Dan416
Senior Member
No. Only the flagship stores carry the expensive suits.
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News on retail chains (was: New Mall Retail)
- Thread starter Dane
- Start date
No. Only the flagship stores carry the expensive suits.
Dan416
Senior Member
You'd think that Square One would have an Apple store by now.
299 bloor call control.
Senior Member
Whats the source on that Apple store opening?
deerparker
Active Member
adma
Superstar
You'd think that the 905, period, would have an Apple store by now.
Dan416
Senior Member
I never even thought about it that way. But you're right. You'd expect one in Vaughan Mills, Square One, maybe some other upscale malls
grey
Senior Member
Yorkdale used to carry them (expensive? lol).
299 bloor call control.
Senior Member
Barrie is rumoured to get one in their new big 'lifestyle' mall development.
Dan416
Senior Member
Square One is missing a LOT of retailers, probably cuz it has no more room without evicting current retailers. Some of the stores that could benefit from a Square One addition: Hollister, Abercrombie, Pottery Parn, Bath & Body Works, Zara, Mango, Crate and Barrel, Williams-Sonoma.
adma
Superstar
In which case, given the size of it now, how big *can* it be? Vaughan Mills-size?
Speaking of which, while I'll assume it's still thriving until proven otherwise, funny how you don't hear much about Vaughan Mills these days--seems like an incipient victim of the post-SUV age...
Dan416
Senior Member
Vaughan Mills-size? Square One is already bigger than Vaughan Mills, and always has been. Unless you mean add a Vaughan-Mills sized addition, which would probably make Square One bigger than West Edmonton.
As for Vaughan Mills, from what I've heard, it's doing just fine.
As for Vaughan Mills, from what I've heard, it's doing just fine.
samsonyuen
Active Member
Since Vaughan Mills is a cross between typical Mills malls (more anchors and less full-price stores) and a typical mall (Yorkdale, Sherway Gardens), it seems it's become more of a regional mall than a mall that draws people. Exception being Bass Pro Sports.
Square One has a lot of non-chain retailers. A lot of stores that I've never seen or heard of anywhere else. Anyone else notice that?
Square One has a lot of non-chain retailers. A lot of stores that I've never seen or heard of anywhere else. Anyone else notice that?
khris
Senior Member
Square One is mostly chain retailers actually... maybe 5 years ago it had more stores that were not in other malls, but not anymore. It's changed drastically in the past couple of years.
As for Hollister, they are supposed to be next in line for a store.
As for Hollister, they are supposed to be next in line for a store.
Dan416
Senior Member
I don't think there are any non-chain retailers at Square One? No major ones anyway. Almost everything is a big name. Square One is getting stores that Yorkdale already had, and Yorkdale is getting stores Square One already had. So it's all becoming more homogenized.
samsonyuen
Active Member
http://www.reportonbusiness.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080714.wrbrooks14/BNStory/Business
__________________________
Brooks Brothers suits up for Canadian expansion
MARINA STRAUSS
From Monday's Globe and Mail
July 14, 2008 at 3:34 AM EDT
Brooks Brothers, the oldest name in American men's wear retailing and a company that has dressed U.S. presidents ranging from Abraham Lincoln to Bill Clinton, is expanding into Canada next year.
The privately held haberdashery, with about 350 stores globally, will open its first outlet in Vancouver in the spring and additional ones in Toronto and Calgary by the fall. Eventually it envisions 10 to 12 outlets here, including in Ottawa and Edmonton, said Eraldo Poletto, president of the retailer's strategic development and international business.
It is betting that it can find a niche in the $5.9-billion Canadian men's apparel market, despite a slowdown in the economy and an increasingly tightfisted consumer.
"We think there is a space for Brooks Brothers in Canada," Mr. Poletto said in a telephone interview. "It is kind of a natural extension. We see it as an opportunity to talk with a customer that we already have. We have Canadian customers coming to New York and Chicago and [cities] on the border. And they are buying already on the Web."
Brooks Brothers - with suits that average $900 (U.S.) although probably "a little" more in Canada (because of duties and logistics costs) - lies somewhere between the higher end Harry Rosen and mainstream Moores, Mr. Poletto said. The 190-year-old Brooks Brothers, known for its button-down collar Oxford shirts and seersucker suits, is expanding rapidly worldwide under the leadership of Claudio Del Vecchio, scion of a wealthy Italian family that made its fortune in eyewear.
Before he took over the U.S. icon in 2001, it had gone through rough years under shifting ownership and positioning. Now the new proprietor is bent on returning Brooks Brothers to its upscale roots.
Even as many U.S. retailers report a decline in their business, some are looking to Canada for new growth opportunities. A number of them have recently decided on, or are considering, the move: The owner of department store merchant Lord & Taylor is thinking of coming here through an acquisition of Hudson's Bay Co., sources have said. Limited Brands Inc., which owns U.S. lingerie powerhouse Victoria's Secret, plans to open six of its specialty Bath & Body Works shops in Canada this fall.
While New York-based Brooks Brothers is still enjoying same-store sales gains this year (it wouldn't provide numbers), the increase isn't as big as the firm had projected, Mr. Poletto said. Still, that won't stop it from coming to Canada, he said. "It is very easy to panic and I think that is wrong in the long term. Many companies do that and we don't want to do that at all. We went through so many storms during all these years. We'll go through this storm, too."
Despite a weakening U.S. market, sales in the men's apparel sector in Canada climbed 1 per cent last year and, in the men's career-wear category, an even healthier 1.6 per cent, said Kaileen Millard-Ruff, fashion director at market researcher NPD Group.
