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Casper Establishes 1st Physical Retail Presence in Canada

By
Craig Patterson
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New York City-based sleep brand Casper has launched a retail presence in Canada, through a partnership with Williams-Sonoma-owned retailer West Elm. Until now, Casper has only been available to Canadian consumers online. 

Casper launched within the West Elm store at Toronto’s Liberty Village earlier this month and according to Casper’s Canadian general manager Nicole Tapscott, it’s been a hit with consumers. As eCommerce is less developed in Canada compared to in the U.S., having a physical presence in this country presents the opportunity for shoppers to see and experience the product before making a purchase, she noted. 

It’s the first time that Casper has offered its products within a retailer on a cash-and-carry basis, according to Ms. Tapscott. In the United States, West Elm shoppers can make a purchase in-store, but Casper products are subsequently delivered. Casper launched at American West Elm stores in the summer of 2016. 

Casper partnered with West Elm, which has stores in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver, because of the retailer’s strong reputation as well as modern design, reasonable prices, and connection to community. While Toronto’s Liberty Village West Elm is currently the only Canadian location to carry Casper, Ms. Tapscott says that more could follow. 

In the spring of 2016, Casper hosted its pop-up “Canadian Nap Tour”, bringing its “Napmobile” to Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto. Customers were given the opportunity to take a short nap in one of Casper’s beds in one of several portable “Snooze Rooms” that the company set up in various locations. 

In November of 2016, the New York Post reported that Casper was planning to open physical stores, based on help wanted ads on its website. The company won’t officially comment on any such plans at this time.  

Backed by Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Adam Levine and Ashton Kutcher, Casper launched in 2014 as a direct-to-consumer online mattress retailer, with its product delivered in a “how did they do that?” sized box. Casper’s memory foam mattress comes in a variety of sizes, ranging in price between $725 and $1275 (Canadian), depending on size. Recently, the company has expanded its product assortment to include a “perfect pillow” pillow-in-a-pillow and soft, breathable sheets, and even dog beds. Casper keeps its prices reasonable by eliminating commission-driven wholesale channels and related costs, including retail space. The company’s phenomenal growth saw it being declared one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies in the World” and in 2015, Casper won the title of TIME Magazine’s “Best Inventions of 2015”, with sales in excess of US $100 million. 

MUJI Announces Another Store as it Continues Canadian Expansion

By
Craig Patterson
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Minimalist Japanese retailer MUJI has announced that it will open a fourth store in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) this summer, as it plans to eventually operate up to 20 Canadian stores by the year 2020. 

MUJI entered the Canadian market in November of 2014, when it opened a 4,400 square foot store in downtown Toronto’s ‘The Atrium’, at 20 Dundas Street. A 5,225 square foot MUJI subsequently opened at Mississauga’s Square One in November of 2015, and in October of 2016, a 6,375 square foot store opened at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. 

This summer, MUJI will open its fourth GTA location at CF Markville, an enclosed shopping mall in Markham. The store will span in excess of 6,000 square feet, and will boast a prominent corner location near entrance 10 on the mall’s main level, across from Roots, The Gap, and Forever 21, and next to the mall’s Joey restaurant, as per the floor plan below. 

In October of last year, MUJI’s Canadian President, Toru Akita, revealed that MUJI plans to operate between 15 and 20 Canadian stores by the year 2020. 

In January of this year, MUJI announced its first two Vancouver store locations, both of which will be larger than its current Toronto stores. A 10,000 square foot Robson Street flagship will open later this year, as well as an 8,000 square foot unit at Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby. A third location in the Vancouver area has also been secured, and it will open in 2018. 

Known for being innovative and its products being affordable and unbranded, MUJI carries various household items, furniture, appliances, stationery and apparel. With hundreds of stores worldwide (over 400 in Japan and about 400 internationally), it saves money by spending little to nothing on market research and advertising. MUJI is short for Mujirushi Ryohin, or no-brand superior items, and was founded in 1980 as the private-label brand of a major supermarket chain.

