Hudson's Bay Company

[ShonTron]

I was at the store last night to redeem a coupon that expired May 1, and needed some more shirts anyway. It's not a big deal getting up to the 5th floor, and I like the service - a saleswoman helped me quickly found the clothes in my size that I wanted, and I was out in 15 minutes.

I really like shopping there, and I usually hate clothes shopping.

 

[interchange42]

If Cadillac Fairview replaces/widens/double-decks the pedestrian bridge over Queen Street, as has been speculated, then the trip up to men's may not seem as onerous either.

Double-decking would be weird as there's no higher level on the Eaton Centre side, but what would be super duper cool would be an escalator from the Eaton Centre side up to the fifth floor. Or fourth. I would accept fourth (with one more level to rise when arriving in the Hudson's Bay store).

I was at the store last night to redeem a coupon that expired May 1, and needed some more shirts anyway. It's not a big deal getting up to the 5th floor, and I like the service - a saleswoman helped me quickly found the clothes in my size that I wanted, and I was out in 15 minutes.

I really like shopping there, and I usually hate clothes shopping.

Yeah, the fifth floor's pretty nicely done.

42

 

[junctionist]

I was at the store last night to redeem a coupon that expired May 1, and needed some more shirts anyway. It's not a big deal getting up to the 5th floor, and I like the service - a saleswoman helped me quickly found the clothes in my size that I wanted, and I was out in 15 minutes.

I really like shopping there, and I usually hate clothes shopping.

That's good to hear. I've had some mediocre experiences at the Bay because there were no employees around when I needed assistance, but that isn't something that's hard to fix. I'm still on the fence on whether going up to the fifth floor is a big deal. I haven't visited the store since they made the change.

 

[soundmuseum]

5th floor? Who comes up with these ideas? I don't like clothes shopping. It should be as quick and easy as possible. I've also found the Bay to be understaffed. Any clothing store should always have plenty of people around to find a size you can't locate or to open a fitting room if the store locks its fitting rooms (like the Bay). But at the Bay, that isn't always the case.

It strikes me as odd that at Nordstrom or Saks, a commissioned salesperson will walk around the store with you and suggest styles and find your size--an experience you can get at any ordinary corporate store like Banana Republic or Express--while at the Bay, it can be hard to find anyone to help you. Customer service shouldn't be a luxury.

I've had good experiences with sales staff at the Bay who took the time to find me shirts and ties that I needed to match with a specific suit jacket and pants. They then had me try all the various options on and then gave their recommendation as to what looked the best. I guess they might have had more time because I was there after 6pm on a weekday, but regardless I appreciated the excellent customer service.

In other Hudson's Bay news, the renovated Nespresso Boutique has re-opened. It looks a lot more open and the tasting bar has been moved to the right side of the space. The Drake General store has also moved to their new location on the same side as Nespresso.

 

[officedweller]

Double-decking would be weird as there's no higher level on the Eaton Centre side, but what would be super duper cool would be an escalator from the Eaton Centre side up to the fifth floor. Or fourth. I would accept fourth (with one more level to rise when arriving in the Hudson's Bay store).

42

I'm hoping they'll come up with something creative - replacing the existing bridge with a wider one a level higher.

In theory they could add a platform a level up (below the overhang of 20 Queen West (maybe even taking some of the current office space for retail) accessed by escalators) - and maybe even starting farther north using some of those unused columns with the rebar on top. The only way you could widen the bridge (other than twinning to the other arched window), is to raise it a level to the less heritage-sensitive brick part of the facade of Hudson's Bay. If wide enough, the bridge could house kiosks, like the bridge at Cadillac Fairview's Pacific Centre.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/canmark/4782691879/

 

[AndreaPalladio]

The women's shoe section has moved up to the second floor and they have started renos on the old shoe department on one. They have also started dismantling The Room on the third floor.

 

[GKW]

Passed by after work today and was quite impressed...reminded me of a few London department stores like House Of Fraser with all the menswear on one floor..much better than when it was split was the basemement and the 2nd floor

 

[officedweller]

Not much content:

Hudson’s Bay Co. ushers in new era at Queen St. location
http://www.thestar.com/business/201...o-ushers-in-new-era-at-queen-st-location.html

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

There will be a report on Heritage Easement Amendment for 176 Yonge coming soon to the Toronto Preservation Board:

http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2015.PB5.4

AoD

 

[deerparker]

Clerks in the jewellery department were beginning to pack up merchandise this evening though it's not evident where they're moving.

