Arc’teryx Opens Montreal Alpha Store 20 Years After Entering the Market

September 22, 2026

Arc’teryx at 1133 Ste-Catherine St. W. in Montreal. Photo: Maxime Frechette

Arc’teryx has opened a new 9,599-square-foot Alpha Store on Sainte-Catherine Street in downtown Montreal, marking its largest retail investment in the city since entering the market 20 years ago.

The three-level store at 1133 Sainte-Catherine Street West opened August 28, replacing the brand’s longstanding location farther west on the street. It is the second Alpha Store in Canada, following the debut of the concept on Bloor Street in Toronto in 2024.

The Montreal opening comes 20 years after Arc’teryx established its first Canadian retail store in the city. The company opened at 1515 Sainte-Catherine Street West in 2006, in what contemporary reports described as its first move into full-scale branded retail.

The new location includes an expanded ReBIRD Service Centre offering repair, resale and product-care services, a dedicated Veilance area, community space and a broader Arc’teryx assortment. The store is spread across a ground floor, mezzanine and ReBIRD level.

“Montréal holds a special place for Arc’teryx and has been part of not just our retail journey but our brand journey from the very beginning,” Delaney Schweitzer, General Manager, North America at Arc’teryx, said in announcing the opening.

Schweitzer said the new Alpha Store honours the city that welcomed Arc’teryx in 2006 and reflects the company’s longstanding relationship with Montreal.

Arc’teryx at 1133 Ste-Catherine St. W. in Montreal — the exterior is difficult to photograph, given construction in the area. Photo: Maxime Frechette

Montreal Played an Early Role in Arc’teryx Retail

Arc’teryx was founded in North Vancouver in 1989, but when the company moved into full-scale branded retail, it chose Montreal.

The original 4,500-square-foot store opened in 2006 within Concordia University’s Engineering and Visual Arts complex on Sainte-Catherine Street West. At the time, company executives pointed to Montreal’s outdoor community and its interest in design and fashion as reasons for choosing the city.

The location also allowed the Vancouver-based company to test the concept outside its home market before expanding its company-operated store network more widely.

Montreal later became an early market for some of the community features that have become more prominent in Arc’teryx stores. The former Sainte-Catherine location included the Beta Lounge, a community space with a climbing wall and programming for the local outdoor community.

Arc’teryx has since built a substantial global retail network, with company-operated stores becoming an increasingly important part of the business.

Its Alpha format represents one of the brand’s most developed store concepts. The first Alpha Store opened at 50 Bloor Street West in Toronto in May 2024, occupying 9,274 square feet and featuring an extensive product assortment and ReBIRD services.

Alpha locations have subsequently opened in New York, including stores in SoHo and at Rockefeller Center. Montreal is the second Canadian location to receive the format.

At 9,599 square feet, the new Montreal store is slightly larger than the Toronto Bloor Alpha location. It occupies the former Michael Kors flagship at Sainte-Catherine and Stanley, moving Arc’teryx east from its longtime location near Concordia University and further into the core downtown shopping district.

Michael Kors previously occupied roughly 9,000 square feet over three levels at the address before closing the store and subsequently opening at Royalmount.

Inside Arc’teryx, multiple fitting rooms are positioned across the ground floor, mezzanine and upper level, while back-lit Jacket Bays display some of the brand’s technical outerwear. A dedicated community area will host gatherings including run clubs and climbing groups.

ReBIRD Takes Over the Third Level

A significant part of the new store is devoted to ReBIRD, Arc’teryx’s program encompassing product care, repair, trade-in and resale.

Arc’teryx says the expanded ReBIRD Service Centre represents the largest investment within the Montreal store. The space includes a dedicated repair-operator area offering full repair services, along with a permanent ReBIRD Resale section selling refurbished Arc’teryx products.

Customers can also bring eligible products to the store for assessment and trade-in. Arc’teryx provides credit equal to 30 per cent of the original manufacturer’s suggested retail price for eligible products, while complimentary technical washing is available for Gore-Tex, down insulation and softshell products. Damaged gear can be assessed by the in-house team, with repairs completed in-store where possible.

“This is an incredibly proud moment for our brand, showcasing our commitment to a community who have been with us since day one,” Dominique Showers, Vice President of ReBIRD, said in the announcement.

