Fellow SRS team members joined Lindsay Ryder in Toronto for ICSC’s Canadian Convention on September 23 and 24. Lindsay was kind enough to guide a tour of some of Toronto’s premier streets and up-and-coming retail districts.
First up was dinner at El Catrin, in the historic Distillery District which was formerly 47 buildings that made up the Gooderham & Worts Distillery. Once the largest distillery in the world, many of the buildings have been renovated to house trendy boutiques, local artisan shops, chef-driven restaurants, performance theatres and galleries that are all connected by charming cobblestone and brick walkways. El Catrin and the Distillery District are not to be missed on any visit to Toronto and are certainly a preview of the future of retail in the Greater Toronto Area.
The next morning they hopped off the subway at the Bloor-Yonge station to stroll down Bloor Street, Toronto’s luxury high street. One standout was Holt Renfrew, a leading high-end Canadian department store, which holds a prominent position on Bloor Street and has remained a staple in the Canadian retail landscape since 1837. Speaking of its prominent position, an 83-story mixed-use project is being proposed at the current Holt Renfrew location. You can read more here. Next they passed by the Gucci store which was gleaming with its recently renovated storefront. All of the glitz and glamor along the four primary shopping blocks were balanced by the beautifully landscaped sidewalks and anchored at the west end by the historic Royal Ontario Museum. Bloor Street has a long list to offer for both retailers and shoppers alike and by the looks of all the development and renovation in the area, that list is growing.
After our quick tour, it was back to business at the Canadian Convention where they saw good attendance, which could be expected with all the U.S. and other international retailers continuing to find success there. Lindsay Ryder comments, “I was very proud to be handing out the SRS card while at ICSC’s Canadian Convention. The show was a success in both continuing to introduce the company to the Canadian market as well as finding locations for our growing client list. The overall mood was upbeat and there was an energy in the air that has continued past the actual conference. Along with some new Canadian food concepts that were introduced at the show, it was nice to see some familiar faces of people representing U.S.-based companies that I met while at RECon in Las Vegas. It is a clear sign that Toronto and Canada in general is a target growth area.” If you have questions on retail real estate in Canada, reach out to Lindsay Ryder.