The Canadian Push is Slowing Down

Sears Canada races to close more stores amid cost-cutting efforts
Sears Canada Inc. is stepping up its efforts to close another round of stores, raising more questions about its fate and putting pressure on landlords who already have a lot of empty retail space.  "Everything and anything" is on the table as Sears races to cut costs and revive its core full-line department-store business amid tumbling sales.

Sears, which sold off some of its best stores over the past few years to raise money, is concentrating now on scaling back its underperforming real estate at a time when landlords grapple with a glut of vacant retail space after chains such as Target Corp. and Future Shop Ltd. closed their stores.

Amid the rash of retailers such as Target that have closed stores, landlords no longer have compelling new retailers to fill so much space. "Between the closures of Future Shop and downsizings and Staples and the like, this is not a great thing." theglobeandmail.com

Will retail shutdowns in U.S. affect Canadian malls?
South of the border, shopping centres are being torn down and deserted.
Is Canada next?
In the U.S., a new round of retail shutdowns has sparked concerns that malls with anchor tenants are dinosaurs threatened with extinction. People are shopping off the malls. U.S. department stores are too big and located in "inefficient and dumpy malls."

That's not the case in Canada, says Don Gregor, vice-president at Aurora Realty Consultants, a retail real estate brokerage. Most major malls in Canada that are larger than a million square feet (93,000 square metres) - including CF Toronto Eaton Centre and Square One - have undergone major renovations in the past two to five years, he points out. "Landlords in Canada do not sit back on their laurels. They are constantly trying to reinvent the wheel. Our malls are healthy," says Gregor.

But with Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Ave., and Simons all opening new stores landlords have been fortunate and in some cases been able to raise rents. Canadian landlords are being innovative in their approach to filling malls, seeking out restaurants and pop-up shops to add freshness to the retail mix.

Editor's Note: So far it looks like a draw insofar as impact on leasing spaces after Target's and Sears closures. But with a draw one does see the line that could be crossed if closures continue to mount up. Canada was lucky with Target's losses and most have been filled with the Canadian Push's impact. But that doesn't mean Canada is out of the woods yet. As there is a tide. thestar.com

Nova Scotia: Woman alleges Racial Profiling after being accused
of Shoplifting at Sobeys
A Nova Scotia woman is alleging racial profiling after she was accused of shoplifting at a Halifax grocery store. She says she was followed and no one can tell her why. Now she's filing a human rights complaint, and wants people to know it's important to speak up. The experience was a week ago, but Jeneen Williams says she's not letting it go. "I was just doing my regular grocery shopping," she explains, "when I noticed that a man was following me through the store." It happened at the Sobeys in the Clayton Park area of Halifax. The man she alleges was involved wasn't a Sobeys employee, rather a security officer from an outside company. Williams says he was relentless, and followed her right to the checkout.

"And even after I had presented him with the receipt," she explains, "he still insisted that I had taken something from the store and he checked my bags." Williams says she asked several times why she had been stopped, but no answer was provided. "I felt that I was being stereotyped simply because I was a black person," she adds. Williams says from start to finish the experience lasted two and a half hours, and even when it was determined she hadn't stolen anything, she called the police herself. ctvnews.ca

Retail Fast Facts: January 2016 
Highlights:
● Total monthly retail sales changed by 2.1 per cent over the comparable month last year. 
● Total sales excluding food, automotive and gasoline changed by 3.1 per cent over the comparable month last year.  Read more  

 

Halifax: Accused in Mall shooting plot one step closer to trial
The case involving two people accused of plotting mass murder at the Halifax Shopping Centre on Valentine's Day last year has moved one small step closer to trial. Lindsay Kantha Souvannarath, 23, and Randall Steven Shepherd, 21, made a brief appearance in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax Thursday morning. Lawyers for the pair agreed to meet with a judge and the Crown next month to discuss the case. They'll return to court on Feb. 25 to set dates for a trial. This is at least the third time lawyers have attempted to set dates to move the case forward. cbc.ca

Ottawa: OPP investigate theft from Peoples Jewellers in Pembroke Mall
The Upper Ottawa Valley Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is investigating a theft that occurred just before 2 p.m. on Jan. 25 at Peoples Jewellers in the Pembroke Mall. The lone male suspect stole a diamond ring that was shown to him by a store employee. He then exited the mall and fled the mall parking lot in a black, four-door vehicle, possibly a Volkswagen. The suspect is described as an English speaking white male in his mid to late 20s. The OPP's Forensic Identification Services Unit (FISU) is assisting with the investigation. thedailyobserver.ca

Toronto: Man charged with over $5,000 in theft at Toronto Money Marts; Police seize fake ID lab 
A 45-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a lengthy, multiple fraud investigation. The accused, who is from Toronto, was apprehended Friday, Jan. 15 at 1:35 p.m. Two days earlier, on Wednesday, Jan. 13, officers became aware of and commenced an investigation into frauds allegedly committed at Money Mart locations across Toronto. Investigators report a man was using stolen mail to gather the identities of people. He then allegedly created fake identification, false bank statements, and other government documentation using the information from the stolen mail. The accused, who had a Jan. 16 court appearance, has been charged with fraud over $5,000, 13 counts of identity theft, 11 counts of personation, 11 counts of uttering forged documents, possession of counterfeit mark, possession of an identity document, and possession of instruments used to commit fraud. Police also executed a search warrant at his home where they located a so-called fraud lab and seized the equipment used to create the fake identities. Investigators believe there may be more victims.

Kamloops: RCMP Searching for Subway Robbery suspect

Morinville: RCMP investigating knifepoint Robbery at Mac's