Downtown Grocery Store List (current + proposed)

[rdaner]

Pusateri’s in Yorkville is closing. I wonder if Farmboy wants a location somewhere around here? Maybe somewhere along Davenport or Bay?

Upscale Pusateri’s Fine Foods to Close Yorkville Grocery Store in Toronto After 20 Years

The 5,500 square foot store opened to much fanfare in 2003, with valet parking, private chefs and pricey goods.

retail-insider.com

 

[Richard White]

Pusateri’s in Yorkville is closing. I wonder if Farmboy wants a location somewhere around here? Maybe somewhere along Davenport or Bay?

Upscale Pusateri’s Fine Foods to Close Yorkville Grocery Store in Toronto After 20 Years

The 5,500 square foot store opened to much fanfare in 2003, with valet parking, private chefs and pricey goods.

retail-insider.com

With Whole Foods and Eataly nearby I am not sure if there is a market for them

 

[AlbertC]

I've worked at the Pusateri's Yorkville over so decade ago during my younger days, and also at the flagship store during my high school days. I'd say the being close to Eataly is what did them in. They were able to co-exist with Whole Foods for the longest time, and the offerings were slightly different. Albeit WF being more extensive if you wanted every day type groceries. Eataly is more in the wheelhouse of what Pusateri's wanted to be like in an urban location.

 

[Northern Light]

I've worked at the Pusateri's Yorkville over so decade ago during my younger days, and also at the flagship store during my high school days. I'd say the being close to Eataly is what did them in. They were able to co-exist with Whole Foods for the longest time, and the offerings were slightly different. Albeit WF being more extensive if you wanted every day type groceries. Eataly is more in the wheelhouse of what Pusateri's wanted to be like in an urban location.

Pusateri's has not set a foot right in years...

They've outright closed the Sherway location (and guess whose there now, Eataly)........

They've left the Sak's location at Queen/Yonge to rot, more than 1/2 closed, it was really close to a great idea previously, but needed some tweaks to move more product; but its barely a shell of itself now. Like so many retailer's that fail, its tried to cut its way to success reducing service, product, and innovation, rather than reinvesting in same. They also entered and failed in Oakville a long time ago.

With Yorkville gone, they're down to the flagship, Bayview Village and Little Italy.

Their senior management should walk the plank for all the money flushed down the toilet.

Pusateri's at its best could have done well in Forest Hill with a full service store; or in Leaside, or near Bloor West Village or Bloor/Kingsway.

But they've persisted in going into the wrong locations, and 1/2 assing it as if they owned the market.

The result has been that Eataly in particular is owning them, but at a smaller scale, Summerhill Market is taking it to them as well.

Whole Foods has been a complete laggard in the Ontario market the last decade plus, that's probably been Pusateri's only saving grace.

At their current rate, the flagship will be gone in 5 years.

 

[rdaner]

I wonder if the Loblaws at Jarvis and QQE is up for redevelopment now?

Loblaw spending more than $2B to build more than 40 new stores, renovate hundreds

The company also plans to renovate more than 700 other locations.

www.thestar.com

 

[Richard White]

Pusateri's has not set a foot right in years...

They've outright closed the Sherway location (and guess whose there now, Eataly)........

They've left the Sak's location at Queen/Yonge to rot, more than 1/2 closed, it was really close to a great idea previously, but needs some tweaks to move more product; but its barely a shell of itself now. Like so many retailer's that fail, its tried to cut its way to success reducing service, product, and innovation, rather than reinvesting in same. They also entered and failed in Oakville a long time ago.

With Yorkville gone, they're down to the flagship, Bayview Village and Little Italy.

Their senior management should walk the plank for all the money flushed down the toilet.

Pusateri's at its best could have done well in Forest Hill with a full service store; or in Leaside, or near Bloor West Village or Bloor/Kingsway.

But they've persisted in going into the wrong locations, and 1/2 assing it as if they owned the market.

The result has been that Eataly in particular is owning them, but at a smaller scale, Summerhill Market is taking it to them as well.

Whole Foods has been a complete laggard in the Ontario market the last decade plus, that's probably been Pusateri's only saving grace.

At their current rate, the flagship will be gone in 5 years.

Honestly, Pusateris in Yorkville always felt like a deli to me more than anything. It struck me as a small neighborhood deli that sells groceries on the side. I never saw the draw of the store.

Pusateris was great in the 1990s when the market for luxury grocery items was served by 1 or 2 players. Now with Whole Foods, Eataly and even Farm Boy you are getting competition leaving them behind.

Unfortunately, they have failed to adapt to a changing market and thought they could rely on existing clientele. Honestly, those clientele are moving on and going elsewhere. As the clientele gets younger they want modern convenience not overpriced olives and groceries.

 

[Northern Light]

Honestly, Pusateris in Yorkville always felt like a deli to me more than anything. It struck me as a small neighborhood deli that sells groceries on the side. I never saw the draw of the store.

Pusateris was great in the 1990s when the market for luxury grocery items was served by 1 or 2 players. Now with Whole Foods, Eataly and even Farm Boy you are getting competition leaving them behind.

Unfortunately, they have failed to adapt to a changing market and thought they could rely on existing clientele. Honestly, those clientele are moving on and going elsewhere. As the clientele gets younger they want modern convenience not overpriced olives and groceries.

LOL Equating them with a deli is going at least one step too far.

They sold a relatively full grocery line, they had a cafe, a great dessert/pastry counter, a selection of Olive Oils that was outstanding, and many other fine features.

They were always weak on crowding/narrow aisles, produce (lack of depth, lack of high end, like wild mushrooms), not enough high-end in the meat counter (Kobe); not enough flash/service for the price point. (though they were well intended on this one, the sheer crowding made it very challenging to achieve).

