Le magazine des locataires du Fonds de placement immobilier Allied Properties

Q U É B E C • M O N T R É A L • T O R O N T O • W I N N I P E G • K I T C H E N E R • C A L G A R Y

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PLUS Marché des changes pourinvestisseurs amateurs •Toronto’s NKPR connectscelebs, brands and goodcauses • Avant-ski: Totum’sPre-season Workout

UN GOÛT DE SUCCÈSL’histoire de Soupesoup à Montréal

UN GOÛT DE SUCCÈSL’histoire de Soupesoup à Montréal

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Prêt-à-porter : la modeest au changementchez Style et Transition

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Ubisoft à Québec : Cinqannées de créativité

Montreal’s Motivo team launches Banner Pen

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ST. LAWRENCE MARKET AREA, TORONTO / - It’s often said that if you love what you do it won’t feel like work.Few of us, however, are lucky enough to experience this firsthand. Ana Belic, owner of GTA Photography Classes at 47 Colborne Street, is one of those lucky people – and she has made it her mission to bring joy and passion to even asmall part of everyone’s day.

But Belic hadn’t originally set out to teach photography.Granted, she had been a model student, taking photographythroughout high school she demonstrated a keen eye andstrong passion, but rather than pursue this avenue, she wentdown another road and became a chartered accountant. Shesays that her business background has been a huge asset in her change from accountant to professional photographer, and more importantly, photography school owner.

Belic, who originally decided to start teaching classes as a profitable way to get back to her photography, discoveredinstead a new passion for teaching, which has now become her main focus. “There is nothing else like it,” she says of her new vocation.

With students ranging from doctors and business executives to housewives and teenagers, Belic feels that everyone can benefit from being able to use the creative part of their brainand cultivate a hobby.

And that is what sets GTA Photography Classes apart from other schools with a purely academic focus, that is, everyone is there purely for enjoyment, without the stress of getting marks and credits. With classes ranging from photography 101 to travel photography and even a new course on using Photoshop, there is a wide variety of learningavailable. The boutique-style classroom setting, complete with comfy couches, is decorated with student work and the classes themselves are never larger than ten students.

Belic says that for her, experience is key, which is why she is hoping to take things beyond the classroom as she begins to foster a photography community. Holding photographycompetitions twice a year culminating in a wine and cheesegallery showing for the students, creating an online forum inwhich the students can continue the discussion after the class is complete – it is all about “keeping them shooting and keeping them engaged,” she explains. And all of this with no membership fee. Once you take a class you are connectedfor as long as you want.

With a central location near King Street East and Yonge anda variety of class times, GTA is focused on attracting buddingphotographers, but is also adding new sessions like walk-about tours of Toronto and other field trips to help build a dynamiccommunity of shutterbugs.

gtaphotographyclasses.com

3 • FALL 2010

TORONTO

CREATIVE FOCUSA passion for photography develops into a love of teaching the craftBy Micayla Jacobs

3 EASY STEPS TO BETTER PICS

1. Place your subject off center. Move your subjects to another point in the frame andaway from the center. This will give you more balanced and more interesting shots.

2. Change your angle. One of the best ways to get more creative and unique shots is tochange the angle you are shooting from. Tryshooting from below or from a side angle toreally change the composition and make it more unique.

3. Fill your frame. Get in nice and close to your subject and removesome of the distractions in the background. Pay attention to what is behind your subject and make sure that you are framingyour shot with a simple backdrop.

Belic

al l iedpropert iesre i t .com • 2

Après le succès de l’an dernier, ce sont 32 personnes de l’équiped’Allied Properties REIT à Toronto qui se sont mises en selle cetteannée sur le « Grand Vélo du Cœur » et qui ont sillonné le centreville, saluées et encouragées par une foule de spectateurs et decollègues admiratifs.

Le Grand Vélo du Cœur est l’une des initiatives de collecte defonds organisées par la Fondation des maladies du cœur les pluspopulaires. Elle a lieu pendant les mois chauds dans plus de 200collectivités et neuf provinces et permet de sensibiliser la popula-tion aux maladies cardio-vasculaires tout en amusant la galerie.

Les chiffres de cette année ne sont pas encore disponiblesmais l’année dernière le Grand Vélo a fait pédaler plus de 50 000personnes et a permis de recueillir plus de 7 millions $ pour larecherche. Le montant de cette année se chiffre pour l’instant à577,802 $ et le jour où nos cyclistes étaient en selle, quelque 52 376,45 $ ont été récoltés pour la cause!

C’EST REPARTI POUR UN TOUR!

TORONTO/ - Entre les rues Queen et Richmond Ouest,à l’intersection avec la rue Peter, Allied Properties REITest en train de développer un modèle d’intensificationurbaine en modernisant un bâtiment historique et enprévoyant y annexer une nouvelle structure certifiéeLEED niveau or, en attente de permis de construire.

Ce projet, baptisé QRC (Queen Richmond CentreWest) et imaginé par le cabinet d’architecture Sweeny,Sterling, Finlayson & Co Architects Inc., allie avec élégance présent, passé et futur dans un quartier de choixet réussit à mettre en valeur un bâtiment historique enréadaptant son espace pour offrir aux entreprises tournéesvers l’avenir un lieu riche en caractère et en originalité.

Depuis la rue Richmond, le hall d’entrée est grandioseavec son atrium de 70 pieds de haut. Par ailleurs, la vaste superficie du sol et son agencement efficace – avec un noyau de service reculé du centre – donnerontaux entreprises une grande flexibilité pour aménager leurs bureaux.

« Nous pensons depuis longtemps que le développe-ment du 134 rue Peter serait un atout de taille pour le quartier ouest du centre-ville », explique Michael Emory, président et chef de la direction d’Allied. « Avecl’espace du 375-381 rue Queen Ouest, le projet sera un des concepts de développement urbain à usage mixte les mieux réussis de la ville. »

INCOMING...Allied Properties : un projet de développement écologiquedans le quartier ouest du centre-ville de Toronto

moneyWISE

5 • AUTOMNE 2010

MONTRÉALmoneyWISE BLVD. ST. LAURENT, MONTREAL / - While foreign exchange trading

used to be the exclusive domain of multi-nationals buying and selling currencyon the open market, small investors are starting to see the value of building a position in this rewarding yet risky investment arena. But to be successful,you need information, and that’s where AroundFX comes.

“It’s about understanding news to make money,” explains Paula Midena, director of the one-year-old investor news service whose team of four operatesout of Montreal’s 3575 St. Laurent Blvd.

