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urbanboyto
Guest
It is funny after the Chapters Indigo merger they were supposed to divest themselves of 22-25 superstores. But we never found out which ones these were.
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samsonyuen
Guest
The ones they closed that I can think of in Toronto: Scarborough Town Centre Indigo (now Sportchek), Yonge-Eglinton Chapters (now Future Shop), Empress Walk Indigo (now Staples), and now Bloor Chapters (soon to be Winners).
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SD2
Guest
Will they continue to have both Chapters and Indigo stores...or will we eventually see one or the other? Indigo seems to be the favoured brand, though I think Chapters is much better.
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samsonyuen
Guest
Yeah, Merivale Road is so crazy. First the Future Shop (really old one) was there, and then Best Buy was built. A year later, and they built Future Shop right next to it! The feeling is that they're not necessarily cutting profits, but growing the size of the market. Chapters is definitely the more numerous across the country. When there were about 15 Indigos, there were only 4 or so outside Greater Toronto. Yeah, Merivale Road is so crazy. First the Future Shop (really old one) was there, and then Best Buy was built. A year later, and they built Future Shop right next to it! The feeling is that they're not necessarily cutting profits, but growing the size of the market. Chapters is definitely the more numerous across the country. When there were about 15 Indigos, there were only 4 or so outside Greater Toronto.
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spmarshall
Guest
There used to be a Chapters and an Indigo in Brampton - the Indigo was closed, but at least the Chapters store is better.
Though I can't stand all the crap in the Chapters/Indigo stores, such as the gifts. Greeting cards I can understand, but I want a book store - there's enough Hallmarks around for the rest of that junk.
Though I can't stand all the crap in the Chapters/Indigo stores, such as the gifts. Greeting cards I can understand, but I want a book store - there's enough Hallmarks around for the rest of that junk.
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samsonyuen
Guest
Does anyone remember the Hear Music branded in-store shops at Chapters? I know they had one at 110 Bloor, and I believe there was one in Festival Hall or Midtown as well, at least. I really like the music, and think it'd be pretty cool...Hope it gets approved.
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Ottawa reviewing Starbucks music bid
By DEAN BEEBY
Sunday, October 2, 2005 Posted at 1:57 PM EDT
Canadian Press
The federal government is reviewing a proposal by coffee titan Starbucks Corp. to establish a retail music business in Toronto to make sure it's a net benefit to the country.
The Department of Canadian Heritage wants to know whether the new enterprise will offer acceptable levels of Canadian content and employ enough Canadian workers.
The federal cabinet ordered the secretive review under the Investment Canada Act on Sept. 12 to determine the impact on Canadian culture.
Starbucks is proposing an investment under its Hear Music brand, which it acquired in 1999 as two existing music stores in California.
The upscale java firm has been aggressively expanding its Hear Music operations in the United States. Starbucks has a Hear Music coffee house in Santa Monica, Calif., where patrons can mix and match songs to create customized burned CDs.
Two more such outlets are planned for Miami and San Antonio by the end of the year.
Starbucks also runs so-called virtual record stores in Seattle and Austin, Tex., where customers can download entire albums for a fee. The company also sells a small selection of CDs at its regular coffee outlets in Canada and the United States.
A spokeswoman at the Seattle-based firm's headquarters would not provide information about the proposed Toronto business, except to say it's not a Hear Music coffee house.
“We're committed to working with the government officials,†Sanya Gould said of the application to Canadian Heritage.
“And we have filed a response to the government inquiry as required by law. Currently, the response is being reviewed and we expect further discussions to follow the review.
“This is all we have to say on this topic.â€
Starbucks was caught in a controversy in June when it struck a deal with Alanis Morissette to exclusively stock an acoustic re-issue of her 1995 hit Jagged Little Pill for six weeks.
In protest, rival retailer HMV pulled all Morissette stock from its Canadian shelves “consistent with the views of the majority of our customers,†president Humphrey Kadaner said at the time.
Canadian Heritage's review of the Starbucks proposal will include assessing whether it will nurture new Canadian talent, and whether there will be a commitment to “the creation, production, distribution, marketing and preservation of Canadian cultural products in Canada, through traditional and new media,†according to a departmental policy document.
The employment of Canadian workers is also a factor in the decision. The policy applies only to cultural investments that are foreign-controlled.
“When we are dealing with a company involved in the sale of audio recordings, one of the things we do look at is the extent to which they will provide Canadian content,†said department spokeswoman Carla Curran.
