General Retail News

[rocketphish]

I'm sure that if the Co-op offered a competitive product for a competitive price, or offered something unique, more people would be shopping there. The fact that they aren't is telling.

[Radster]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

I'm sure that if the Co-op offered a competitive product for a competitive price, or offered something unique, more people would be shopping there. The fact that they aren't is telling.

I live nearby and go there once a week, but never spend more than $15-$20 because the selection is bad and the prices are too high, even compared to the Hintonbourg Market which is a couple blocks down the street. I am surprised they didn't better inform the local population (Hintonbourg and Mechanicsville) about their store, what it offers (promoting permaculture, selling groceries, licensed restaurant/cafe, events, opening hours etc.) via a simple one page flyer distributed by Canada Post and include a coupon in there as an incentive for first time customers. Only marketing I have seen is a sign they place on the sidewalk in front of the LCBO across the street. In this day in age, with so many choices, you need to step up your marketing game if you wanna succeed. Word of mouth can only go so far.

[canabiz]

Not good news as you want to see local businesses succeed but like Radster said they need to step their game up if they want to stick around...it's sink or swim. People here can go to extra length to get good deals so having a presence in the neighbourhood doesn't guarantee any success.

I spent some time recently in London, UK and am really impressed with the smaller grocery stores concept like Tesco Express, Sainsbury Local and Little Waitrose in residential areas. You don't need a lot of space to operate but you need to position the stores in high-traffic area and you need to have the daily staples constantly stocked. I think Sobey's just opened a store based on similar concept (Urban Fresh?) in downtown so I also hope they will do well...

[silvergate]

Originally Posted by canabiz

Not good news as you want to see local businesses succeed but like Radster said they need to step their game up if they want to stick around...it's sink or swim. People here can go to extra length to get good deals so having a presence in the neighbourhood doesn't guarantee any success.

I spent some time recently in London, UK and am really impressed with the smaller grocery stores concept like Tesco Express, Sainsbury Local and Little Waitrose in residential areas. You don't need a lot of space to operate but you need to position the stores in high-traffic area and you need to have the daily staples constantly stocked. I think Sobey's just opened a store based on similar concept (Urban Fresh?) in downtown so I also hope they will do well...

You've gotta have a pretty solid supply chain to do that kind of business. Most small grocers would never be able to compete if, say Loblaws started doing that.

[rocketphish]

Rona buying 20 stores in Quebec, Ontario, eliminating franchise structure

The Canadian Press ~ OBJ
Published on July 16, 2015

Home renovation company Rona says it will compete more effectively with large U.S. rivals by eliminating its franchise structure with the purchase of 20 stores that date back to its entry into big-box retailing two decades ago.

The Quebec-based company said Thursday it is acquiring 18 franchise stores in Quebec and two in the Ottawa area for an undisclosed price. They include 17 big-box stores and three smaller outlets.

The move will leave Rona (TSX:RON) with 233 corporate and 275 affiliate stores in Canada that operate under several different banners.

"The competition we're facing in big-box retailing is all corporate, so it gives us agility to be more reactive to promotions, to be more proactive in terms of development across (Quebec) and it's more efficient overall in the company," Luc Rodier, executive vice-president retail, said in an interview.

Rona has been streamlining its operations for three years in an effort to cut costs and restore profits amid a tough retail environment.

Mr. Rodier said the change to a structure used by its rivals doesn't set Rona up for an eventual sale.

The franchisees approached the company six months ago about a sale. It follows Rona's purchase of five other franchise locations since 2005.

All 79 of Rona's big-box stores will be wholly-owned by the company following the acquisition of the 17 franchised big-box locations.

The deal is expected to close in September, subject to a review of the business at each of the franchised stores.

In total, the Rona franchise stores have 2,600 employees and generate more than $500 million in annual retail sales.

Mr. Rodier said the deal won't affect employees and will go largely unnoticed by customers.

"For local communities there's very little changes apart from the ownership. Local management stays, the staff stays, the service stays the same, the assortment will be Rona assortment."

The acquisition will allow Rona to incorporate the franchised store sales and profits into its own results.

But analyst Irene Nattel of RBC Capital Markets said while the transaction will simplify its business model, that does little to change overall challenges facing the company.

"With a challenging outlook for the Canadian housing market and modest consumer spending growth, we believe it will be difficult for Rona to generate meaningful sustainable top line growth after the current period of easy comparables," she wrote in a report.

http://www.obj.ca/Local/Retail/2015-...se-structure/1

[Cre47]

Not sure if anyone mentionned it but Simons at Les Promenades is set to open August 13th as mentionned at their front entrance (roughly around the old K-Mart location).

[rocketphish]

Bridgehead to open shop near Ikea, adds licensed patio to the mix

Vito Pilieci, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: July 27, 2015 | Last Updated: July 27, 2015 4:37 PM EDT

Bridgehead Coffee is opening a 1,850-square-foot location in a six-storey office tower located at the corner of Pinecrest Road and Iris Street.

