Retail-Insider
Active Member
Update: Eataly might not be going into Manulife: http://news.buzzbuzzhome.com/2016/04/eataly-toronto-manulife-centre-location.html
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lmoss
New Member
NO NO NO!!!! The basis for this article is that The Bloor Street Diner is the only full -service restaurant in Manulife. This is INCORRECT. Scaccia has a full-service licensed dining room, and The One Eighty is also a full-service restaurant.
I bet that it wasn't an exclusivity clause that was the issue. Manulife probably tried to exercise a relocation or redevelopment (demolition) clause in their lease and this was the problem.
ADRM
Senior Member
That Caplansky's news was substantiated in a Yorkville condo board meeting I attended last week.
ADRM
Senior Member
Years ago, now, I was canvassed by a clipboard-clad individual outside the Manulife Centre asking me if I knew about Eataly (I did, having lived in NYC for years) and what I thought about its potential inclusion in Manulife. One of the things I've never loved about Manulife is how unwelcoming most of its frontage is from a retail perspective—it's really designed to take people into the mall and off the streets.
I suppose if they are planning to take over the BSD location, it's possible some significant construction could amend that frontage in a way that makes it much more inviting for pedestrians and passersby, but that seems like a whole bunch of awfully expensive work. Thinking solely of the NYC location, foot traffic around the store is crucial to its success—there's a cafe, gelato place, and fresh produce-to-go section immediately accessible directly off of two streets and there's a near-steady stream of people in and out of it. The various sitdown restaurant-ish stops are in the middle of the store.
I've always thought that either One Bloor or The One would be better suited, but with the former off the table and the latter still working its way through planning, neither of those seem the least bit tenable.
Bayer
Senior Member
The Bloor Street Diner and the restaurant at the top of the tower are operated by the same company.
Northern Light
Superstar
I wonder how Loblaws envisions dealing with the Bloor St. Market. Its 'owner' is quite influential w/in the Loblaws group of companies.
Its been suggested to me that she has plans to invest in the store, including created expanded in-house kitchen facilities.
They clearly sell things that Eataly would not; but does Loblaws envision both banners under the same roof?
We shall see.
lmoss
New Member
I have a feeling that the Weston family *may* wield the most influence within the Loblaw group of companies
Buzzbuzzhome is now claiming that the exclusive is on take-out. Which also makes no sense, given Scaccia and The Bloor Street Market both do a lot of take-out business.
ADRM
Senior Member
The Bloor St. Market and Eataly are vastly different offerings—regardless of ownership, I would think a strong business case could be made for both to exist in the same complex.
Benito
Senior Member
I really hope that article is wrong and that Eataly is coming to the Manulife centre. The drawings that we have seen clearly show a very large multilevel store going in that would be perfect for Eataly. I'm sure a lot of the reason that the Manulife centre was renovating was to accommodate Eataly.
There is no doubt that Eataly is heading for Manulife, but as the article mentions, another tenant is trying to stop it.
What is it with that mall and litigious merchants? Wasn't Ashley's threatening to sue to stop this redevelopment which would change their frontage?
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What is it with that mall and litigious merchants? Wasn't Ashley's threatening to sue to stop this redevelopment which would change their frontage?
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Waterloo_Guy
Active Member
I think they are the ones that took it to the OMB. And I think that hearing should have already happened. It would be good to know what happened with that since it is the only thing preventing construction.
ADRM
Senior Member
Without going through 163 pages on this thread, a couple people have mentioned plans/renderings for such a build-out—do those indeed exist? We've now had both Ashley's and BSD mentioned as possibly being physically affected, which makes me think only one of those two things is correct.
Benito
Senior Member
There is actually a Manulife thread. But I believe this is where you can see the plans. http://app.toronto.ca/DevelopmentAp...ion=init&folderRsn=3662526&isCofASearch=false
ADRM
Senior Member
Awesome on both counts, thanks.
Bayer
Senior Member
As an office tenant who was once asked to vacate our premises at the Eaton Centre (and agreed after being paid about a year's rent), I fully understand why Eatertainment would want to exercise its rights under its lease. If they indeed have some kind of exclusive arrangement, that's too bad for the landlord, who shouldn't have offered it in the first place. I suspect the situation can still be resolved but with a very large cheque.