“Our goal is basically to help home traders learn the importance of economic events and how to make money off them,” she says.

Working with an analyst, two financial journalists and multiple streams of 24-hour news sources, AroundFX produces seven reports a day (the first isreleased at 7:30 a.m. to inform traders on the previous night’s European andAsian market activity), as well as 30 to 50 briefs describing up-to-the-minutenews and its relevance to the foreign exchange market.

Observing a calendar of economic indicators, AroundFX also provides educational resources to its audience before the release of something like the Non-Farm Payroll, for example. This monthly account of job growth in the U.S. is used to determine the current state of the economy and predictfuture levels of economic activity. And it has a tremendous effect on currencymarkets.

“It’s a huge event for foreign exchange traders because markets will move on these numbers,” says Midena.

The day before the figures are released, the team at AroundFX, most ofwhom worked together at a now defunct wire service akin to Bloomberg orReuters, prepares traders for this event with webinars examining the currentmarket pricing and looking at how different scenarios might play out.

Aimed at an audience that is less technical than institutional traders, many of the resources examine fundamentals like, what is non-farm and how does it affect the markets? And then of course there is the event coverage as well as ‘post-game’ analysis.

While AroundFX’s audience is the day trader, its clients are the brokerage firms these traders work through. “It’s a value addedservice,” says Midena of the news feed her firm provides.

With all the competition for trading dollars, brokerage firmsare looking to attract clients with extra services like news feed tailored to their client’s level of understanding.

“If you don’t know how an event affects currency trading –then it is information that doesn’t have any use to you as a trader,” adds Midena.

AroundFx’s audience features a large cross section of users – from students learning the market to retirees seeking to cushiontheir nest egg. Traders can start with as little as $100 butMedina advises that since money is made on trades as eventshappen, anyone interested in foreign exchange trading is besttreating it like a business.

“Whatever time you would put into a side business, youshould put into this,” she says.

Foreign exchange news service aims its feed at the growing cadre of home traders working this investment arenaBy Yvan Marston

Service d’information spécialiste du marché des changes BOUL. ST-LAURENT, MONTRÉAL / - Alors que seulesles multinationales achetaient et vendaient desdevises sur le marché des changes, il s’avère queles petits épargnants commencent maintenant às’intéresser à ces possibilités d’investissement,qui certes peuvent rapporter gros mais sont aussirisquées. La clé pour réussir sur ce marché, c’est de s’informer et c’est là qu’intervient AroundFX.

« Il s’agit de comprendre l’actualité pour gagner de l’argent », explique Paula Midena, directrice de ce service d’information pour les investisseurs,créé il y a un an et dont l’équipe est installée au3575 boulevard St-Laurent à Montréal.

« Notre but est simplement d’aider les négo-ciateurs amateurs à comprendre l’importance des événements économiques et à les utiliser pour en tirer bénéfice », poursuit-elle.

Grâce à une équipe composée d’un analyste et de deux journalistes financiers et à de multiples flux d’information en continu 24 h sur 24, AroundFXproduit chaque jour sept rapports (le premier publié dès 7 h 30 pour informer les négociateursdes événements de la nuit sur les marchés asiatiques et européens) ainsi que 30 à 50 fichesd’information qui relatent les nouvelles en direct en expliquant leurs conséquences sur le marché des changes.

a l l iedpropert iesre i t .com • 4

4 steps to getting started...

1. GET UP TO SPEED ON THE FOREX MARKET.There is a wealth of information available on trading in the foreignexchange market. Familiarize yourself with the industry – especiallyfundamental analysis, technical analysis and trader psychology.

2. CHOOSE A BROKER THAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU.Do your research and find an established broker that offers lowspreads, no commissions, a platform with all the tools you need,and added value services such as news and education. The Internetis full of sites that offer broker reviews so you can see what traders are saying about them before you make your first deposit.

3. PRACTICE WITH A DEMONSTRATION ACCOUNT.Most brokers will offer a free, two-week demonstration service to allow you to get comfortable with their platform and learn how to trade risk-free.

4. LEARN, LEARN, LEARN.The forex market is constantly evolving and there are alwaysopportunities to make money.

Interested in learning more? Tenants of Allied Properties REIT are eligible for a free one-month subscription to AroundFX services.Contact paula.midena@aroundfx.com

FOREIGN EXCHANGE INVESTING 101

al l iedpropert iesre i t .com • 6

KING WEST CENTRAL, TORONTO / -“Look at this. ‘Can’t use the back button. Can’t index it on Google. Can’t manage the content. Can’t cut and paste out of it...” Ryan Priest’s voice trails off, irritated by the blog he’s quoting thatchronicles the supposed failings of Flash web software.

“But all that has been fixed,” he says. The post is recent, but the blogger’s information is outdated.

In partnership with his cousin Curtis Priest and colleagueJeremy Choi, Ryan is part of a trio that forms the executive of boutique web agency Pixelcarve.

From its 2,000-square-foot loft space at King and Spadina, the trio and its team create premium web sites and online ad campaigns for high end brands like interior designers YabuPushelberg, Avenue Road furniture, Sine NY clothing andParamount Home Entertainment, and they do it using mainlyFlash, a browser-based multimedia platform that adds anima-tion, video and a fluid type of interactivity to a web page.

“HTML is great for information-based sites,” explains Choi,the firm’s COO, “but if you want to build a brand experience,you use Flash.”

“That’s what we focus on: Helping brands to look good

online,” he adds. Given the creative possibilities offered by Flash, the office must at times double as a photo studio where the team shoots stills and video to help bring their siteconcepts to life.

But Flash has been battling a misinformation campaign, in part due to Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ April announcement that iTouch, iPad and iPhone browsers would not support Flash-based web content – this despite the fact that Flash is used on close to 85% of all web sites, many of which are built entirely in it.

“It essentially amounts to a war between Apple and Adobe [makers of Flash], says Curtis, the firm’s president, adding thatsince Pixelcarve is keenly interested in new media technologies,especially the use of rich media, “We have a stake in the outcome of this war.”

And whether that proves a challenge or an opportunity is a matter of perspective.

Twelve years ago, Curtis and Ryan Priest saw another sea-change in the web. The two-dimensional, HTML-basedexperience that web sites were offering was going to give way to a richer, more graphically immersive experience. And theywanted to be a part of that change.

