gabe
Senior Member
Furniture warehouses downtown would be a waste of space. People that live downtown aren't going to take boxed furniture on the TTC or Uber or in their compact vehicle.
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News on retail chains (was: New Mall Retail)
- Thread starter Dane
- Start date
Richard White
Senior Member
Nor can they even get it into their building if they wanted to. Most condos want you to book an elevator to bring large items in, even if you buy it yourself.
That would be a big seller though. Uber for deliveries.
AlbertC
Superstar
Lululemon more than doubles e-commerce in 2020
March 31, 2021
Dive Brief:
- More than simply buoying Lululemon's online business, the pandemic pushed the athletics retailer to achieve a 2023 goal of doubling its e-commerce business three years early, CEO Calvin McDonald said on a fourth quarter conference call with analysts Tuesday.
- E-commerce more than doubled for the full year, and grew 92% in the fourth quarter, McDonald said. The company also achieved its "largest annual share gain in recent history," thanks to growth in both men's and women's.
- While e-commerce was the superstar, Lululemon remains dedicated to its in-store customers, executives said, with plans to open 40 to 50 new stores this year globally. The company is also on track with its other two goals for 2023: doubling men's and quadrupling international, McDonald said.
Lululemon more than doubles e-commerce in 2020
That benchmark was initially expected in 2023, and the company also remains on track to double men's and quadruple international by then.
AlbertC
Superstar
Some photos of the newest Summerhill Market grocery store on Eglinton W, about a couple blocks west of Avenue Road. Looks like they've done some extensive work on the outside of the building as well with the brick exterior:
trnto.com
Inside Summerhill Market's new two-storey location in Forest Hill | TRNTO.com
Chef Ted Corrado is also on board to revamp the prepared meals
trnto.com
AlbertC
Superstar
Japanese retailer Daiso are testing the Canadian market with their first store in Vancouver, prior to launching a national expansion.
retail-insider.com
Japanese Retailer Daiso Expands into Canada with 1st Store
The Japanese retailer will target an initial 10 locations in the Lower Mainland before expanding nationally.
retail-insider.com
AlbertC
Superstar
Forever 21 Returning to Canada with Physical Stores
April 13, 2021
Los Angeles-based fast fashion retailer Forever 21 will make its return to Canada this year with physical stores after shuttering all locations as part of a bankruptcy filing in 2019. Toronto-based YM Inc. is leading the expansion after establishing a partnership last year that included announcing a new Forever 21 e-commerce site for the Canadian market.
YM Inc. acquired many of Forever 21’s leases after the retailer exited Canada. YM subsequently opened stores under various banners in the former Forever 21 locations including Urban Planet, Urban Behaviour and Stitches. Many of the Forever 21 stores saw few changes to the retail spaces following the shuttering of the original chain, possibly in anticipation of re-introducing the Forever 21 banner to the Canadian market. Now some of the former Forever 21 locations will be converted back to the original banner as the brand again re-enters Canada.
It’s not yet clear how many Forever 21 locations that YM will open in Canada, though locations are confirmed already for Metropolis at Metrotown near Vancouver, as well as Devonshire Mall in Windsor, Ontario. The Windsor store will be located in a space most recently branded as Urban Behaviour.
YM had been in negotiations to lease the former 17,000 square foot Gap store space at 60 Bloor Street West (corner of Bay Street) and the deal is said to have ultimately not gone through.
retail-insider.com
April 13, 2021
Los Angeles-based fast fashion retailer Forever 21 will make its return to Canada this year with physical stores after shuttering all locations as part of a bankruptcy filing in 2019. Toronto-based YM Inc. is leading the expansion after establishing a partnership last year that included announcing a new Forever 21 e-commerce site for the Canadian market.
YM Inc. acquired many of Forever 21’s leases after the retailer exited Canada. YM subsequently opened stores under various banners in the former Forever 21 locations including Urban Planet, Urban Behaviour and Stitches. Many of the Forever 21 stores saw few changes to the retail spaces following the shuttering of the original chain, possibly in anticipation of re-introducing the Forever 21 banner to the Canadian market. Now some of the former Forever 21 locations will be converted back to the original banner as the brand again re-enters Canada.
It’s not yet clear how many Forever 21 locations that YM will open in Canada, though locations are confirmed already for Metropolis at Metrotown near Vancouver, as well as Devonshire Mall in Windsor, Ontario. The Windsor store will be located in a space most recently branded as Urban Behaviour.
