Vancouver’s continuing bid for high-end retail
The luxury fashion industry has developed rapidly in Canada, despite the recession. Nordstrom, the high-end retail US shop is now open in Vancouver.
The new store at the coveted corner of Granville and Robson in downtown Vancouver is a prime piece of retail estate. Hopefully, it will recreate the happy experience of stylish shopping versus shopping online and dominance of souvenir shops selling products from Mainland China.
After three years of waiting and anticipation, British Columbians and tourists will be able to enjoy the offerings of the Seattle-based luxury retailer. The old Vancouver building has been revamped into an nearly unrecognizable structure that once housed Eaton’s and Sears department stores. This will be Nordstrom’s third location to open in Canada and the first flagship location to open outside the United States.
The 230,000 sq. foot store has five shoe departments, an upscale coffee shop and cocktail lounge. There’s also a bistro with breathtaking views of Robson Square and the Vancouver Art Gallery, plus a full-service concierge service, even a candy shop.
Nordstrom’s main competitors in the upscale market, namely Holt Renfrew and Hudson’s Bay are getting ready( a bit late) to face its first strong opposition in the field of de-luxe stores. The up-scale trend will definitely invigorate the art of classy consumerism and economic upswing. Time will tell if British Columbians can really afford to purchase heavenly products at heavenly prices without the help of buyers from Mainland China.
According to Nordstrom, there will be many more name brands to be sold exclusively in Canada. The company will open two stores in Toronto next year and the ultimate goal is to open eight to 10 full-line shops in Canada.
Bleak future of printed newspapers
The future of print newspapers is in question in Canada when one of the country’s largest and oldest dailies announced the end of its printed weekday edition nearly three years after introducing its free digital tablet edition.
Montreal La Presse’s print edition of the 131-year-old French language Paper will only be available on Saturdays after January 1. The paper will historically be the world’s first daily to go completely digital on weekdays as it responds to a shift in advertising spending. The North American newspaper sector has lost 63% of its revenues or $29 billion, over the past 10 years. The digital edition will be called La Presse Plus. It claims that more than 460,000 people read the digital paper weekly. The end of the weekday paper came a day after the Toronto
Star launched its own free digital tablet. But the newspaper print industry should not be dismissed in Canada because there is still a place for printed newspapers. It will simply evolve and find specialized niche readers, just like what happened to television, radio and cinema.
Niqab off or on controversy
The controversy begun when a 29-year-old woman, a devout Muslim who came to Mississauga, Ontario, from Pakistan in 2008 did something un-Canadian. She refused to take part on a Canadian citizenship ceremony because she would have to show her face by removing her niqab.
The Federal Court ruled that to ban face coverings at citizenship is unlawful. But a political party if-reelected in the forthcoming election will re-introduce to adopt legislation banning face coverings during citizenship oaths.
Many Canadians feel that citizenship brings with it the responsibility to clearly identify oneself when taking the oath. That oath taking is a very public moment of a public declaration of one’s loyalty to one’s fellow citizen and country and one should do it openly, proudly, publicly without one’s face hidden.
Many Canadians agree that niqab should be taken off during the oath taking and some commented that if some immigrants refuse to follow Canadian laws they should not apply for Canadian citizenship and return to their country so that they can hide their faces at all times. There is of course another group who claim that it is the right of immigrants to do what they want and that Canada should adjust to their laws.
Canadian workers pessimistic about future
The Canadian Payroll Association reported that threequarters of working Canadians polled have only put aside less than 25% of money they expect to need in retirement. That they are pessimistic about their financial futures and expect to work longer than originally planned before retiring.
Less than half of people even 50 and older have reached their threshold. At the moment, the average expected retirement age has risen to 63 years from 58 five years ago. Almost half of Canadians polled said they are living paycheque to paycheque and would find it difficult to meet their financial obligations is their pay was delayed by a week.
The situation is said to be worst in Ontario, British Columbia and Atlantic Canada.