New York City-based luxury jewellery and watch brand David Yurman is expanding its Canadian concession network through partner retailer Holt Renfrew. A David Yurman boutique opened earlier this month at Holt’s in Calgary and today, David Yurman will unveil a boutique in Holt Renfrew at Mississauga’s Square One Shopping Centre. 

Both concessions, designed by David and Sybil Yurman, are open-concept without traditional walls — they include tambour casework, bronze metal vitrines, as well as hand-crafted fixtures including solid live-edge American walnut slabs and Italian travertine counter tops, which are features typically incorporated in standalone David Yurman boutiques. Both shops carry the full assortment of Women’s and Men’s collections, as well as the David Yurman Wedding collection.

The Calgary boutique, which opened on December 1, spans about 960 square feet on the ground floor of Holt Renfrew’s 150,000 square foot four-level flagship in The CORE shopping centre. The Calgary Yurman shop includes a white gold leaf decorative panel featuring a hand applied pattern of Alberta’s Provincial flower — the Wild Rose.

The Square One boutique, being unveiled today, measures about 820 square feet in the jewellery area of Holt’s 140,000 square foot Mississauga store which opened in the summer of 2016. Square One’s Yurman shop also boasts a private viewing room. 

David Yurman operates one standalone store at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The 1,625 square foot store opened in December of 2013. Yurman also has concessions at Holt Renfrew in Toronto (50 Bloor Street West) as well as in Montreal — the Montreal Yurman is expected to eventually move into an expanded Holt Renfrew Ogilvy, which will coincide with the closure of the city’s Holt’s.

Nordstrom in Vancouver also houses a David Yurman concession, as does Holt Renfrew in Vancouver — the Vancouver Holt’s Yurman boutique, which opened in the fall of 2016, is the largest of its kind in the world at 1,226 square feet. Interestingly, the Holt Renfrew Vancouver concession is the only location in Canada (and one of only five in the world) to carry Yurman’s ‘High Jewellery’ collection, with some pieces featuring precious metal and rare gemstones costing in excess of $100,000 with viewings available by appointment.

In Canada, David Yurman jewellery is also carried in a handful of upscale jewellers, as well as in selected Nordstrom locations, as well as Saks Fifth Avenue in downtown Toronto. 

Designer David Yurman founded his eponymous company in 1980, and in 1983 introduced his signature bracelet which propelled the brand. The bracelet features a twisted helix adorned with gemstones on its end caps, available at different price points depending on materials. Designs now include pieces for women and men that range from earrings to necklaces to gift items such as pens, as well as a line of timepieces and even engagement rings. David Yurman collections are available at 47 retail and concession locations throughout the United States, Canada, and France and at over 350 locations worldwide, through their exclusive authorized fine jewelry and timepiece network of retailers, including in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, UK, Russia and the Middle East.

*Photos via David Yurman. 

For more of today’s news: Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: December 13, 2017

A Toronto-based businessman has launched a unique bespoke retail concept in Toronto’s up-and-coming Liberty Village. The store is named Carnabys Bespoke Jewellery, and its customization and personalization capabilities could be a window into the future of retail, according to its founder. 

Carnabys is the brainchild of entrepreneur Geoffrey Black, who has been involved with the diamond import business for more than 10 years. He saw an opportunity to open a retail space where customers could personalize the design settings of diamonds and other stones, and chose vibrant Liberty Village for Carnabys first retail location. The store opened last month in suite 135 of the unique Liberty Market Building, located at 171 East Liberty Street. 

Customization is facilitated by Carnabys’ unique proprietary Dream Engine Software — a video screen in the store can be used by visitors to create their desired designs in real-time. Customers are first asked a series of visual questions to determine their aesthetic tastes, which is followed by the program generating design images for consideration.

Designs can then be further personalized — be it settings style, or materials (such as gold/platinum). Choosing a stone is also a part of the process, and the Dream Engine Software is able to locate and price gems from a wide range of sources. 

There’s an element of social to the process as well — customers can share their designs via social media to gage feedback from others, making the process particularly attractive to a younger demographic. 

The experience is meant to be pressure-free and eclectic, putting the customer in control of their desired purchase. Visitors are encouraged to linger for the full experience, which could include having a cocktail and enjoying some music. The store has been open for several weeks now, and customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. 

Carnabys’ gems are 100% conflict free, notes Mr. Black, and all are certified by the Gemological Institute of America. All of Carnabys’ pieces are designed and handmade in Toronto by local craftsmen.

Custom-made jewellery is particularly hot this fall — Meghan Markle, ho until recently was living in Toronto and is now engaged to Prince Harry, worked with a jeweller to customize her engagement ring design. 

For those seeking ready-made jewellery pieces, Carnabys also offers a selection of about 100 pieces ranging from classic to trendy. Prices are also kept reasonable, ranging in price from $199 to $5,000 — Mr. Black explained that he wants Carnabys to be accessible to a wide range of clients and incomes. Ready-to-wear pieces focus on white, rose and yellow gold that is adorned with delicate and brilliant white diamonds.

Mr. Black, who has extensive ties to the United Kingdom, explained why he chose to open his first store at Toronto’s Liberty Village. He revealed that he had the opportunity to open a store almost anywhere in the world, and that he chose Toronto because it has “come into its own” — the city is growing quickly and is developing its own culture and tastes, and Toronto’s profile continues to be amplified by popular culture, including the music scene. 

Liberty Village was chosen because of its character and demographics — the neighbourhood is a mix of restored heritage buildings, and newly-built commercial and residential buildings. Thousands of people work in the area in industries such as tech, and thousands more live in the area, contributing to what is becoming a significant and vibrant neighbourhood. With a young and upwardly mobile population (including some looking to get married), Liberty Village made sense for Carnabys to bring its own tech to the neighbourhood. 

When asked if the Carnabys retail concept could be rolled-out to other places, Mr. Black explained that his first priority is to perfect the concept of his Liberty Village store, to ensure that it’s the best that it can be, and best serves clients at large. As consumers continue to demand product customization options, there could be room for further growth and expansion for the Carnabys concept. 

*Photos are courtesy of Carnabys. 

For more of today’s news: Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: December 13, 2017

Woolrich, America’s oldest outdoor clothing company, has entered the Canadian retail scene with its first store at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre — and it’s impressive. The company’s president says he expects to open at least three stores in Canada by the year 2019, targeting Montreal and Vancouver for standalone Woolrich store locations. 

The Yorkdale store occupies a 2,875 square foot retail space in Yorkdale’s Nordstrom Wing, between Warby Parker and Mendocino. Woolrich’s facade features the trademark red-and-black ‘Woolrich Buffalo Check™ similar to its Tokyo flagship, as well as a video screen above the storefront. 

The Toronto store’s design was inspired by Japanese architecture firm Wonderwall‘s Tokyo flagship, with an impressive interior that includes a mix of contemporary elements and distressed wood fixtures, in a brightly-lit space. The store includes men’s and women’s fashions, outerwear, accessories and footwear. 

Aurora Realty Consultants is acting on behalf of Woolrich for its Canadian expansion, and Jeff Berkowitz and Ashley Lebofsky acted on behalf of the retailer in the Yorkdale deal. According to Aurora Realty Consultants’ website, Woolrich stores ideally occupy retail spaces in the 2,500 square foot range, either in enclosed malls or on urban high streets. 

In an interview at the store’s grand opening last week, Woolrich President Nicholas P. Brayton said that he expects at least two more Woolrich stores to open in Canada — a Montreal store would likely open in 2018, and Vancouver would follow in 2019. He said that he expects Montreal and Vancouver locations to be on urban street-fronts, as opposed to in an enclosed mall like the Yorkdale store. He noted that Yorkdale is the company’s first mall store. 

Woolrich International — a new entity created in fall 2016 after the merger of Woolrich Inc. and Woolrich Europe — plans to open more than 60 Woolrich stores worldwide by the year 2020. Mr. Brayton said that Europe would be a significant expansion market for the brand and as well, the United States is expected to see more Woolrich store locations. There are currently 26 Woolrich stores in the world, including two in the United States — one in Boston at 299 Newbury Street, as well as a store at 125 Wooster Street in New York City’s Soho area. It also operates an outlet in Woolrich, Pennsylvania. 

The company was founded in Pennsylvania in 1830 for the purpose of manufacturing fabric for the wives of hunters, loggers and trappers. Later, the company also outfitted clothing supplies to the American Civil War. It includes two labels: Woolrich Outdoor, distributed in North America, and Woolrich John Rich & Bros., the contemporary high-end outerwear line that is distributed worldwide.

*All photos by Erin Leydon Photography.