“We want to ensure that Canadians can have access to music that's produced by Canadians, that's performed by Canadians, or that's written by Canadians...That's a fairly important factor for us, quite a significant factor.â€
Ms. Curran declined to comment on the Starbucks proposal because of commercial confidentiality. The review process is expected to take at least 45 days.
Currently, domestic music stores in Canada are free of any regulatory requirement to stock or promote home-grown music.
A spokesman for the Canadian Recording Industry Association said his group could not comment on the Starbucks investment without seeing more details.
But president Graham Henderson said the association supports new approaches to retailing music, including the mix-and-match approach being used at Starbucks' Santa Monica outlet.
“The more digital channels we can open to the consumer, the better,†he said from Toronto.
_________________________________
Ottawa reviewing Starbucks music bid
By DEAN BEEBY
Sunday, October 2, 2005 Posted at 1:57 PM EDT
Canadian Press
The federal government is reviewing a proposal by coffee titan Starbucks Corp. to establish a retail music business in Toronto to make sure it's a net benefit to the country.
The Department of Canadian Heritage wants to know whether the new enterprise will offer acceptable levels of Canadian content and employ enough Canadian workers.
The federal cabinet ordered the secretive review under the Investment Canada Act on Sept. 12 to determine the impact on Canadian culture.
Starbucks is proposing an investment under its Hear Music brand, which it acquired in 1999 as two existing music stores in California.
The upscale java firm has been aggressively expanding its Hear Music operations in the United States. Starbucks has a Hear Music coffee house in Santa Monica, Calif., where patrons can mix and match songs to create customized burned CDs.
Two more such outlets are planned for Miami and San Antonio by the end of the year.
Starbucks also runs so-called virtual record stores in Seattle and Austin, Tex., where customers can download entire albums for a fee. The company also sells a small selection of CDs at its regular coffee outlets in Canada and the United States.
A spokeswoman at the Seattle-based firm's headquarters would not provide information about the proposed Toronto business, except to say it's not a Hear Music coffee house.
“We're committed to working with the government officials,†Sanya Gould said of the application to Canadian Heritage.
“And we have filed a response to the government inquiry as required by law. Currently, the response is being reviewed and we expect further discussions to follow the review.
“This is all we have to say on this topic.â€
Starbucks was caught in a controversy in June when it struck a deal with Alanis Morissette to exclusively stock an acoustic re-issue of her 1995 hit Jagged Little Pill for six weeks.
In protest, rival retailer HMV pulled all Morissette stock from its Canadian shelves “consistent with the views of the majority of our customers,†president Humphrey Kadaner said at the time.
Canadian Heritage's review of the Starbucks proposal will include assessing whether it will nurture new Canadian talent, and whether there will be a commitment to “the creation, production, distribution, marketing and preservation of Canadian cultural products in Canada, through traditional and new media,†according to a departmental policy document.
The employment of Canadian workers is also a factor in the decision. The policy applies only to cultural investments that are foreign-controlled.
“When we are dealing with a company involved in the sale of audio recordings, one of the things we do look at is the extent to which they will provide Canadian content,†said department spokeswoman Carla Curran.
“We want to ensure that Canadians can have access to music that's produced by Canadians, that's performed by Canadians, or that's written by Canadians...That's a fairly important factor for us, quite a significant factor.â€
Ms. Curran declined to comment on the Starbucks proposal because of commercial confidentiality. The review process is expected to take at least 45 days.
Currently, domestic music stores in Canada are free of any regulatory requirement to stock or promote home-grown music.
A spokesman for the Canadian Recording Industry Association said his group could not comment on the Starbucks investment without seeing more details.
But president Graham Henderson said the association supports new approaches to retailing music, including the mix-and-match approach being used at Starbucks' Santa Monica outlet.
“The more digital channels we can open to the consumer, the better,†he said from Toronto.
S
samsonyuen
Guest
From: www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs...9048863851
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U.S. stores eye Web sales in Canada
Growing online market appeals
J.C. Penney sending catalogues
Nov. 9, 2006. 07:39 AM
DANA FLAVELLE
BUSINESS REPORTER
American department store giant J.C. Penney is ramping up its marketing efforts in Canada with more catalogue deliveries to promote its Canadian website, according to Canada Post.
Meanwhile, U.S.-based online shoe retailers are reporting sharply higher sales in Canada, the post office also said yesterday.
