The Development of Retail Specialty Destinations: Research Project

The Development of Retail Specialty Destinations:

Research Project

Introduction

A vibrant, diverse and constantly changing retail sector serves the needs of 5.4 million residents and over 15 million tourists in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).  Retail activity in Toronto, just as in any urban centre, tends to cluster in both planned and unplanned shopping districts.  Over the past decades, many of these retail concentrations have sought ways to make a particular mark as a distinctive, specialty shopping destination.  This three-stage research project is designed to give students an opportunity to examine in detail a specific specialty shopping destination, to speculate about the market demand the retailers wish to serve, and to share their observations and insights with the class as a whole.

The project requires each student to document and analyse the retail supply (up to a maximum of 100 stores) within the designated cluster of shops.  From these data, you can describe the nature of the retail specialization and assess how well the retail mix reflects the image the area wishes to project in making itself a unique and desirable retail destination.

Many of the shopping areas are on subway, streetcar and/or bus routes within 30-45 minutes (by TTC) from the Ryerson campus.  Others are more suburban requiring Students to have access to cars.  Ten locations are indoor shopping malls.  The other ten are outdoor strips and power centres.  Clusters vary greatly in size, physical extent and market type.  Thus the specific nature of thnquirye i will have to be adjusted to fit the unique properties of each cluster studied.

Part 1:  Field Study of Retail Supply

1. Site visit for data collection

Each Student is required to make at least one site visit to the chosen area.

This study is to focus primarily on storefront retail supply exclusive of the non-storefront services in offices within the cluster.

• Business and personal services should be included in the analysis only if they occupy storefronts and maintain some sort of window display and/or signage along the retail “streetscape.”
• For unplanned retail strips, exclude all businesses found on the second or higher storeys of commercial buildings.
• Some strips have commercial buildings with storefront businesses both down a few steps to a basement and up a few steps to a first floor. In that case, the survey may or may not include both levels of businesses, but be consistent.
• Large, multilevel shopping malls with more than 100 shops may include businesses with storefront displays on all levels (i.e., a vertical cross-section) or a “strip” of retail venues on either side of an single level (i.e., a horizontal cross-section). Offices offering personal and business services, as distinct from storefronts offering the same, should be excluded from the data.

Data must be collected that will allow the calculation of the number of stores by type (primarily convenience goods, lower-order shopping goods, higher-order shopping goods, business and personal services) and dominant categories (fashion, grocery, restaurants, arts, etc.).

Stores which are currently vacant should be noted for calculation of the vacancy rate as an indication of the economic vibrancy of the cluster.

• Stores that are not currently open for business because of ongoing renovation by a new, identified business owner should be included as an active business under the new business owner’s banner.

Note whether the stores within the cluster are independent or members of retail chains (either chain-owned or franchised).

Almost all shops offer merchandise and services of some general nature to a general population.  If the retailer also provides goods and/or services specific to an identifiable ethnic or cultural group, that should be noted.  Such goods and services may include anything from “ethnic” foods and clothing to immigration or travel services.  Use your best judgement in determining ethnicity (e.g., chain pizza shops are hardly “ethnic” anymore).

• Examining “ethnic” shopping areas should note particularly whether or not each business is “ethnic” or “non-ethnic” with ethnicity determined by signage and/or product (goods or services) provided. “Ethnic” shops and services are to be identified by the specific ethnicity or ethnicities of their products and/or the ethnicity/ethnicities they are meant to serve.

• If a language other than English, or if the English language signage indicates a specific ethnicity (e.g., “Chinese and Caribbean Restaurant”), then that is to be noted and the language determined.  If the language is not recognized, then it is necessary to ask the shopkeeper to identify the language used in the signage.

• There is no need to interview shopkeepers to determine the ethnicity of the owner as it is the ethnicity of the intended market, not that of the owner, that is to be determined.

Note also the presence of major retail attractions which act as formal or informal anchors.

Note efforts to enhance accessibility (both parking, transit, roadway changes, signage, etc. and accommodations for persons with disabilities) and attraction that have been made to entice more customers.

Note any evidence of promotion (billboards, posters, events, etc.) of the cluster as a destination shopping district.

• Determine whether this promotion is done as a function of planned centre management, collective effort (by a BIA, for example) or by individual owners acting independently and/or in concert with others.
• Examine the website of the shopping district if there is one.

1. Analysis of retail supply

Each retail area is, or at least wants to be, a specialized magnet for certain shoppers seeking certain kinds of shopping experiences.  Assess the extent to which the retail supply in the cluster reflects that specialty.

Detail and calculate the retail mix within the assigned area, noting particularly the predominant retail categories and types, the nature and proportion of “ethnic” and/or other specialty businesses, the proportion of retail chains or franchises and independent businesses, the vacancy rate, and any factors in the retail supply which makes the retail cluster a “shopping destination.”

The proportion of stores within each retail category (convenience goods, lower-order shopping goods, higher-order shopping goods, services) shall be calculated and represented in graphic and/or tabular form.

If a predominant business type is apparent (e.g., restaurants, women’s fashion, services, arts, etc.), this should be noted and the proportion of those types of shops calculated.

Calculate the vacancy rate of stores in the area at the time of the visit.  Assess the retail vibrancy based on the number of vacancies.

Calculate and report on the percentage of storefront operations which are chain/franchise operations.  It is not necessary to determine the ownership type (chain-owned or franchise).

Describe and calculate the proportion of business serving an identifiable ethnic group or providing ethnic-specific goods and services to the broader public.

Provide details of the key attractions which serve as magnets for shoppers in the retail area.  Note which stores, if any, serve as anchors.  Assess how these attractions and anchors help define the specialty of the shopping district.

Describe efforts to enhance accessibility – both mobility-related (parking, transit access, escalators/elevators) and and accommodations for people with disabilities.  Note improvements to the physical attractiveness of the shopping district (renewed frontages, urban aesthetics, design features, banners, etc.)

Describe promotional activities meant to enhance the image of the cluster as a specialty shopping district.

1. Report

The written report will describe in some detail nature of the specialized market focussing on the retail mix, i.e., the nature of storefront retail supply within the chosen retail cluster.  Include the detailed analysis of the shopping destination as described above, including an assessment of the extent to which the retail supply in the cluster reflects the desired specialty.

Sketch a diagram/map of the shopping precinct detailing the types of stores (not banners) and their relative sizes.  This is meant to be more of a “mental mal” than a true representation of the actual layout, but be as accurate as possible.

The format of the report shall be as follows:

• The report must be typed, double-spaced, using a 12-point font, and 2.5 cm (1 inch) margins.
• The report must be written in grammatically correct paragraphs, with appropriate subheadings.  It is to have an introduction and conclusion.
• There is no minimum nor maximum length for this report.  The length will be determined by the amount of information to be communicated and the nature of the data presented.

Specialty Shopping Destinations

** Only part of these very large shopping precincts will be studied.