Imaginaire is preparing to accelerate its expansion across Canada, with the Quebec-based hobby and collectibles retailer planning to open two to three stores annually beginning in 2027 as it works toward establishing a national presence over the next five years.
The expansion plans come as Imaginaire marks its 40th anniversary and opens its 10th store, a 20,000-square-foot location at Montreal Eaton Centre representing an investment of more than $2.5 million.
Ontario will be the retailer’s next major focus, founder Benoît Doyon told Retail Insider, although Imaginaire has already visited shopping centres in the Maritimes, Newfoundland, Alberta and British Columbia, with discussions underway.
“Starting in 2027, we plan to open two to three stores a year over the following five years,” Doyon said. “I believe Imaginaire brings shopping centres a product selection that is genuinely different from what other retailers offer, and more and more centres are interested in having us.”
The company wants to maintain reasonable proximity between its stores as it expands, meaning more distant parts of Canada will have to wait. For now, Doyon said, Ontario is the priority.
Montreal Eaton Centre Becomes Imaginaire’s 10th Store
Imaginaire opened at Montreal Eaton Centre on October 3 on the tunnel level near the food court. The store carries the retailer’s broad assortment of board games, manga, comics, trading cards, sports cards, role-playing games, coins, puzzles, collectibles and related products.
The company had wanted to establish a presence at Montreal Eaton Centre for some time but had been waiting for the right opportunity.
“The mall attracts a great deal of attention from tourists and has a profile across Canada,” Doyon said. “That gives us a chance to reach customers who might not visit our other stores and to get noticed by suppliers and other shopping centres.”
The store includes a larger and more varied children’s assortment than Imaginaire’s other locations, along with a glass-enclosed area showcasing some of the rarest collectibles in its inventory.
The amount of space Imaginaire requires has grown along with its assortment. In Sherbrooke, for example, the retailer expanded an existing store from 5,000 square feet to 15,000 square feet to accommodate a wider selection.
“The world of hobbies and collecting has changed enormously over the years, and it is thriving,” Doyon said. “The range of products available has never been richer or more varied.”
Collecting Becomes More Mainstream
Doyon said there is no single category driving Imaginaire’s growth. Trading cards, sports cards, board games, manga, coins and other areas of the business continue to evolve alongside their respective customer communities.
Collecting itself has also changed considerably. Years ago, Doyon said, collecting was more of a niche pursuit, with enthusiasts less likely to talk openly about their interests. Today, collectors are more likely to share what they love, while shows and conventions increasingly bring enthusiast communities together in public.
Imaginaire attempts to create a similar sense of community within shopping centres.
“Our customers are more diverse and outgoing than they used to be, and more willing to explore worlds they do not yet know,” Doyon said.
Trading cards, including Pokémon, remain an important part of the business, although Doyon cautioned against attributing broader growth in collecting to any one category.
He acknowledged an element of speculation in Pokémon cards, sports cards and American comic books, with some consumers interested in their potential investment value. Having worked with sports cards since the 1980s, Doyon said he has seen repeated cycles of intense interest in individual collecting categories.
“There are occasional dips, but each time, the broader trend has continued upward,” he said.
Lessons From Ottawa Shape Expansion Plans
Imaginaire’s experience entering markets with larger English-speaking customer bases has changed how the company approaches expansion.
Doyon said Ottawa, Pointe-Claire and Laval required more adjustment than earlier openings. Until then, Imaginaire had been accustomed to seeing strong results almost immediately when it entered a new market.
“In these markets, we needed a few months to adapt,” he said. “We had to learn a different way of operating and broaden our selection to serve more tourists and occasional shoppers, rather than the local customers and regular visitors we were used to.”
The company also learned that entering new markets could require real estate compromises, including taking space on multiple floors. Doyon said Imaginaire can now be more selective about both the shopping centres it chooses and the location of its stores within them.
“We are opening at the Montreal Eaton Centre much better equipped than we were a few years ago, and we are confident the store will do well from the start,” he said.
Those lessons will be important as Imaginaire looks for additional locations in Ontario.
From 150 Square Feet to Large-Format Stores
Imaginaire’s roots date to 1986, when Doyon acquired a struggling 150-square-foot stamp and coin shop at Laurier Québec.
The assortment gradually expanded in response to customers. Sports cards were added, followed by comics, role-playing games, manga and other categories that eventually transformed the business.
Doyon divides the company’s history into two major periods. The first lasted roughly 30 years and included eight expansions as the business broadened beyond stamps and coins.
“That is when a small coin and stamp shop became Imaginaire,” he said.
The second began in 2017, when his sons Anthony and Dave acquired the company and began taking its business model beyond the Quebec City region.
Anthony has since led the strategic side of Imaginaire’s expansion, while Dave took a particularly hands-on role in establishing new stores.
“Much of our rapid growth was possible because Dave was willing to move every year to open each of our stores,” Doyon said.
Imaginaire now has a dedicated store-opening team, allowing Dave to focus on his role as sales director. Anthony is co-owner and director of operations, while Benoît focuses on marketing and advertising and Mireille Doyon serves as administrative director.
Larger Quebec City Store Coming in 2027
Another large-format store is already planned for next year. Imaginaire will open at Galeries de la Capitale in Quebec City in April 2027, bringing the chain to 11 locations across Quebec and Ontario. The company expects to employ nearly 600 people by that point.
Doyon said Imaginaire’s existing 28,000-square-foot Quebec City store has reached maturity and no longer has enough room for some of the product lines the company wants to introduce.
The Galeries de la Capitale location will allow Imaginaire to add a large department devoted to children’s products. Doyon said the busy shopping centre and its strong family customer base make it particularly well suited to the expanded assortment.
The need for additional space represents a remarkable change from the company’s origins four decades ago, when its entire operation occupied about 150 square feet.
Ontario Next as Imaginaire Builds National Footprint
The planned pace of two to three openings annually beginning in 2027 would mark a significant acceleration for a company reaching its 10th store after 40 years in business.
Imaginaire has said it is actively seeking additional shopping-centre locations outside Quebec, with Ontario and the Maritimes identified as areas for future growth.
Ontario will come first as the retailer builds its network outward while keeping stores relatively close together.
“Over the next five years, I expect Imaginaire to grow from a business rooted in Quebec into a company with a national presence,” Doyon said.
He expects greater scale to give Imaginaire a stronger voice with suppliers and shopping-centre owners as it pursues future projects. Beyond the five-year Canadian expansion plan, the possibilities are less defined.
Doyon said he dreams of eventually opening an Imaginaire store in Europe, which could also have strategic benefits for sourcing products. The company is also considering whether the United States could become an expansion market before it moves into Western Canada.
Forty years after Doyon took over a 150-square-foot stamp and coin shop, Imaginaire is preparing for what could be its biggest transformation yet: from a Quebec family business into a national retailer.
