By Craig Patterson

Shoppers Drug Mart has opened a new store along the commercial strip of Toronto’s Rosedale area at the base of a multi-use luxury building which is in the process of being completed. The new store adds an expansive assortment of beauty products for those living nearby, as well as an assortment of grocery items for an area that probably could have used it.

The new store is located at the base of the ‘Hill and Dale’ building located at the southeast corner of Roxborough Street and Yonge Street, about a block north of the Rosedale TTC subway station. Hill and Dale, with a name derived from adjacent ’SummerHILL’ and ‘RoseDALE’ features six levels including a ground level with retail space, middle floors for offices, and upper-most floors featuring 17 luxurious residences with prices surpassing $2,000/square foot in many instances.

*Front Entrance, featuring a strong and upscale granite feature wall. Photo: Craig Patterson*

The new store is accessed from a corner location boasting high-end finishes including dark granite steps leading up to the store’s entrance. Inside, high ceilings showcase the store’s ‘BeautyBOUTIQUE’ cosmetics area which encompasses almost a third of the entire store. The back of the store features traditional drug store wares as well as a pharmacy.

Being under the same ownership umbrella as Loblaw, Shoppers Drug Mart has added a grocery area to the new Rosedale store that features refrigerators housing a variety of food items, ranging from packaged goods to vegetables. It’s a welcome addition to the area which generally lacks grocery stores, save for the nearby Harvest Wagon which is known for its high-quality groceries at expectedly high prices.

Expanding its food offerings has seen Shoppers Drug Mart address potential food deserts in some Canadian communities. Rather than a standalone grocery store having to set up shop and take a risk, Shoppers Drug Mart is able to utilize its own space to carry grocery items that might otherwise not be available in the area. This is proving particularly useful in some downtown areas such as in Edmonton, where Shoppers Drug Mart recently unveiled a two-level store at Edmonton City Centre which features an in-store grocery area. It’s no doubt a welcome addition to those living nearby, who would otherwise have to travel some distance to meet their basic grocery needs.

The Rosedale Shoppers Drug Mart replaces a recently-shuttered location at 817 Yonge Street, which is a few steps south of the intersection where Yonge Street intersects with Church Street (to the west) and Davenport Road (east of Yonge). That 9,000 square foot retail space is currently being offered for lease, in an area that is seeing explosive growth in the forms of several thousand new condominium units to be finished over the next few years.

Shoppers Drug Mart is also adding other stores to the area, including a multi-level store at the southwest corner of Yonge Street and Charles Street which is under construction and will feature a heritage facade. Another two-level, 12,000 square foot Shoppers Drug Mart will open at the base of ‘The Britt’ residential tower under construction at the northeast corner of Bay Street and Wellesley Street. When finished, both stores will serve the densely-populated and highly-educated residential area which is adjacent to the University of Toronto, Government of Ontario, and several significant research hospitals.

Craig Patterson, now based in Toronto, is the founder and Editor-in-Chief Retail Insider. He's also a retail and real estate consultant, retail tour guide and public speaker.

Follow him on Twitter @RetailInsider_, LinkedIn at Craig Patterson, or email him at: craig@retail-insider.com.

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