Showers said the investment reflects Arc’teryx’s commitment to helping Montreal customers keep their existing gear in use longer.

The third level also includes a dedicated presentation for Veilance, Arc’teryx’s urban-focused collection.

Veilance has been growing within the broader Arc’teryx business. Parent company Amer Sports reported strong double-digit growth for the line during the first quarter of 2026 and said it planned to invest in new products and expand distribution during the year.

The Montreal Veilance area takes its design cues from the city’s urban environment, according to Arc’teryx. Its presence is notable given the role Montreal’s fashion and design culture played in the company’s original decision to establish a store in the city two decades ago.

Design References Montreal and the Mountains

Arc’teryx worked with MGB Architecture and Joseph Tontodonat on the new store, using natural materials and architectural details intended to reference the brand’s mountain roots.

The interior includes warm woods, dimensional stone and Sugi Ban-inspired finishes. Angled architectural elements and integrated lighting reference mountain and skyline forms, while West Coast planting is incorporated throughout the space.

A custom vintage map of Montreal is incorporated into the store, while the Guide Table on the sales floor includes an interactive three-dimensional map of mountains and trails in the region.

Arc’teryx also salvaged climbing holds from its former Sainte-Catherine Street store and used them to create a sculptural installation in the new location. The Veilance area draws additional inspiration from Montreal’s urban environment.

The relocation comes during continued investment along Sainte-Catherine Street by retailers establishing larger and more prominent downtown stores. The move from 1515 to 1133 Sainte-Catherine shifts Arc’teryxe east from the Concordia University area to a location near Stanley Street and a dense concentration of downtown retailers.

Arc’teryx Expands Across North America

The Montreal Alpha Store is part of a broader expansion of Arc’teryx’s company-operated retail network.

The company currently lists five locations in Quebec: Sainte-Catherine Street, Royalmount, Carrefour Laval, Quartier DIX30 and Place Ste-Foy in Quebec City.

Arc’teryx has also made several significant investments elsewhere in Canada in recent years. The brand has opened in Banff and Halifax, relocated its downtown Vancouver flagship to Robson Street and opened at Oakridge Park in Vancouver, in addition to launching the Alpha format on Bloor Street in Toronto.

The expansion is expected to continue. Arc’teryx currently has 75 stores across North America, and management said during Amer Sports’ second-quarter earnings call that it believes the network could eventually reach roughly 200 locations.

Canada remains important to that strategy. Arc’teryx CEO Stuart Haselden told analysts during the earnings call that Canada is the company’s home market and has its highest level of brand awareness, providing a natural base for expansion into the United States.

Arc’teryx plans to add 30 to 35 net new stores globally in 2026. The company is also expanding categories including women’s, footwear and Veilance, adding to the assortment available within its larger stores.

Competition Bureau reaches agreement with Empire over grocery property controls

Mario Toneguzzi

September 22, 2026

Sobeys Orangeville ON 3 — Image: Sobeys Orangeville

The Competition Bureau has reached an agreement with Empire Co. Ltd. that will prevent the Sobeys parent from enforcing certain property controls that can restrict competitors from opening or expanding grocery stores in Canada.

The agreement, registered with the Competition Tribunal as a consent agreement, makes commitments announced by Empire in July legally binding and enforceable. Empire owns multiple grocery banners, including Sobeys, Farm Boy, Safeway, IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, Marché Bonichoix and Les Marchés Tradition.

Empire agrees to changes to property controls

Under the agreement, Empire will no longer enforce existing restrictive covenants, enter into new restrictive covenants or ask other parties to establish restrictive covenants that benefit the company. It will also limit its use of exclusivity clauses.

The Competition Bureau says property controls in the grocery sector can restrict how commercial real estate is used to sell food products. According to the bureau, those controls can make it difficult or impossible for businesses to open new stores or sell certain products and can reduce competition in local markets.

The bureau said the agreement is intended to provide greater certainty for businesses and property owners seeking to enter or expand in the food retail sector. Businesses, property owners and other interested parties that want a property control formally removed can contact Empire.

“The agreement with Empire removes barriers to competition and will support new entry and increased competition from retailers selling everyday essential items. The Bureau is committed to identifying and addressing barriers that limit competition across the food supply chain so that Canadians see the benefits of competition in the form of lower prices, greater choice and increased innovation,” said Jeanne Pratt, interim commissioner of competition, said in a news release.