YM had been in negotiations to lease the former 17,000 square foot Gap store space at 60 Bloor Street West (corner of Bay Street) and the deal is said to have ultimately not gone through.
Forever 21 Returning to Canada with Physical Stores
The US-based fast fashion retailer partnered with YM Inc. to bring stores back to Canada after launching a website last year following a bankruptcy.
retail-insider.com
AlbertC
Superstar
Gap-Owned Brand ‘Athleta’ to Enter Canada with Stores
April 20, 2021
San Francisco-based Gap Inc. announced Tuesday morning that its women’s and girls’ brand Athleta will enter the Canadian market later this year, making the performance lifestyle brand’s first expansion outside the United States. The first two Athleta retail stores will open in Toronto and Vancouver with more to come, and the company will also launch a Canadian e-commerce website this summer to gain traction in the Canadian market prior to the brick-and-mortar expansion.
Athleta’s first two physical stores will open at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto and the Park Royal Shopping Centre in West Vancouver. Both stores will open sometime this fall.
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Athleta says that it plans to open between 20 and 30 stores in North America annually. The brand already has over 200 stores across the United States which it says are profitable. Gap Inc. says that its Athleta stores remain a “top customer acquisition and brand awareness vehicles and are a key component of the growth and future of the brand.” New wholesale partnerships and international expansion through franchise and company-operated stores are among Gap Inc.’s strategic steps towards growing the Athleta brand to USD $2 billion in net sales by 2023. Last year Athleta surpassed USD $1 billion in net sales with 16% annual sales growth.
retail-insider.com
April 20, 2021
San Francisco-based Gap Inc. announced Tuesday morning that its women’s and girls’ brand Athleta will enter the Canadian market later this year, making the performance lifestyle brand’s first expansion outside the United States. The first two Athleta retail stores will open in Toronto and Vancouver with more to come, and the company will also launch a Canadian e-commerce website this summer to gain traction in the Canadian market prior to the brick-and-mortar expansion.
Athleta’s first two physical stores will open at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto and the Park Royal Shopping Centre in West Vancouver. Both stores will open sometime this fall.
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Athleta says that it plans to open between 20 and 30 stores in North America annually. The brand already has over 200 stores across the United States which it says are profitable. Gap Inc. says that its Athleta stores remain a “top customer acquisition and brand awareness vehicles and are a key component of the growth and future of the brand.” New wholesale partnerships and international expansion through franchise and company-operated stores are among Gap Inc.’s strategic steps towards growing the Athleta brand to USD $2 billion in net sales by 2023. Last year Athleta surpassed USD $1 billion in net sales with 16% annual sales growth.
Gap-Owned Brand 'Athleta' to Enter Canada with Stores
The athletic retail concept will launch two stores this fall as well as as an e-commerce site with growth planned into 2022 and beyond.
retail-insider.com
AlbertC
Superstar
COBS Bread Plans Significant Multi-Year Canadian Store Expansion: Interview
April 25, 2021
COBS Bread is looking to aggressively expand its footprint across Canada in the next few years.
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“Over the last 52 weeks, we’ve been very pleased with the performance of our bakeries. We went from about six percent store sales before the pandemic and now same store sales is close to 17 percent.”
Average transaction has also grown slightly in the past year.
“We believe the market in Canada can support anywhere from 400 to 500 locations. Currently we haven’t put an exact number on where we want to expand but we do think we can double our footprint in the next five years,” said Bissonnette. “We believe we can be anywhere between 20 to 30 openings a year for the next four to five years.
“Since March of last year, we’ve had 37 commitments to either open a new location or to purchase an existing location. We currently have 26 commitments to open new franchises and have sealed deals in a lot of great markets across the country.
retail-insider.com
April 25, 2021
COBS Bread is looking to aggressively expand its footprint across Canada in the next few years.
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“Over the last 52 weeks, we’ve been very pleased with the performance of our bakeries. We went from about six percent store sales before the pandemic and now same store sales is close to 17 percent.”
Average transaction has also grown slightly in the past year.
“We believe the market in Canada can support anywhere from 400 to 500 locations. Currently we haven’t put an exact number on where we want to expand but we do think we can double our footprint in the next five years,” said Bissonnette. “We believe we can be anywhere between 20 to 30 openings a year for the next four to five years.
“Since March of last year, we’ve had 37 commitments to either open a new location or to purchase an existing location. We currently have 26 commitments to open new franchises and have sealed deals in a lot of great markets across the country.
