Country: Canada

Japanese fast fashion brand, Uniqlo, has announced the opening of third store in Canadian market. The store will be located at Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby, British Columbia, the largest mall in the province and third largest in Canada.

Spread over 20,630 sq. ft., the store will offer the fashion brand’s full range of core items of men, women, kids and babies. It will also include the brand’s signature collections including AIRism, HEATTECH, Cashmere and Ultra Light Down, along with premium Jeans and UT.

Also Read – Fashion brand Uniqlo to open maiden store in Spain

“The launch of UNIQLO in British Columbia represents another major milestone for us, as Canada continues to be an important focus for the company globally. This country’s cultural and climatic diversity represents the perfect platform for UNIQLO and our philosophy of LifeWear,” said Yasuhiro Hayashi, Chief Operating Officer, UNIQLO Canada. Imbibed with the Japanese values of simplicity, quality and longevity, LifeWear is constantly being innovated, bringing more warmth, more lightness, better design, and better comfort to people’s lives.

UNIQLO currently operates over 1,800 stores worldwide.

Gildan Activewear has confirmed that American Apparel is manufacturing apparels outside of the US for the first time in its 28-year history, losing its ground on ‘Made in USA’ ethics. Once claimed to be the largest domestic apparel maker of the US, the fashion retailer is now producing shirts in Honduras and Nicaragua.

It may be mentioned here that Gildan, in January, bought American Apparel at auction for US $ 88 million.

According to Gildan, the company operates fabric and sewing factories in Central America and apparels manufactured here are slated for its wholesale operations because the majority of customers are corporate customers who are more price sensitive than some retail customers. Thus, the company hasn’t yet decided where to make its retail merchandise.

Also Read – Gildan Activewear bags auction to buy American Apparel

Explaining about where to operate retail operations, Gildan spokesperson, Garry Bell, commented, “We will be evaluating many factors for retail operations, including the specific preferences for Made in USA, as we assess the opportunities related to bringing this brand to consumers over the coming weeks,” adding, “However, the whole new ‘Made in Honduras’ and ‘Made in Nicaragua’ labels will begin appearing on clothes this summer.”

Most of the remaining 72 stores of the company are closing this month, according to the American Apparel website. The stores and e-commerce site are being operated by American Apparel management now, but the e-commerce will switch over to Gildan.

Canadian retailer, Sears is going through a period of absolute renovation, spanning through modern customer experiences systems, a redesigned e-commerce platform, new concept stores, and a new manifesto of customer service values that aim to capture as well as sustain brand loyalty.

Brandon G. Stranzl, Executive Chairman of Sears Canada elaborated on the initiatives stating, “2017 is the year for change and reinvention at Sears Canada. We started on our reinvention path last year when we focused on a dramatic refinement to our product selection, to achieve a simple value proposition for consumers – high quality at a low price, and our Sears label essentials and The Cut @ Sears achieves this in a big way. We have also overhauled our customer experience online and in-store as we commit to providing Canadians the best shopping experience possible.”

Also Read – Sears initiates strategic restructuring programme

Sears has opened a pop-up shop in Toronto’s modish neighbourhood of Queen West where they will highlight the company’s hottest merchandise, together with the all-new private-label products as well as the off-price offering, making them the first nationwide retailer in Canada, to display both key retail approaches all in a single store. The pop-up shop opened on April 8 with the marketing tag of #WeveCHANGED. “We’re using #WeveCHANGED as our moniker to attract new consumers and engage Canadians in our new customer-obsessed approach without pre-conceptions.  We’re re-introducing ourselves with new products, enhanced customer experiences, and a re-imagined philosophy of quality, on-trend merchandise at great prices,” explained Stranzl.

Sears Canada is looking to coagulate their position as Canada’s go-to retailer for everyone’s every need with the launch of a mono-brand private label. The new line will be high on quality providing essentials at affordable prices for men’s, women’s and kid’s clothing, home décor as well as houseware items.

Hudson’s Bay Company has announced the appointment of Wolfgang Link as Chief Executive Officer of HBC Europe, effective May 1, 2017. He will lead the company’s expansion and growth strategy for the European business including Galeria Kaufhof, Galeria Inno, and the entrance of Hudson’s Bay and Saks OFF 5TH. Reporting to HBC’s Chief Executive Officer, Jerry Storch, Dr. Link will oversee the European management team.

