A recent post from CCP Luxury noted that luxury brands are more likely to launch in malls than on “high streets” here in Canada. But it wasn’t always this way. Usually, people expect that such stores go to, say, Bloor Street in Toronto or Robson Street in Vancouver. However, over the past few years, many stores making their Canadian debut – especially in Toronto – have started at Yorkdale. This includes Tory Burch, Longchamp and Kate Spade.
The back wall at Kate Spade, Yorkdale, taken in 2012 when it first opened. The Yorkdale location was the first Kate Spade boutique in Canada
I completely understand why malls might be better. Weather. Many Canadian cities can be extremely cold. In addition, it seems that at least in Toronto, more mid-priced stores are taking over Bloor rather than higher end. I was quite disappointed when the old MAC location was finally leased and it turned out to be…Roots Kids. There is already a Roots store on Bloor, in the old Gap Kids space and that space could have been perfect for a Longchamp. And 10 years ago, the old Chapters store became Winners. I was also quite disappointed when Saks Fifth Avenue, which was supposed to take over what I call the “Eyesore of Yonge and Bloor” (i.e. the Hudson’s Bay store), decided to move to the Eaton Centre, with a much smaller store. I can (sort of) understand why – that place would have been very expensive to renovate, delaying the opening date. Saks is going to open in early 2016.
At the same time, the article also notes that Bloor and Robson Street still have higher concentrations of luxury brands compared to malls. But this is just for now. Though Vancouver has several indoor shopping areas around Robson Street which are higher end (including hotels) and more indoor spaces are opening in Toronto, the lack of visibility on the street combined with not-so-upscale brands taking over the area (at least in Toronto), what would REALLY become of these areas known for higher end shopping?
What are your thoughts on this? Would you prefer to see luxury brands along Bloor or in malls? What about mid-priced lines?