Investigation of other grocers continues

The agreement follows the Competition Bureau’s earlier work examining the use of property controls in the grocery industry. The bureau published a grocery market study in June 2023 that concluded property controls can limit competition from new grocers and prevent consumers from receiving potential benefits associated with competition, including lower prices, greater choice and increased innovation.

In June 2025, the bureau published guidance on competitor property controls. That same month, it announced that it was monitoring Loblaw’s commitment to end its use of property controls in Canada.

The bureau said its investigation into the use of property controls by other grocers remains ongoing and that it continues to monitor the industry.

The agency also launched an examination in June 2026 of competition across Canada’s food supply chain, covering potential competition issues in production and processing, transportation and distribution, and retail pricing practices.

Consent agreements registered with the Competition Tribunal are legally binding and enforceable and have the force and effect of a court order.

The Competition Bureau said the Empire agreement reflects changes to how the company uses property controls in the Canadian grocery sector while its broader examination of competition in the food supply chain continues.

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Adopt Parfums plans five new stores as Canadian expansion continues

Mario Toneguzzi

September 22, 2026

ChatGPT Image Sep 22, 2026, 04_35_07 PM — Adopt fragrance store. Image: Tony Flanz/Think Retail

Montreal-based commercial real estate firm Think Retail says the French retail fragrance and beauty concept Adopt Parfums is looking at growing its Canadian store footprint.

Think Retail, which is helping the brand with its real estate needs during its expansion, says the retailer would like to open five new stores in 2027.

“Following a successful rollout in Quebec, the brand is focusing its next phase of expansion on regional malls across the province, while also exploring an opportunity in Ottawa, which would mark its first location in Ontario,” said Tony Flanz, President of Think Retail.

“The concept appeals to a broad demographic, with customers often purchasing multiple fragrances-a shopping behaviour that fits naturally with the brand’s accessible price points and constantly evolving assortment.”

He said ideal spaces for the brand in its expansion range from 500 to 850 square feet. making Adopt a fit for a variety of regional mall environments.

“Quality is central to the brand, with products made at Adopt’s production site in Cestas, near Bordeaux. Its broad assortment also encourages customers to explore multiple fragrances for different moods, occasions and moments, rather than committing to a single signature scent,” added Flanz.

He said Adopt made its Canadian debut in 2024, opening three locations in quick succession: Galeries d’Anjou in Montreal, Carrefour Laval and Place Ste-Foy in Quebec City. The brand continued its momentum, opening at Carrefour Angrignon, Galeries Chagnon and Promenades Gatineau, bringing its Canadian presence to six stores.

Globally, Adopt operates more than 350 standalone boutiques in more than 40 countries, establishing the French brand as a growing international player in fragrance and beauty, added Flanz.

“Founded in 1986 by French perfumer Dominique Monlun, Adopt is built around the belief that fine fragrance should be accessible, expressive and fun. Its stores showcase more than 100 original eaux de parfum, spanning feminine, masculine and unisex scents, alongside beauty and lifestyle products, including body creams, candles, essential oils, lip balms and skincare,” he said.

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AI Virtual Try-On could transform fashion e-commerce beyond static product photos

Mario Toneguzzi

September 22, 2026

For decades, fashion ecommerce has relied on static product photography to help shoppers decide what to buy. But as AI-powered virtual try-on technology advances, the traditional product image may be approaching its Kodak moment.

At Remark, that shift is already taking shape. The AI commerce platform recently launched real-time virtual try-on technology that allows shoppers to see clothing on their own bodies and in motion directly from a brand’s product page.

Rather than relying on static images and imagining how a garment might translate from a model to themselves, shoppers can see how it looks and moves as they turn, walk and explore different colors, sizes and looks.

Theo Satloff, CEO and Co-Founder of Remark, was raised in New York City by merchants in the luxury retail industry. He grew up immersed in showroom appointments, product demonstrations and runway events, shaping his understanding of exceptional retail from an early age.

A computer science graduate of Colby College, Satloff previously worked as a software engineer at Amazon on the Alexa team, where he focused on reinforcement learning. He has since built his career at the intersection of AI, technology and commerce. Since launching Remark, he has raised tens of millions in funding from investors including Stripe and formed partnerships with leading brands across the retail industry.

