TORONTO – The excitement is felt 48 hours before the first of six sold-out concerts by American singer Taylor Swift in Toronto. Well prepared, French-speaking merchants in the city center intend to take advantage of the surge of Swifties coming from all over the world to enjoy… and spend.
“We are really excited, we hope that many admirers will come and taste our products made for them,” rejoices Manon Taisseire-Hureau. At only 19 years old, she is the pastry chef of the pastry shop Unholy Donut.
The young woman of French origin wanted to take advantage of the strategic location of the store, two metro stations from the concert venue, to set up an entire marketing campaign aimed at fans.
“We are posting a lot on our social networks about our new Taylor Swift cookies, we are preparing friendship bracelets to give to followers and games based on the lyrics of Taylor Swift songs,” explains the one who is also student in her second and final year of pastry and baking arts management at Brown College in Toronto.
Also a big supporter of the American singer, Manon Taisseire-Hureau anticipates an increase in sales of 20 to 25% on the two weekends of the concerts.
And added: “We started selling the donuts and cookies on Saturday and we have already had great responses from our customers so the numbers will perhaps increase, this is the first time we have made products on a theme other than annual festivals. »
A new clientele to tame
Since Taylor Swift’s fans are mostly women, young and a large number of whom will come from the United States, certain downtown businesses see it as an opportunity to make themselves better known or to attract a clientele different from that which they already have. the habit of serving.
This is the case of the Germain hotel on rue Mercer which has adapted its spaces to accommodate the many admirers.
Banquet become fan lounge with drinks and snacks, photoboothfriendship bracelet station, wall for writing song lyrics, welcome gift, themed rooms, personalized service with nods to the Taylor Swift universe: everything is designed for this clientele with special needs.
Jean-Philip Dupré, general manager of the establishment, explains that the arrival of the singer will be an opportunity to try to attract this clientele that the hotel, belonging to an accommodation chain of Quebec origin known for offering services high end, usually does not join.
“With these concerts, we have the opportunity to present our product to a clientele who does not necessarily know it, so it is obviously very exciting for the future,” believes the Franco-Toronto resident.
A little further from there, at the store Maguire Shoeson Dundas Street West, we also see an opportunity to raise awareness of the brand whose Swifties could be an ideal target audience.
“Most of the people who will come are either Americans or Canadians who come from outside Toronto, so probably people who don’t come from markets where we have stores, so it’s a good opportunity to make us known and it’s like a huge free advertising window,” says Myriam Belzile-Maguire, founder of the Maguire shoe boutiques.
Beyond profits, visibility
However, if higher profit margins seem achievable, the native Quebecer judges that the price of the shoes being quite high, these new potential customers will not buy on their first visit.
“We’re definitely going to see an increase in sales, but maybe not in a very unusual way, but if that’s the case, we’re going to be pleasantly surprised. »
Same story with the Germain hotel which says it prioritizes benefits for local players rather than a race for profit.
“We really made sure to maximize the involvement of local partners rather than banking on a massive increase in our prices, because this will neither be the first nor the last time that a public figure who arrives in town influences the price hotels in Toronto,” says Mr. Dupré.
“We have the opportunity to collaborate with other suppliers and we want the enthusiasm to be felt even in these people too,” he concludes.
Non-profit Destination Toronto projects $152 million in direct spending associated with the 10 days between the first and last concert dates. In total, profits for the city are expected to reach a staggering $282 million.
