Over the next few years, Toronto’s Mink Mile is expected to undergo a number of major changes.
With rumours of H&M vacating its Bloor St. store, an Apple store opening at Yonge and Bloor, and a confirmed Eataly launching later this year, Bloor St. as we once knew it will soon be no longer.
But that’s not to say change isn’t a good thing.
Included in the affluent neighbourhood’s makeover is a brand new Aritzia. Unveiled on February 14, renovations saw the retailer take over the former BCBG store and a street-level entrance to the Holt Renfrew Centre in between them.
Located at 50 Bloor St. West, the newly expanded Aritzia is seriously impressive.
Standing at over 10,700 square feet, the Bloor St. flagship is double the size of the former location. Outside, visitors are greeted by a large Aritzia sign that sits atop bright marquee lights.
Inside, the ultra-feminine store is light and spacious.
Clothing is displayed on marble tables and wire-wheeled oak tables, as well as in custom built-in wood fixtures.
Dotted throughout the space, shoppers will find specially curated artwork and lush green plant life.
Buttery brown leather couches create optimal lounging spaces, which are perfect for shopping companions.
As retail evolves, shoppers demand more immersive spaces, and Aritzia has been providing that in its newest locations. In the past few years, the Vancouver-based retailer has opened stores for in-house brands like Babaton, Wilfred, and TNA.
Aritzia has also been expanding its footprint across the United States, with locations opening in California, Illinois, New York, and more.
What makes Aritzia Bloor stand out from the rest, however, is the welcoming of a new feature in-store: A-OK CAFE.
Featuring espresso-based beverages, teas, sustainably sourced Columbian coffee, and a variety of micro ground tea, the cafe offers those in the area another option for their daily pick-me-up, as well as freshly baked pastries from local Toronto partners.
Take a peek a closer look inside the store below.
All images provided by Aritzia
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Last year was a rough year for a lot of retailers, including conglomerates like H&M.
The Swedish fast-fashion retailer made headlines for having one big problem — H&M was sitting on an excess of $4 billion worth of product. A snag in supply and demand led to incredibly bloated inventories, and H&M has been trying to catch up ever since.
In an effort to combat the issue, H&M has been reevaluating its entire business.
One of the first efforts the company made was pulling the plug on one of the brands under its banner: Cheap Monday. In November 2018, the retail company announced that it would shutter the brand and that it would be shut down completely by the end of June 2019.
While analysts believe that H&M made the correct decision in shutting down the brand, they are still concerned that its other non-flagship banners — such as Afound, Arket, and Nyden — are “too small to have much impact on sales.”
Instagram/@koko_shop_caen
In a press conference this week, H&M announced some big changes coming down the pipe.
At the end of the company’s fourth quarter, numbers show that H&M’s efforts weren’t for naught. Overall, the company saw net sales rise by 12% and online sales rise by 24%. The company’s Q4 success is attributed to stronger collections that helped sell products at full price, resulting in lower markdowns and an improvement in inventory.
In the same press conference, H&M announced some of its initiatives for the new year. There are plans for improvements across technology and product flow, but more interestingly for consumers, to customer offerings.
On the consumer side of things, shoppers can expect to see upgrades to H&M’s online store, as well as its mobile app. The company will focus on better integrating its physical stores with online by rolling out a “click-and-collect” program, allowing online returns in store, opening up “scan-and-buy” in 47 markets, and expanding its in-store-mode and find-in-store to more markets.
H&M also has plans to close 160 stores internationally.
In 2019, H&M plans on opening a total of 335 new flagship and non-flagship banner stores. However, the company also plans to close 160 stores and renegotiate 1,000 store contracts. In the grand scheme of things, 160 store closures isn’t too big of a deal for the Swedish retailer. If all goes to plan, H&M will have a net of 175 new stores in 2019 — the company says it’s shifting its focus towards growth markets in order to optimize its store portfolio.
While it wasn’t revealed if store closures will be happening in Toronto, or Canada as a whole, H&M’s Bloor St. location is currently up for lease on the Urban Retail Toronto website. There are a lot of changes planned for the Mink Mile area and H&M’s evacuation is rumoured to be one of them. The listing states that the space will be available February 2020 or earlier, which suggests H&M could be exiting the space in the near future.