Satloff spoke with Retail Insider about trends in the industry.

Question: What prompted Remark to develop real-time virtual try-on technology, and what are you seeing in terms of how shoppers are responding to it?

Answer: We’ve always been focused on closing the gap between the confidence people feel shopping in a great physical store and what they experience online. In a store, you can hold something up, try it on, move around in it and immediately get a sense of whether it works for you.

Online, we’ve largely asked shoppers to make that same decision based on a handful of static images of someone else. Virtual Try-On felt like a natural extension of what we were already building at Remark. If conversational AI can help a shopper understand what to buy and why, VTO can help answer the next question: What will this actually look like on me?

The response we’re seeing reinforces how important that confidence is. In our beta, brands are seeing a 9 to 16% incremental revenue lift, while returns have dropped significantly. That tells us shoppers aren’t just using VTO because it’s novel. They’re using it to make more informed purchasing decisions.

Q: How significant do you think the shift away from static product photography could become for fashion e-commerce, and what would need to happen for virtual try-on to become a standard part of the online shopping experience?

A: I don’t think static product photography disappears, but I do think its role changes dramatically.

For most of e-commerce history, the product page has essentially said, “Here’s what this looks like on our model.” The next generation of e-commerce will increasingly say, “Here’s what this could look like on you.”

For VTO to become standard, it has to become frictionless. Shoppers shouldn’t need to download a separate app, create a complicated avatar, or leave the brand’s website. It should feel like a natural part of shopping, almost like clicking to see another product image.

The other piece is accuracy and trust. Novelty might get someone to try the technology once, but usefulness is what makes it habitual. If the experience consistently helps shoppers understand a product and feel more confident about buying it, I think we’ll eventually look back at shopping from static images alone as a surprisingly limited way to buy clothing online.

Q: What additional information does seeing a garment on a shopper’s own body and in motion provide around fit, drape, silhouette and overall appearance that traditional product photography cannot?

A: Traditional photography is very good at showing you the product. It’s much less effective at showing you the relationship between the product and you.

Two people can look at the same dress on the same model and have completely different questions. Where will the hem fall on me? How does the silhouette work with my proportions? What happens to the fabric when I move? Is this going to feel like me when I actually put it on?

Seeing the garment on your own body and in motion gives you context that a static image can’t. You get a much more intuitive understanding of the silhouette, proportions, drape and overall appearance. That matters because confidence is really the product in e-commerce. The more uncertainty you can remove before someone clicks “buy,” the better the experience is for both the shopper and the brand.

Q: How close is today’s AI-powered virtual try-on technology to replicating the experience of being in a physical fitting room, and what limitations still need to be addressed?

A: We’re getting much closer visually, but I don’t think the goal should be to pretend that technology can perfectly reproduce every part of standing in a fitting room today.

“There are things a physical fitting room gives you that are incredibly difficult to digitize, particularly touch and the physical sensation of fit. You can feel the weight of a fabric or how a material feels against your skin.

Those are meaningful inputs, and VTO doesn’t replace them.

Where AI can be incredibly powerful is reducing the visual uncertainty that has always existed online. It can give you a much better understanding of how a garment may look on your body, how the silhouette comes together and whether the overall aesthetic feels right for you before you buy.

So I see VTO less as replacing the fitting room and more as bringing one of its most valuable functions, confidence before purchase, to people who are shopping online. Physical retail will continue to matter because touch, trust, and occasion are difficult to replicate digitally. The opportunity is to take the best parts of that experience and extend them across channels.

Q: If virtual try-on becomes widely adopted, how could it change the way fashion brands approach product photography, content creation, merchandising and the overall digital customer experience?

A: The biggest shift is that digital merchandising becomes much more personal. Historically, brands have had to create one relatively fixed representation of a product and distribute it to everyone. You photograph a garment on a model, build the product page and every shopper essentially receives the same visual experience.

VTO starts to turn that model inside out. The brand can still create beautiful campaign imagery and editorial content, but the functional job of helping someone evaluate a product can become individualized. Instead of asking shoppers to imagine themselves in the brand’s content, technology can increasingly put the shopper into the experience.