COBS Bread Plans Significant Multi-Year Canadian Store Expansion: Interview
The retailer plans to aggressively double its current store count in Canada over five years with room for hundreds more in years to come.
retail-insider.com
Richard White
Senior Member
COBS Bread Plans Significant Multi-Year Canadian Store Expansion: Interview
April 25, 2021
COBS Bread is looking to aggressively expand its footprint across Canada in the next few years.
--------
“Over the last 52 weeks, we’ve been very pleased with the performance of our bakeries. We went from about six percent store sales before the pandemic and now same store sales is close to 17 percent.”
Average transaction has also grown slightly in the past year.
“We believe the market in Canada can support anywhere from 400 to 500 locations. Currently we haven’t put an exact number on where we want to expand but we do think we can double our footprint in the next five years,” said Bissonnette. “We believe we can be anywhere between 20 to 30 openings a year for the next four to five years.
“Since March of last year, we’ve had 37 commitments to either open a new location or to purchase an existing location. We currently have 26 commitments to open new franchises and have sealed deals in a lot of great markets across the country.
COBS Bread Plans Significant Multi-Year Canadian Store Expansion: Interview
The retailer plans to aggressively double its current store count in Canada over five years with room for hundreds more in years to come.
This is one store that is better left small before it turns itself into Ace Bakery, ending up in every grocery store in town.
Northern Light
Superstar
This is not a 'small store' now. It's 128 stores!
Ace was never a retailer.
To my understanding, COBS is not a wholesaler.
Not really all that similar.
Richard White
Senior Member
I've been to Cobs across the city and in Pickering.
They are small neighborhood bakeries with decent quality. My point was that by expanding too much, that quality will be watered down.
Retail-Insider
Active Member
Disney is shutting all of its remaining 16 Canadian stores after shutting Square One and CrossIron Mills last month. GTA locations include CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Scarborough Town Centre, Vaughan Mils, Upper Canada Mall.
retail-insider.com
Disney to Close All Stores in Canada Amid Retail Strategy Shift: Sources
The iconic entertainment brand is said to be exiting almost all of its retail stores globally as it grows other channels.
retail-insider.com
Richard White
Senior Member
I forgot to add by the way.. that this was how licks started going belly up. When they were a few stores they made everything fresh in store but as they expanded they started using frozen patties and then selling their products in grocery stores. The quality then tanked and so did the chain.
That was really my point. If you keep things small, the quality will be half decent but if you expand too much the food becomes very much commercialized and the quality will suffer.
Richard White
Senior Member
Disney is shutting all of its remaining 16 Canadian stores after shutting Square One and CrossIron Mills last month. GTA locations include CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Scarborough Town Centre, Vaughan Mils, Upper Canada Mall.
Disney to Close All Stores in Canada Amid Retail Strategy Shift: Sources
The iconic entertainment brand is said to be exiting almost all of its retail stores globally as it grows other channels.
Not surprising. The Disney Store had a buttload of merchandise in their stores and retail space is not cheap anymore.
Given the overhead costs, it makes sense for alot of stores to close up and focus on their online stores. When I worked at Best Buy in 2006 we sold *EVERYTHING*. Phones, Laptops, Appliances, there was nothing we did not sell in store. Now in 2021 majority of items are online only and there is a much better selection of products online.
Even last month when I wanted to buy jeans at Bluenotes they were telling me to go online and order because they only ever get one or two of my size in stock.
One warehouse costs less to run than a hundred stores. I suspect as time goes on, you will see a decrease in the retail footprint including the death of malls as we know them.
SubHuman
Active Member
With some exceptions like grocery stores and Dollarama, this seems to have been a growing trend in recent years. The first to start disappearing were specialist niche or hobby type of shops, when people quickly moved to finding and buying things like that online rather than wasting time going from one place to another looking to see what might be available. And obviously video rental and music/record stores became obsolete.
Even with the larger chains now you will often see something listed on their websites as being in stock at a particular store, only to frustratingly find out when you go there that they actually do not have it, and they might advise you to try ordering it online. It makes you wonder why the retail outlets need to exist anymore, other than maybe a few small showroom places with an order pickup counter. It reminds me of the Consumers Distributing chain that was around when I was a kid, but with websites instead of the printed catalogues, and now you shouldn't need to physically visit the location to find out they are out of stock of the item you want, as seemed to almost always be the case with them.
I assume the food courts in the better large malls should also be okay for now.
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