Shumaker Opens Impressive Kingston Flagship (Photos)

By
Craig Patterson
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Shumaker at 202 Princess Street in Kingston, Ontario (Image: Shumaker)

Canadian footwear brand Shumaker (pronounced ‘shoe maker’) has opened its largest store to date in Kingston, Ontario. The new location marks the company’s first street-front retail space, and is part of a larger expansion that is seeing Shumaker open several stores this year. 

The two-level 3,200 square foot Kingston store, located at 202 Princess Street (just off the intersection of Montreal Street and Princess Street), is Shumaker’s 10th store to date. The space includes high ceilings, exquisite chandeliers, grand antique mirrors, and a touch of modernism, blending the charm of the exposed brick and stone, burnt wood, and century old space with its typical bright environment that includes modern white furniture and its signature red and rose gold accents.   

The store was designed in-house, and Olivier Raoult of FR Capital Realty coordinated that lease deal. 

Shumaker at 202 Princess Street in Kingston, Ontario (Image: Shumaker)
Shumaker at 202 Princess Street in Kingston, Ontario (Image: Shumaker)

The Princess Street building has an interesting history. Originally constructed in 1887, it once belonged to W.J. Baker, tobacconist, known for its special “Queen’s blend and Baker’s Cut Plug”. The second floor formerly housed a billiards parlour. Princess Street, formerly called ‘Store Street’, is a popular destination for both locals and tourists, in a city that was once Canada’s capital.  

An 11th Shumaker store is set to open later this year, in Toronto. Located at 2581 Yonge Street in Toronto (between Eglinton Avenue and Lawrence Avenue), the new store will be on a stretch of Yonge Street that is adjacent to some of the city’s most affluent residential areas, including Lawrence Park.

Shumaker was founded in 1948 as a footwear manufacturer and distributor, and is now based in Mississauga. Known for its moderately priced contemporary casual footwear for men and women, Shumaker also boasts wholesale distribution in over 1,600 points of sale across Canada.

Shumaker at 202 Princess Street in Kingston, Ontario (Image: Shumaker)
Shumaker at 202 Princess Street in Kingston, Ontario (Image: Shumaker)

The company opened its first physical store locations in 2015, adopting an interior design featuring white interiors with strong red accents. In August of 2015, Shumaker’s first store opened at Peterborough’s Lansdowne Place, followed by locations in Barrie (RioCan Georgian Mall), Bellville (Quinte Mall), Hamilton (CF Lime Ridge), Ottawa (two stores: Carlingwood Shopping Centre and Place d’Orleans) as well as two Toronto area stores (Erin Mills Town Centre in Mississauga and CF Markville in Markham).

Shumaker’s Director of Operations, Ishan Singh, notes that the retailer continues to be in discussions with several landlords for locations in Ontario, both within shopping centres as well as urban street-fronts. Mr. Singh says that he is the primary contact for landlords regarding any potential future deals for Shumaker, at this time, and that more locations are expected to be announced in the coming months. 

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Update: The store at 202 Princess St closed its doors as of April 27th, 2022

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Additional Images

Shumaker in Kingston, Ontario (Image: Support Kingston)

Kohler Opens First Canadian Signature Store (Photos) 

By
Craig Patterson
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Renowned kitchen and bathroom fixtures brand Kohler has opened its first Canadian Kohler Signature store, in Vancouver. The 5,000 square foot retail space is located in the city’s upscale ‘South Granville’ retail area. 

Located at 1606 West Broadway (corner of West Broadway and Fir Street), the store is owned and operated by EMCO Corporation. The retail space provides an upscale shopping atmosphere, as well as expert customer service. Consumers and design professionals are provided a hands-on opportunity to experience the latest kitchen and bathroom products exclusively from the Kohler Co. brands.

