News on retail chains (was: New Mall Retail)

[Richard White]

It reminds me of the Consumers Distributing chain that was around when I was a kid, but with websites instead of the printed catalogs, so now you don't need to physically visit the location to find out they were out stock of the item you wanted as seemed to almost always be the case with them.

Jeez now I feel old. I remember shopping with my mother at Consumers Distributing when it was at Kingston Road and Lawrence in Scarborough.

I am even old enough to remember when we rented our home phone from Bell Canada. That and "rent to own" places like Rent-A-Centre where you could rent something and eventually buy it.

 

[Towered]

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.

The only kind of retail that ever seems to open anymore is pot shops. It pisses me off.

 

[DSC]

The only kind of retail that ever seems to open anymore is pot shops. It pisses me off.

Yes, there certainly are lots of them and their worst feature is that the AGCO insists nobody can see into them from the street so their windows are blocked-up. Typical Ontario nonsense, you can do something but if anyone sees you doing it ..... Not sure why it is worse to see inside a pot shop than a bar or wine store or LCBO - I guess I need to investigate as it may be fun?

 

[Richard White]

Yes, there certainly are lots of them and their worst feature is that the AGCO insists nobody can see into them from the street so their windows are blocked-up. Typical Ontario nonsense, you can do something but if anyone sees you doing it ..... Not sure why it is worse to see inside a pot shop than a bar or wine store or LCBO - I guess I need to investigate as it may be fun?

To be fair, wine and alcohol are being advertised on TV, in bars and pretty much everywhere else. Marijuana is akin to cigarettes which have been hidden from sight for years to prevent people from smoking.

Wine, Beer, Spirits, etc may cause health issues but nothing as bad as Marijuana (contains THC) which can lead to cancers, lung problems etc. Wine and spirits have been part of global culture for centuries whereas smoking has always been considered dirty and unhealthy.

 

[torontowest91]

Are edibles not "healthier" then Vodka on the body for example?

 

[Richard White]

Are edibles not "healthier" then Vodka on the body for example?

Not really. Vodka is an antiseptic.

 

[Northern Light]

.Wine, Beer, Spirits, etc may cause health issues but nothing as bad as Marijuana (contains THC) which can lead to cancers, lung problems etc

You will not find a single medical study, peer-reviewed, and journal published that shows marijuana is a higher risk to health than alcohol.

That is entirely incorrect.

There certainly is some linkage (non-conclusive) to lung and esophageal cancers, which one would expect, but that is as likely due to smoke itself, and wouldn't apply with edibles in all likelihood. (there are also competing views)

Further reading here:

Comparative risk assessment of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other illicit drugs using the margin of exposure approach - PMC

A comparative risk assessment of drugs including alcohol and tobacco using the margin of exposure (MOE) approach was conducted. The MOE is defined as ratio between toxicological threshold (benchmark dose) and estimated human intake. Median lethal ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Vodka can kill you via an Overdose, an unlikely/near impossible scenario with marijuana.

It also, as with all other alcohol has associations with cancer, liver disease, and brain damage.

PS, I say that as someone who typically enjoys a nice glass of wine with dinner; and who never partakes in pot!

 

[Undead]

To be fair, wine and alcohol are being advertised on TV, in bars and pretty much everywhere else. Marijuana is akin to cigarettes which have been hidden from sight for years to prevent people from smoking.

Wine, Beer, Spirits, etc may cause health issues but nothing as bad as Marijuana (contains THC) which can lead to cancers, lung problems etc. Wine and spirits have been part of global culture for centuries whereas smoking has always been considered dirty and unhealthy.

IIRC there's a WHO report that found the health and economic costs from alcohol exceed all other drugs.

Not really. Vodka is an antiseptic.

Yeah lol that's what they say in my part of the world before chugging a bottle. Then the average male life expectancy ends up being lower than some African countries. And you get stuff like Belarus president Lukashenka telling people to "poison coronavirus with vodka."

I'm a drinker, not a smoker and I love to drink. But it always seemed clear to me that alcohol is much more damaging than weed.

 

[AlbertC]

Lucky Brand Jeans Re-Enters Canada with Multiple Storefronts in Partnership with Thriftys: Interview

May 5, 2021

Retailer Lucky Brand continued to re-launch in Canada with the introduction of more physical retail stores and a new online shopping platform.

