Brief: Jaeger-LeCoultre Opens 1st Corporate Store in Canada, Bayview Village Innovates Virtually

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jaeger-leCoultre corporate store in toronto’s yorkdale shopping centre. photo credit: “jm”

jaeger-leCoultre corporate store in toronto’s yorkdale shopping centre. photo credit: “jm”

By Retail Insider

Jaeger-LeCoultre Opens 1st Corporate Store in Canada

Swiss luxury watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre opened its first standalone corporate store last week at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The boutique, located amongst other luxury brands including TAG Heuer, Hublot, Van Cleef & Arpels, Montblanc, and others.

The 495-square-foot boutique replaces a franchised Jaeger-LeCoultre boutique that was located nearby and was operated by multi-brand Raffi Jewellers. The Raffi-operated boutique opened in 2015. In Vancouver, a licensed Jaeger-LeCoultre boutique also opened in 2015 on Alberni Street which features a similar mix of luxury brands as Yorkdale.

The stunning new Toronto Jaeger-LeCoultre boutique features the brand’s most updated retail design, including a bold facade as per the photo above.

Yorkdale Shopping Centre recently received the prestigious TOBY Award for excellence in commercial real estate in the Retail category at the International Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Awards. The Outstanding Building of the Year (TOBY®) Awards is the most prestigious and comprehensive program of its kind in the commercial real estate industry recognizing quality in commercial real estate buildings and rewarding excellence in building management. Competing against shopping centres around the world, Yorkdale was recognized for its building standards, community impact, tenant relations, energy conservation and sustainability. The centre was also Canada’s most productive last year in terms of sales per square foot.

facade of lao feng xiang at cf richmond centre. photo: ritchie po

facade of lao feng xiang at cf richmond centre. photo: ritchie po

Lao Feng Xiang Opens 2nd Canadian Boutique

Shanghai-based luxury jewellery retailer Lao Feng Xiang has opened its second Canadian storefront at CF Richmond Centre south of Vancouver. The first boutique opened in October of 2015 at 2016 Alberni Street in downtown Vancouver.

interior of lao feng xiang at cf richmond centre. photo: Martin Moriarty

interior of lao feng xiang at cf richmond centre. photo: Martin Moriarty

Lao Feng Xiang is China’s oldest jewellery brand, as well as the world’s 16th-largest luxury goods company. Founded in 1848, the brand boasts a network of 2,800 retail stores in China as well as a handful internationally including a flagship in New York City. Lao Feng Xiang is particularly known for its 24-karat gold and jade creations.

The beautiful store features a prominent facade and opulent interior, as well as a range of product with some prices well into the thousands of dollars. CBRE Vancouver negotiated the lease deal on behalf of the retailer under the direction of Mario Negris and Martin Moriarty.

facade of bayview village shopping centre. photo: bayview village

facade of bayview village shopping centre. photo: bayview village

Bayview Village Launches Virtual Food Marketplace

Toronto's Bayview Village, considered to be one of Canada’s most prestigious shopping centres, has announced the launch of GASTRONOMER, a virtual marketplace and food concierge service that allows customers to shop a curated product assortment assembled from Bayview Village’s food and beverage tenants.

The initiative launched on July 20 on the Bayview Village website. The one-stop online shop gives customers the opportunity to purchase gourmet items including prepared dishes, DIY meal kits, and gift baskets from select tenants, with items ranging in price from $6–$270. Customers can place their orders at least 24 hours in advance and select a preferred pick-up time to for contactless curbside pick-up.

“Highlighting the best of the best of Bayview Village’s culinary options, this is a service for–as the name suggests–lovers of gourmet food,” says Melissa Evans-Lee, VP of Retail, National Marketing at QuadReal Property Group. “In addition to providing convenient gourmet options for our customers, this is meant to directly help our food and beverage tenants during a very challenging time.”

Among the gourmet options to go are BBQ Grilling Kit from Pusateri’s Fine Foods, Mezza Cottage Kit from Tabulè Middle Eastern Cuisine, Pizza and Plant-Based Meal Kits from Il Fornello, Cleanse Kits from ELXR Juice Lab, Butter Chicken Meal Kit from Goa Indian Farm Kitchen, and Burmese Chicken Curry Meal Kit from Pōpa. With every order, customers will receive a complimentary set of four “haute” BV coasters, while supplies last.

Follow @bvshops for the latest updates regarding GASTRONOMER and other exciting initiatives in 2020.

CONSTRUCTION WORKERS ENJOYING ‘THE LUNCHBOX CHALLENGE’ PROGRAM. PHOTO: RIOCAN

CONSTRUCTION WORKERS ENJOYING ‘THE LUNCHBOX CHALLENGE’ PROGRAM. PHOTO: RIOCAN

RioCan Lunchbox Challenge

RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust teamed up with its development and construction partners to participate in ‘The Lunchbox Challenge’, delivering more than 1,200 lunches to construction workers at nine development sites across Canada this month. The challenge, which began in BC and has since spread across the country, asks owners and construction companies to buy lunch for their workers on site to encourage and recognize their hard work. The meals are purchased from local restaurants and tenants who may be struggling due to COVID-19.

“We were inspired by the challenge and teamed up with our development and construction partners to maximize our impact,” says Andrew Duncan, Senior Vice President, Development, RioCan. “RioCan and our partners work with many construction companies on development projects. The challenge was a great way to express our appreciation to hundreds of dedicated workers across the country while also supporting our restaurant tenants who have been affected by the pandemic.”