Eye-catching displays of kitchen and bathroom fixtures are featured in a variety of contemporary, transitional and classic designs. In addition to faucets, sinks, showerheads, bathtubs, toilets, tile and other premium kitchen and bathroom products from the Kohler Co. collections, customers can experience working faucets, showers and bathtubs and peruse an eclectic series of fully designed room layouts that replicate real-life settings and feature cutting-edge technology. 

Customers can schedule varying levels of project support from complementary, two dimensional space and project planning to fee-based, in-home consultations and delivery options.

David Kohler, President and Chief Executive Officer, explained the KOHLER Signature Store experience as, “delivering to our customers a full-service shopping and design experience that allows them to appreciate the quality of gracious living that has been a hallmark of Kohler Co. since its inception.”

CBRE Vancouver represented Kohler in the lease deal with the landlord, under the direction of Martin Moriarty and Mario Negris. 

“We are excited to offer Canadians a 100 per cent Kohler Co. experience, and we’re very proud that Vancouver was chosen as the very first KOHLER Signature Store location in Canada,” says George Corning, Region Manager, EMCO Corporation. “With hundreds of beautiful products on display, an inviting store layout, and comprehensive design services, Canadians will gain inspiring ideas and guidance for their own kitchen and bathroom renovations. And we’re conveniently located in a very high-traffic and design-oriented retail area of the city.”

Richard Mille to Open 1st Freestanding Canadian Boutique

By
Craig Patterson
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Richard Mille in Yorkville

One of the world’s priciest and most prestigious watch brands, Richard Mille, will open a freestanding store in Toronto’s upscale Yorkville area this spring. Swiss-based Richard Mille features some watch styles that are priced in excess of $1 million. 

The eponymous Richard Mille brand was founded in 1999 in collaboration with Audemars Piguet, and is based in Les Breuleux, in the Canton of Jura, Switzerland. Its first product, the RM001 went on sale in 2001. Many of the company’s watches have opening prices in the six figures and in some instances, considerably more. The brand’s most famous models include the Tourbillon RM 008 (chronograph tourbillon) and the sapphire split seconds (chronograph tourbillon) RM 056. The RM 008 combines a tourbillon movement with manual winding, a chronograph split-seconds, a torque indicator, and a power reserve indicator. The company claims that these are among the most advanced watches in the world, with starting prices in excess of $700,000.  

(TOURBILLON RM 008, PHOTO VIA RICHARD MILLE) 

The Toronto boutique will be located at 118 Yorkville Avenue, at the base of the prestigious Hazelton Hotel. Jeweller Louis Black will operate the new Richard Mille boutique under a licensing agreement, and the new Mille space replaces the Louis Black store that previously occupied the retail space. 

(LOOKING TOWARDS THE NEW BOUTIQUE FROM THE SOUTH SIDE OF YORKVILLE AVENUE)

Richard Mille boutiques are quite rare, with locations in selected cities that boast affluent locals and tourists. In the United States, there are five Richard Mille boutiques in four cities, including Aspen CO, Beverly Hills CA (222 N. Rodeo Drive), Las Vegas (Shops at Crystals), and two in the Miami area — at Bal Harbour Shops, and at Brickell City Centre. 

(THE PRICEY HAZELTON HOTEL INCLUDES LUXURY CONDOMINIUMS ABOVE, SIZED BETWEEN 2,815 SQUARE FEET AND OVER 8,000 SQUARE FEET FOR A PENTHOUSE. PRICES FOR HOTEL SUITES AND RESIDENCES ARE BOTH STRATOSPHERIC).

Richard Mille joins a number of other luxury brands that are opening stores on Toronto’s Yorkville Avenue. Last summer, Christian Louboutin opened its first freestanding Canadian store at 99 Yorkville Avenue, and pricey streetwear brand Off-White quietly opened a store in December of 2016 at 83 Yorkville Avenue. Chanel will open an 8,700 square foot store at 100 Yorkville Avenue in a few months, and earlier this month we revealed that Jimmy Choo will open its second Toronto store at 102 Yorkville Avenue, in a building that will be finished construction in late 2018. A number of other luxury brands have been in the area for over a year, including a Kiton shop that faces Yorkville Avenue, as well as Spanish jeweller Carrera y Carrera, which operates its only North American store just off Yorkville Avenue on Old York Lane. 

