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Simons

I actually think Simons is a regional brand. Expanding into the roc will be a disaster--bankruptcy by 2020 imo.

I cringed when I heard one or more of you say you go to St Catherine to shop excluding other areas of the city--that's like saying you shop only on Yonge St or Queen West to Spadina--tacky.

But having lived in MTL, perhaps I know what areas of the city to avoid seeing suburban trash and Americans, mixed with students?
 
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I actually think Simons is a regional brand. Expanding into the roc will be a disaster--bankruptcy by 2020 imo.

I cringed when I heard one or more of you say you go to St Catherine to shop excluding other areas of the city--that's like saying you shop only on Yonge St or Queen West to Spadina--tacky.

But having lived in MTL, perhaps I know what areas of the city to avoid seeing suburban trash and Americans, mixed with students?

Simons has been very careful in its expansion. They do their homework. I don't think you can count on a repeat of the Ailes de la Mode debacle.

If you did live in MTL, you know that Ste-Catherine W and the general area are nothing like Yonge St or Spadina. Ogilvy's and L'Uomo come to mind.
 
I actually think Simons is a regional brand. Expanding into the roc will be a disaster--bankruptcy by 2020 imo.

I cringed when I heard one or more of you say you go to St Catherine to shop excluding other areas of the city--that's like saying you shop only on Yonge St or Queen West to Spadina--tacky.

But having lived in MTL, perhaps I know what areas of the city to avoid seeing suburban trash and Americans, mixed with students?

Sigh. Do you need to be so snotty? You don't like chain stores. We get it. When in Montreal, I like to shop on St. Denis and Laurier W. too (and, guilty pleasure, stop at Rotisserie Laurier for greasy chicken), but I will also sometimes go to St. Catherine and enjoy myself. Sorry that makes you cringe and you can't bear the tackiness of it all, but that hardly makes me trash. I will even go into the Montreal Eaton Centre, which is one of my least favourite malls ever (to each their own, if there is anyone on this forum that likes it), just so I can stock up on Bella Pella.

It would be interesting to know on what you base your assessment of Simons' chances in the rest of the country.
 
I actually think Simons is a regional brand. Expanding into the roc will be a disaster--bankruptcy by 2020 imo.

I cringed when I heard one or more of you say you go to St Catherine to shop excluding other areas of the city--that's like saying you shop only on Yonge St or Queen West to Spadina--tacky.

But having lived in MTL, perhaps I know what areas of the city to avoid seeing suburban trash and Americans, mixed with students?

Nobody shops on Yonge St! Lol. Where would they? There's the Eaton Centre, but that's about it until you travel north to Eglinton.

No, I would love to see more of Montréal, but when ever I'm there it's usually for Pride (it's been years since I've done that, too) or just of a weekend and I am with a group of friends who have no interest in exploring. I'm a walker and would love to walk around the city for a day or three — but time and funds don't allow for it! Lol.
 
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October 30, 2012
Quebec retailer Maison Simons takes its eclectic style west
By MARINA STRAUSS
The Globe and Mail

Department store spends big as it locates its first store outside of the province in the West Edmonton Mall

The Quebec department store institution La Maison Simons is betting big on its first store outside of the province – in the West Edmonton Mall – sparing little expense as it begins its Canadian expansion and takes on a wave of foreign retailers.

Simons, which will open the Edmonton store on Wednesday, is pouring $40-million to $50-million into the outlet's development, double its usual budget, including a soon-to-be installed suspended canopy of crystalline columns in a glass cube by Canadian architect Philip Beesley. In the young women's section, at the press of a button, cone shapes descend from the ceiling to form fitting rooms.

The Ghermezian family, which owns the country's largest mall, has also invested about $10-million in the store, raising the stakes further.

"It was a conscious decision to try to make it an exceptional store," said chief executive officer Peter Simons, making no apologies for artistic embellishments. "There are people who question whether our concept can survive outside of Quebec ... I'm out to prove them wrong."

Mr. Simons needs to raise the bar as competition heats up around him. Stylishly affordable U.S. Target Corp. is moving into the West Edmonton Mall next spring, one of its first stores in Canada with more than $10-million of remodelling for each one, while upscale Nordstrom Inc. – a potential West Edmonton tenant – is beginning its 2014 Canadian rollout with a store in Calgary.

Simons, known for an eclectic mix of pricey designer lines and cheap-chic private-label fashions, is gambling that heavy investments today will make it as much a destination in Edmonton tomorrow as it is in Quebec now, luring customers from foreign powerhouses.