Participating construction sites included The Well in Toronto, Frontier in Ottawa, and the East Hills Shopping Centre in Calgary. In total, RioCan and their partners were able to support 13 restaurants with the initiative. The initiative is ongoing.

exterior of pusateri’s fine foods at bayview village. photo: pusateri’s

exterior of pusateri’s fine foods at bayview village. photo: pusateri’s

Pusateri’s Fine Foods Delivers to Muskoka

Toronto-based Pusateri’s Fine Foods has launched a grocery delivery service in Muskoka to accommodate Canadians opting for staycations this summer. As many are enjoying domestic trips due to COVID-19 restrictions, Muskoka is set to see many new visitors this year and Pusateri’s is hoping to reduce the need for people to visit grocery stores. The service will deliver one to two times a week to the Ontario region, with a grocery delivery service for a central drop-off/pick-up spot at Don’s Bakery in Bala. Delivery options will be for Thursdays with a pick-up window between 12PM and 1PM and are free for orders over $250 (otherwise it’s $39.99).

For more information or to place an online grocery order go to pusateries.com and select Muskoka for delivery at the checkout. Pusateri’s also recommends checking out their family meal options for cottagers here.

facade of mcewan fine foods. photo: mcewan fine foods

facade of mcewan fine foods. photo: mcewan fine foods

McEwan Fine Foods Launches PEI Meal Kits

Toronto-based McEwan Fine Foods, in collaboration with Canada’s Food Island in Prince Edward Island, have launched meal kits featuring an array of PEI’s exceptional culinary products.

The premium meal kits are a ‘Prince Edward Island Patio Party’ in a box and include PEI’s five core products lobsters, mussels, oysters, beef, and potato, as well as chef-inspired recipes created by the McEwan Fine Foods culinary team.

“Every year Prince Edward Island puts on a month-long festival showcasing all of the wonderful products that the island has to offer. This year due to the pandemic, McEwan Fine Foods is bringing a taste of the island to Toronto with our Prince Edward Island Patio Party boxes. PEI produces some of the best, sustainable lobster in the world and incredible grass-fed beef with full traceability. Our chefs have created unique Surf & Turf packages with all the trimmings so our guests can bring delicious PEI flavours home for easy summer meals,” says Jessica Rodrigues, Director of Communications for The McEwan Group.

The Prince Edward Island Patio Party have three options to choose from, a Surf Box, a Turf Box, and a Surf & Turf Box with recipes like a chilled lobster Cobb salad, PEI grass-fed strip loin steaks with truffle compound butter, PEI oysters with McEwan’s cocktail sauce & mignonette, and PEI mussels with a choice of lemon, white wine & bacon sauce or tomato, fennel, chili and preserved lemon sauce. The curated boxes mean Ontarians can now enjoy a PEI patio party from the comfort of their own homes.

“Canada’s Food Island, Prince Edward Island is famous for its genuine people that work together to harvest and innovate premium food products and host experiences from land and sea. We look forward to celebrating our Island flavours with our Ontario friends/family by creating a unique Canada’s Food Island experience for you to enjoy in the comfort of your own home.” said Mitch Cobb, Chair of Food Island Partnership.

The collaboration between McEwan Fine Foods and Canada’s Food Island started after travel restrictions inhibited Ontario residents from being able to travel to PEI due to COVID-19. The two organizations have an established working relationship as the McEwan Groups' Chef Mark McEwan has hosted many events during two of PEI’s flagship festivals, The PEI Fall Flavours Festival and the PEI International Shellfish Festival.

The bespoke boxes are available for purchase for Ontario residents only. To purchase, visit: mcewancatering.com or in-store at McEwan Don Mills or McEwan Yonge & Bloor McEwan. To ensure there are fresh products in every box, McEwan Fine Foods requires 48 hours to prepare, so customers are asked to consider this when ordering.

exterior of planet fitness location. photo: planet fitness

exterior of planet fitness location. photo: planet fitness

Planet Fitness Implements Masks

One of North America’s largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centres, Planet Fitness, has announced that members and guests will be required to wear a mask at all times while inside all open stores, beginning August 1.

In Canada, Planet Fitness locations have reopened in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and in some regions of Ontario that are in phase 3 of reopening since the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, all Planet Fitness employees are required to wear masks. 

"As we continue to face the COVID-19 pandemic, amid an ongoing global health crisis, wellness has never been as essential to our collective community as it is today," said Chris Rondeau, Chief Executive Officer at Planet Fitness. "Gyms are part of the solution and a key element of the healthcare delivery system, providing much needed access for people to exercise and stay healthy. Given our leadership position within the industry, we believe it's our responsibility to further protect our members, employees, and communities so that we can all safely focus on our health, which is more important now than ever before.”

The gym and fitness centre has already taken several additional steps to strengthen its existing cleanliness policies and procedures to help keep members, guests, and employees safe. These include enhanced cleanliness and sanitization policies and procedures, extensive training for employees, physical distancing measures in its spacious and well-ventilated stores, and reducing physical touch points with touchless check-in. Earlier this month, the Company also launched a Crowd Meter feature on its free mobile app to allow members to check club capacity before coming into the gym.

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