In any case, Brooks Brothers, which carries a lot of career wear such as dress shirts and pants, will be one of the few players in the upper-middle-priced bracket, she said. "There's an underserved market there."
Under new leadership, Brooks Brothers is using finer fabrics and courting a new generation of customers - observers say younger ones - with a new line at higher prices. Last fall, it introduced its Black Fleece collection by avant-garde designer Thom Browne; it features $2,700 suits in his signature fitted style.
The retailer is expanding its women's wear section, its fastest growing segment that draws business from customers who are already in the store shopping for their spouses, Mr. Poletto said. And it's opening stores in Milan, Paris, Hong Kong and beyond. Now it is counting on adding Canada to its global roster.
"Brooks Brothers has a name that many Canadians will recognize in a second," said Howard Davidowitz, chairman of retail consultancy Davidowitz & Associates Inc. in New York. "Many Canadians are going to be familiar with the name and they'll take a look. A lot of people go to work and they can't afford Harry Rosen but they want something better than Moores."
Nevertheless, with an estimated $850-million in annual sales, Brooks Brothers is still working on countering its image as a tired, traditional Americana brand, he said. "It used to be that every time there was an obituary, Brooks Brothers lost a customer," Mr. Davidowitz said. Under the new owner, the chain is being revitalized, he added. "I would call it a work in progress."
__________________________
Brooks Brothers suits up for Canadian expansion
MARINA STRAUSS
From Monday's Globe and Mail
July 14, 2008 at 3:34 AM EDT
Brooks Brothers, the oldest name in American men's wear retailing and a company that has dressed U.S. presidents ranging from Abraham Lincoln to Bill Clinton, is expanding into Canada next year.
The privately held haberdashery, with about 350 stores globally, will open its first outlet in Vancouver in the spring and additional ones in Toronto and Calgary by the fall. Eventually it envisions 10 to 12 outlets here, including in Ottawa and Edmonton, said Eraldo Poletto, president of the retailer's strategic development and international business.
It is betting that it can find a niche in the $5.9-billion Canadian men's apparel market, despite a slowdown in the economy and an increasingly tightfisted consumer.
"We think there is a space for Brooks Brothers in Canada," Mr. Poletto said in a telephone interview. "It is kind of a natural extension. We see it as an opportunity to talk with a customer that we already have. We have Canadian customers coming to New York and Chicago and [cities] on the border. And they are buying already on the Web."
Brooks Brothers - with suits that average $900 (U.S.) although probably "a little" more in Canada (because of duties and logistics costs) - lies somewhere between the higher end Harry Rosen and mainstream Moores, Mr. Poletto said. The 190-year-old Brooks Brothers, known for its button-down collar Oxford shirts and seersucker suits, is expanding rapidly worldwide under the leadership of Claudio Del Vecchio, scion of a wealthy Italian family that made its fortune in eyewear.
Before he took over the U.S. icon in 2001, it had gone through rough years under shifting ownership and positioning. Now the new proprietor is bent on returning Brooks Brothers to its upscale roots.
Even as many U.S. retailers report a decline in their business, some are looking to Canada for new growth opportunities. A number of them have recently decided on, or are considering, the move: The owner of department store merchant Lord & Taylor is thinking of coming here through an acquisition of Hudson's Bay Co., sources have said. Limited Brands Inc., which owns U.S. lingerie powerhouse Victoria's Secret, plans to open six of its specialty Bath & Body Works shops in Canada this fall.
While New York-based Brooks Brothers is still enjoying same-store sales gains this year (it wouldn't provide numbers), the increase isn't as big as the firm had projected, Mr. Poletto said. Still, that won't stop it from coming to Canada, he said. "It is very easy to panic and I think that is wrong in the long term. Many companies do that and we don't want to do that at all. We went through so many storms during all these years. We'll go through this storm, too."
Despite a weakening U.S. market, sales in the men's apparel sector in Canada climbed 1 per cent last year and, in the men's career-wear category, an even healthier 1.6 per cent, said Kaileen Millard-Ruff, fashion director at market researcher NPD Group.
In any case, Brooks Brothers, which carries a lot of career wear such as dress shirts and pants, will be one of the few players in the upper-middle-priced bracket, she said. "There's an underserved market there."
Under new leadership, Brooks Brothers is using finer fabrics and courting a new generation of customers - observers say younger ones - with a new line at higher prices. Last fall, it introduced its Black Fleece collection by avant-garde designer Thom Browne; it features $2,700 suits in his signature fitted style.
The retailer is expanding its women's wear section, its fastest growing segment that draws business from customers who are already in the store shopping for their spouses, Mr. Poletto said. And it's opening stores in Milan, Paris, Hong Kong and beyond. Now it is counting on adding Canada to its global roster.
"Brooks Brothers has a name that many Canadians will recognize in a second," said Howard Davidowitz, chairman of retail consultancy Davidowitz & Associates Inc. in New York. "Many Canadians are going to be familiar with the name and they'll take a look. A lot of people go to work and they can't afford Harry Rosen but they want something better than Moores."
Nevertheless, with an estimated $850-million in annual sales, Brooks Brothers is still working on countering its image as a tired, traditional Americana brand, he said. "It used to be that every time there was an obituary, Brooks Brothers lost a customer," Mr. Davidowitz said. Under the new owner, the chain is being revitalized, he added. "I would call it a work in progress."