 

[soundmuseum]

Clerks in the jewellery department were beginning to pack up merchandise this evening though it's not evident where they're moving.

Most of the jewellery department has now moved to the west side of the main floor, where the Women's shoe department used to be. Some handbag sections still temporarily remain on the east side, where Saks will be located.

The renovated central area of the main floor has reopened, and the various cosmetics brands that had been re-located during construction were in the process of re-opening. A few new cosmetic shop-in-shops for Shiseido, L'Occitane, Clarins, etc. are going to be located on the south side, similar to the ones on the north side for YSL, Armani, Mugler.

The eastern portion of the 2nd floor where Saks will be located (Queen and Yonge side) has been blocked off for renovations, including the escalator. The new expanded Women's shoe department has re-opened on the west side of the 2nd floor. It appears that women's fashions have further expanded into the previous office space on the very west side of the building. The Escalators from the Simpson Tower at Queen and Bay now arrive at that 2nd floor retail. I don't recall being able to access the escalator when the Men's department was there.

 

[Skeezix]

The Escalators from the Simpson Tower at Queen and Bay now arrive at that 2nd floor retail. I don't recall being able to access the escalator when the Men's department was there.

When menswear was on 2, the escalators both went in the same direction (up) into the store from the office building lobby. So you could access the store, but you couldn't go down (exit) - have they changed that?

 

[soundmuseum]

When menswear was on 2, the escalators both went in the same direction (up) into the store from the office building lobby. So you could access the store, but you couldn't go down (exit) - have they changed that?

I checked again - yes, the escalators are now going in both directions so you can enter from and exit to the Simpson Tower lobby.

I think the Men's department moving up to 5 was a good idea. Everything is consolidated in one very large area and there is a lot more selection to choose from. The combination of renovations and uncovering the windows to let in light also makes the shopping experience a lot more enjoyable. It seems a lot busier to me than when it was split between the basement and level 2.

 

[GKW]

By: Francine Kopun Business reporter, Published on Mon Jun 15 2015
Hudson’s Bay Company announced Monday morning that it has a deal to buy the Kaufhof chain of department stores in Germany in a deal worth $3.3 billion (Cdn.)

The Star spoke with newly appointed chief executive officer Jerry Storch, who is bullish on department stores in general.

The questions and answers have been edited for length.

Q) How will this affect shoppers in Canada?

A) I don’t think it will affect shoppers in Canada initially at all. Over time they will have more opportunity to buy unique products sourced globally. As a larger company, we will be able to find and buy product no one else in the market will be able to get.

Q) How will this affect employees in Canada?

A) I think it’s all good news because Hudson’s Bay is now 50 per cent larger in revenue and 40 per cent larger in stores. It’s a much stronger and more global company.

Q) HBC is hoping to achieve $100 million in synergies (savings), and you’ve made a new hire in human resources. Are we going to see job losses at the Canadian banners HBC operates?

A) No, most of those synergies don’t have much to do with Canada at all. Those are related to the acquisition of Saks Fifth Avenue. That also has nothing to do with the Kaufhof acquisition. Most are synergies in the back end . . . and we’ve already made $65 million.

Q) I don’t think anyone doubts the value of the real estate play in this, but retail is a pretty shaky industry these days. Aren’t you worried about the future of department stores?

A) I’m not concerned about that. We’ve done very well in Canada and the U.S. department stores are the business model for the future. They offer diversity of product; they are the distribution centre around the corner from your house, when you want it. The future of department stores, I believe, is quite bright.

Q) The Kaufhof stores are unionized. HBC has limited experience with unions. How are you going to handle that?

A) It’s a core part of doing business in Germany and we embrace that.

http://www.thestar.com/business/2015/06/15/hudsons-bays-33b-german-deal-what-does-it-mean-here.html

 

[Retail-Insider]

If Cadillac Fairview replaces/widens/double-decks the pedestrian bridge over Queen Street, as has been speculated, then the trip up to men's may not seem as onerous either.

We've been provided with new interior and exterior store renderings. Saks will be stunning.