Commenting on his appointment Jerry Storch, CEO stated: “We are pleased to welcome Wolfgang to the HBC family during this new phase of development for our European business, as we prepare to launch two new banners in the region. Wolfgang is an accomplished leader with a proven track record in the retail sector in Germany and throughout Europe. His experience in both digital and traditional channels and profound knowledge of the European market were key in selecting him for this role, and will help foster the expansion and success of HBC Europe, including our significant investment in Germany.”

Also Read – Retailers to see drop in sales: Reports

The fashion retailer has also decided to invest around US $ 425 million in Europe with an aim to increase its sales there. It is planning to increase its sales in the region by 20 per cent over the next two years.

Premium German women’s fashion brand Marc Cain is expanding its presence throughout Canada this year and is set to open three new stores in the region.

The fashion brand has announced the opening of its first retail location in Vancouver this June, followed by a store each at the West Edmonton Mall in September and in Ottawa, sometime later this Fall.

“We are excited about the rapid expansion of Marc Cain in Canada,” stated Stephen Belfer, Managing Director at Marc Cain Canada, adding, “We are seeing Canadian women gravitate to the brand for its European flair and more importantly, that she keeps coming back having experienced it. Canadian women fully appreciate the high quality and the exceptional fit.”

The Vancouver store will be located at Oakridge Center and will span 2,292 square feet of space. The concept design of the store and the implementation of the same was carried out by Marc Cain’s in-house interior design department and is in sync with the brand’s signature aesthetic that features furniture sporting a white high-gloss finish, metallic walls in a light champagne tone and deep-pile fitted carpets.

Also Read – Tory Burch now on London’s iconic Regent Street

At the moment, Marc Cain has 7 stores in Canada including Montreal, Quebec, Calgary and several locations in the Greater Toronto Area. Internationally, Marc Cain currently operates 211 Marc Cain Stores, 291 Shop-in-Stores, 395 Custody customers and another 998 upmarket specialist retail stores in 58 countries. 

A connoisseur of yoga pants, Lululemon Athletica has been struggling with sales for the major part of last summer. While health and wellness continue to be a key driver of the luxury market, the retailer has not been able to keep up, expecting an abysmal first quarter with “net revenue to be in the range of US $ 510-515 million based on a total comparable sales decrease in the low-single digits on a constant dollar basis”.

The athletic apparel company, making healthy lifestyle inspired clothing for yoga, running, training, and other sweaty pursuits, has all the makings of the US $ 4 billion status it plans to attain by 2020. However, the brand realizes that setting up more shops and creating quality clothing will not cut it anymore in the age of digital and hence, will invest in creating a more cohesive and digitally driven marketing strategy.

Therefore, for the first time in its history, Lululemon is going to launch a major global advertising campaign this May. “As we grow as a global brand, it has becoming extremely important,” said Laurent Potdevin, CEO of Lululemon. Besides, to amplify its online customer base, the company is collaborating with a creative agency that’s “one of the world leaders in editing and building content for millennials”.

Also Read – Lululemon Athletica’s Net Revenue Zooms

He also commented on a brighter future of LULU saying, “Although we’ve had a slow start to 2017, our teams are passionately committed to delivering on our robust plans across product innovation, digital, North America and international as we realize our ambitious vision for the future.”

RYU Apparel Inc., a tailored technical urban athletic apparel brand engaged in the development, marketing and distribution of apparel, has announced financial results for full year ended December 31, 2016.

During the period under review, the apparel retailer noted a 57 per cent increase in its revenue to US $ 1,367,043 compared to US $ 869,917 during the year ended December 31, 2015.

“Since re-launching RYU in the fourth quarter of 2015, we have had cumulative revenue of $1,612,210 and we are extremely pleased with our 2016 annual revenue performance and our gross profit percentage of 46 percent,” Marcello Leone, CEO of the company was quoted as saying in a news statement.

Also Read – RYU partners with Polygiene for odour-free apparel

RYU Apparel also saw an increase in online revenue in 2016, following the re-launch of its e-commerce website. It expects even stronger sales for 2017 as the brand continues its Canadian expansion.

The company offers tops, bottoms, outwear and a range of accessories for both men and women.