The office building, which was once part of Nortel Networks’ sprawling Ottawa empire, is located at 2745 Iris St. and is now primarily filled with federal government workers. It sits across the street from restaurant and brewery Big Rig.

A cafeteria once occupied much of the building’s main floor, however management of the building decided to close the eatery and lease out the space to interested vendors. Bridgehead and Subway will be moving into the building. According to Bridgehead president and chief executive officer Tracey Clark, the new location might be serving iced cappuccinos as early as this weekend.

“Barring any hiccups, we could open as soon as Saturday,” she said. “It will be on the ground floor and it’s a little bit bigger than our average size.”

Clark said the newest Bridgehead cafe will also be licensed to sell beer — the local coffee chain has partnered with Ottawa’s Beyond the Pale Brewery to sell pints of beer from the location. An outdoor patio has been built so passersby can sit and enjoy their beverages, and a variety of lighter food offerings will be available at the location.

http://ottawacitizen.com/business/lo...tio-to-the-mix

[canabiz]

Videoflicks in Bells Corners has closed. Capital Optical is moving in.

I'm actually surprised it has lasted for as long as it could, in this day and age of Netflix and streaming. I don't know about the downtown core but I can't think of another video rental store, independent or chains, in the 'burbs.

[Harley613]

Is Jumbo Video on Merivale still open?

[Schattenjager]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Is Jumbo Video on Merivale still open?

Yep!

[Norman Bates]

I was on Elgin today and noticed that video station was closed.

[MountainView]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Is Jumbo Video on Merivale still open?

So is the one at Bank and Hunt Club. I believe both are a Jumbo Video / Microplay.

[canabiz]

Herbal Magic shut its doors in Eastern Ontario

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...-closes-stores

[rocketphish]

City's retail market hit hard by Target, Future Shop departures: report

OBJ Staff
Published on August 07, 2015

Ottawa’s retail market has yet to recover from the departures earlier this year of Target Canada and Future Shop, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s second-quarter snapshot released Friday.

And the city likely won’t bounce back for some time, the report added.

Overall, Ottawa’s retail vacancy rate jumped to five per cent, an increase of two percentage points from the last half of 2014.

“This dramatic increase in vacancy was a result of the Target and Future Shop closures, both of which left sizable pockets of space,” the report said, adding that Jacob, Mexx and Sony Store closures did not help. Other chains also shut down some underperforming stores, it said.

Of the city’s regional malls and large power centres (those covering more than 375,000 square feet), Place d’Orleans was hardest hit, according to the report. The closure of Target and several clothing retailers left it with 139,000 square feet of empty space.

Kanata Centrum also suffered a major blow after being left with a 25,000-square-foot vacancy when Future Shop announced in March it was shutting all of its stores for good.

While the overall vacancy rate in the division remains relatively low at 3.6 per cent, that is still two full percentage points higher than the last half of 2014, the report said.

The community malls and and smaller power centres (110,000- to 375,000-square-foot) division also felt the sting of Target’s departure. While Wal-Mart will move into the empty space at Billings Bridge Plaza and Lowe’s is taking over the discount store chain’s location on St. Laurent Boulevard, there have been no takers yet for the 117,000-square-foot former Target space in Hazeldean Mall or the 124,000-square-foot vacancy at Meadowlands Mall.

The vacancy rate in this division jumped 1.7 percentage points from the end of 2014 to 6.6 per cent, the report said.

Due to their smaller size, neighbourhood malls (those in the 10,000- to 110,000-square-foot range) were relatively unscathed by the exodus, the report said, with their vacancy rate actually dropping half a percentage point to 4.6 per cent. It’s expected this segment will see further construction to continue servicing the outlying areas, Cushman & Wakefield said.

The vacancy rate in the core office tower segment jumped to 9.9 per cent, largely because high-end retailer Holt Renfrew closed its only Ottawa store at 240 Sparks at the beginning of the year.

http://www.obj.ca/Real-Estate/Non-re...es%3A-report/1

[rocketphish]

Gladstone Theatre sold to unidentified buyer

Lynn Saxberg, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: August 11, 2015 | Last Updated: August 11, 2015 7:57 PM EDT



The long-term future of the Gladstone Theatre as an arts venue is uncertain after an offer to buy the building was reportedly accepted this week.

When the deal is finalized, the unidentified buyer will take over ownership of the Gladstone Avenue landmark from Ottawa’s Steve Martin. He bought it for about $500,000 in 2007 and undertook an extensive renovation, pouring $1 million into upgrading the facility.

However, returns were lower than expected and Martin struggled with the debt. He put the building up for sale in 2010 with an asking price of $1.5 million. It failed to sell and was taken off the market until this summer, when it was re-listed for $995,000. The centrally located property is a stone’s throw from Preston Street’s Little Italy neighbourhood.