"People are not familiar at all with the name Simons – it's an unproven brand in the Alberta market," said Michael Kehoe, a broker at retail adviser Fairfield Commercial Real Estate Inc. in Calgary. "But Alberta shoppers are adventurous. ... If it's in the mall, people will find it."

The shopping centre is helping to spread the word with a $500,000 promotion budget, including a television commercial, magazine ads and a billboard in the Edmonton airport. "We're putting the entire engine of the West Edmonton Mall marketing department behind it," said David Ghermezian, president of the mall.

With annual sales of more than $300-million, privately held Simons expects it can generate $600 to $800 of sales per square foot at the Edmonton store within five years – close to the $800 average at its seven Quebec stores – and a profit in the first year. That is above the North American department store average of $240 (U.S.), including Nordstrom's $431 and the Bay's $133 (Canadian). (Discounter Target's is $294 (U.S.)

But Mr. Simons is aware of the challenges of building his name in Edmonton. "People will have to get to know us."

It helped to team up with an entrepreneurial family such as the Ghermezians who were ready to roll the dice with a locally unfamiliar name and give him a rent break, he said. Conventional mall owners that are controlled by big pension funds are risk adverse, he added. "They can't afford, in that sort of bureaucratic environment, to be entrepreneurial."

Mr. Simons is now looking for store sites in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Ottawa, battling with Nordstrom for coveted space that can be more than 10 times larger than clothing outlets. He envisages as many as 20 stores in the next decade or so, doubling current revenue.

How will he compete against bigger rivals? The Edmonton store features unusual touches, such as mini digital photo studios that allow shoppers to try on items for instant feedback on social media. And technology is allowing smaller retailers such as Simons to make up for fewer economies of scale and boost margins, he said. Multicoloured fabric printing, for instance, costs about 20 per cent of what it was five years ago, no matter how small the production run, he added.

Operators such as Simons can attract staff by allowing them to get involved in the creative process, he said. "It's not just going to be about being the biggest." A few months ago, a saleswoman at one of his stores called him directly to tell him about a trend of open-crochet mohair sweaters she saw on a vacation in Spain. Mr. Simons, who is also merchandise manager for women's knitwear, liked the idea so much he had the sweaters produced and today they are solid sellers.

Big chains such as U.S.-based Macy's now are acting as if they are small, adapting their merchandising to local communities. Simons, on the other hand, plans to bring its Quebec styles to Western Canada, counting on people there to appreciate the retailer's fashion sense.

Mr. Simons is making small adjustments for his Edmonton store. It will carry about 10 to 18 per cent more large and extra-large sizes, and that amount fewer small and extra small sizes, after his research found those differences between the Edmonton and Quebec markets.
 
Simons and Nordstrom will probably end up sharing the Sears carcass once the suburban stores shut down.

Rather than waiting for that to happen*, ideally CF would in the short term figure out a way to split the Sears Eaton Centre space between Nordstrom and Simons, and Sears would agree to give it up.

(*I assume the death throes may go on for awhile, at least until Target arrives, but who knows - they could be sold tomorrow).
 
If the Postmedia article in the Sears thread is any indication, Christmas could make or break the company before the Target invasion. Even if they don't break, a weaker than expected season could spur them to dump valuable real estate to prop the others up sooner rather than later. Golden opportunity for Simons in the more prestigious markets.

If they did split the Eaton Centre store, who would get the street frontage? I'm assuming Nordstrom while Simons would get the atrium entrance on the lower floors.
 
If the Postmedia article in the Sears thread is any indication, Christmas could make or break the company before the Target invasion. Even if they don't break, a weaker than expected season could spur them to dump valuable real estate to prop the others up sooner rather than later. Golden opportunity for Simons in the more prestigious markets.

If they did split the Eaton Centre store, who would get the street frontage? I'm assuming Nordstrom while Simons would get the atrium entrance on the lower floors.

If you start to think about it, there are various creative ways they could split the space, with both having street frontage as well as north and south end access. It's possible there could also be some sort of mall extension through some of the space as well. Sadly, though, it will probably come down to $ rather than design.

I suspect that the fate of Sears Canada will have a lot more to do with decisions being made at Sears HQ in the U.S., and who might be waving $ in their faces, rather than actual sales in Canada (assuming sales don't suddenly plummet). Sears might actually do somewhat better this X-mas, since Zellers is gone and nothing has replaced it.
 
Depends what is being bought as presents. Clothing, jewellery, and cosmetics, sure. Tools and appliances will be tough because of big box competition. Toys are a wash; the toy departments at most Sears stores I've seen are a shadow of their former selves.
 
