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H&M on Queen West

S

samsonyuen

Guest
There's an article today in the Post, but I don't have subscriber access:( Here's a newish article from last fortnight.

From: www.theglobeandmail.com/s...y/National
____________________
H&M plans seven stores for Ontario and Quebec
SHIRLEY WON
Swedish clothing retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB plans to open seven more stores this year in Ontario and Quebec as part of its foray into the Canadian market, the company said yesterday. The fashionable, low-priced chain launched its first H&M store in this country in 2004, and now has 16 outlets. The new shops will be part of a 100-store global expansion slated for the second half of this year. H&M, which yesterday reported an 8-per-cent increase in second-quarter profit, is also launching a new store chain under a separate brand that will seller higher-priced women and men's clothing. It did not reveal the name of the new brand, but indicated the new chain will open about 10 stores in "selected markets" next year. "H&M's ambition is to offer the best price for comparable items also in this segment," the company said in a statement. H&M also plans to enter the Far East market in 2007 by opening shops in Shanghai and Hong Kong. HMB (Stockholm) rose 11 kronor to 269.5 kronor ($41.04).
 
^ Thier hording says: "what did you expect.... ofcorse we are opening here"
hahaha
 
From my POV Queen W from U to Spadina is becoming less trafficked by the year. I remember as little as 4 years ago, the place was rocking 24/7; I think the competition from w queen w and other areas of the city has resulted in--ironically as the big guys move in--the deadening of the old Queen "strip." Could it be all the construction, the knocking of old historic buildings down is resulting in potential crowds bypassing the area? I shan't be surprised if King St and perhaps even Wellington St W surpassed Queen W some day in pedestrian and retail activity. (Certainly shall be interesting when the Ritz, Thompson Hotels etc are complete.)
 
not to mention that the more "chain" stores that move in, the more that the street adhere to "chain" hours - where everything closes at 9. Most indie stores tended to stay open longer and thus kept activity on the street.
 
Exactly! I've really noticed in the last couple years that old Queen West has become extremely quiet in the evenings. None of the chain stores stay open late, and a number of spots, like the 360, have closed.
 
This is something that Max Allen pointed out on the evening Jane's Walk. He partly blames the clubland one block south for businesses wanting to close by 9, but I don't buy that explanation.

There's only a few stores that stay open after 9, like HMV. There are fewer restaurants - Yonge north of College is now busier - there's more independant stores, more bars and restaurants. The Bloor Annex strip is another example.
 
HMV only stays open later on Fridays and I think Saturdays. Otherwise, it's deadsville too.

Although, it could be argued that Queen West b/w Spadina and Trinity Bellwoods is far livelier at night than it was 10 years ago. As has been said many times, all the "cooolness" moved west.
 
Despite the tasteless use of child poverty as a literary device, I found the article informative


Squeegee corner cleaner
Brianna Goldberg, National Post
Published: Saturday, August 11, 2007

Not so long ago, the Burroughes Building was little more than a place to plaster band posters. Found on the south side of Queen Street, just east of Bathurst, its intersection has long been a chasm between the commercialized glitz of stores at Queen near Spadina and the arty vibe of Queen-farther-West. The seven-storey building-- which for 53 years ending in 2002 was the home of camping gear retailer King Sol -- seems to shrink beside the multi-venue Big Bop, the gritty shadow of which looms across the neighbourhood and all the wayward-looking music lovers who hang out around it.

"When people mention Queen and Bathurst, they immediately think of the squeegee people coming up to your car and cleaning your windshield," says Lee Polydor, an associate with Queen Street Partners, which owns the building. "Slowly, the perception is changing. That's the nature of Queen Street."

The Queen Street Partners helped that change along by recently completing an extensive overhaul of the Burroughes Building and starting the search for a fresh roster of tenants to settle in the evolving area. Gone are the previously purple, green, and yellow columns of the main floor. Gone are the tacky wind ows and fixtures. The entire inside of the Burroughes Building has been sandblasted to its glowing, original brick and wood interior. "We're getting it ready, making it a vanilla shell," says Polydor.

It's the Burroughes' tenants who will ultimately help shape the character of the corner. Polydor says the Queen Street Partners are telling the real estate community about the building and seeking tenants who want a home where art and office space can happily coexist. Wedge Gallery, the first of its full-time tenants, is holding down the fort until the rest of its idyllic tenant ecosystem comes together. In the meantime, the Burroughes is hosting temporary events.

The transition shouldn't take long. "There's a momentum in the area. Slowly, things are trickling westward," Polydor says. "There are some big-name retailers that have recently crossed Spadina and are coming west --American Apparel, Urban Outfitters." A new location of H&M will open at 427-429 Queen St. W., just west of Spadina, on Thursday.

And the gentrification spreading towards the Burroughes from both ends of Queen is affecting more than just retail space. Polydor says the whole intersection is enjoying an extreme makeover; he points to an increased police presence near the St. Christopher House Community Centre, and a Mr. Sub at the northeast corner that recently met its demise.

The squeegee kids, however, remain happy to wipe your windshield.
 
The new Urban Outfitters is still a long way from opening.

Spotted today though, a Queen Streetcar wrapped in H&M advertising for its new store. The ads inside the car were all H&M too, all of it very clever, like "Are you taking the streetcar in the right direction?"

They have never made such a huge deal about a new store opening... but nothing leads me to believe that this store is going to be any different?
 
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