And a U.S. firm that has been testing the Canadian market with an online site is planning to open its first physical store in Canada, said officials at Borderfree, the post office's cross-border shopping service.
"What we are seeing, partly because of the strength of the Canadian dollar, is very, very strong growth among American retailers online," Borderfree president Patrick Bartlett said in a telephone interview.
While Canadian consumers make more purchases on Canadian websites than on foreign-owned services, according to Statistics Canada, Bartlett said a growing number of U.S. retailers are eyeing the Canadian online market.
The postal service, which helps foreign retailers set up seamless cross-border sites, is actively soliciting new U.S. clients.
Borderfree's message is simple but appealing in the United States where slumping house sales threaten to dampen consumer spending this Christmas. In contrast, Canadian consumers are feeling confident and ready to spend, said Borderfree marketing manager Paulina Sazon.
The post office says American retailers like what they're hearing.
J.C. Penney, which quietly opened its website to Canadians late last year, plans to drop half a million catalogues on Canadian doorsteps this holiday season to promote the business, Sazon said. The department store operator is one of 135 cataloguers now delivering in Canada, she said, up from 35 two years ago. Research has shown catalogues help drive online sales.
Three U.S. shoe retailers that use Borderfree's service, puma.com, naturalizer.com and shoebuy.com, are all reporting sharply higher sales in Canada this year, Bartlett said.
As well, American outfitting firm Cabela's has announced plans to open its first Canadian store, in Montreal, after testing the market electronically, the post office noted. Cosmetics giant Sephora followed a similar formula, starting with an online store and then opening a chain of mall-based stores across Canada.
And it's not just the Borderfree effect, he said. The service provides shoppers with a landed price in Canadian dollars, making it easier to order from U.S. sites.
Other established U.S. retailers, like Lands' End, which has its own Canadian infrastructure, is enjoying stronger Canadian sales this year as well, Bartlett said.
"Clearly, Canadian retailers, like Chapters (Indigo), Future Shop and Sears dominate the space," Bartlett acknowledged, referring to some of the biggest Canadian owned online retail sites in the market.
Indeed, research by Statistics Canada shows consumers prefer to shop Canadian sites. Last year, consumers made 57 per cent of their online purchases at Canadian sites and spent 63 per cent of their online dollars there, the federal agency said.
As well, two Canadian Web operators, Sears Canada and Canadian Tire Corp., score in the top 10 most visited retail sites in Canada, according to ComScore Media Metrix Canada, which tracks online traffic.
However, many other Canadian retailers have yet to open fully interactive sites, especially in the clothing category, Borderfree's Bartlett said. Canadian consumers still buy fewer items online than Americans and have just started adding more than travel, tickets and books to their online shopping lists, he noted.
"We believe one of the critical reasons Canadians don't buy more online is lack of supply," Bartlett said.
Despite this, Canadians are spending more online as time goes by, according to Statistics Canada. In five years, online spending jumped from $1.1 billion in 2000 to $7.9 billion last year, the federal agency reported last week — a 618 per cent increase. Still, online spending represents just over 1 per cent of the $729 billion Canadians spent on all goods and services last year, the agency noted.
_____________
U.S. stores eye Web sales in Canada
Growing online market appeals
J.C. Penney sending catalogues
Nov. 9, 2006. 07:39 AM
DANA FLAVELLE
BUSINESS REPORTER
American department store giant J.C. Penney is ramping up its marketing efforts in Canada with more catalogue deliveries to promote its Canadian website, according to Canada Post.
Meanwhile, U.S.-based online shoe retailers are reporting sharply higher sales in Canada, the post office also said yesterday.
And a U.S. firm that has been testing the Canadian market with an online site is planning to open its first physical store in Canada, said officials at Borderfree, the post office's cross-border shopping service.
"What we are seeing, partly because of the strength of the Canadian dollar, is very, very strong growth among American retailers online," Borderfree president Patrick Bartlett said in a telephone interview.
While Canadian consumers make more purchases on Canadian websites than on foreign-owned services, according to Statistics Canada, Bartlett said a growing number of U.S. retailers are eyeing the Canadian online market.
The postal service, which helps foreign retailers set up seamless cross-border sites, is actively soliciting new U.S. clients.
Borderfree's message is simple but appealing in the United States where slumping house sales threaten to dampen consumer spending this Christmas. In contrast, Canadian consumers are feeling confident and ready to spend, said Borderfree marketing manager Paulina Sazon.
The post office says American retailers like what they're hearing.