After exiting Canada a couple of years ago, within the last year the company’s Canadian rights were acquired by Thriftys Family of Brands (Bluenotes, Aéropostale Canada, Lucky Brand Canada).

The online presence of Lucky Brand in Canada follows the recent re-opening of 10 retail locations in shopping centres such as Metropolis at Metrotown, Vaughan Mills, and Square One.

Two new stores will also be opening over the next month at Polo Park in Winnipeg and CF Shops at Don Mills in Toronto. The partnership with Thriftys Family of Brands also means a selection of Lucky Brand merchandise will be carried in select Bluenotes and Thriftys by Bluenotes stores this fall.

Lucky Brand Jeans Re-Enters Canada with Multiple Storefronts in Partnership with Thriftys: Interview

The denim brand exited Canada a couple of years ago and has returned in a Canadian retail partnership.

retail-insider.com

 

[Northern Light]

*cross-posted to Ontario Line thread*

Front Street Staples confirmed to close this summer, making way for the Ontario Line and related developments.

Toronto's largest downtown Staples store is permanently closing

Toronto's largest Staples location at 250 Front Street East had been a, ahem, staple of the city since it first opened in 1993. Now, its days at the …

www.blogto.com

 

[Johnny Au]

*cross-posted to Ontario Line thread*

Front Street Staples confirmed to close this summer, making way for the Ontario Line and related developments.

Toronto's largest downtown Staples store is permanently closing

Toronto's largest Staples location at 250 Front Street East had been a, ahem, staple of the city since it first opened in 1993. Now, its days at the …

www.blogto.com

*also cross-posted from the Ontario Line thread*

That Staples will be moving to 517 Richmond St. East.

 

[Northern Light]

*also cross-posted from the Ontario Line thread*

That Staples will be moving to 517 Richmond St. East.

That's this building:

 

[DSC]

That's this building:

View attachment 320388

Yes, it actually has had a sign up outside for several weeks - the building seems to be quite deep but is surely not nearly the size of the Front Street one

 

[Northern Light]

Yes, it actually has had a sign up outside for several weeks - the building seems to be quite deep but is surely not nearly the size of the Front Street one

A bit less than 1/2 the size ~10000ft2 vs 24000'ish

 

[AlbertC]

Canadian Brand Rudsak Shifting Retail Strategy Amid Pandemic: Founder interview

May 31, 2021

Canadian fashion and outerwear brand Rudsak is shifting gears amid the pandemic by re-evaluating its operations while innovating to meet consumer demand. With that, the company is reducing its physical store count while shifting sales online with an eye to the future guided by analytics and technology. The company is moving further to a direct-to-consumer model with a heavy focus on outerwear with sustainability being an important component.

Founder Evik Asatoorian told Retail Insider that his company is making significant changes to its operations based on learnings over the course of the pandemic. Online sales have already grown by 300% and by the fall, about 50% of the company’s sales will be online. That’s a significant jump from 2019 when the brand had 34 stores across Canada with sales primarily being in physical locations.

That store count will eventually be reduced to between 15 and 20 stores across Canada, according to Asatoorian, who explained that many brands no longer need an expansive store count to meet consumer demand. Many of Rudsak’s leases have been coming due recently and the company is working with landlords on what makes the most sense for the brand’s physical footprint. Asatoorian said that markets such as Montreal and Toronto should ideally have three or four physical storefronts.

“Consumers will always need a retail space to discover and experience the product as well as to be served,” said Asatoorian. The company ultimately grew to have too many stores he said. “We opened stores in places that we shouldn’t have.” Moving forward, Rudsak’s concept stores will aim to be experiential with attractive interiors and exceptional customer service including in-store private styling appointments. “We’ve seen a change in how consumers purchase and what they look for, so we have optimized our e-commerce and in-store experience to cater to those needs”, he went on to say.

Canadian Brand Rudsak Shifting Retail Strategy Amid Pandemic: Founder interview

Founder Evik Asatoorian says the company will reduce its store count as it shifts online, including a partnership with Uber for deliveries in less than an hour.

retail-insider.com