Canadian activewear giant lululemon has unveiled a new downtown Montreal flagship store at the high-profile corner of Sainte-Catherine and Peel Streets, opening one of the company’s largest and most design-focused Canadian locations to date in the Marine Building.
Located at 1035 Sainte-Catherine Street West, the new store spans approximately 11,600 square feet across two levels and replaces lululemon’s previous Sainte-Catherine Street West location, which had operated nearby for 16 years. The larger footprint allows lululemon to expand product presentation across women’s and men’s apparel, footwear, and accessories tied to categories including yoga, running, training, and everyday movement.
The intersection is among Montreal’s busiest and best-known shopping corners, benefiting from significant pedestrian traffic, direct access to the Underground City network, and proximity to office towers, hotels, universities, and tourism destinations. The surrounding corridor has also seen renewed leasing momentum in recent years as major retailers continue reinvesting in downtown Montreal flagship retail.
The opening additionally fills a highly visible retail space that had sat mostly vacant since the closure of an American Eagle store during the pandemic era, further reflecting renewed demand for major retail corners along Sainte-Catherine Street West.
Store Design Draws Inspiration From Vancouver and Montreal
The new Montreal store incorporates references to lululemon’s Pacific Northwest origins while embedding design details tied specifically to Montreal. Visitors entering the space encounter a softer Pacific Northwest-inspired colour palette accented with touches of cedar red. Natural textures and lighter tones create a warmer atmosphere than many traditional athletic apparel stores.
As shoppers move toward the second floor, wall treatments inspired by the mountainous landscapes surrounding Vancouver create a visual transition between levels.
Throughout the storefront, mesh design elements create movement across the windows while showcasing the phrase “VIVRE EN MOUVEMENT,” a localized message connecting the environment to Montreal.
One of the store’s most distinctive architectural features is a curved element on the second floor that designers affectionately nicknamed “the croissant” during the development process because of its shape.
The location also includes a commissioned artwork by Montreal artist Jason Cantoro positioned behind the cash area. Additional localized design moments throughout the store serve as an ode to Montreal and reflect characteristics associated with the city’s identity and culture.
The overall result is a retail environment intentionally tailored to Montreal rather than replicated from another market.
Premium Retailers Continue Investing in Experiential Urban Stores
The Montreal opening reflects broader changes occurring across premium retail, where brands are increasingly using larger urban stores to immerse shoppers in storytelling and experiential retail environments.
For premium retailers, store design has increasingly become part of the brand experience itself. Architecture, localization, and merchandising are playing larger roles as brands attempt to strengthen emotional connections with consumers and encourage longer in-store visits.
That trend has become especially visible in major urban markets where retailers are investing in larger-format stores functioning as both shopping destinations and brand showcases. The larger store format also provides additional space for footwear presentation, an increasingly important category for lululemon.
Executives at lululemon recently discussed the company’s evolving store strategy during its March 2026 earnings call, emphasizing larger-format store “optimizations” in influential cities, elevated presentation, localized merchandising, and enhanced guest experiences.
The company also noted that its largest stores generate productivity levels above the fleet average. lululemon executives additionally described the company’s updated store approach as featuring reduced product density, clearer activity-based merchandising, and improved navigation for guests.
The Montreal location aligns with that evolving retail direction.
Montreal Continues lululemon’s Canadian Urban Store Evolution
lululemon’s investment in Montreal follows a series of major urban store projects across Canada over the past decade.
The strategy evolved through the expansion of lululemon’s Vancouver flagship at the southeast corner of Robson and Burrard Streets, which first opened in 2014 before expanding into adjacent space and reopening in an enlarged format in 2022.
More recently, lululemon opened a major store at the intersection of Yonge and Bloor Streets in Toronto in June 2024, further reflecting the company’s focus on prominent urban retail corridors and larger-format environments.
The Montreal location continues that strategy, combining elevated design, localization, and expanded retail space within one of Canada’s most important downtown shopping districts.
The company has also emphasized localization and community-driven retail environments globally, including newer stores in Soho in New York and Gangnam in Seoul.
Continued Investment in Quebec and Canada
The opening brings lululemon’s Quebec store count to eight locations and reflects continued investment in both the Quebec market and Canadian physical retail more broadly.
The retailer continues to expand internationally while refining and upgrading its North American fleet through relocations, renovations, and larger-format store optimizations. During its March 2026 earnings call, the company said it plans to complete approximately 35 store optimizations globally this year in addition to opening new locations.
Despite broader caution in some areas of North American retail, lululemon continues investing heavily in premium urban retail environments and experiential stores as part of its long-term growth strategy.
In Montreal, that strategy now takes shape through a store designed as both a retail destination and a localized expression of the brand itself.
