Old-fashioned Christmas will get a new twist
Malls and retailers are investing in holiday displays to make memorable experiences for shoppers
Hudson’s Bay is planning to revamp its holiday windows at the Queen St. W. store, which for nearly a decade have featured five panoramas of an old-fashioned Christmas, complete with miniature carolers, a Santa’s workshop and mice asleep in matchstick beds.
“The new windows will capture the Christmas spirit,” said Denis Frenette, senior vice-president, merchandise presentation at Hudson’s Bay, who has been working on the windows with staff for nine months.
He said the windows were last changed nine years ago and while people loved to come back year after year to see the same Santa’s workshop, it was time to try something new, especially with the opening of Saks Fifth Avenue at the location in February.
Frenette would not provide details about the windows, except to say that the holiday theme will carry across five windows, as before, and include animated figures. He wouldn’t say if those figures would include Santa Claus and traditional scenes. But he said he’s not concerned that shoppers might be disappointed.
“We are building the windows to entertain our customers and I think that the customer will be really happy and satisfied,” he said.
The windows will be unveiled Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at a ceremony that includes fireworks and a performance by Mariah Carey, who will appear in person.
Holiday retail window displays don’t just draw shoppers — they draw in tourists from around the world.
The seasonal windows at Paris department stores — Printemps, Haussmann, Galeries Lafayette and Le Bon Marché — have become so elaborate and theatrical they are touted as a tourist attraction by the official website of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Paris.
The Hudson’s Bay window is posted as an attraction on the official website of Tourism Toronto, along with William Ashley’s “Instagram-worthy” tree.
“I think changing up the Bay windows after almost a decade is a smart thing to do,” said travel writer Doug O’Neill, who wrote the piece that is posted to Tourism Toronto, called 5 Top Holiday Windows in Festive Toronto.
“Tradition is good, but having something new and fresh to enjoy is always welcome. I frequently bring friends and family from out of town on a walking tour of Toronto during the holidays and I think last year we were somewhat chagrined to see the ‘same old, same old’ in the Bay windows.”
Retailers and mall owners are becoming increasingly mindful of how their holiday decor shows up on social media.
“If you look at the giant iconic reindeer that are at the Toronto Eaton Centre, it does make (it) a destination for the holidays,” said Craig Flannagan, vice-president consumer marketing, Cadillac Fairview.
Cadillac Fairview operates 12 of the top 25 malls in Canada, including the Eaton Centre, said Flannagan, and the company is increasingly moving toward creating memorable experiences for shoppers.
“We are absolutely seeing a shift in consumer experience — the need for experience — and CF is embracing the trend,” he said.
“We are amplifying our holiday decor and experiences across the country.”
At properties in Ottawa and Laval, Que., last year, the mall operator introduced gift workshops, where customers can have gifts wrapped by a series of characters they created, in collaboration with artists and animation houses, called Tufties.
This year the workshop will be extended to five properties, including Fairview Mall and Lime Ridge Mall. Cadillac Fairview also plans to introduce giant new decor at some properties.
Purchasing holiday decor for an entire mall can cost as much as $500,000 to $1 million and, because of the expense, decisions about decor are made with about a five-year timeline in mind, said Yorkdale mall spokesperson Adrienne Simic.
This year, Yorkdale will again feature a giant Swarovski crystal Christmas tree in the mall’s new south wing, near Nadège Patisserie.
The mall’s three kilometres of corridors will be decorated to create a sparkling and elegant winter wonderland feel using hanging snowflakes and crystals, said Simic.
“Yorkdale aims to present an elegant, upscale image,” said Simic.
Yorkdale has the highest sales per square foot of any mall in Canada, at $1,610 per square foot.