Participants Sought for Annual Retail Stores Compensation Benchmark Survey

By
Retail Insider
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Korn Ferry Hay Group is seeking participants for its 2017 retail stores compensation survey to benchmark store, corporate and distribution/fulfillment centre roles. Participants are sought from all retail organizations across Canada and the USA who have operations in Canada.
 
Over the past few years, an increasing amount of international retail organizations have moved into the Canadian landscape, and we have experienced growth within our very own Canadian retailers. Consumer trends are moving towards online purchasing and it is growing increasingly important to stay competitive and benchmark these vital roles.
 
Store associates are the largest group of employees in a retail organization, and their compensation costs can dramatically impact your bottom-line. Knowing the market rates and what to pay your hourly and salaried employees are crucial to attracting and retaining the talent you need while managing your organization’s costs. This survey will allow you to benchmark your hourly and salaried positions at a local, provincial and national level.
 
Last year, our survey collected data from over 236,000 incumbents representing 38 divisions of 26 Canadian organizations. Our data comes straight from the source! We work directly with Human Resource and Compensation teams, ensuring reliable and robust data.
 
For further information and participation please e-mail the retail account manager, Morgan Frese at morgan.frese@kornferry.com or call 416-815-6353.

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*Korn Ferry is the preeminent global people and organizational advisory firm. We help leaders, organizations, and societies succeed by releasing the full power and potential of people. Our nearly 7,000 colleagues deliver services through our Executive Search, Hay Group, and Futurestep divisions.

Partner content. To work with Retail Insider, contact Craig Patterson at: craig@retail-insider.com.

Marc Cain Announces Canadian Expansion After Initial Success

By
Craig Patterson
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Upscale German fashion brand Marc Cain will open three more Canadian stores this year, after seeing success after entering the country with its first stores in the fall of 2015. Marc Cain is also launching its first American stores this spring, and it will use its Canadian distribution centre to fulfill operations in the United States. 

Marc Cain currently operates five stores in Canada, and it also wholesales in upscale retailers nationally. The company’s first three Canadian stores opened in October of 2015 at CF Carrefour Laval near Montreal, at Place Ste-Foy in Quebec City, and at CF Chinook Centre in Calgary. A store at Mississauga’s Square One followed in March of 2016 and, most recently, Marc Cain opened at CF Toronto Eaton Centre in April of last year. 

The Canadian operations are seeing considerable success, according to Marc Cain’s Canadian managing director Stephen Belfer, prompting the company to further expand its base of stores in this country. In late spring of this year, Marc Cain’s first Vancouver store will open at Oakridge Centre, in a 2,200 square foot retail space next to Tiffany & Co., and across from Harry Rosen. In the fall of 2017, West Edmonton Mall will see that city’s first Marc Cain location, when it opens a 2,150 square foot store on the mall’s second level, between Kate Spade and True Religion. And towards the end of this year, Marc Cain will enter the Ottawa market with a 1,400 square foot unit at CF Rideau Centre, near Nordstrom. 

Marc Cain works with brokerage Oberfeld Snowcap for its Canadian real estate deals. 

Looking into 2018, Mr. Belfer noted that Marc Cain could further expand into the Greater Toronto Area, as well in the Vancouver area. One might speculate that Toronto’s upscale CF Sherway Gardens, Bayview Village and Yorkdale Shopping Centre could be targets, as might Park Royal and CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver. 

Marc Cain will also be opening three stores in the United States over the next four months, as it begins with an expansion south of the border. The company’s Canadian warehouse will act as a fulfillment centre for the US stores, and a retail office was recently established in New Jersey. Mr. Belfer is also overseeing Marc Cain’s American expansion. The retailer’s first US store opens this month at Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, NJ, followed by May openings at The Westchester in White Plains, NY and at the King of Prussia shopping mall, outside of Philadelphia. 