Martin, who did not respond to requests for comment on the sale, told the Citizen last month that any new buyer would be required to honour the 2015-16 theatre season, which is already booked.

Originally a truck-repair garage, the building has a long history as a performing-arts space. In 1982, it was purchased by a group of theatre aficionados and converted into a 236-seat home for the Great Canadian Theatre Company. The Acoustic Waves folk-music concert series was also presented on its stage. The GCTC moved to the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre on Wellington Street in 2008.

It is believed there were multiple offers on the property, including one from a consortium of arts enthusiasts led by CKCU host and former Ottawa Folk Festival artistic director Chris White. Their vision for the theatre involved delivering a range of arts-related services to the community, including theatre, music, storytelling and audio and video production. A music school, instrument repair depot and a Canadian Folk Music Museum were also part of the consortium’s proposal, which was not accepted.

http://ottawacitizen.com/entertainme...entified-buyer

[TheGoods]

Originally Posted by MountainView

So is the one at Bank and Hunt Club. I believe both are a Jumbo Video / Microplay.

The one on Bank St. is a Microplay only, fairly small and does not rent videos.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Gladstone Theatre sold to unidentified buyer

Lynn Saxberg, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: August 11, 2015 | Last Updated: August 11, 2015 7:57 PM EDT



The long-term future of the Gladstone Theatre as an arts venue is uncertain after an offer to buy the building was reportedly accepted this week.

When the deal is finalized, the unidentified buyer will take over ownership of the Gladstone Avenue landmark from Ottawa’s Steve Martin. He bought it for about $500,000 in 2007 and undertook an extensive renovation, pouring $1 million into upgrading the facility.

However, returns were lower than expected and Martin struggled with the debt. He put the building up for sale in 2010 with an asking price of $1.5 million. It failed to sell and was taken off the market until this summer, when it was re-listed for $995,000. The centrally located property is a stone’s throw from Preston Street’s Little Italy neighbourhood.

Martin, who did not respond to requests for comment on the sale, told the Citizen last month that any new buyer would be required to honour the 2015-16 theatre season, which is already booked.

Originally a truck-repair garage, the building has a long history as a performing-arts space. In 1982, it was purchased by a group of theatre aficionados and converted into a 236-seat home for the Great Canadian Theatre Company. The Acoustic Waves folk-music concert series was also presented on its stage. The GCTC moved to the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre on Wellington Street in 2008.

It is believed there were multiple offers on the property, including one from a consortium of arts enthusiasts led by CKCU host and former Ottawa Folk Festival artistic director Chris White. Their vision for the theatre involved delivering a range of arts-related services to the community, including theatre, music, storytelling and audio and video production. A music school, instrument repair depot and a Canadian Folk Music Museum were also part of the consortium’s proposal, which was not accepted.

http://ottawacitizen.com/entertainme...entified-buyer

It will be kind of sad if this doesn't stay a theatre. It's one of the unique features of Little Italy. Doesn't sound likely though.

[eternallyme]

Glebe BIA will seek to open stores on holidays

TOM SPEARS, OTTAWA CITIZEN
Published on: August 12, 2015 | Last Updated: August 12, 2015 5:26 PM EDT


Q: What does the Glebe Business Improvement Area want?

A: Next week it will ask the city to allow its retail businesses to stay open on statutory holidays. The law allows a city to permit this if the retail area is within two kilometres of a tourist attraction — in this case including the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO heritage site, and the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Q: What’s the reason?

A: “The businesses that are struggling the most are the ones that are currently not allowed to remain open” on holidays, says Andrew Peck, executive director of the Glebe BIA. He notes that online shopping continues on holidays while Glebe retailers must shut down. The 1991 law predates the Internet.

“I feel there’s no harm in putting forth and application and creating a discussion and debate around the issue,” he said.

“A lot of ‘common pause’ days (holidays) are on long weekends.” He says people already come to the Glebe area on holidays for sports and skating and movies, “and a lot of our members said it’s hard: There’s traffic and we can’t access that traffic. And it’s hard to watch your best customers go someplace else.

“Winterlude’s last day was on Family Day, for example.” Stores were closed despite having crowds all around.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...97436ec0c31a15

[Capital Shaun]

With the exodus of retail from Silvercity and Shoppers City East it's nice to see a store actually move into my neighbourhood. A new Home Hardware will be opening in October next to the Metro at the corner of Ogilvie & Montreal roads.

[canabiz]

Originally Posted by phil235

It will be kind of sad if this doesn't stay a theatre. It's one of the unique features of Little Italy. Doesn't sound likely though.

Here's hoping this space won't turn into another condo. I frequent this area often because my mechanic's garage is right besides (Dragon Auto Services) and my friend owns the Korean sushi restaurant around the corner (Kochu on Preston).

I always wonder how this theatre has managed to survive so far, it is not in an exactly ideal location (sandwiched between a Thai restaurant and the aforementioned garage) and there is a serious lack of parking spaces in the immediate vicinity.