That has implications well beyond product photography. Merchandising can become more responsive to the individual. AI advisors can help shoppers narrow down what is right for them, and VTO can help them visualize those recommendations. Product content can become more dynamic, and the website itself starts behaving less like a digital catalog and more like a great store.

That’s ultimately where I think e-commerce is headed. The best physical retailers have always made people feel understood. Technology now gives us an opportunity to bring that same feeling to millions of online shoppers at once.

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UNIQLO Expands Canadian Footprint While Reworking Montreal Flagship

Lee Rivett

September 22, 2026

uniqlo-ste-catherine-2 — UNIQLO Centre Eaton de Montreal (705 Sainte-Catherine St. W.) Photo: Maxime Frechette

UNIQLO reopened its renovated Montreal Eaton Centre flagship last week, adding customization, embroidery and repair services to the downtown store as the Japanese retailer continues expanding across Canada.

The investment comes six years after UNIQLO entered Quebec at Montreal Eaton Centre. The renovation includes upgraded fitting rooms and sales floors, new lighting, mannequins and digital screens, while the more significant changes involve what customers can now do in the store.

For the first time in Quebec, the location offers UTme!, UNIQLO’s in-store customization service for T-shirts and canvas totes. The Montreal version includes designs associated with local businesses and creators including September Cafe, Bossa, Le Petit Dep and Paperole.

The store has also added a RE.UNIQLO Studio providing embroidery and repairs. Customers can personalize merchandise with initials and Montreal-themed designs, while existing LifeWear products can be brought in for repair.

Those additions matter because the Montreal investment is happening while UNIQLO is still adding conventional retail coverage across Canada. The company is increasing the number of stores it operates while broadening the role of some of its most established locations.

Canadian Store Expansion Continues

UNIQLO says it now operates 39 stores in Canada, part of a global network of more than 2,500 locations.

Its Canadian opening pipeline remains active. St. Vital Centre in Winnipeg and Quartier DIX30 in Brossard are among the retailer’s recent openings, while Tsawwassen Mills in British Columbia, Hillcrest Mall in Richmond Hill and Conestoga Mall in Waterloo are part of the next wave of expansion. Retail Insider previously reported UNIQLO’s plans for five Canadian openings in fall 2026.

Retail Insider has also learned that UNIQLO is expected to open at St. Laurent Centre in Ottawa. That location has not been publicly announced by the retailer.

Jeff Berkowitz of Montreal-based Aurora Retail Group represents UNIQLO as its broker in Canada and has worked on the retailer’s Canadian real estate expansion. Retail Insider has previously reported Berkowitz’s role negotiating UNIQLO store leases in the country.

The continuing rollout changes the context around Montreal Eaton Centre. UNIQLO is reinvesting in an established downtown store while continuing to add locations in both existing and newer markets.

New stores increase geographic coverage. A flagship equipped with customization and repair services can also support functions that a standard apparel location may not need to carry.

Montreal Remains an Important Quebec Store

The Montreal Eaton Centre location has occupied a particular place in UNIQLO’s Canadian network since opening in October 2020 as the retailer’s first Quebec store.

At opening, the two-level flagship contained approximately 32,000 square feet of selling space within premises spanning more than 40,000 square feet, with frontage at Ste-Catherine Street West and Robert-Bourassa Boulevard.

UNIQLO has since expanded further into Quebec, including the recently opened Quartier DIX30 store in Brossard.

That puts the Montreal Eaton Centre renovation in a useful real estate context. Suburban expansion has not removed the rationale for investing in a large downtown location. The stores can serve different purposes within the same market.

A suburban store can improve convenience and market coverage. A large downtown flagship can support wider assortments, services and brand-building functions that require more space, staffing or customer traffic.

Montreal is also not being used to test customization and repair concepts from scratch. UNIQLO has deployed versions of these services at selected Canadian stores, making the Montreal renovation an extension of a developing flagship-service model into Quebec.

Uniqlo store at West Edmonton Mall. Photo: Uniqlo

Global Merchandise, Local Store Experience

The more interesting part of the Montreal renovation is how UNIQLO is adding local character to a retail model built largely around product consistency.

LifeWear is deliberately standardized. UNIQLO describes it as simple, high-quality everyday clothing designed around practicality, comfort and longevity.

The Montreal flagship does not need a separate Quebec assortment to feel tied to the city. The localization is happening around the merchandise.

