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jasonlawson0 · 4 years

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Masks and closed fitting rooms: Reopened retail to look vastly different

VANCOUVER — Shoppers at recently reopened Sleep Country stores looking to test mattresses or pillows will find a disposable protective barrier between them and the product. When Aritzia stores open soon in Vancouver, customers will be able to ask staff for face masks or gloves to wear while they peruse clothing racks.

Several large Canadian retailers are starting to reopen stores as provinces loosen restrictions aimed at controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, but personal protective gear, physical distancing and heightened cleaning measures will make the shopping experience very different.

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Aritzia Inc. now considers there to be a "fourth dimension" to its store strategy that previously revolved around product, environment and customer service, said founder and CEO Brian Hill: the health and safety of customers and staff.

The retailer opened two of its stores recently — one in Winnipeg and another in Houston, TX. It's set to open three more in Vancouver over three days, starting Thursday.

Fewer customers will be allowed in each store at a time, with the figure depending on the store's size, said Hill. A staff member with a counter will keep track of those entering and leaving, and other staff will manage lines, if need be. Those staff are likely to be wearing masks or gloves, or both. Aritzia continues to assess what personal protective equipment employees should don.

Store associates will no longer take items from customers and carry them to fitting rooms, though shoppers will be allowed to touch clothes while they browse.

"I'm not suggesting we're going to encourage people, but we're not going to stop people from touching and feeling the product," said Hill, adding people have learned a lot about proper behaviour over the past couple weeks and are likely to act accordingly.

Every second fitting room will be closed and a cleaner will sanitize the space in between customers. Any clothes customers try on but don't purchase staff will be run under a steamer to disinfect.

Roots Canada plans to start opening some stores this Friday. Inside, customers will find more space to roam as stores will have fewer tables and other fixtures. Clothes will be hung, rather than folded and stacked, where possible.

All fitting rooms will be closed, but Roots will start accepting returns five days after stores reopen. Returned items will be tucked away for 72 hours and steamed before reappearing in stores.

"What we're trying to do is also give our staff some time to adapt to the new situation," said interim CEO Meghan Roach.

A lot of the company's customers are used to how the company's clothes fit, which should help them navigate sizing without trying items on, she said, though she noted the company will continue to revisit the fitting room decision and open them if it makes sense to do so.

Sleep Country Canada Holdings Inc. plans to open 165 of its stores throughout this week and next, the company said in a statement released Monday. It declined an interview request.

The mattress retailer believes its stores lend themselves well to physical distancing as they are a "very low traffic destination" since it sells a specialty product. Still, it plans to use floor decals and signs to guide customer movement, and set up hand sanitizer stations, among other measures.

When staff recommend a product, the customer will receive a disposable mattress or pillow protector to test the item, it said.

One calculation consumers must make is determining whether the risk to venture into a store is worth it.

"Even if all of that is in place, I could still get this virus and die from it, and is this sweater really worth that happening?" said Doug Stephens, founder of Retail Prophet, a global consulting firm, as to what customers may be thinking.

In areas where stores have reopened, anecdotal evidence points to lower traffic.

Along the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris, for example, stores experienced a 30 per cent drop in foot traffic, he said, while retailers in China reported 60 per cent to 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

That's partly because consumers remain concerned about their health and the safety of their loved ones, he said, and likely will continue to show restraint until scientists discover a vaccine and most of the population is innoculated.

It doesn't help that nearly every generation feels a financial strain from the outbreak. Retirees likely saw their RRSP balances drop, millennials are living through a second economic crisis during their relatively short careers and generation Z is entering a job market at an unprecedented time, he said.

"Across all consumer segments there's going to be some grave, grave concern about their future economic state."

Stephens believes the coronavirus will have a lasting impact on retail. With COVID-19 set to change many parts of how people live — including education, transportation, office space — it's bound to alter how people shop in the long run.

"It has to if it's just a reflection of how we live," said Stephens, who is currently writing a book on how the coronavirus will change the industry. "Resurrecting retail: the future of business in a post pandemic world" is set to come out in the spring of 2021.

