Cynthia Cheng Mintz
Marshalls has opened in Canada! The first three stores, all in the Toronto area, opened today, March 17 in Leaside, Scarborough (Warden Road) and Woodbridge (Weston Road). DelectablyChic! had the wonderful opportunity to attend the media event yesterday at the Leaside store, which included a store tour as well as a visit with celebrity stylist and author, Phillip Bloch. Known for his specialty in finding the best styles at affordable prices, Phillip was there to suggest various stylish looks without the need to spend like a movie star or socialite.
The Leaside store, which was formerly a Winners (The TJX Companies Inc. owns Winners, HomeSense and Marshalls in Canada), is 25,000 square feet, with a fairly decent-sized shoe department at 5,000 square feet. With women’s, men’s and kids, there is definitely a lot to choose from. The beauty of Marshalls’ shoe department is that the selection is boxed – there is no need to grab a sales associate just to get your size. You can find the size, try it on and then decide whether to make a purchase or not. However, because Marshalls doesn’t sell “first run” items, those who are in the more rare sizes may be out of luck. At our visit during the press event, there were very few women’s size 5s or 10s to be seen. Most of the smaller sizes were only available in more casual shoes.
Clothing-wise, the store is divided not only into men’s, women’s and kids’, but there are also specialty sizes for women as well as a section just for teen girls, called The CUBE. In addition to cool, stylish clothes one can wear to school, there is also a small selection of formalwear, just in time for the Great Prom Dress Search (which for most, starts around March Break). Prices for clothes at The CUBE are also appropriate for the age group. This is definitely a store that caters to the entire family. In addition to clothing, shoes and accessories, there is also a small selection of books, toys, DVDs and food. Unlike many Winners stores, there are no housewares, likely because HomeSense is just next door.
Marshalls is expected to open up to 100 stores across Canada over the next few years, including one in downtown Toronto. At least six stores will open in Toronto by the end of this year.