“I went to school for 3-D, so I wanted to incorporate more 3-Dgraphical elements into the web,” says Ryan, the chief creative officer, “and with Curtis’s web site building and video productionskills and my 3-D skills that’s where we wanted to start changinghow people perceived the web.”

As Curtis was starting his web consulting business, Ryan wasworking for a Bay Street law firm that needed a web site designed.It was the first job completed by the partnership and led to another law firm site – but this time they were given more creativelatitude. They pitched a site featuring animated elevator doorsopening to a virtual lobby where users could browse graphic elements to find information on the firm.

When it was complete, the site garnered a lot of attention fromToronto’s legal community and sealed Pixelcarve’s reputation as an innovative web design firm.

“In the beginning we just followed the money,” says Curtis,explaining that they started out working mostly for companies that saw web sites as a necessary marketing cost.

“But we wanted to work with clients that asked: How can youchange my company by creating an online experience? Companiesthat understood that if their virtual storefront was beautiful,unique and elicited an emotional response then it becomes a business tool that will attract and retain their target clients,” hesays, adding that this perspective moved the company from two guys working in their respective suburban basements tobecoming a downtown supplier to large ad agencies and recognized international brands.

Well, that, and the capital from a lucrative contract creatinginteractive training systems for Harvey’s and Swiss Chalet restaurants across Canada for Cara Foods, as well as content for a pilot digital menu board project. Working for Sweda, thetechnology firm that invented the electronic cash register,Pixelcarve created the visual experience that would become thecontent for the menu boards.

Whether on a media board, a computer screen or a mobiledevice, the idea for the content and how it will work is part of the production savvy the trio brings to each of its client projects.And regardless of how good it may look and feel, they are alwayscareful to ensure it functions as it should: easy to search for andeasy to navigate. That’s in part how Choi came to join the team.In 2008, he found himself subcontracting Flash work to Pixelcarve and the latter subcontracting HTML, search engineoptimization and mobile component work to Choi’s firm.Acquiring Choi’s team and technologies, and making him an equal partner simplified things.

Now, mobile is demanding a lot of attention as the trio works to sort out the limits of small screens and lack of standardization.

“The future is definitely about mobile right now,” opines Choi,“but that doesn’t mean the web is dying. Mobile is just anotherway to view the Internet.”

“It’s all about inspiring people to interact with the content so that something interesting happens on screen,” adds Ryan.“Then they engage with the brand and it creates a memorable and positive experience.”

pixelcarve.com

FLASHFORWARDToronto web agency Pixelcarveweighs in on creating content andlooks to set the record straight on some of the more prevalentmyths about Flash.By Yvan Marston

TORONTOPh

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““We wanted to work with clients that asked:How can you change mycompany by creating anonline experience?”

– Curtis Priest

TOP: Building content for a pilot digital menu board project forHarvey’s Restaurants (Cara Foods) put Pixelcarve in the ‘visualexperience’ business. Other work includes the creation ofpremium websites for brands like Luxe Destination Weddings(MIDDLE) and Gillette Fusion Proglide (ABOVE).

Jeremy Choi, Ryan Priest and Curtis Priest in the lobby of their Spadina Avenue offices.

7 • FALL 2010

FLASHFORWARD

EXCHANGE DISTRICT, WINNIPEG / - Performers in the park may have been a little confused by the stage theystepped onto this summer in Winnipeg’s Exchange District.Most bandstands open up to the space around them, but thischain-mail enshrouded concrete cube has only one open faceand a personality that shifts and changes depending on howyou look at it and in what light.

But in truth, the stage wasn’t builtexclusively for performers.

“It’s about trying to find the right balance between it as performancespace and the rest of the year when it would otherwise sit empty,” saysJohanna Hurme, a resident of the area whose architectural firm won thecompetition to design the stage, whichhas just completed its first season hosting Jazz Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival as well as serving as a welcoming weekday lunch spot for office workers.

INTERPLAY WITH LIGHT PROJECTIONS Indeed, summers are short in Winnipeg, and 5468796 Architecture Inc., the firm Hurme started three years ago with fellow architect Sasa Radulovic, expects the structure to continue performingthrough the rest of the year’s long nights as the angled

aluminum plates used to form its curtains interplay with light projections (eventually, the lights will be connected tomotion sensors allowing passersby to influence the changes).

The process and the project speak to the duo’s interest in a less hierarchical approach to building design.

CRITICAL AND COLLABORATIVE Hurmeand Radulovic are keenly interested in whata more critical and collaborative approach toarchitecture can yield in a city known for itsconservative design tastes and tight budgets.

With a portfolio currently dominated byresidential work, 5468796 Architecture is distinguishing itself with projects likeBGBX, a 24-unit housing development forWinnipeg’s West End with alternating

two- and three-storey residential loft units and small scale commercial flex spaces at grade.

While ostensibly a white corrugated metal box at the inter-section of Wall Street and St. Matthews Avenue, it is sliced strategically at six points to reveal unexpected glimpses of lush, green foliage at the block’s centre.

“The large courtyard can create interaction with neighboursand contribute to safety,” says Hurme.

EXPERIMENT IN DENSITY AND AFFORDABILITY Also under construction isCentre Village a 25-unit housing co-op located on a small infill lot in the city’s Central Park neighbourhood. Here, the project strives to create a true community, or “housing village” with modest means. An experiment in densityand affordability, it speaks to 5468796’s approach to sustainability, not with technical components but with a design that makes every square inch count.

“We are trying to design for people to live in a little less space,” says Hurme.

The firm’s economy of space can be seen in its office, where a single large work surface dominates the 2,400 square foot space on the ground floor of 266 McDermot Ave. and everyone works from it.

A continuous curtain track allows the team to enclose the space converting it to a meeting room. And while the principals outweigh the rest of the team interms of experience, they look to their staff as well as peers for critical thinking.

“This way our work will be better – we don’t want to become stagnant,” saysHurme, a native of Finland who initially came to Winnipeg on a high schoolexchange and made her way back to attend the University of Manitoba whereshe completed her architecture degree.

She’s reaching out to the city’s architecture firms to create more collaboration –hoping to eventually build a monthly project review board where multiple firmscan meet and discuss improvements to ongoing projects.

“Because every project is what you make of it. It doesn’t matter where it islocated, as long as it is something that asks us to use our imagination,” she says.

