The Vintage Trend - Boutique Carole
Boutique Carole landed on Mail Champlain following a chance encounter between one of the boutique's co-founders and Cominar's Vice President of Leasing and Retail. While the VP was busy with his garage sale, the co-founder, who was looking for unique pieces for his boutique, couldn't help but ask the VP if he could purchase... the shirt he was wearing!
Although our VP decided to keep his shirt, a very informative discussion ensued. The Cominar VP learned that Boutique Carole was operating out of the bedroom of one of the co-founders at the time, and was born out of a desire to counteract fast fashion by offering carefully selected second-hand garments to today's consumers. Their adventure started on Instagram before taking the internet by storm with an online store, a brand, and an attractive marketing strategy.
Cominar immediately identified a business partnership opportunity and offered the young business owners a competitive 12-month lease at Mail Champlain. This would enable them to get closer to their clientele, simplify their operations by managing their inventory (which was starting to pile up in the parents' house) more efficiently and increase their visibility. Vincent Legros, Zachary Reffo and Xavier St-Onge-Leduc, the three brains behind Boutique Carole, decided to take the plunge and signed the lease with Cominar.
The first month of operation was a rousing success. Sales were much higher than expected and the excitement surrounding their first store exceeded the expectations of the new tenants. Their clientele kept coming back for more!
After making their mark on the South Shore, where they are originally from, the founders took on the challenge of conquering the North Shore and began their adventure in Laval by testing the waters with a pop-up at DUO Centre Laval in April 2023. The reception was just as positive and suggests an incredible future for Boutique Carole. One thing is certain, the vintage trend is here to stay.
Through this partnership, Cominar has seized the opportunity to partner with a young company that shares the community's eco-responsible values and to accompany it in its business development.
... Their adventure started on Instagram before taking the internet by storm with an online store, a brand, and an attractive marketing strategy.
Cineplex Digital Media’s Digital Signage Solutions
A success story is usually a win-win arrangement between two parties. But in the case of this customized digital signage agreement between Cineplex Digital Media and Cominar, there are more parties involved—as it includes five of our shopping centres in Montreal, Laval, Brossard and Repentigny, it benefits dozens of retailers and their thousands of customers. That makes them all winners!
Those five shopping centres are Alexis Nihon, Mail Champlain, Centre Rockland, DUO Centre Laval and Galeries Rive Nord. A total of 40 large double-sided vertical screens were installed in the hallways in summer 2024 and are now operational. In addition, Alexis Nihon will soon be equipped with one of the largest LED screens installed in a shopping centre in Canada.
In addition to advertising by Cineplex Media customers, these digital screens display information from the five shopping centres, their retailers or Cominar. Digital advertising sales are managed by Cineplex Media.
The results? A new way for retailers to thrive, and better-informed customers on sales, contests, new retailers, etc., for a richer shopping experience.
As Marie-Andrée Boutin, Cominar’s Chief Development and Real Estate Operations Officer, aptly summarized, “these state-of-the-art screens help make the shopping centres modern destinations of the future, providing unrivalled experiences. The locations become more inspiring by enabling our communities to enjoy enriched and diverse content”.
Specialized leasing isn’t just about providing retailers with customized space solutions. It’s also about communication solutions that benefit a wide range of partners!