PROPERTY PROFILE: The Detail of Retail

January 6, 2012 ( Oberfeld Snowcap in Media )

Specialising in small location power centres and street retail locations from coast to coast in Canada, Oberfeld Snowcap offers comprehensive expertise and to ensure optimal brand identity in the market for its retail clients.
Oberfeld Snowcap has grown over time through merger and acquisition of retail advisory services. The company’s mission was to provide retailers with the best level of service and the best intelligence available and to facilitate them to make the best decisions possible. This hasn’t changed over the last three decades.
Chris Tarrant, Executive Vice President, based at the Toronto office, said: “We have been growing the company for 30 years and we have established offices in Montreal and Toronto which gives us a strategic advantage and sets us apart from competitors in terms of national scope. We consider ourselves expert in all facets of the retail real estate.”
Jim Murdoch, Executive Vice President, based at the Montreal office, said: “We have a good client base and a good brand mix – ranging from large international brands to medium and smaller retailers.
“We sit down with retailers that are new to the market and work out their development strategy for the Canadian market. We establish a one, two or three year strategy and then go out and work with them on those plans. We become their eyes, ears and real estate department for the Canadian market.”
Oberfeld Snowcap has an exclusive client base of over 300 brands in Canada – a portfolio it has built over the last 30 years.

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Setting Up Shop

January 20, 2012 ( Oberfeld Snowcap in Media )

Recession might be the first word that comes to mind when evaluating the retail market in the United States, but the same cannot be said of the Canadian market. While the recent financial crisis in the U.S. has had an effect in many countries across the world, there are a number of markets that are seeing significant growth, particularly the Canadian retail sector.

Canada has a stable economy and a strong dollar, and as a result, is seeing more retailers – from the U.S. and beyond – enter the marketplace. The influx of new stores and concepts is changing the face of Canadian retail.

A SOLID FOUNDATION
The Canadian economy has fared relatively well over the past few years for a number of reasons. Strong fundamentals and strict banking regulations, coupled with conservative spending habits on the part of consumers, have created an environment that has enabled the country to withstand the recent economic downturn.

“The Canadian market is in a healthier state than the United States due to our strong economy and its underlying fundamentals, and by having one of the worldﾒs soundest banking systems,” says Jim Murdoch, executive vice president with Montreal-based Oberfeld Snowcap. “We are currently enjoying low unemployment, a stable housing market, low inflation and strong job creation numbers.”

The tight lending regulations, while frustrating for some, have ended up being a very good thing for the Canadian economy, especially in light of the pitfalls that the United States has faced. “The United States has suffered from a much deeper recession,” says Stephen Messinger, senior partner with Minden Gross in Toronto. “The Canadian banks are solid because of stricter lending controls, which have allowed the economy to weather the storm.”

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