In less than 5 weeks and after years of preparation, the long-awaited Pan Am Games will begin, but sadly Toronto has missed a huge opportunity to leverage event retailing. In an era when product simply doesn’t sell itself and experiences reign supreme, successful retailers across sectors have been ramping up their efforts, like never before, to engage customers. Yet, Toronto’s Pan Am shop at the Eaton Centre disappoints. Event retailing Event retailing, more than a peripheral courtesy, is a very real revenue stream, directly and indirectly. Like off-site team shops, event linked retail is more than an opportunity to dabble[…]
New Anthropologie store: From neglected church to lifestyle temple
Just before Christmas, a new Anthropologie store opened – another outpost in Toronto, for the popular American retailer of clothing and housewares. The location: a 19th century church in the heart of Queen St. West that has been respectfully renovated and converted into a cathedral of fashion – or perhaps more accurately a lifestyle temple. Go west Queen St. West The location in itself, is one on the leading edge of the gradual westward creep of national and international retail chains, along Queen St. West. Over the past two decades, gentrification has been changing the face of retail along[…]
Spacing; Selling city pride
Late last year, Spacing, the magazine that focuses on urban issues, and Toronto’s concerns in particular, opened their first bricks-and-mortar retail location on Richmond St West. Beyond the obvious, being a publisher turned retailer – a significant brand extension venture in itself – Spacing is fueling Torontonians newly found city pride. Expanding their reach With the opening of the store, which features urban and city related products previously available primarily through their on-line store, Spacing has tread into relatively new and untested territory. Few magazines have made this necessary leap to extend their brand and their reach. In our digital world,[…]
Muji TO disappoints: the no-brand brand strays
Having become a fan of Muji from my travels abroad, I always looked forward to visiting their stores and perusing their fascinating line of understated and functional product. So, it was with great anticipation that I awaited the opening of the Toronto store last week – however, I was left unimpressed and disappointed. Muji: The brand Muji is all about simplicity. They are the ultimate anti-brand, forgoing splashy labels, packaging and advertising – yet by doing so they have become one of the most successful brands in the world. Muji which means “no brand quality goods” has built an[…]
New retail: Shoppers feeding food deserts
Food deserts, by definition are neighbourhoods where there are few or no food stores within convenient proximity. Depending upon the source, the definition varies, often including socio-economic factors (income, culture and ethnicity) or delineating between healthy and non-healthy food options, as well as affordability. These under-served neighbourhoods exist everywhere – and Toronto has its fair share. As a very urban city, much of the city’s population lives within the core and immediate perimeter where many residents don’t own cars. In this city of neighbourhoods, that bring together the have and have-nots, Toronto residents expect to be able to find all[…]