If you start to think about it, there are various creative ways they could split the space, with both having street frontage as well as north and south end access. It's possible there could also be some sort of mall extension through some of the space as well. Sadly, though, it will probably come down to $ rather than design.

I suspect that the fate of Sears Canada will have a lot more to do with decisions being made at Sears HQ in the U.S., and who might be waving $ in their faces, rather than actual sales in Canada (assuming sales don't suddenly plummet). Sears might actually do somewhat better this X-mas, since Zellers is gone and nothing has replaced it.

There is still a lot of money/value on the table with Sears Canada at the moment. 101M shares at about 12 bucks a share. That's a lot of $$$ street value that's not going to go "poof" over night...
 
Simons is opening its second location outside Quebec, in Ottawa's Rideau Centre. Sounds like Oxford, which had been trying to lure Simons to the Promenades in the 'burbs, is pissed.

Okay, then, when is the Toronto location coming?

Simons s'amène au Centre Rideau

Mathieu Bélanger
Le Droit
Publié le 27 mars 2013 à 06h00

Après une longue attente des consommateurs, la région de la capitale fédérale aura finalement son magasin Simons.
LeDroit a appris qu'une entente de principe est intervenue, il y a deux semaines, entre la Maison Simons et la firme Cadillac Fairview pour l'implantation d'un magasin Simons au Centre Rideau d'Ottawa. Le grand patron de la chaîne, Peter Simons, a confirmé l'information au Droit, hier, en fin d'après-midi, alors qu'il terminait une série de rencontres d'affaires, à Toronto.

L'ouverture du magasin est prévue au printemps 2015. Il s'agirait du deuxième Simons à ouvrir ses portes à l'extérieur du Québec. Le premier a été ouvert cet automne, au West Edmonton Mall. Les villes de Vancouver et de Toronto sont, elles aussi, toujours dans la mire du détaillant fondé à Québec, en 1840.

« Ça faisait longtemps qu'on cherchait une façon de s'établir dans la région d'Ottawa-Gatineau, a indiqué M. Simons. Les premières discussions à ce sujet ont commencé il y a au moins cinq ans. » Des négociations préliminaires entre la Maison Simons et Cadillac Fairview pour la construction du magasin au Centre Rideau avaient pourtant mené à une impasse en novembre dernier. « Les gens de Cadillac Fairview sont revenus à la table et nous ont signifié qu'ils voulaient travailler avec nous sérieusement », a ajouté M. Simons.


Peter Simons précise que plusieurs détails restent encore à ficeler dans le dossier. Il est toutefois en mesure de promettre que les consommateurs de la région ne seront pas déçus. « Ce sera un de nos gros magasins, dit-il. Pas aussi gros que celui d'Edmonton, mais il sera substantiel et offrira l'assortiment total. Nous parlons d'un investissement de 20 à 25 millions $ pour la Maison Simons. »

Les différents membres de la direction de Cadillac Fairview joints par LeDroit ont préféré ne pas commenter ces informations pour l'instant.

Les Promenades

En novembre dernier, Peter Simons affirmait avoir entamé des discussions « préliminaires » avec les propriétaires des Promenades Gatineau (anciennement les Promenades de l'Outaouais) pour étudier la possibilité d'y implanter l'un de ses magasins. « Nous n'excluons rien, a-t-il affirmé hier. Ces discussions se poursuivent. Nous n'excluons pas d'ouvrir un deuxième magasin dans votre région. »

Le vice-président d'Oxford Properties, Michel Brouillard, affirme aussi poursuivre les discussions avec la Maison Simons. « Ce sont de longues négociations, mais elles vont bon train, dit-il. L'entente avec le Centre Rideau n'enlève rien. Simons pourra travailler à Ottawa avec la clientèle ontarienne. Du côté québécois, le bassin de clientèle est assez grand pour justifier un deuxième magasin. »

M. Brouillard explique viser une entente avec la Maison Simons pour une ouverture du magasin aux Promenades en 2015. « Le magasin prendrait la place du gouvernement fédéral, dont la façade donne sur le boulevard Maloney. C'est une localisation importante pour la visibilité. »
 
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I'm wondering where in the Rideau Centre Simons will go? Nordstrom is taking over part of the closed Eaton's/Sears space on the south end of the mall, and the food court is supposed to move over there. I don't think the current food court is big enough to handle a Simon's unless they totally reorganize that end of the mall as part of the LRT construction. Or are there plans for expansion?

Interestingly, Les Ailes de la Mode tried, and failed, in the Ottawa market, as they had a store at Bayshore, on the west end of Ottawa.
 
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