Founded in Bodelshausen, Germany in 1973, Marc Cain operates 210 stores in 34 countries, as well as almost 300 shop-in-shops and 387 franchised units. It also sells in over 1,000 specialty stores in 61 countries. 

*Photos via Square One/Oxford Properties Group.

Ecommerce Retailer Sees Explosive Growth, Announces 20x Size Headquarter Relocation

By
Craig Patterson
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Article Headquarters in Vancouver (Image: Article)

Canadian contemporary furniture and home decor eCommerce retailer Article has announced that it will expand its Vancouver headquarters into a new space that is more than 20 times the size of its current facility. The company has seen explosive growth, with sales in 2016 being about six times that of the previous year. The relocation will be complete in the summer of 2017.

In 2016, Article grew its business substantially, now boasting a $120 million annual revenue run rate. “We experienced more than 6X growth in 2016 which meant that we needed to find a space that could accommodate our continued growth,” said Aamir Baig, Co-founder, Director and CEO at Article. “We’re expanding in every aspect of our business: We’re hiring more staff, we’re increasing our product range and we’re developing new technologies to make the process for buying designer furniture more efficient. A new, larger office space was necessary at this stage in our growth, and we wanted to find a location that checked off all of the boxes on our wish list.” 

The company’s current headquarters, at 520 Alexander Street in Vancouver’s Railtown area, is about 5,000 square feet. This summer, Article will relocate to a 115,000 square foot restored historic building at 1010 Raymur Avenue, in an industrial area next to Strathcona Park. The new space will provide Article with more office space and regional distribution facilities that it requires as it continues to see exceptional growth. 

The new space will have a modern-industrial aesthetic, featuring exposed wood timber and concrete, and will be outfitted with Article furniture.

The upper level of the new building will be transformed into an open-concept office to facilitate seamless collaboration and provide creative spaces for Article’s in-house photography team. There’s room for up to 300 employees in the new space, which could fill up quite quickly — Article currently employs 80 people, and it’s expecting to grow to more than 150 by the end of 2017. 

AAMIR BAIG
Image: Article.com

The new facility will also include a research and development centre for new warehousing technology, allowing the Article to test and validate new ideas before implementing them across its warehouse network. Part of the building will also serve as a warehouse to fulfill orders in Western Canada—the company currently has three existing warehouses in Seattle, Los Angeles and New Jersey, with combined capacity of 375,000 square feet. 

“2017 is going to be an important year for us, and expanding our office resources and building our warehouse network are the first steps we’re taking to set ourselves up for ongoing success,” said Mr. Baig.

In 2016, Article delivered more than 25,000 orders, and since the start of 2017 has already shipped more than 9,000 orders to customers across the U.S. and Canada. The contemporary furniture and home decor brand was founded by four software engineers in 2013, and it uses proprietary technology to “remove inefficiencies in the traditional retail model to make the customer experience simple and easy,” according to the company. 

Why Canadian Retail Independents will Continue to Survive in a Changing Retail Landscape

By
Retail Insider
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Earlier this month, Montreal-based POS company Lightspeed hosted a roundtable discussion with five dynamic, independent Canadian retailers. All shared their experiences, challenges and key learnings from the changing retail environment, and the overall takeaway was that while challenges are abundant, the future of independents is optimistic in Canada.

Discussions focused on the need to create and leverage an integrated omnichannel presence. Other topics included expanding bricks and mortar, engaging staff, balancing online messaging for both SEO and quality storytelling and the importance of customer acquisition.

