Alberta-based men’s luxury brand retailer Henry Singer is relocating its Calgary store. After almost 30 years on the 3rd floor of Bankers Hall, Henry Singer is locating to a slightly smaller retail space in a building nearby. The move is all about exposure and accessibility, according to the company’s president, Jordan Singer.
The new 6,006 square foot replacement store will open this fall on the ground floor of Calgary’s Eighth Avenue Place (545 8 Avenue S.W.). The store will be ‘highly-experiential’ according to Mr. Singer, and will be designed by award-winning architecture and interior design firm McKinley Burkart.
The store’s design will be simple and with luxurious details, allowing the clothing to be the focal point. Rather than operate shop-in-stores as it currently does, the new Calgary Henry Singer will feature one unified space, carrying luxury brands such as Kiton (with suits costing more than $8,000) Jacob Cohen (pricey denim) and Scarpe di Bianco (luxury footwear).
‘VIP’ change rooms will be among the luxury offerings, as well as a made-to-measure suite and an open-concept tailor shop, where intricate hand-finishing and pressing will be done in-house by master tailors. The new store will also feature an on-site barbershop and an apothecary featuring a curated selection of men’s skin care products and fragrances. Henry Singer’s shoe offerings will also be expanded — men’s footwear is one of fashion’s fastest-growing segments at the moment.
In an interview, Jordan Singer explained that he wanted the Calgary store to have greater visibility, and he jumped at the opportunity to locate on 8th Avenue. The store will feature a street-front entrance as well as easy access to adjacent office towers via the city’s above-ground +15 walkway system. Parking is also nearby, adding to the convenience factor.
While it will be a bit smaller than Singer’s current Banker’s Hall store (at almost 7,500 square feet), the new 6,000 square foot store will feel just as large, with its open concept design.
Singer’s move comes at a time when the Calgary economy is struggling, while at the same time competitors are expanding. Downtown Calgary is home to a massive Holt Renfrew flagship, which features an impressive 20,000 square foot men’s floor with a vast array of designers. Luxury menswear retailer Harry Rosen operates a 30,000 square foot store nearby at The CORE shopping centre, as does Brooks Brothers, with its dapper menswear offerings. Further out in the suburbs is CF Chinook Centre, which features Calgary’s other Harry Rosen store as well as Nordstrom and, early next year, Saks Fifth Avenue will enter the market with a 115,000 square foot store. When asked if he’s concerned, Mr. Singer said he’s ready to take on the competition with a differentiated store format, noting that the retailer already has a loyal following.
Henry Singer Fashion Group was founded in Edmonton in 1938 by Henry Singer (Jordan’s grandfather), and the retailer has a storied history in Alberta. Besides the current Banker’s Hall location in Calgary, Henry Singer also has two Edmonton stores — at Manulife Place in the downtown core, as well as at West Edmonton Mall (housing ‘HS by Henry Singer‘).