5468796.ca

al l iedpropert iesre i t .com • 8 9 • FALL 2010

Working from one big desk to re-imagine urban housing, this Winnipegarchitecture firm brings a less hierarchical approach to building design.By Yvan Marston

WINNIPEG

the COLLABORATORSTOP TO BOTTOM: youCUBE, a condo experiment in density and affordability designed

for the north end of Winnipeg’s Waterfront Drive; A courtyard concept at CentreVillage in the city’s Central Park neighbourhood; Performers on the recently

completed Old Market Square stage; BGBX aims to transform a vacant lot in the city’s West End into a 24-unit housing development.

““We are trying to design for people to livein a little less space.”

– Johanna Hurme

Ubisoft QuebecFIVE YEARS OF CREATIVITY AND A FUTURE FULL OF PROJECTS Ubisoft’s Quebec City studio had some celebrating to do this June as thevideo gaming giant marked its fifth anniversary at this location, taking timeto acknowledge the contribution of its 255 employees, the development of a dozen projects that have changed the world of video games, as well asthe studio’s economic impact to the city, estimated at over $280 million.*

The latest from this studio, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, isalready a huge hit with critics, as is Combat of Giants, another original creation from this locale.

Over five years, the company invested some $ 77 million in the QuebecCity studio, and the economic impact due to the presence of Ubisoft hereamounts to more than $280 million.

“To our great satisfaction, the studio performs well, both within theUbisoft group and from a public perspective, and our projects have an international reputation,” said vice president and general manager of Ubisoft Quebec, Nicolas Rioux, at the festivities earlier this summer, addingthat: “In five years, we have achieved a level of maturity that promises avery bright future for this studio.”

Indeed, not only are designers working on new games created fromscratch in Quebec, they are also collaborating with Montreal's Ubisoft studio on the next Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.

As well, the Quebec City studio is expanding, taking over the fourth floor of 390 Charest Blvd Est.

“This expansion will provide a better creative space for our employees.It will also allow us to develop our games lab where we test our games with the public,” explained Rioux.

Only five years ago there were fewer than 150 people worked in thevideo game industry in Quebec. Today there are more than 1,000 designers.

“We are very pleased to have actively participated in the development of Saint-Roch’s techno-culture. We have long believed in the development of this industry in the region and we support such initiatives through ourpartnership with National School of Interactive Entertainment (ENDI),” addedRioux, who was recently appointed chairman of the school’s board.

* based on the model adapted by the ISQ HEC Montréal.

a l l iedpropert iesre i t .com • 10 11 • AUTOMNE 2010

NOUVO ST. ROCH, QUÉBEC / - Cet été, Ubisoft a célébréses cinq ans à Québec, un moment propice pour souligner l’apport de ses 255 créateurs, la réalisation locale d’unedouzaine de projets d’envergure qui ont marqué l’univers du jeuvidéo, ainsi que des investissements qui, prévoit-on, générerontdes retombées économiques de plus de 280 millions de dollars*à Québec.

“Nous sommes très fiers d’avoir choisi Québec. Les objectifsd’embauche que nous avions sur cinq ans ont été réalisés aprèsun peu plus de deux ans. Nous avons une équipe créative et soudée qui fait notre succès", a déclaré M. Nicolas Rioux,vice-président et directeur général d’Ubisoft Québec, en pointde presse.

Une équipe créative, c’est le cas de le dire! Le dernier-néd’Ubisoft Québec, Prince of Persia : The Forgotten Sands, connaît déjà un vif succès auprès des critiques, sans oublierCombat of Giants, une autre création originale qui fait la fiertéde l’entreprise. “Ubisoft Québec est devenu un studio quiassure la direction de créations authentiques et qui développedes licences ici, à Québec”, souligne M. Rioux.

DES RETOMBÉES ÉCONOMIQUES MAJEURES Sans contredit,Ubisoft Québec a de quoi fêter. Après cinq ans seulement, 77 millions $ ont été investis à Québec. L’impact économiqueattribuable à la présence d’Ubisoft à Québec s’élève donc à plus de 280 millions $ en retombées.

“À notre grande satisfaction, le studio performe, tant au seindu groupe Ubisoft qu’auprès du public, et nos projets jouissentd’une reconnaissance internationale. Nous avons atteint en cinqans un seuil de maturité qui promet un brillant avenir pour lestudio”, précise Nicolas Rioux.

Le développement d’Ubisoft Québec est loin de s’arrêter là.Non seulement les créateurs planchent sur de nouveaux jeuxcréés de toutes pièces à Québec, ils collaborent également avecle studio d’Ubisoft Montréal sur le prochain opus d’Assassin’sCreed : Brotherhood.

Ubisoft Québec prend aussi de l’expansion par l’acquisitiond’un quatrième étage dans l’édifice Ubisoft, situé à l’angle du boulevard Charest et de la rue de la Couronne.

“Cette expansion nous permettra d’offrir un meilleur universde création à nos employés. Ce nouvel espace nous permettraaussi de développer notre laboratoire de jeux dans lequel noustesterons nos créations auprès du public”, précise M. Rioux.

UNE SOIRÉE VIP Rappelons qu’il y a cinq ans, seulement 150 personnes travaillaient dans l’industrie du jeu vidéo àQuébec. Aujourd’hui, on y recense plus de 1000 créateurs.“Nous sommes très heureux d’avoir participé activement au développement de la technoculture dans le quartier Saint-Roch, à Québec. Nous croyons depuis longtemps audéveloppement de l’industrie dans la région et nous lasoutenons au travers des initiatives tel notre partenariat avec l’École nationale de divertissement interactif (ENDI)”,poursuit M. Rioux, qui a récemment été nommé président du conseil d’administration de l’École.

Grâce à son rayonnement, Ubisoft Québec compte dans ses rangs des créateurs de partout, de l’extérieur du Québeccomme de l’étranger. “C’est une belle fierté pour une entrepriseimplantée à Québec de susciter un intérêt pour la Ville auprèsd’une main-d’œuvre qualifiée prête à s’y établir”, préciseNicolas Rioux. * calcul basé sur le modèle de l’ISQ adapté par HEC Montréal.

Ubisoft à Québec – Cinq années de créativitéet un avenir plein de projets

QUÉBECTOP TO BOTTOM: Ubisoft’s Quebec City studio; Combat of Giants: Mutant Insects for Nintendo DS; and, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.

Prince of Persia:The ForgottenSands, the latestgaming success to come from thisstudio.