If they simply had 50% more front-of-house space, I think they could make Yorkville work brilliantly. They couldn't do that in their current spot; but why they didn't move to relocate during a period of abnormally low retail rents in the area..... is beyond me.

I think they could absolutely have flagshipped Yorkville, though that would have meant tripling the space, which would be a bit harder to find, and they would frankly have to have poached marketshare from from both Whole Foods and Eataly to make those numbers work.

 

[christiesplits]

LOL Equating them with a deli is going at least one step too far.

They sold a relatively full grocery line, they had a cafe, a great dessert/pastry counter, a selection of Olive Oils that was outstanding, and many other fine features.

I had a friend who worked at the Bayview Village location who said they would regularly get the Maple Leaf meat, take off the wrapping, and mark it up. For many customers, they were just in the store for the fancy Pusateri's bag.

 

[Northern Light]

I had a friend who worked at the Bayview Village location who said they would regularly get the Maple Leaf meat, take off the wrapping, and mark it up. For many customers, they were just in the store for the fancy Pusateri's bag.

Pustateri's had real Parma Ham and decent Prosciutto which you don't get from Maple Leaf; but sure, if you're going to Pusateri's and buying Baloney you get what you deserve. LOL

 

[Richard White]

I wonder if the Loblaws at Jarvis and QQE is up for redevelopment now?

Loblaw spending more than $2B to build more than 40 new stores, renovate hundreds

The company also plans to renovate more than 700 other locations.

www.thestar.com

@Northern Light perhaps you have some insight but I will give my 5 cents here.

A few years ago I would have suggested this store was dying off but now that all the condos have gone up there is demand for groceries in the area. Given the demand and proximity to the condos, I can see this store staying for a bit.

There is stiff competition in the area though with Metro, No Frills and St Lawrence all in the area.

On the other hand, the demand for Condos in the area is such that they could sell the land for a pretty nickel.

 

[Northern Light]

@Northern Light perhaps you have some insight but I will give my 5 cents here.

A few years ago I would have suggested this store was dying off but now that all the condos have gone up there is demand for groceries in the area. Given the demand and proximity to the condos, I can see this store staying for a bit.

There is stiff competition in the area though with Metro, No Frills and St Lawrence all in the area.

On the other hand, the demand for Condos in the area is such that they could sell the land for a pretty nickel.

The site will be redeveloped, but its a while off yet; its not in the first batch of properties that Choice (Loblaws real estate arm) is looking at; it will likely be around in its current form for another 5 years minimum, possibly as many as 10.

When redevelopment moves ahead, I expect Loblaws will provide a replacement store either on-site or nearby before demo'ing the existing one. That store still turns a material amount of sales each week.

 

[gabe]

I had a friend who worked at the Bayview Village location who said they would regularly get the Maple Leaf meat, take off the wrapping, and mark it up. For many customers, they were just in the store for the fancy Pusateri's bag.

I've heard that too! Also heard their stores aren't exactly the cleanest places. I haven't set foot in a Pusateris since the Avenue location got shut down by the Toronto Health department for a infestation of both rats and cockroaches!

Also they price gouged hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes during the first COVID lockdown, until the media got hold of it, then they claimed the pricing was a "mistake" lol

Good riddance Pusateri's!

 

[Richard White]

I've heard that too! Also heard their stores aren't exactly the cleanest places. I haven't set foot in a Pusateris since the Avenue location got shut down by the Toronto Health department for a infestation of both rats and cockroaches!

It is worth nothing that they did a "working interview" for me at that store around late 2010.

They had me work the day to see if I would be a good fit for the store. I was hired on for the Yorkville Store as a "cook" but left the same day when I was not being trained properly.

Before it was torched, the Avenue Road store was a deathtrap underground. They had tunnels under the store in the basement area connecting various areas like the kitchen to the storage areas. I believe they had boxes of food piled in the corridor alongside carts with garbage bags on the day I was there.

It was a mess and honestly if the public saw what I saw, they would never shop at Pusateris again.

 

[Towered]

Pusateri's has not set a foot right in years...

They've outright closed the Sherway location (and guess whose there now, Eataly)........

They've left the Sak's location at Queen/Yonge to rot, more than 1/2 closed, it was really close to a great idea previously, but needs some tweaks to move more product; but its barely a shell of itself now. Like so many retailer's that fail, its tried to cut its way to success reducing service, product, and innovation, rather than reinvesting in same. They also entered and failed in Oakville a long time ago.

With Yorkville gone, they're down to the flagship, Bayview Village and Little Italy.

Their senior management should walk the plank for all the money flushed down the toilet.

Pusateri's at its best could have done well in Forest Hill with a full service store; or in Leaside, or near Bloor West Village or Bloor/Kingsway.

But they've persisted in going into the wrong locations, and 1/2 assing it as if they owned the market.

The result has been that Eataly in particular is owning them, but at a smaller scale, Summerhill Market is taking it to them as well.

Whole Foods has been a complete laggard in the Ontario market the last decade plus, that's probably been Pusateri's only saving grace.

At their current rate, the flagship will be gone in 5 years.

I called it as soon as I heard about their puzzling decision to open a new store in Little Italy - that location is going to bomb HARD.

 

[Richard White]

I called it as soon as I heard about their puzzling decision to open a new store in Little Italy - that location is going to bomb HARD.

They are probably relying on the stores Italian roots to make it work.

Little Italy *IS NOT* the place for a Pusateris. Vaughan maybe but not Little Italy.

These are not the days of the Nonnas fawning over Sophia Loren and Johnny Lombardi. The area is changing and no amount of marketing schtick can keep that store afloat.