Stores may no longer be an avenue for distributing products, he said, and companies will shift tremendous amounts of capital from physical assets to digital ones.

"There will be far fewer stores, and the bloodletting has already begun."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 14, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ATZ, TSX:ROOT, TSX:ZZZ)

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aefnews · 3 years

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June 4, 2021

NHSAEF Presents 14th Annual Arts Awards

Pittsboro, NC—The Northwood High School Arts Education Foundation (NHSAEF) presented scholarships to outstanding students in recognition of their achievements in the visual and performing arts. The $1000 scholarships were made along with an annual departmental award.

Elizabeth Cremeans received the award for Instrumental Music. A music student since middle school, she has been part of a successful band program throughout her high school career. She was soloist in the 2018 Marching Band competition program, as well as flute section leader, and founder of the flute ensemble. She will attend the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

The Theatre Arts award was presented to Layla Ruppert. Ruppert has taken extensive coursework in both Theatre and Dance. A member of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts and International Thespian Honor Society, she served as Drama Club secretary, president, and performed in NHS plays and musicals. She will study theatre, dance, and nutrition at Rutgers.

Ella Sullivan received the award for Visual Arts. She has taken the complete sequence of visual arts coursework, AP 2D Studio Art, and Photography. As a member of Northwood’s National Art Honor Society chapter, she served as publicist and leadership chair. Sullivan served as co-editor of the NHS newspaper, the Omniscient, and interned with Chatham Magazine’s Shannon Media. She plans to study journalism at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

NHSAEF presented an Interdisciplinary scholarship to Rebekah Mann for her notable achievements in both dance and instrumental music. She was a Dance Ensemble member, a four-year member of the NHS Dance Team, in addition to performing with the Marching Band for three years. Mann will attend Appalachian State University.

The Arts Education Departmental Award was presented to Layla Ruppert for her achievements in Arts Education during her high school career. The recipient of this annual award is selected by the entire NHS Arts faculty.

NHSAEF extends its sincere thanks to this year’s selection committee: Antonio Austin, Cally Curtis, and Sayward Grindley.

Antonio Austin was raised in Pittsboro, NC and is a 2010 graduate of Northwood High School, where he performed with NHS choral ensembles. He is also an alumnus of Elon University (Bachelor of Arts) and Valdosta State University (Master of Education). Antonio just completed his first-year as a PhD Student in the Department of History at Howard University with a United States History major and Public History minor.

Cally Curtis is a visual artist and new member of the Chatham Artists Guild. Her paintings have been exhibited by local galleries in Atlanta, GA as well as at the Apex Museum in Atlanta, the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, Columbia Seminary, and several private businesses. Her work has also been commissioned by The Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory, the Museum of Design, Atlanta and others. Prior to turning to the Arts full-time, Cally was a creative director and writer with top 4A advertising agencies from Little Rock to Atlanta to Los Angeles. Her portfolio includes numerous national and international awards. Cally grew up in Zimbabwe, Southern Africa and moved to the US for her college education. She is a cum laude graduate of the University of Georgia and holds a BFA in Fine Art/Art Education, with a minor in Journalism.

Sayward Grindley is the Dance and Visual Arts Consultant at NCDPI. Sayward has been on the Dance Faculty at Elon University, Meredith College, ECU, and Appalachian State University. At ECU, she was the Interim Dance Education Coordinator overseeing student teaching and K-12 certification. Sayward held Education and Management positions with Carolina Ballet and Sarasota Ballet, danced professionally and toured with Sarasota Contemporary Dance, and in several musical theatre productions. She holds a MFA in Choreography from Jacksonville University-White Oak and a dual BFA in Dance Performance and Dance Education with K-12 certification from East Carolina University. Sayward is also a visual artist and interested in integrating multiple art forms in creative ways.

NHSAEF supports and promotes Northwood Arts Education. Teacher grants provide resources for the ongoing work of the department, the Carlin Camp Fund supports students’ summer arts activities, and annual college scholarships recognize achievements in visual and performing arts. Since its inception in 2007, NHSAEF has presented almost $80,000 in scholarships and grants.

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