The five roundtable-participating independent retailers included:

*Montreal-based skincare boutique ETIKET,

*Toronto-based pen retailer Wonder Pens,

*Toronto-based wedding gown retailer Loversland,

*Montreal-based eCommerce retailer Picoum.com, and

*Toronto-based lifestyle brand Tokyo Smoke

Five key points emerged as ‘must-do’ strategies to grow an independent business in a changing retail landscape. These include the following:

  1. Build brands through storytelling,
  2. Embrace change,
  3. Establish company culture/customer service
  4. Focus on customer acquisition, and
  5. Embrace a culture of camaraderie among small business

The following is an in-depth description of each of these, including quotes from participants.

1. Building your brand

The roundtable noted that in the current retail landscape, it is not only about what a retailer sells, but who the retailer is. Customers are drawn to brands through storytelling – that is, being able to experience both the product and lifestyle behind the brand. If one is producing content, it should be seamlessly integrated into all that a brand does, and be syndicated through each of the avenues where a retailer meets its customers. As the brand evolves, aspects of one’s independent business may grow and change, but core values and an authentic voice should remain consistent.

Jon Chan, Wonder Pens, on the use of social media to communicate with customers: “Building our brand began with storytelling through social media, showing a product’s lifespan over time and weaving our personal narrative into our social platforms, allowing customers to know us on a first-name basis and create a lasting relationship.”

Alan Gertner, Tokyo Smoke, on building a brand with influencers: “You have to find authentic people who believe in your brand and who you believe in. We work with influencers who would otherwise be our customers. Our brand is community-based, telling stories people will engage with that are not always cannabis related.”

2. Embracing change

The roundtable discussed how independent retailers know that the retail landscape in major cities is changing, and successful retailers embrace these changes. Almost all of the businesses at the roundtable, with the exclusion of Picoum.com, (which is eCommerce only) had adapted an omnichannel system. The omnichannel approach allows independents to sell everywhere, at any time.

The roundtable also noted that customers expect the same level of service and efficiency in-store as they do online, and they also expect the system to be totally integrated. A fully integrated system means that you know when your customer has made one purchase online, and you can follow them through to their next purchase in-store. Linking products directly through social media channels makes it easy on the consumer to find and purchase what they need – without losing them in the process.

Erik Schannen, Picoum.com: “Our success story will be how we adapt to the times, things will always change but we need to continue to learn and connect to what’s popular and keep customers up to date. For example, we want to evolve our content to be both authentic and sales driven. We also now know 75% of our traffic comes from mobile devices so this impacts the design and advertising layout we choose to suit the consumer experience.”

Simon Tooley, Etiket: “Five years ago we were just bricks-and-mortar and 3 months later we launched online. Now we know 18% of customers are from eCommerce and the relationships need to be just as strong online as in-store.”

3. The importance of company culture and customer service

A takeaway from the roundtable is that independent retailers have a huge advantage by being able to adapt their business quickly. As a business grows, retailers want to be able to provide the same experience in a second or third location as in the original location.  Strong customer service and personalization are two key contributors to the success of an independent retailer.

Putting plans and processes in place will also help managers at secondary locations to run the business with the same level of customer service and quality as the original location. It’s important for business owners to spend their time working “on the business”, and finding ways to remove themselves from working “in the business”, according to discussions at the roundtable.

Yvonne Reidy, LoversLand: “We only see one bride at a time to offer a special experience, for us it’s not a numbers game. We know that at the end of the day people want to be cared for.”

Erik Schannen, Picoum.com: “Having a system and processes in place is key when expanding your business. Start with understanding your value system, then maintaining that system in each location. For Picoum, this affects expanding our staff, deciding if I hire someone very experienced, or hire someone junior and train them with the values and processes.”

Jon Chan, Wonder Pens: “To expand, we would need to trust employees and managers to bring forth the authenticity of the brand. There’s a lot of power in the niche market and having a ‘destination shop’ means intimacy, after you open multiple locations, you can only streamline that through eCommerce.”

Alan Gertner, Tokyo Smoke: “At Tokyo Smoke, all managers have equity and that’s been part of our business model from the start. Everyone feels like an owner with a stake in the business.”

