Since Yorkdale recently announced its expansion, speculation as to which stores are coming have been all over the web. These speculated stores range from J.Crew to Top Shop to Intermix and more. What IS known is that many of the stores will be first-to-market locations, meaning that they will be opening their first Canadian locations at Yorkdale (Intermix is scheduled to open its first store on Bloor, so if Yorkdale gets one, it wouldn’t be the first in Canada). The expansion is expected to start in the next few months and will be completed by the holiday season in 2012.
Yorkdale Mall
What stores would DelectablyChic! like to see? J.Crew, for one, but that’s already confirmed (and apparently opening in Yorkdale). Other stores? Ann Taylor and LOFT, for sure. Canadians have been begging for them to come up for years, after all. Japanese-based Uniqlo wouldn’t be bad either. And maybe Kate Spade or Tory Burch would open their first Canadian stores there too (rather than say, Bloor Street). And maybe a boutique which carries only Canadian designers. And in the perfect world, it would be great to have a US, European or Asian department store at the mall (rumours about Saks expanding north have been going on for YEARS). Something smart and sophisticated to compete with Holt Renfrew. Brooks Brothers would be good too. I hear that their Bay Street location is doing quite well. Yorkdale is supposed to have a more upscale image, so as much as people want to see Marshall’s or Target, opening there would NOT BE A GOOD THING (remember all the uproar when Winners opened on Bloor?).
One thing Yorkdale is missing is a food store, which they had some 20 years ago. Of course, a big supermarket like Whole Foods wouldn’t be possible, but it would be great to see a Pusateri’s or McEwan (I don’t think too many bloggers or mainstream publishers have thought of that!). As for restaurants, that’s difficult. Yorkdale already has four chain restaurants, and I’m not too sure I’d like to see any more, whether they’re first-to-market or not. In other words, I wouldn’t be happy if Spring Rolls, Oliver and Bonacini or any of those places decide to start a new location. I also don’t want some international chain to open its first location at Yorkdale. Instead, I’d like to see something different. Maybe an upscale Chinese (either traditional or semi-fusionesque like Lai Toh Heen), REAL sushi place or Indian restaurant. The market is there, so why not?
Image By: Oxford Properties (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons
