IKEA reveals location of first urban Toronto store
Ingka Centres, the shopping centre business of Ingka Group which owns much of the real estate that houses IKEA stores, has purchased a shopping centre in downtown Toronto, making it the first urban location for the home retailer.
The Aura Retail Podium at 382 Yonge Street in Toronto is meant to reach residents who may be less willing to visit IKEA’s locations in the city’s suburbs. The smaller-format location will include more than 2,000 IKEA products, focused more on “small-space living,” for purchase on-site, while furniture will be on display for home delivery only. It was also feature a “new food concept.”
IKEA first announced its intention to open a downtown Toronto location in 2019, saying at the time that it would be coming within a few years. The retailer previously had smaller-footprint locations in mid-sized cities across Canada that have since closed, though those were locations dedicated to picking up online orders, and had only a few items for sale on-site. It has already opened small-format urban stores in Paris, Moscow, Shanghai and New York.
The Toronto location is currently home to a Marshalls and BMO. It also housed one of Toronto’s few Bed, Bath & Beyond locations on its second floor, but last week it became one of the hundreds that the retailer has permanently closed across North America in the last year.
Citizen Relations taps François Vaqué to lead Citoyen
François Vaqué has been promoted to become executive director and SVP at Citoyen, Citizen Relations’ Quebec arm.
In his new role, Vaqué has been tasked with promoting Citizen Relations in the Quebec market for both the national and international team, as well as ensuring growth and managing its team.
Vaqué joined Citoyen in 2018 as VP of public relations and corporate affairs, and he will continue to lead corporate mandates in his new role. Prior to joining the agency, he worked at PR and strategic consulting firms including Centaurus, Cohn & Wolfe, Davies and KPMG.
BIMM picks up fundraising mandate from Trillium Health
Following an RFP, the Trillium Health Partners Foundation has selected BIMM as its digital and CRM agency.
The Foundation is the fundraising arm of Trillium Health Partners, a healthcare network comprised of Credit Valley Hospital, Mississauga Hospital and Queensway Health Centre in Mississauga.
With its new assignment, BIMM has been tasked with developing an integrated mass fundraising and donor relationship strategy, in addition to all related planning and execution tasks.
The assignment is the latest in a string of new wins for BIMM, having recently picked up a major CAA assignment last month and expanded its Audi assignment in the fall.
