MidMarket retail stages a comeback in 2024 - unexpected

Donoreo

According to the State of Fashion 2025 report, mid-market fashion retail has been the main driver of increase in economic profitability among publicly quoted companies in 2024. This is attributed to brands like Zara, Aritzia, and Groupe Dynamite, which have successfully revamped their strategies and positioned themselves in the market. Overall, the report suggests that mid-market brands are bringing a new level of growth and profitability to the retail sector.

[https://retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2025/05/the-comeback-of-mid-market-brands-and-retailers-in-canada/]

urbanriot

Donoreo I often wonder if the increase in revenue of these mid-market companies is related to the availability of disposable income or a seasonal urge to buy things and put them on credit. I’d like to think it’s an indication that Canadians are slowly rising out of poverty but not so long ago you posted a link to an article about people living on credit so who knows…

I’m still hearing young people complain that they’re broke but at the same time the ‘factory outlets’ near me are jam packed with people the second we have warm weather, people buying things they don’t really need like watches, purses, Lacoste polos, etc..

I have a hard time reconciling one situation while witnessing the other.

Hydraglass

urbanriot There’s a lot of people you don’t see there. Those are the ones without money. Your city and area has a couple hundred thousand people. You see a thousand at the stores and think they look busy. For every 1000 or 5000 that are there, there’s another 20,000 sitting at home trying to find $2 socks on temu.

urbanriot

Hydraglass yes and no.

Us locals use these locations to gauge the market similar to these links shared by Donoreo. There’s a tangible, noticeable correlation between traffic at Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls and the Fashion Outlets in NOTL to the global economy, US economy, and Canadian economy.

If the world economy is doing great, both places are packed. If the US economy is doing great, Clifton Hill is busy. If the Canadian economy is doing okay, the Fashion Outlets are packed and Clifton Hill is busy.

It’s hard to explain but after living here for so long you get a feel for how the world is doing based on how these areas are doing.

Hydraglass

urbanriot It’s hard to explain but after living here for so long you get a feel for how the world is doing based on how these areas are doing.

If the rich are doing great and the poor are doing worse, it won’t change noticeably though - the poor have never been there in the first place - what you’re detecing is the difference in how a small sector of the population is going - families with $150k-$500k/yr household incomes primarily. That’s maybe 10% of the population. That’s the same problem with stock markets as an indicator of how the economy is doing - they again only represent a relatively small slice of the overall populace. The bottom 50% never have and never will own stocks or investment instruments, they never shop at mid market and above stores, they are at Giant Tiger, Walmart, and Winners, they aren’t reflected in the news about “economic data” because they are always having a hard time making ends meet - they are lucky if they pay rent, car payment, car insurance, and basic food/toiletries every month and not end up further negative than they were at the beginning of the month. When they are doing worse than last month or last year, it has no impact on those economic reports, nor does it reflect who you see in Clifton Hill or the Fashion Outlets - it takes a deep dive into actual economic data from stats can and others to understand the impacts changes in the local and global economy have on those “subsisters” rather than on your outlet “consumers” - and they are often hit very differently in differing economic climates.

urbanriot

Hydraglass

what you’re detecing is the difference in how a small sector of the population is going

Incorrect and everyone in our area will tell you the same. Poor families from the GTA, especially from Brampton, and upstate NY make the trip all the time. But also:

Winners

This store is in the Fashion Outlets under the name Marshalls. There was also another ‘poor people’ store called Saks off Fifth.

I guess you’d have to live in this area to know better.