States. The chain is also planning a Canadian launch in early 2013, beginning with tentative locations in Toronto and Vancouver, BC.

We will update you with new Uniqlo expansion news as it arrives. Stay tuned...

Uniqlo website: www.uniqlo.com"

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Pics by me today of The Bay awning removal on Seymour Street.

I'm not sure why they are removing sections of the terra cotta tile from the pilasters -
but I suspect it's for a new lighting system for the facade (since the old one was on the awning).
Sections of the terra cotta tile on the pilasters are also be removed on the Georgia frontage too -
but the parts removed on Seymour seem really low down from the columns/pilasters above.

Also - inside the store, men's suits and dress shirts etc. have moved to the concourse level -
until the 6th floor opens in October according to the sales clerks. The basement level is largely empty.
The entrance to topShop/TopMan is boarded up inside the store
and it is located to the south of the existing scissor escalators from Pacific Centre.

So if the TopShop/TopMan escaltors are also open concept -
that'll be an expansive escalator vestibule area with 3 banks side by side by side.


I could see 2 Bloomingdale entrances flanking the SkyTrain entrance:
.....

I noticed that too when I was running around this week.

Too bad they didn't do this new awning before the 2010 Olympics while they were cleaning up the rest of the store facade.

I suspect that the new awning will be attached to the building at the same elevation as the old awning to minimize the changes needed to the terra-cotta. Patching with new terra-cotta to match the old can result in horrific results if the owner doesn't want to spend money. I've seen some renos not bother with using new terra-cotta, but instead use modern metals like stainless steel or stucco to fill in the gaps where old terra-cotta was removed - with ugly results.

It's likely that removing the terra-cotta sections was necessary to gain access to the underlying steel framework to attach the new anchor points for the tensioned supports of the awning.

a sample image of an awning with tensioned supports:



(This ISN'T what The Bay is putting on their building - just a sample image to show a modern awning and diagonal supports attached to a building)

The Georgia Hotel awning shows what could be done with The Bay.

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by Joat

I went to Uniqlo for the first time last week and it really is a great shop. It just opened recently here in Tangshan, China. Kind of a bummer that some random Chinese city gets one before Vancouver. Hopefully they start expanding more in North America soon.

I must say, its really insane how many malls there are being built here. There's like a chain of mall/residential/office? complexes called Wanda Plaza and they're being built all over China. And each of the malls is at least as big as metrotown.

This shouldn't be a surprise when people discover that some Chinese cities & regions have populations as large as Canada.

Many people still don't understand that China is on track to become the largest economy in the world in our lifetime. It won't be just the Cheap Manufacturing Centre for the world either - as chinese incomes continue to rise, they will want a car (or two) and a house that is fully furnished with all the 'Mod Cons'.

In that environment, having a Metrotown Mall getting opened every month in some unfamiliar (to us) city shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

[memememe76]

The Shoe Company and Rip Curl are closing their Morgan Crossing stores. I wonder if the Cross-Border Shoppers are affecting business in this area.

[SpongeG]

the shoe company went bankrupt didn't it? or was it shoe warehouse...

morgan crossing never seemed to take off whereas grandview corners seems to have done well

[hollywoodnorth]

New owners save Book Warehouse from extinction

Flagship Broadway location will retain name, stay open

Read more: http://www.vancourier.com/business/o...949/story.html

[ryanmaccdn]

Originally Posted by VancouverguyDowntown

Uniqlo might open in Vancouver, according to this news website: http://www.retail-insider.com/2012/0...store-and.html

"Japanese chip and chic retailer Uniqlo has announced it will open a 29,000 square foot flagship location in San Francisco Fall 2012. It will be located at 111 Powell Street. Uniqlo's first US location opened in Manhattan October 2011.

This is the first of literally hundreds of proposed Uniqlo locations across the United States. The chain is also planning a Canadian launch in early 2013, beginning with tentative locations in Toronto and Vancouver, BC.

We will update you with new Uniqlo expansion news as it arrives. Stay tuned...

Uniqlo website: www.uniqlo.com"

Asian retail endeavors to North America hold a bad track record, and unfortunately I've never heard of this company or any chatter in the retail sector about it.

I would expect a soft launch in San Fran and a significant slow down of any expansion... remember if they can't make an impact in a middle American community then they can't make a go of it in general in North America.

[Echowinds]

Uniqlo is well known within the Asian community here in Vancouver, and if they provide similar offerings as those in Asia in their usual competitive prices, I can see them doing well here.

[GeeCee]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

the shoe company went bankrupt didn't it? or was it shoe warehouse...

morgan crossing never seemed to take off whereas grandview corners seems to have done well

Sterling Shoes, which is Shoe Warehouse, Sterling, Freedman, Joneve and Gia. Their assets were sold to another company which will be operating under the same banners, though some locations will close.

Shoe Company is still around AFAIK.

[Denscity]

Shoe Company is still open Kelowna, was just there.

[gillty]

Originally Posted by Echowinds

Uniqlo is well known within the Asian community here in Vancouver, and if they provide similar offerings as those in Asia in their usual competitive prices, I can see them doing well here.

Problem with Uniqlo is their sizing in their Singapore, HK, Japanese versus NYC, France, and UK stores is completely different. Asian population in Vancouver used to shopping back in Asia will be looking for a completely different sizing versus those looking for clothes from their western stores.

e.g. Large Asian Uniqlo = Medium US/UK Uniqlo with much shorter sleeves, exact same article.

[duener]

I can see how Vancouver would benefit from having more cheap clothing retailers like Uniqlo, but otherwise I don't get what is special about them. Sure they have underwear packaged in a unique way but otherwise it all seems so bland/average. If anything Vanouver could use a much larger Zara with Spanish pricing.

As for Japanese bookstores, it sounds like all bookstores are having problems. It's a shame, but I guess it's the way the world is going. Although maybe they're just anticipating the effect of Canada closing its Japanese visa office.

[Metro-One]

So I took several Japanese friends out to White Rock today (they loved it) but they are dismayed by the loss of Book Off.

[jlousa]

Lets try to keep this on retail guys. Thanks.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by jsbertram

I noticed that too when I was running around this week.

Too bad they didn't do this new awning before the 2010 Olympics while they were cleaning up the rest of the store facade.

I suspect that the new awning will be attached to the building at the same elevation as the old awning to minimize the changes needed to the terra-cotta. Patching with new terra-cotta to match the old can result in horrific results if the owner doesn't want to spend money. I've seen some renos not bother with using new terra-cotta, but instead use modern metals like stainless steel or stucco to fill in the gaps where old terra-cotta was removed - with ugly results.

It's likely that removing the terra-cotta sections was necessary to gain access to the underlying steel framework to attach the new anchor points for the tensioned supports of the awning.

I was wondering that too - the parts removed on Seymour do look like they are for cable stays - but the rendering for the TopShop/TopMan awnings don't show cable stays.

Also, on the Georgia side, the part of the pilaster being removed is the medallion at the top - which isn't suitable for a cable stay if there are separate awnings for each display window since they'd be angled (it would only work if there was a continuous awning). The parts removed on the Seymour side are different places, though.

Unless the awning design is different on different sides...

The odd thing is - why install an awning that is more intrusive to the original facade? Why not install a funky glass awning (i.e. undulating) using the existing, massive I-beams?

Also I recall reading that The Bay retained a professional terra cotta restoration firm for the work done before the olympics - so hopefully this reno will be consistent with that.

Originally Posted by officedweller

Big article in today's vancouver Sun about the Bay's reno for Topshop/Topman and the new awning - WITH RENDER!

http://www.vancouversun.com/business...531/story.html

This render shows the Granville entrance with escalators direct to Topshop/Topman and the renovated Bay entrance adjacent to it. Nice to see the double height display windows restored.

http://www.vancouversun.com/business...531/story.html