J.C. Penney, which quietly opened its website to Canadians late last year, plans to drop half a million catalogues on Canadian doorsteps this holiday season to promote the business, Sazon said. The department store operator is one of 135 cataloguers now delivering in Canada, she said, up from 35 two years ago. Research has shown catalogues help drive online sales.
Three U.S. shoe retailers that use Borderfree's service, puma.com, naturalizer.com and shoebuy.com, are all reporting sharply higher sales in Canada this year, Bartlett said.
As well, American outfitting firm Cabela's has announced plans to open its first Canadian store, in Montreal, after testing the market electronically, the post office noted. Cosmetics giant Sephora followed a similar formula, starting with an online store and then opening a chain of mall-based stores across Canada.
And it's not just the Borderfree effect, he said. The service provides shoppers with a landed price in Canadian dollars, making it easier to order from U.S. sites.
Other established U.S. retailers, like Lands' End, which has its own Canadian infrastructure, is enjoying stronger Canadian sales this year as well, Bartlett said.
"Clearly, Canadian retailers, like Chapters (Indigo), Future Shop and Sears dominate the space," Bartlett acknowledged, referring to some of the biggest Canadian owned online retail sites in the market.
Indeed, research by Statistics Canada shows consumers prefer to shop Canadian sites. Last year, consumers made 57 per cent of their online purchases at Canadian sites and spent 63 per cent of their online dollars there, the federal agency said.
As well, two Canadian Web operators, Sears Canada and Canadian Tire Corp., score in the top 10 most visited retail sites in Canada, according to ComScore Media Metrix Canada, which tracks online traffic.
However, many other Canadian retailers have yet to open fully interactive sites, especially in the clothing category, Borderfree's Bartlett said. Canadian consumers still buy fewer items online than Americans and have just started adding more than travel, tickets and books to their online shopping lists, he noted.
"We believe one of the critical reasons Canadians don't buy more online is lack of supply," Bartlett said.
Despite this, Canadians are spending more online as time goes by, according to Statistics Canada. In five years, online spending jumped from $1.1 billion in 2000 to $7.9 billion last year, the federal agency reported last week — a 618 per cent increase. Still, online spending represents just over 1 per cent of the $729 billion Canadians spent on all goods and services last year, the agency noted.
B
building babel
Guest
>Re: Toronto Retail Thread
In 1998 they tore down a fine Modernist building, which housed the Salvation Army, to make way for that place.
In 1998 they tore down a fine Modernist building, which housed the Salvation Army, to make way for that place.
samsonyuen
Active Member
samsonyuen
Active Member
Renaud-Bray
I was just reading the Renaud-Bray (French book superstore) Wikipedia entry, and it says that there was a foray in Toronto, on Yonge Street in the 90s that bankrupted them. The only thing I can find on the web was: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazet....html?id=e573d9f3-3e0e-4285-886b-b85792ffefbb
Does anyone remember this location, and where it was?
I was just reading the Renaud-Bray (French book superstore) Wikipedia entry, and it says that there was a foray in Toronto, on Yonge Street in the 90s that bankrupted them. The only thing I can find on the web was: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazet....html?id=e573d9f3-3e0e-4285-886b-b85792ffefbb
Does anyone remember this location, and where it was?
It was on the west side of Yonge between Davenport and Frichot at number 920 I think. That's the retail/residential complex that includes both a plaza out front, and some retail coming right our to Yonge. The Renaud-Bray was in the bit that extended right out to Yonge. Is it a women's fitness centre or spa or some such thing in there now?
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AndreaPalladio
Senior Member
That vaguely sounds right, but that gym was always part of Ridpaths prior to being a gym, as long as I've been in Toronto.
adma
Superstar
I think there was an interval btw/Ridpaths and the gym when it was Renaud Bray...
deerparker
Active Member
I noticed signs for "Indigo Spirit" at FCP with Indigo's familiar font and branding...
ShonTron
Moderator
Member Bio
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So is Indigo Spirit just a re-branded Coles with more non-book junk?
It always bothered me that at Mount Sinai the old Ladies' Auxiliary Gift Shop was kicked out in favour of Indigo. But the cynic in me (a big part of me) noted that this was not long after the ER was named for Shwartz/Reisman.
It always bothered me that at Mount Sinai the old Ladies' Auxiliary Gift Shop was kicked out in favour of Indigo. But the cynic in me (a big part of me) noted that this was not long after the ER was named for Shwartz/Reisman.