PARTY TIME:Radio Radio performs at

Ubisoft Quebec’s five-yearanniversary party earlier

this summer.

al l iedpropert iesre i t .com • 12 13 • FALL 2010

Of all the novelty items to cross his desk in the last seven years,Montreal distributor sees the big picture with BannerPen.By Yvan Marston

Luigi Vendittelli ne peut s’en empêcher : si c’est malin, portable, facile à produire en masse et que ça provoque un sourire, il faut qu’il le distribue.Lorsqu’il découvrit en Chine le stylo bannière, avec sa banderole rétractablede deux pouces sur huit, il n’a pas pu résister à ce petit gadget, aujourd’huifabriqué par son entreprise Banner Pen.

« Ce type d’objet existait déjà depuis 25 ans mais n’avait jamais été commercialisé ni fabriqué correctement », explique Luigi Vendittelli installédepuis peu dans de nouveaux bureaux au 6300 avenue du Parc.

En améliorant la conception et donc la qualité du stylo et en le fabriquanten plastique de maïs, Banner Pen est devenu le plus grand fournisseur destylos bannières dans le monde et le seul fabricant d’une version réellementbiodégradable.

L’entreprise bénéficie déjà de contrats de licence avec des clubs desports et avec les commissions de transport de Montréal et de Toronto qui lui ont permis de créer pour le grand public des stylos recélant des plans debus et de métro ou des calendriers avec les dates de matchs. Mais LuigiVendittelli, qui considère que ses stylos bannières sont un formidable support publicitaire pour les entreprises, s’emploie en priorité à élargir sonréseau de clients parmi les grandes chaînes hôtelières nord-américaines.D’ailleurs, celles-ci sont déjà grandes consommatrices avec un peu plus d’un million de stylos par an.

Appuyé au dossier de son fauteuil de bureau, Luigi Vendittelli croise sesjambes en gardant un œil sur le Blackberry qui vibre de temps à autre surson bureau. Il attend à tout moment la livraison d’appareils de massage pourla tête. Ces accessoires, qui ressemblent à de gros fouets de cuisine, fontpartie de la gamme plus large d’articles promotionnels venus de Motivo, lemagasin de gadgets et d’objets cadeaux situé dans la Petite Italie deMontréal ouvert par Luigi Vendittelli et sa sœur Veronica en 2003.

« Chez Motivo, les clients nous disaient souvent : ça nous plaît mais ilnous en faudrait 1 000 exemplaires. Nous nous sommes donc tournés vers le marché des articles promotionnels », explique Luigi Vendittelli avant deconclure : « Nous proposerons toujours d’autres articles promotionnels,ce qui générera des revenus, mais ils n’auront pas la durée de vie d’un support publicitaire destiné à l’hôtellerie. »

BANNER PEN : le plus grand fournisseur de stylos bannières dans le monde

AVE DU PARC, MONTREAL / - Luigi Vendittelli just can’tseem to help it. If it is clever, portable, easy to mass produceand generally makes people smile, he wants to distribute it. The banner pen, his company’s namesake item, was just suchan object when his partner in China first showed him this writing tool with a retractable two-by-eight-inch banner.

“This type of pen had been around for 25 years but it wasnever marketed well and frankly, it was never made well,” saysVendittelli from his new office space at 6300 Avenue du Parc.

Re-engineering the pen to a higher production standard andsorting out how to build a corn plastic version has helped tomake Banner Pen the largest supplier of these pens in the world and the only producer of a truly biodegradable version.

And while sub licensing agreements with sports franchises as well as other agreements with the Toronto and Montrealtransit systems have helped to create game schedules and transit map content for the retail versions of these pens,Vendittelli sees the banners as a powerful ad medium and isbuilding a network throughout North America’s hotel chains.

The concept is simple: Banner Pen creates custom pens for its hotel clients for free while securing the rights to sell theadvertising space on the banners – typically in conjunction with in-room directories.

“Hotels have never seen this product so they are respondingpositively,” he says, adding that in-room directory firms see it as a complementary item and are glad to work with him.

While BannerPen was incorporated only two years ago, theproduct has been in development for the last five andVendittelli has been a player in the promotional gift industryfor at least seven.

Despite the money he has invested in R&D, he’s not worriedabout a patent.

“Having a patent on the product at this point doesn’t matter –it’s how I apply the product in the market that matters. I wouldrather spend the time and money protecting the network I’m building in the hospitality industry,” says Vendittelli whosefledgling network is already consuming just over 1 million pens a year.

Leaning back into his office chair, he crosses a sneakered foot over his knee and glances occasionally at the vibratingBlackberry on the desk as he waits for a container of head massagers to arrive any minute. The wire whisk-looking contraptions are part of the company’s broader promotional gift side, which grew out of Motivo, a gift and novelty itemstore in Montreal’s Little Italy that he co-founded with his sister Veronica in 2003.

“At Motivo, customers were saying: I like this, but can I get1,000 of these. So we started to look beyond retail to see thepotential in the promotional gift industry,” says Vendittelli.

Indeed, an office store room reveals a cache of goofy, whimsi-cal inventions. Witness the message bean – water it and it willgrow into a plant bearing whatever you have microprinted ontoits shell, an LED faucet aerator that beams red light into thewater when it’s hot, and blue when it’s cold; a rubber cactusthat is a pen; a chocolate scented note pad; a hamburger phoneas well as more pragmatic objects like re-useable shopping bags.

“We will always have other promotional items and that will bring in revenue,” he says of his first love, “but I don’t see it having the lifespan of an advertising division based in thehospitality industry.”

TORONTO

““At Motivo, customers weresaying: I like this, but can I get 1,000 of these. So westarted to look beyond retailto see the potential in thepromotional gift industry.”

– Luigi Vendittelli

RIGHT: The message bean –water it and it will grow into whatever has beenmicroprinted on its shell; (FAR RIGHT) Montreal noveltystore Motivo opened in 2003 by Vendittelli and hissister Veronica.

ADELAIDE STREET WEST, TORONTO / - When Natasha Koifman proposed a red carpet event at last year’sToronto International Film Festival that would feature celebrities dipping their feet in paint for a good cause, hermedia contacts were skeptical.

But the Artists for Peace and Justice Gala last September at the Winsor Arms Hotel was a hit with over a dozen celebrities,the likes of Colin Farrell, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Wilde and Peter Gallagher, doffing their footwear to leave their red andblue tracks on the ‘carpet’ (actually a tarp) – a concept by New York artist Peter Tunney.

“We hoped we could get a few to do it, but everybody wasonboard,” recalls Koifman of the event that launched APJ, a charity that writer/director Paul Haggis founded to help raise funds for schools and hospitals in Haiti’s slums.

