Target

[taal]

There wasn't much backlash from employees, as we already had office space in Oakville and employees had to frequently make the drive down. With Financial Services based out of Welland, moving the Finance department to Oakville just made sense. It would have been more disruptive to move Financial Services and Oakville over to Toronto, as both of those offices started in their respective cities/towns and employees live close to those locations. Physically being in the city really has no advantage anymore with email. Mark's and Forzani are still based in Calgary and there are absolutely no plans to bring them over to Toronto either.

Not going to lie though, I am really hoping we do bring everyone under one roof. It would make for a decent sized tower, but we would need quite a bit of horizontal space to accommodate our mock stores and line review rooms.

Ah so the space was already outside of the GTA / Toronto for the most part ? That's a little different I guess VS say moving a whole department outside of Toronto.

 

[bAuHaUs]

Word in the industry is that Target plans to open one (maybe more locations) this year. Has anyone heard of this? All of their press releases point to March or April 2013 for the opening of their first stores.

 

[taal]

Word in the industry is that Target plans to open one (maybe more locations) this year. Has anyone heard of this? All of their press releases point to March or April 2013 for the opening of their first stores.

Any plans downtown as far as you are aware ?

 

[bAuHaUs]

Any plans downtown as far as you are aware ?

Their downtown strategy elludes most of us in the industry. One viable location is the Unilver site, since we've learned that they may include retail as part of the overall redevelopment of the site. This seems as the logical play since it fits in with the overall timing. The MTCC is another logical location, but it's in its infancy. At this point, nothing has hit the radar, but clearly they are looking for the right opportunity. Another one to watch is the Home Depot development at York Mills & Lesmill. Now that they have been granted OMB approval to proceed with a retail development, the plans suggest a 2-level building with Home Depot on the ground and a department store on the 2nd level.

 

[drum118]

The Zeller store at Sq One is only a few months from closing and should be opening as a Target by December.

All fixtures, shelving and furniture is for sell an a clearance sale taking place.

If Loblaws as well CT can bring a store into the core, then no reason why Target cannot.

 

[ShonTron]

Zellers is very much a lame duck brand and the length of time that Zellers is being converted, while understandable, is awkward.

Though I've only heard the Feb/March 2013 launch. So Square One Zellers has "store closing' banners?

Anyone seeing the "Target Fairness" banner ads? They're the product of the union representing some Zellers stores, complaining that workers at Zellers should be entitled to successor rights at replacement Target Stores.

 

[Tewder]

I'm surprised that Target wouldn't push to be opening for the holiday shopping season, at least in some key locations!

 

[Tuscani01]

Zellers is very much a lame duck brand and the length of time that Zellers is being converted, while understandable, is awkward.

Though I've only heard the Feb/March 2013 launch. So Square One Zellers has "store closing' banners?

Anyone seeing the "Target Fairness" banner ads? They're the product of the union representing some Zellers stores, complaining that workers at Zellers should be entitled to successor rights at replacement Target Stores.

Many Zellers stores have store closing banners up, and clearance sales have been advertised for over a month now. As each stores closing date approaches, more items go on clearance. Looks like Square One is way ahead if they are already selling fixtures.

 

[DaninToronto]

Looks like most of them are the Walmart conversions. Guess they want to beef up before Target gets here

 

[FAC33]

Looks like most of them are the Walmart conversions. Guess they want to beef up before Target gets here

That makes sense. The Ajax Zellers, which is on the earliest opening list as a Target, shows no sign of closing or conversion yet, although it is looking a little sad in there (just a general sense of we don't give a f**k). Of course, the Ajax Zellers looks like it was always designed to be a Target. It even has the dual entrances many of their stores in the States sport, although one isn't currently in use.

 

[ShonTron]

That's why I'm oddly curious about Zellers, given that many stores are in the lame duck stage of being on death row, but not yet in store closing clearance mode. It wouldn't take much to imagine them as sad places, where staff don't care anymore and stock slowly dwindling as the remaining buyers and merchants at head office just order in what's needed to keep the stores on life support.

 

[Johnny Au]

I noticed that the Wal-Mart in North Park Plaza (Keele & Lawrence) re-oriented its entrance facing west, rather than facing north. I also noticed that the old entrance and another side are probably being demolished to expand the Wal-Mart. I suspect that the renovation is being done to compete with Target that would be coming nearby.

The Zellers in nearby Lawrence Square will not liquidate for now.

 

[ShonTron]

Wal-Mart is busy working on its Canadian strategy of converting/expanding or relocating nearly all their stores to the Supercentre format. Keele/Lawrence is in the midst of that now. In retrospect, I see why Wal-Mart wanted the Georgetown Marketplace Zellers location even though they have a store now there (ex-Woolco).

 

[Dan416]

Saw this posted on Facebook:

Source: http://instagr.am/p/IvSlvMG9Pe/

I guess Zellers at Square One is closing soon after all!

Speaking of which, their website lists the stores with closing sales: http://www.zellers.com/liquidation/en/default.aspx

 

[ShonTron]

Thanks for the link. I note that the list is a mix of stores to be taken over by Wal-Mart (Peterborough, Georgetown Marketplace, Tillsonburg) and those to be converted to Target (Sw Danforth, East York TC, Square One).