Customers can create products using designs connected with local businesses. Montreal-themed embroidery is available through RE.UNIQLO. The reopening also included food from Bossa, coffee from Le Petit Dep and a commemorative UNIQLO x Paperole tote.

That gives UNIQLO a relatively efficient way to localize. The core apparel platform can remain consistent across markets while selected stores layer in local graphics, partners and services.

For an international retailer, that is commercially useful. Local adaptation becomes part of the store experience without requiring a fundamentally different merchandising strategy in every city.

Repair Gives the Store Another Function

RE.UNIQLO adds another layer to the economics of the physical store.

Most apparel store visits are tied to acquisition: browsing, fitting and purchasing. A repair service creates a reason for a customer to return after a garment has already been bought.

UNIQLO says the Montreal studio repairs LifeWear products and provides embroidery on items including T-shirts, sweatshirts and tote bags. The service aligns with the company’s broader emphasis on product longevity.

There is no public evidence in the Montreal announcement showing how much traffic, revenue or customer retention these services generate. Claims that repair or customization materially improve store productivity would therefore run ahead of the available numbers.

What can be said is simpler: these services give the store utility beyond holding inventory.

The resulting flagship can perform several jobs at once, selling products, providing services and acting as a physical expression of the brand.

Different Stores Can Do Different Jobs

As UNIQLO’s Canadian footprint grows, there is little reason every location needs to carry the same operational burden. Standard stores can extend geographic coverage. Larger locations can support broader assortments. Selected flagships can justify services and customer-facing functions that are harder to deploy everywhere.

For landlords, particularly owners of major downtown properties, that matters because large-format apparel space has to earn its keep. A tenant using a flagship for customization, repairs and brand activity has more reasons to maintain a significant physical presence than one using the same square footage mainly to hold merchandise.

Montreal also demonstrates a relatively clean way for an international retailer to localize without complicating its core business unnecessarily. UNIQLO is keeping LifeWear at the centre of the proposition while altering the services, collaborations and cultural references surrounding it.

Its Canadian footprint is still expanding. The renovation at Montreal Eaton Centre shows that store count is only one measure of that growth. UNIQLO is also deciding what its most important existing stores should be able to do.

Jaybird to open third Toronto studio in Midtown

Mario Toneguzzi

September 22, 2026

Canadian movement and wellness company Jaybird is expanding its Toronto footprint with a 5,000-square-foot studio in Midtown that will combine its mat and reformer offerings under one roof.

The new location at 2574 Yonge St. is scheduled to open in early October, joining Jaybird’s existing studios in Yorkville and Queen West. The Midtown studio will have capacity for 38 mat guests and 20 reformer guests and will introduce the company’s first custom-designed reformer.

Expansion into Midtown

Jaybird said the decision to open in Midtown was driven by the neighbourhood and its existing customer base in the area. The studio will be located just north of Yonge and Eglinton, in an area with a mix of wellness, design, retail and hospitality businesses.

“We fell in love with this pocket of Midtown at first sight. We weren’t seriously looking for another location, but when we came across this one, we couldn’t resist,” says Barbie Bent, co-founder and CEO of Jaybird. “There’s this great juxtaposition between the energy and high-rises of Yonge and Eglinton and, just a few blocks north, this cozy neighbourhood that almost feels like a great high street. We already know our guests spend time here. We’re surrounded by friends like nutbar, Formula Fig and Aesop, so it immediately felt like somewhere Jaybird belonged.”

The Midtown location will offer both Jaybird Mat and Jaybird Reformer, giving the company a combined format at its third Toronto studio. Jaybird said the space is intended to fit into the daily routines of people who live and work in the neighbourhood while offering a setting distinct from the activity outside the studio.

Neighbourhood-inspired design

Jaybird said each of its studios has a different design influenced by its surrounding neighbourhood, with colour, materials, lighting and architectural elements varying between locations while retaining the company’s overall design approach.

“Every Jaybird is uniquely designed, and we always draw inspiration from the neighbourhood when deciding how we want that design story to unfold,” says Bent. “We first saw this space on a bright, sunny day and were immediately taken in by the street, the surrounding homes and the beautiful, design-forward storefronts. This pocket of Midtown felt charming and upbeat, and we thought it was the perfect place to do something a little brighter and more playful.”

