Toronto’s Union Station is in the process of seeing a transformation that will turn Canada’s busiest and most iconic transit hub into a destination with a mix of retailers and food concepts. A key tenant to the development will be LVMH-owned beauty retailer Sephora which will open at Union Station in 2022. Sephora will join an impressive roster of tenants which will include some well-known local names in retail and food and beverage, as well as many familiar national and international brands. Other tenants will be revealed in the coming weeks and months as deals are signed.
Sephora will occupy a key location spanning about 4,500 square feet in the new Bay Street Promenade at Union Station, marking a major milestone in the Union Station development which will see the transit hub become a significant social and shopping destination.
“We are thrilled to be expanding our presence in Toronto with the planned opening of a new Sephora store at Union Station,” said Gregory Bruyer, General Manager of Sephora Canada in a statement to Retail Insider. “Our national expansion strategy focuses on bringing our unique in-store experience to more Canadians while delivering ease and convenience to our clients, with new ways to shop Sephora continuously rolling out. We can’t wait for the local community and commuters alike to discover all that we have in store for them at this new location.”
Sephora is expanding its presence in Canada significantly over the next two-to-three years. The retailer says that it will open about 50 more Canadian stores during that time. Sephora currently operates 83 stores in Canada following the opening of a store last month at Lansdowne Place in Peterborough Ontario, and the chain’s 84th Canadian location opens Friday at Les Promenades Gatineau near Ottawa.
“We are grateful for Sephora’s long-term commitment to Union Station, a reflection of the quality of the project and its tremendous consumer traffic draw,” said Lawrence Zucker, CEO of Osmington Inc., the retail developer of Union Station.
Union Station is seeing a remarkable overhaul that includes a complete repositioning and redevelopment of the retail component which will expand its footprint to about 170,000 square feet. The Union Station project is the most significant retail development in downtown Toronto in more than 40 years since the opening of CF Toronto Eaton Centre in 1977. The mix of retail, food and service tenants will make Union Station a draw for locals and visitors in a unique heritage building in the heart of the city.
Toronto based Beauleigh Retail Consultants and Osmington have worked together through the creative process to create the retail vision for Union Station. According to Marcelle Rademeyer of Beauleigh, the partnership has been emblematic of an exceptional collaboration with Osmington, led by CEO Lawrence Zucker and his team, with the common goal and vision to respect the importance of the iconic building through the redevelopment and deliver to the City of Toronto a project which reflects the diversity of Toronto, including exceptional programming and special events. Over the past decade, Beauleigh has strategized and handled the leasing at the property from its inception and continues to do so to this day.
Jeff Berkowitz of Aurora Realty Consultants negotiated the Sephora lease deal on behalf of the retailer.
The team at Beauleigh recently took Retail Insider on a tour of the construction site, noting that the majority of the retail footprint at Union Station has been accounted for with committed tenants while some spaces remain under negotiation. Other exciting developments include a new food-focused market hall that will celebrate Toronto’s diversity as one of the most multicultural places in the world.
We’ll be reporting more on Union Station in the coming weeks as more announcements can be made, and we’ll follow up on this story when Sephora opens.