Getting celebs to a party is one thing, but getting them to put paint on their feet demands an authentic connection to the cause�(and a relatively obscure one at that as this was beforethe earthquake). Indeed, some of the celebrities there had visited Haiti’s slums with Haggis to become deeply committedto APJ. And that kind of commitment is contagious.

It’s no secret that the business of public relations is about connections, but the art of the craft is about making the rightconnections.

Koifman wasn’t connecting with an accounting software project one day eight years ago when she walked away from astaff job building the PR department of a Toronto marketingfirm. Instead, she went out on her own to work only withbrands she loved.

“If the business grows because of my passion for one of these things or if it stays the same, that’s fine. I didn’t start this because I wanted a huge company. I started it because

I wanted to work on projects that I’m excited about,” saysKoifman, an energetic brunette with an easy smile, speakingfrom her office in renovated retail space on Adelaide Street West.

This September, during the Toronto International FilmFestival, her firm, NKPR, marked its fifth year hosting the popular IT Lounge where she connects companies, celebrities and social causes.

Splitting her time between her 25-person shop here and a small officein New York, Koifman and her teamservice brands such as Fila, Kiehl’s, FordModels, RW&Co, and Timberland,but are equally dedicated to Artists forPeace and Justice (Koifman is on theadvisory board) and Camp Oochigeas.

She believes that for PR to be successful you have to connect withwhat you are promoting, and estimatesthis approach has probably caused herto turn down as much business as shetakes on.

“But the brands we do take on, we love,” she says, addingthat it is perhaps one reason she has a lot of long-term clientsand a very low staff turnover (6% in an industry that can see 10 to 20 %).

The IT Lounge is one of the firm’s best known projects and a solid example of brand connections. Five years agoTimberland (still a client) asked NKPR to get their product into the hands of celebrities.

Not to be confused with seeking endorsements, whichinvolves payment, the IT Lounge’s purpose is simply to

function as a private tradeshow for celebrities with a dozenbrands looking to have their products photographed alongside famous faces.

“That first year, Tim Robbins came in wearing Timberlandshoes and went right to their booth to talk to them. Success to that client was making that authentic connection,” saysKoifman.

Of course, an on-site photographer was there to capture the moment, and the adjacentmedia lounge is not immune to thehubbub of celebrity presence, so in the end media impressions andword-of-mouth marketing boost the brand, along with the profile ofthe social cause NKPR has broughtto the event.

“Success for us as an agencyincludes raising the profile of a charitable brand,” adds Koifman.

From its open concept space one block north of TIFF’s new Bell

Lightbox headquarters, NKPR is looking to host more events inits office-cum-event space design, as well as develop an in-housedigital media offering and a talent management arm.

But cause marketing will remain a strong part of the NKPRroster, perhaps because it offers a very complete and genuineopportunity for connections.

“And these are stories that truly resonate with the media and therefore get out to the general public – and that’s what this job is all about.”

nkpr.net

15 • FALL 2010al l iedpropert iesre i t .com • 14

TORONTO

CELEBRITY MATCHMAKERIn the world of media impressions, NKPR seeks to create authentic connections between people, brands, celebrities and social causes.By Yvan Marston

LEFT TO RIGHT: Ricky Gervais,Edward Norton and Tim Robbinsat the Toronto International FilmFestival’s IT Lounge last year.LEFT: Colin Farrell and PaulHaggis at TIFF 2009’s Artists for Peace and Justice Gala ‘red carpet’ event.

Koifman sees cause marketing as a strong part of her company NKPR’s roster.

““These are stories that resonate with the media

and therefore get out to the general public – and that’swhat this job is all about.”

– Natasha Koifman

For improved balance, core stability and quad endurance try the BOSU QUICKDROPS, which are essentially dynamic squats done over a ‘blue half-ball’.

1. Start with your chest up, shoulders set, spine neutral, and knees slightly bent.

2. Pop up slightly.

3. Land letting yourself drop into a squat, flexing your knees, ankles and hips at thesame time. Don’t let your shoulders lower faster than your hips i.e. maintainshoulders positioned above or slightly behind knees throughout the movement.

4. Start by doing these steadily for 1 minute. Jump higher if this is too easy.

For dynamic stability, core endurance and strength, try theSTABILITY BALL DIAGONAL KNEE HIKES, a kind of dynamicvariation on “the plank.”

1. Start with forearms on the ball, shoulders and hips aligned.

2. Hike your knee forward allowing it to cross under yourother leg, but no side-to-side hip movements. Keep movement slow and controlled.

3. Repeat 5 times with each leg to start. If too difficult,place ball against a wall.

T O T U M T I P S

TURN WITHOUT THE BURN

Get ready for the slopes by adding these strength and endurance exercises from King Street West’s Totum Life Science to your workout.

17 • FALL 2010al l iedpropert iesre i t .com • 16

As fall marks a return to comfort food, Toronto’sCalphalon Culinary Center looks to slow cookingfor rich, flavourful one-pot wonders.

With farmer’s markets still offering up an abundance of fresh produce and the weather turning to chill, give some thought to the slow, deliberate art of braising. Sure it can be a bit of work up front, butit’s economical, makes enough for several meals, and if you’re hosting, it’s an easy one-pot dish that gives you more time with your guests than in your kitchen.

“Braising, where you pan sear a cut of meat and then slow cook it in a flavoured liquid, is being more celebrated recently with that philosophy of ‘nose to tail’ consumption,” says Susie Reading,Executive Chef at the Calphalon Culinary Center. “Appreciating the whole animal, instead of just the prime cuts,” she explains.

Getting away from those prime cuts not only makes this an economical way to cuisine, it’s also a tasty one as the process requireshours of stewing in a flavourful broth of wine, herbs and vegetables.

SLOW GENTLE COOKING IN 10 EASY STEPS1. Select a protein that is a ‘working’ muscle, i.e. not a tender cut.

On the bone is even better.

2. Preheat the oven to moderate heat – approximately 325F.

3. On top of the stove, preheat a Dutch Oven, add fat and sear seasoned meats. Pour off excess fat.

4. Deglaze with flavoured liquid, usually wine, to release the ‘fond’ or flavoured bits from bottom of pan.

5. Add a second flavoured liquid, usually a flavourful stock of that same protein, filling half to three quarters up the meat.

