The following is a list of 20 international retailers that entered the Canadian market in 2014, including links to our articles discussing each of them. The list is sponsored by Vancouver-based Peregrine, which custom designs and fabricates retail, display, furniture and architectural features for some of the country’s top retailers.
American Girl: Located within Chapters/Indigo stores, Canada’s first American Girl doll stores opened in May of 2014. There are currently three American Girl locations in Canada, with between 10 and 15 expected to open over the next couple of years.
Bulgari: The pricey Italian luxury jeweller opened its first Canadian location in late November at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. We’re told that more Canadian locations will follow, though Bulgari is being cautious with its expansion.
Chico’s: The popular American womenswear brand opened its first three Canadian stores in the summer of 2014. More are certain to follow.
DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse: Readers were excited when we announced that the discount footwear retailer was coming to Canada. DSW opened two Canadian locations in 2014, and recently announced four more for 2015. We’ll be announcing several more locations in the near future, as DSW aggressively expands across Canada.
Giorgio Armani Outlet: The Italian luxury brand’s first Canadian outlet opened in the summer at the popular Toronto Premium Outlets. We expect more Canadian Armani Outlet locations to follow.
H&M Home: Located within H&M’s flagship West Edmonton Mall store, H&M Home’s first Canadian location opened in June of 2014. We expect more Canadian locations to follow, as we’re told that sales in the shop are exceptional.
TheFaceShop: Most of the Quebec-based Fruits & Passions locations were rebranded as Korean-based beauty retailer TheFaceShop in 2014. The concept has yet to catch on with Canadians, however, though things could improve in 2015.
Jimmy Choo: The popular Italian footwear and accessories label opened its first free-standing Canadian location at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre in August. Interestingly, a Jimmy Choo shop-in-store is located only metres away within the mall’s Holt Renfrew. More Jimmy Choo locations are expected for Canada, including a downtown Vancouver location which is said to be under negotiation.
Karen Millen: The upscale British women’s fashion retailer opened its first Canadian location in Montreal last year. More locations are expected to follow, as the brand is represented by one of Canada’s top national brokerages.
Kleinfeld Bridal: “Say Yes to the Dress” – Located on the seventh floor of Toronto Eaton Centre’s flagship Hudson’s Bay, NYC-based Kleinfeld Bridal opened to much fanfare in May of 2014. Sources say that it could open within Montreal and Vancouver’s flagship Hudson’s Bay locations, though no official announcements have been made by either Kleinfeld or HBC.
Loding: The dapper Paris-based menswear retailer, who’s products feature fixed prices that don’t go on sale, opened its first Canadian location in Toronto’s Yorkville area in February of 2014. Sales were so strong that a second location opened in November at First Canadian Place in Toronto’s Financial District. A source at the company says other Canadian cities will follow, with Montreal likely being next.
Moncler: The pricey Italian luxury label, especially known for its distinctive outerwear, opened its first Canadian location at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre in September. More locations will follow, and we’ll reveal its next Canadian location within the next few weeks.
Muji: The minimalist Japanese retailer opened its first Canadian location in late November in downtown Toronto. As many as eight Canadian Muji locations will reportedly open over the next several years, and we’re told that sales at its Toronto location are already exceeding expectations.
Nordstrom: The upscale Seattle-based department store opened its first Canadian location at Calgary’s Chinook Centre in September. We were the first to reveal which brands would be carried in the store. Nordstrom will open its second Canadian location this March in Ottawa, followed by a Vancouver flagship in September. Three Toronto locations will open in 2016 and 2017, and sources say that Nordstrom is keen to open an Edmonton location, as well.
Pomellato: The pricey Italian jeweller, known for featuring colourful precious and semi-precious stones in its designs, opened its first Canadian location at Vancouver’s Pacific Centre in the fall of 2014. A Toronto location could follow, according to sources, though nothing is confirmed at this time.
Sarah Pacini: The upscale Belgian women’s fashion brand opened its first Canadian locations in 2014, and sources say that more will follow this year.
Suitsupply: The popular and provocative Dutch menswear brand opened its first Canadian location in Toronto’s upscale Yorkville area in February. Next week we’ll discuss its second Canadian location, which will become one of the world’s largest.
Versace: Canada’s first free-standing Versace store opened in the fall of 2014 at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. Versace plans to open as many as five Canadian locations in five years. Although Yorkdale is currently Canada’s only free-standing Versace location, a Versace shop-in-store has operated within Vancouver’s Leone since 1987.
Versace Home: The world’s first Versace Home flagship opened in October of 2014 in Vancouver’s trendy Gastown area. Controversy arose when a Vancouver Sun journalist implied that we were speculating when we first reported on Versace Home’s Vancouver flagship. That article was subsequently pulled when the publication learned that our source was Versace, itself.
Vince Camuto: The popular America footwear and fashion brand’s first Canadian location opened in July at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The company has plans to eventually open stores Canada-wide, and we’ll be discussing this further in a separate article.
A number of other retailers entered Canada in 2014, while many more expanded and built new stores.
If we’ve missed any and you’d like them to be included, please email Craig Patterson at: craig@retail-insider.com
