Andrews, the family-owned women’s apparel retailer with deep Toronto roots, has expanded its footprint with a new store at First Canadian Place. The move marks a return to the city’s core for the brand, which first launched in the late 1980s in Hazelton Lanes and has since grown to five locations across the GTA.
Darren Mason, President & CEO of Andrews said the other stores are located at Bayview Village, Sherway Gardens, Yorkville Village, and Oakville.
Tracing its heritage back to the ashes of the Creeds store in Toronto, Andrews was “recreated, for lack of a better word, in the early nineties in Hazelton Lanes,” Mason explained. “My two sisters, Cheryl, Beverley, and myself took over Andrews in the early nineties. When we took over Andrews, it was really a very high-end designer like what Creeds was originally known for. We re-focused on quality, value, service, style, and selection.”
The family’s retail experience stretches even further back, with Mason noting that “my mother had a store in Toronto called The Village Shop. At one point, she had 12 stores in the seventies and eighties. We took everything we learned from the Village Shop and evolved it into Andrews in the nineties.”
Anne Chen, Executive Vice President of Andrews, shed light on what shoppers can expect at the new First Canadian Place location. “We’re still speaking to the Andrews woman at First Canadian. The business of Andrews has been built on speaking to very specific facets of the Andrews woman—their personas.”
Chen described the varied customer profiles Andrews caters to, from the “career woman, how we dress them for workwear,” to the “easy, breezy, well-put-together weekend sophisticated casual,” and even the “new romantic” who enjoys “being a little more dressed up and out and about.”
Importantly, the new store will bring Andrews’ service “to the customer’s doorstep,” acknowledging that many of their existing clients already work at First Canadian Place.
The new location is “adjacent to the PATH. It’s above ground but next to the PATH,” Chen said. “The hustle and bustle, the great food, the vibe the PATH brings—it’s quite packed at lunchtimes. But we’re above ground, a little retreat you can get to by taking the escalator.”
The store will focus on delivering “the Andrews one-on-one service above ground there,” with access from the King Street entrance. The design will reflect a “little bit of an ethereal quality” and “is kind of similar to Bayview but even more light, warm, and welcoming, with a little bit of Japanese interior décor influences included in Bayview and Oakville, and a bit of Yorkville as well when we did that renovation.”
Chen noted the space is “about three and a half thousand square feet,” comparable to their Yorkville location. “Bayview and Oakville are by far the biggest,” she said, with Oakville being “the first on-the-street location.”
When asked about future growth plans beyond this opening, Mason stressed the company’s focus on blending online and physical retail experiences. “Our focus is really on unified commerce. That’s a major focus for us—being able to effortlessly bridge online shopping with in-store experiences.”
He continued, “More and more customers want the ease and convenience of online shopping but backed up with physical, very personalized experiences. We’re looking at building upon that experience for our customers.”
While there is potential for further expansion in Toronto, Mason explained that for now, the priority remains on service excellence. “We see opportunities to grow a bit more in Toronto before thinking about expanding outside the GTA. Right now, we want to deliver top-notch service and product selection for our customers.”
Chen reflected on the timing of the First Canadian Place opening, emphasizing the renewed vitality of downtown Toronto. “It was very affected during the pandemic, and we see a renaissance of people going back downtown—where you can work, live, eat, play, and shop.”
“There’s been so much focus on people working remotely or elsewhere, but what we’re finding is an incredible drive to be present, in person. One of the major reasons to reconnect with customers downtown is because of the rebirth of the core.”
Mason added context to that sentiment, linking it to the company’s legacy. “My mother had a location in First Canadian Place back in the eighties.”
“Not only are we going back there, but customers are energized and excited to be back in the epicentre, where things happen.”
Mason said that for over 30 years Andrews has lived what has now been coined as ‘quiet luxury’ in Canadian fashion.
“Location choices reveal strategy, and First Canadian Place reveals ours: be where influence lives. This isn’t about following traffic—it’s about recognizing that the women reshaping Canadian business deserve excellence at their doorstep. First Canadian Place houses some of the country’s most powerful decision-makers and influencers. For years, many of these women have been our devoted clients, navigating Toronto traffic for Saturday appointments or rushing through traffic for lunch-hour visits,” added Mason.
“They didn’t complain—they just kept asking, ‘When will you be
Downtown?’ We listened. We’ve created a space—designed by Odami, who transformed our Bayview location—that respects both their time and their standards. Positioned strategically between the PATH system and King Street, we’re accessible yet elevated. Because these women don’t need another store; they need a sanctuary that understands the rhythm of their days.
“Luxury has been redefined by women who’ve redefined success itself. They’re not interested in logos as trophies—they want intelligence in every thread. The modern professional woman sees her wardrobe like how she might see an investment portfolio: carefully chosen, high-performing, built for the long term. We provide the foundation for professional confidence. When a private equity partner needs to command a room without commanding attention, when a tech founder wants to signal innovation while inspiring trust—these are nuanced needs that require human expertise, not algorithms.
“The opportunity ahead is extraordinary for those who understand the evolution. Our First Canadian Place opening isn’t expansion for expansion’s sake—it’s recognition that downtown Toronto is being rebuilt by women who deserve partners, not just retailers. Women who understand that how they present themselves is inseparable from how they lead.
Our future lies in this truth: technology will never replace the moment when a client sees herself transformed—not just styled but understood. That’s what 35 years of quiet luxury has taught us, and it’s what we’re bringing to the heart of Canadian business.”
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