6. Add flavouring agents such as bay leaves, herb stems, spice bag of peppercorns.

7. Cover and place in the preheated oven.

8. Halfway through cooking process, add dense vegetables like carrots and potatoes.

9. Cook until all is tender and flavours are robust and intense.

10. The braising liquid is served with the rest of dish as it is integral to the finished dish.

TORONTOOsso Buco with GremolataPreparation Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil• 4 lbs. 1 1/2 -inch-thick

veal shanks• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour• 1 onion, finely diced• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 14 oz. tin plum tomatoes• 1-2 cups chicken or

veal stock • 1/2 cup dry red wine• 2 tbsp. fresh rosemary,

chopped

• 2 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest • 1/2 tsp. cracked

black pepper

Featured Cook Ware: Calphalon 5 Qt Dutch Oven wth Lid

Preheat Oven: 325F

Method:1. Heat oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat.

2. Season shanks with salt and pepper, and dredge in theflour shaking off the excess. Add to pan and sear untildeep golden brown, turning once, for about 8 minutes.Transfer shanks to bowl.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion and garlic andsauté until tender, 4 - 6 minutes, adding more oil to pan if need be.

4. Deglaze the onions with the wine and reduce by half.

5. Return shanks and any liquid from bowl to skillet. Addtomatoes, stock and rosemary to pan.

6. Cover and transfer to oven. Braise until veal is tender and begins to fall off bones, about 2 hours.

7. To make gremolata, combine all ingredients in small bowl and mix.

8. Ladle one shank into each shallow bowl; ladle a bit ofsauce over, and serve with gremolata sprinkled overtop.

R E C I P EIN PRAISE OF THE BRAISE

For leg strength and more core work try the SPLITSQUAT ALTERNATING DIAGONAL CHOPS, whichinvolves using a medicine ball from a lunge stance.

1. Start with legs in a lunge stance and ball to the side of your hip.

2. Lift ball diagonally above opposite shoulder as you rise up.

3. Bring it down to the other hip as you lower down and repeat 5 times with each leg. Add more reps if this is too easy.

Whether you’re skiing or snowboarding there’s generally onething standing between you and a good day on the slopes:Your burning quads. Most of us mortals only get to ski a few months every year and even then, only a few times so we don’t build up the sport-specific endurance needed on the hill. To avoid injury and misery as you end your ridingday pushing another turn through a sun-softened run, train your muscles before the snow flies.

Totum’s Carla Nanka-Bruce is a specialist in sport conditioning and an avid snowboarder who adds a handful of slope-savvy exercises to her regular workout come fall.

“Starting with a general level of cardiovascular fitness isimportant,” she says, “but it’s good to bring into your routine exercises that are relevant to the endurance, stabilityand strength demands of skiing or snowboarding.”

totum.ca

P R E - S E A S O N C O N D I T I O N I N G :

WHAT TO BRAISE

Some good cuts of meat for braising include:

• Top Blade Roast • Chuck Eye Roast

• Seven Bone Roast • Ribs

• Brisket • Shanks

• Short Ribs

Gremolata: (traditional topping for osso bucco)

al l iedpropert iesre i t .com • 18

CITÉ MULTIMÉDIA,MONTRÉAL / - À Montréal,réputée pour ses hivers plus querigoureux, l’idée d’un restaurantse consacrant uniquement à lasoupe est un concept plutôtalléchant. Et si, sous la chaleurestivale du moment, vous êtesloin de rêver d’un bon bol desoupe, c’est sans aucune réserve

que se pressent chaque jour chez Soupesoup (au coin de King et de Wellington) une centaine de personnes pour unmenu tout simple de quatre soupes (avec options froides pour l’été bien sûr) et quatre sandwiches.

Ce sont des menus rapides et sains et, vu le succès de sessept restaurants, Caroline Dumas, propriétaire, présidente etfondatrice de la chaîne, ne change pas de formule.

« Je voulais servir quelque chose de simple et qui se pré-parait à l’avance », se souvient-elle en évoquant la périoded’ébauche de ce projet de restaurant, devenu depuis le bar àsoupe favori des Montréalais. On était en 2001 et CarolineDumas caressait l’idée d’ouvrir son propre établissementlorsqu’elle remarqua un local à louer au coin des rues DuluthEst et Coloniale.

Le confort et le réconfort étant à la base du concept, ladécoration des restaurants est toujours très chaleureuse, tant etsi bien que le premier établissement avec son faux fini de bois

sur les murs était tellement douillet que certains clients pensaient que la patronne vivait à l’étage au-dessus.

«La soupe a quelque chose de fondamental. C’est un plat de réconfort – peut-être parce que la purée est le premier plat qu’on donne aux bébés », suggère Caroline Dumas,chaleureuse jeune femme blonde, pleine d’énergie, qui arboretoujours un large sourire et semble continuellement à larecherche d’un nouveau défi.

En plus de diriger une chaîne de restaurants, de rechercher de nouvelles occasions de franchise, de terminer un nouveaulivre de recettes (en librairie cet automne), de participer à uneémission quotidienne de cuisine sur V TÉLÉ, elle concocte,avec son équipe, 30 soupes différentes par semaines.

« Dans les restaurants, les soupes sont rarement une priorité. On y prend généralement les restes de la journée eton les fait mijoter pendant des heures, ce qui dilue les saveurset vide les légumes de leurs vitamines. Nous faisons nos soupesà base d’ingrédients frais et en beaucoup moins de temps »,explique Caroline Dumas qui a eu cette idée de restaurantalors qu’elle dirigeait un service de cantine pour les plateaux de tournage de films et de publicités pour la télévision.

Dans le secteur de la production télévisuelle à Montréal, encinq ans ses services avaient acquis la réputation d’être fiables,ambitieux et créatifs – à tel point que les équipes de tournagedélaissaient les repas du traiteur pour se régaler des petits metsconcoctés par Caroline Dumas. Mais les horaires étaient longset trop décalés pour cette jeune mère de famille.

Simplicité et qualité : deux mots qui font le succès de Soupesoup

SOUPE!À LA SOUPE!par Yvan Marston

Phot

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Montreal’s well-deserved reputation as a winter city makes the notionof a restaurant dedicated to crafting and serving soup quite palatable.And while its steamy summers might make you think twice aboutseeking comfort in a hot bowl, nobody appears to have that reservationat Soupesoup on the corner of King and Wellington late July where as many as 100 people pack the open concept space to choose fromthe simple four-soup (with cold options for summer, of course) andfour-sandwich menu.

Quick, simple and healthy are the order of the day here, and withseven locations under her belt, owner, president and founder Caroline Dumas is not deviating from the plan.

“I needed to serve something simple and that could be ready in advance,” recalls Dumas on the initial thinking behind one of thecity’s most revered soup stops.

It was 2001 and Dumas was toying with the idea of opening her own space when a vacant retail spot on the corner of Duluth Estand Coloniale caught her eye.

Now, beyond running a restaurant chain, investigating franchiseopportunities, completing a new recipe book (in stores this fall),participating in a daily cooking show for V TÉLÉ, she and her team dream up 30 different soups a week.

The Cite Multimedia location is by far the largest in the chain andproved a more challenging space to make cozy, but its eclectic mix ofEames chairs and reclaimed grade-school seating, along with exposedbrick walls, factory windows and original Nouvelle Vague film postersgive it a comfortable, neighbourhood feel.

With her restaurants gaining popularity, her book coming out thisFall and regular television appearances in the works, this year willsurely raise Soupesoup’s public profile. Despite her hectic schedule,Dumas appears excited at the possibilities. Where most people look to a bowl of soup for comfort, Dumas sits down in front of a steamingbowl to find inspiration.

SOUP SIMPLEFrom a straightforward vision of serving something simple yet very well made comes the success ofMontreal’s Soupesoup.

« Je n’ai pas fait d’école de cuisine mais j’ai beaucoupappris avec la cantine. Et je savais qu’il fallait que je proposequelque chose qui pouvait se préparer à l’avance mais enrestant savoureux et à base de produits frais. »

Le Soupesoup de la Cité Multimédia est de loin le plusgrand de la chaîne et l’ambiance chaleureuse y a été plus difficile à recréer, mais son mélange éclectique de fauteuilsEames et de chaises d’école récupérées, son mur de briquesapparentes, ses fenêtres d’usines et ses affiches originales defilms Nouvelle Vague lui donnent un caractère très convivial.

Entre le succès croissant de ses restaurants, la sortie de sonlivre cet automne et ses apparitions régulières à la télévision,Caroline Dumas verra certainement sa chaîne prendre encoredavantage d’envergure cette année. Malgré un emploi dutemps bien chargé, elle semble grisée par les nombreuses possibilités qui se présentent et, alors que la plupart des gens cherchent dans un bol de soupe le réconfort, CarolineDumas, elle, y trouve l’inspiration.

19 • AUTOMNE 2010

MONTRÉAL

RUE ATLANTIC,MONTRÉAL / - Jean Lefebvrene savait pas, il y a dix ans, combien le nom qu’il avaitchoisi pour sa société étaitapproprié. En effet, en 25années passées dans la mode, le patron de Style Transition,installé au 400 rue Atlantis à Montréal et représentant de la marque Stones Menswear au Canada, a vu d’importants

changements s’opérer dans son secteur environ tous les cinqans. Mais récemment ces changements ont été plus marqués.

« La mode a toujours été un secteur difficile, mais aujourd’hui pour les grossistes et les importateurs c’est devenu extrêmement dur parce que le commerce de détail a changé », explique Jean Lefebvre. Décontracté en jean et chandail, il est assis à une large table en chêne dans le salon où l’on peut admirer l’élégante collection d’hiver 2011.

Jean Lefebvre a fait ses débuts dans la mode dans la prestigieuse boutique d’Henri Vezina au centre de Montréal. Il est ensuite passé à la vente en gros en travaillant chez HugoBoss à Toronto en tant que représentant de la marque dans les provinces de l’Est pendant quelques années. Puis il y a 17 ans, Stones Menswear, groupe italien dont les collectionssont dessinées en Allemagne, lui proposait de représenter saligne de vêtements.

« Prenez Zara et H&M par exemple : ce sont des entreprises à intégration verticale, c’est-à-dire qu’elles passent directementde la production au commerce de détail », explique JeanLefebvre en ajoutant que c’est un modèle d’entreprise qui permet de générer d’importantes marges tout en offrant de la marchandise à des prix attirants.

Deuxième entreprise de prêt-à-porter en Allemagne aprèsHugo Boss, Stones Menswear se distingue par le rapport qualité-prix de ses vêtements. « Nos collections sont confectionnées dans les pays de l’Est, poursuit-il, où l’attentionportée au détail et à la couture est bien meilleure qu’en Asie ».

« C’est ce qui nous permet de conserver notre présence dans les boutiques : on leur permet de proposer une collection différente avec des vêtements faits en Europe et à un prix abordable. »

Mais vendre des vêtements d’hommes n’est pas tâche facile reconnaît Jean Lefebvre.

« Les hommes ont tendance à être plus pratiques que les femmes. S’ils ont besoin d’un pantalon, ils vont tout simplement l’acheter, tandis que pour les femmes le magasinage est une activité en elle-même », affirme-t-il avantd’ajouter que c’est ce qui explique qu’il y a en moyenne au Canada cinq magasins de vêtements féminins pour un magasin de vêtements pour hommes.

Toutefois les hommes ont tendance à être de loyaux clients.Quand ils trouvent régulièrement ce qu’ils cherchent dans une boutique, ils y deviennent fidèles.

Une fidélité que Stones Menswear pourra peut-être aussiexploiter un jour. Le nombre de magasins pour hommes étantréduit et le modèle d’intégration verticale prenant de l’ampleursur ce marché, les fabricants sont de plus en plus nombreux àse lancer dans le commerce de détail. Stones Menswear, qui adéjà ouvert plus de 30 magasins en Europe, a ainsi commencéà étudier ses possibilités sur ce marché au Canada.

info@styletran.ca

Prêt-à-porter : la mode est au changementpar Yvan Marston

al l iedpropert iesre i t .com • AUTOMNE 2010

QUÉB

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www.alliedpropertiesreit.comAvez-vous une histoire à raconter? Écrivez-nous au news@alliedpropertiesreit.com

Rédacteur en chef: Yvan Marston • Graphisme: Gravity Design

FSC LOGO HERE

GOOD GOODS Style Transition’s JeanLefebvre represents Stones Menswear inCanada from studio space at 400 Atlantic,in Montreal. The German-made, Italianowned line is the second largest clothingcompany in Germany after Hugo Boss. Its lifestyle-driven fashions differentiatethemselves by their quality to price ratio,says Lefebvre. The goods are manufac-tured in Eastern block countries, heexplains, where the attention to stitchingand detailing is much higher than in Asian factories. “That’s what’s keeping us in retailers – it gives them somethingdifferent to offer: European-made goods at a good price,” he adds.