Quebec City-based large format fashion retailer La Maison Simons has secured a former Target location, with plans to build a new store. It will replace a Simons location in the same mall about half the size. The new store’s opening date has yet to be revealed.
Located at Galeries de la Capitale in Quebec City, the new 80,000 square foot Simons will replace the mall’s current 45,000 square foot store which opened in 1981. At the time, Simons stores operated in smaller footprints and over the past few years, new stores have opened in the 80,000 to 100,000 square foot range.
Target opened in the mall’s former Zellers location in November of 2013, as part of the Minneapolis-based retailer’s expansion into Canada. Target closed its Canadian stores in April of 2015 after declaring bankruptcy.
Oxford Properties-operated Galeries de la Capitale, the largest mall in the province at 1.496 million square feet, will also soon see a $40 million renovation to its common areas, corridors and mall entrances. This follows last year’s $50 million investment that included a relocation of its food court, Espace Gourmet, the relocation/expansion of book retailer Renaud-Bray, the expansion of H&M, and the opening of Forever 21.
This spring, Old Navy, BCBG and Dollarama will open in the mall. Galeries de la Capitale features 280 stores and restaurants, and is anchored by Hudson’s Bay, Sears, Simons, Toys R Us, IMAX, Best Buy and Sports Experts. It also features an indoor amusement park called Méga-Parc, with 20 attractions including a Ferris wheel, roller coasters, and a skating rink.
Simons’ next location will open in mid-March of this year at Mississauga’s Square One. The company plans to eventually operate as many as 30 Canadian stores coast-to-coast, according to CEO Peter Simons.