For now, nothing is certain about H&M store closures in Canada, but we’ll keep you updated as news progresses.
Featured image: Instagram/@vincemto
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Home to all things upscale, Yonge and Bloor will be getting a brand new gourmet grocery store within the upcoming weeks.
Celebrity chef Mark McEwan — the man behind notable restaurants like Fabbrica, ONE, and Bymark — will be opening a third location of his gourmet grocery store in the 1 Bloor Street East retail podium.
Set to open January 2019, McEwan’s Yonge and Bloor will span over 17,000-square-feet.
The massive gourmet grocery store will take up the entire concourse level and act as the anchor of the intersection. For those who have never been to a McEwan’s before, which has locations at Shops at Don Mills and in the Financial District’s PATH, the grocery store merges grocery shopping with restaurant dining.
The grocerant, as the McEwan Group calls it, will feature top-class products and elevated prepared meals, making it a high-end shopping and food destination for those who work, play, and live in the area.
Moncur Design Associates Inc.
McEwan’s Yonge and Bloor will host a number of exciting new features.
In addition to the gourmet grocery store’s regular features, shoppers can expect a number of new features, too. Features expected to accompany the Yonge and Bloor location include McEwan’s Cafe, Fabbrica Pizza, a carving station and rotisserie (offering prime rib, porchetta, brisket, and more), a sushi bar, a hot and cold table, a salad and sandwich station, and a dry ageing room.
Visitors will also be able to shop McEwan’s diverse cheese and deli program, daily deliveries of seafood, and market-fresh produce.
Courtesy of The McEwan Group
The new gourmet grocery store will be a welcome addition to Toronto’s busiest intersection.
With ample parking and plenty of seating, there’s no doubt that the grocery store will be a hit.
Bloor and Yonge is set to see many changes over the next few years. The area is rumoured to soon be home to a 20,000-square-foot Apple store, and will soon also welcome a new Over The Rainbow, an updated Birks, and Canada’s first Eataly.
Featured Image: McEwan’s TD via Instagram/@mcewanfoods
Bloor Street’s Mink Mile, located between Yonge Street to the east and Avenue Road to the west, is home to some of Canada’s most glamorous retailers. With flagship locations for Holt Renfrew and Harry Rosen, it’s the only street in Toronto that features this many high-end stores. With all the renovations taking place over the past few years, it’s obvious there will be major changes along this area of Bloor Street.
One Bloor now houses the Canadian flagship for Nordstrom Rack, located at the corner of Bloor Street East in a 36,600 square foot two-level retail space. In the next few months, a Mark McEwan grocery store will open.
According to Retail-Insider, developer Sam Mizrahi’s ‘The One’ is now under construction at 1 Bloor Street West and when it’s done, the complex will include a multi-level retail podium as well as a boutique hotel and a luxury residential tower. Apple is said to have leased the corner anchor space with plans to open a flagship.
As noted by Retail-Insider, Mayfair Mews is the major construction of an expanded Aritzia flagship, which will span about 11,440 square feet when it opens next year. Even Holt Renfrew will be seeing significant changes over the next few years, with major renovations happening with several new boutiques and updated interiors. It was recently announced the standalone men’s Holt Renfrew will be moving back to 50 Bloor. The standalone Saint Laurent store opened just this past year, connected to the Holt Renfrew, though it stands as its own boutique and carries the entire collection for both men and women.
In addition, the long-term construction at The Manulife Centre has continued. It will soon house Canada’s first ever Eataly, spanning over three floors. Over The Rainbow, the high-end clothing store will also be opening, as well as an updated Birks jewellery store which will feature street-front facades for Breitling, Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier.
Across Bay Street, on the north side of the street, the award-winning store, David’s Footwear will be taking over the former Capezio space. The retail building next door, home to Roots and Banana Republic, might be demolished and replaced with a 66-storey tower above a 50,000 square foot retail podium. It’s uncertain if this project will happen any time soon.