4. Retail business is a sales acquisition business

Data is an important way for independents to measure their success, acquiring information about their consumers that will help them to grow their business.  The roundtable participants discussed why Warby Parker – an online only success story – opened bricks-and-mortar stores. The touch and feel experience fit their model of customer acquisition: teach your customers about the brand movement at store level, and then expand and continue the brand story through eCommerce.

Everyone in the discussion agreed that word of mouth is still one of the most important acquisition tools for independent retailers, especially if they are off the beaten path.

Alan Gertner, Tokyo Smoke: “I can’t build a store everywhere, but I can build a beautiful experience centre and expand that through online.  Most brands start as a subculture that moves into mainstream culture”.

Danielle Gulic, LoversLand: “People like to shop independent and local more than a mall atmosphere. Our visitors come from all over the province and we even do appointments via Skype, but to really sell our concept, we need walk by traffic as a branding tool.”

5. A culture of comradery and mentorship among independent businesses

Unlike the ‘old days’ of retail, independent retailers are willing and eager to work together to accomplish common goals and celebrate in one another’s successes. There is a community of mentorship among independent businesses, which was noted in the roundtable discussion. The changing retail landscape helps to foster these relationships more, as independent retailers look for guidance to find success in their niche markets and neighbourhoods.

The roundtable also discussed the importance of mentors, and how having a ‘sounding board’ can help independent retailers strive to make decisions to benefit their businesses.

Simon Tooley, Etiket: “Independents are taking down the barriers and acting as friendly sounding boards, we don’t know what we don’t know and it’s important to accept that you don’t have to know everything.”

Alan Gertner, Tokyo Smoke: “For mentorship we have a 10 person board of advisors all from different backgrounds and we have different relationships with each of them who are incentivized with a 0.01% claim in the business.

Lightspeed, which is celebrating its 12th birthday this month, will be holding these roundtables regularly as it continues to partner with independent retailers. Lightspeed continues to expand its operations into Canada, as well as internationally. The company says that it believes that “small and medium-sized businesses revive our streets by offering something unique that you can’t find in your average chain store.” 

*Lightspeed is a sponsor of Retail Insider. To work with Retail Insider Media Ltd., contact Craig Patterson at craig@retail-insider.com.

Illesteva Opens 1st Canadian Store

By
Craig Patterson
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Image: Illesteva

Upscale and trendy New York City-based eyewear and accessory brand Illesteva has opened its first Canadian location at 829 Queen Street West in Toronto. It’s the company’s first freestanding international store, and also the largest in the company to date. 

The two-level store was designed by Toronto-based MSDS studio, and it features the brand’s full eyewear collection as well as leather goods, umbrellas and a ‘build your own bar’. 

Emily Masuda of Cushman & Wakefield negotiated the deal as broker on behalf of Illesteva. 

Illesteva is located in an area considered to be one of the ‘hippest’ in the world, joining a number of other optical retailers in the area, including Cutler & Gross and Warby Parker, the latter of which opened its first Canadian store nearby last summer. 

“Toronto, specifically Queen Street West, is a natural fit. While we’ve expanded our retail division quite rapidly, we always look to areas with a real sense of community and history. Queens West has seen a lot of changes over the last few years, but you’ll still see many locally-owned shops, cafes and restaurants as you walk down the street,” said Illesteva CEO Daniel Silberman. 

Besides the new Toronto store, Illesteva operates eight store locations, seven of which are in the United States. American cities include New York City (two stores), Los Angeles (three stores), Miami (two stores), and one in Boston. Illesteva’s only non-U.S. store is in London, UK, operating as a concession within Selfridges department store. 

Illesteva was founded in New York City in 2010, and it sells eyewear that is handmade in France and Italy. Designs include classic shapes that utilize contemporary materials (such as acetate, bamboo, wood, titanium and natural buffalo horn), resulting in a brand that is both trendy as well as pricey. The brand has recently expanded its offerings to include a line of hand-finished leather goods, umbrellas, backpacks and bags, transforming Illesteva into a lifestyle brand. 

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