Harry Rosen will continue ongoing renovations to include the addition of a few luxury store boutiques on top of four levels of retail. Luxury boutiques like Moncler, Zegna, and Loro Piana were just added last winter.
As well, beauty retailer L’Occitane en Provence recently renovated its store. Next door, at 110 Bloor Street West, is the top-performing Winners/HomeSense location in the chain. Further down at 130 Bloor Street West, the Gucci flagship store will both expand and renovate next year.
Hermes opened its Canadian flagship store on Bloor Street’s southside in 2017. The Ermenegildo Zegna flagship store, Harry Rosen operated, will open next to it. In addition, Barry’s Bootcamp will open its second location nearby in the near future.
Across the street at 131 Bloor Street West is ‘The Colonnade,” probably one of the most prestigious retail address in Canada, which is where Christian Dior leased a two-level space right there. This will become its largest store in North America when it opens in a few months time.
The Colonnade also houses Coach, Mulberry and Prada. Prada recently completed an expansion and renovation to its store which now spans 13,630 square feet over two floors. William Ashley recently unveiled a beautiful new store at The Colonnade, as well as the Moncler last fall.
Max Mara, Stuart Weitzman and a recently renovated Montblanc boutique are located at 151 Bloor Street West. That takes us to the corner of Bloor Street West and Avenue Road where there is an 18,000 square foot Louis Vuitton Maison.
On the corner of Bloor Street West and Avenue Road, high-end retailer Club Monaco is currently undergoing exterior renovations.
Source: Retail-Insider.com
Featured Image: Instagram/@mr.yorkville
Article Originally titled: Williams Sonoma Exits Mink Mile Ahead of Hermès Relocation
San Francisco-based Kitchenware and home furnishings retailer Williams Sonoma has closed its two-level store at 100 Bloor Street West in Toronto. It will be replaced by French luxury brand Hermès, which will open a ‘maison’ of approximately 12,000 square feet this fall, according to sources.
Williams Sonoma has occupied its 100 Bloor Street West space since 2001, when it joined Pottery Barn to lease the majority of the building’s retail podium. In August of 2014, it was announced that Both Williams Sonoma and Pottery Barn would vacate its Bloor street premises, after a substantial rent increase that made operations unviable. Both stores were expected to close in early 2015.
To Read More About William Sonoma, Head Over To Our Retail-Contributors @Retail-Insider
Photo via: Retail-insider
Morguard-owned ‘The Colonnade’ at 131 Bloor Street West in Toronto is seeing substantial changes, including new and expanding stores. The complex is considered to be one of the most prestigious retail addresses in Canada.
The Colonnade opened in 1963 and was the first mixed-use building in Canada, with office and residential located above two levels of retail. The complex, designed by architect Gerald Robinson, has a remarkable history as an anchor to Bloor Street’s transformation into one of the world’s best-known luxury retail locations.
Italian luxury brand Moncler will take 3,100 square feet of Sephora’s retail space, according to plans, and will be adjacent to William Ashley’s street-front pop-up. Construction has yet to commence on Moncler, which is expected to open later this year. Bloor Street will be Moncler’s third freestanding Canadian store, following the opening of locations at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre and on Thurlow Street in downtown Vancouver.
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To Read More About The Mink Mile Colonnade Head Over to Our Retail Contributors @Retail-Insider
Paris-based luxury brand Chanel officially closed its 131 Bloor Street West flagship in Toronto, with a new location set to open in a few months. In the meantime, Chanel has opened a large ‘pop-up’ store on the second level of Holt Renfrew at 50 Bloor Street West to serve its loyal clientele.
Chanel’s former 7,400 square foot flagship closed on the afternoon of December 31. Chanel will move into an 8,700 square foot space at 98 Yorkville Avenue this spring/summer, as there has been some delays with its construction. French luxury brand Christian Dior will replace Chanel at 131 Bloor Street West, with construction set to commence shortly. Dior will span about 10,400 square feet over two levels, technically making it the largest Dior location in North America.
To Read More About Chanel Closing Mink Mile Location Head Over To Our Retail Contributor @Retail-Insider
Photo Via: Retail-Insider