The Midtown studio was designed by Future Studio in collaboration with Jaybird co-founders Bent and Ariel Swan. The design uses mustard, honey and golden tones with travertine and rich wood accents, floor-to-ceiling timber slat walls, an arched backdrop and amber-toned lighting.

A skylight will be a central feature of the two-storey space, while sculptural lighting, abstract forms, cork accents and curved walls will also be incorporated into the studio.

Custom reformer

The new location will also mark a product development step for Jaybird, with the introduction of its first custom-designed reformer. The equipment was developed as part of the company’s continued changes to its Reformer method.

“Jaybird’s approach to the reformer has always been non-traditional, and it has continued to evolve as we’ve learned more about how our guests want to move,” says Swan, co-founder and head of product at Jaybird. “We love the intensity and strength that comes from slow resistance training, but we also wanted to bring more of the foundations of classical Pilates into the experience. Designing our own reformer allows us to bring those elements together in a way that feels distinctly Jaybird.”

The new reformers will debut at the Midtown studio, where they will be used as part of the company’s latest Reformer offering.

Third Toronto location

Jaybird was founded in Vancouver in 2019 by Bent and Swan and has since expanded its studio network across Canada. The company offers mat and reformer classes built around a combination of fitness and mindfulness.

The company says its classes are electronic-free and use infrared heat, candlelight and immersive music as elements of the studio experience. Its instructors cue movements through sensation rather than focusing on appearance, while classes are structured from beginning to end around movement and presence.

The Midtown studio is expected to open in early October and will occupy approximately 5,000 square feet at 2574 Yonge St., bringing Jaybird’s two Toronto class formats together at its newest location.

Bent said the brand has four studios in Canada: Yaletown and Kingsway in Vancouver, and Queen West and Yorkville in Toronto. Midtown opens this October as our fifth Canadian studio and third in Toronto.

“For us, this is about building deeper roots in a city where we already have a community. Studios in different neighbourhoods make Jaybird more accessible in our guests’ everyday lives and create more opportunities for our teachers and teams. Midtown also brings Mat and Reformer together again under one roof, giving guests more ways to move depending on what they need that day,” she said.

Attracted to the neighbourhood

“The neighbourhood really drew us in. We weren’t actively looking for another Toronto location, but when we found this space, we could immediately see Jaybird here. There’s an interesting shift from the energy and density of Yonge and Eglinton to this pocket just a few blocks north, which feels like a neighbourhood high street.

“We already know our guests spend time here, and being surrounded by businesses like nutbar, Formula Fig and Aesop felt like a natural fit. The opportunity is to bring Jaybird closer to where people live, work and already spend their time.

“The neighbourhood also shaped the design. We first saw the space on a sunny day and loved how warm and upbeat the area felt. Working with Futurestudio, we’ve brought that into our brightest studio yet, with honey and mustard tones, wood, travertine and a beautiful skylight.”

Multi-million dollar investment

Bent said Midtown represents a multimillion-dollar investment in its growing collection of studios and reflects its confidence in Toronto.

“We’ve put a great deal of care into every element, from the design of the space to our first custom-designed reformers,” she explained.

“We see an opportunity to welcome new guests from the neighbourhood while bringing Jaybird closer to existing guests, making it easier for them to build movement and mindfulness into their everyday lives. Our goal is to become part of their weekly routine: a place they return to for movement, but also for time to disconnect and reconnect with themselves.”

Bent said its Reformer method has continued to evolve, and the brand wanted the equipment to evolve with it.

“Ariel leads our product development, and tens of thousands of classes have given us a deeper understanding of how our guests want to move,” she explained.

“We love the intensity and strength-building qualities of slow resistance training, and we wanted to bring more of the foundations of classical Pilates into that experience. Designing our own reformer allows us to bring those elements together in equipment developed specifically for the Jaybird method.

“For guests, that means an evolution of the Reformer experience they already know, bringing a greater classical Pilates influence alongside the slow resistance work. The intention remains the same: to build strength while bringing attention back to the body and how movement feels. The new reformers will debut at Midtown and will also be featured at Nomad.”

U.S. expansion next

Bent said the company’s next major step after Midtown is its first U.S. flagship in Nomad, New York, opening in November. It will bring both Mat and Reformer to a 6,350-square-foot space on West 25th Street.

“Looking further ahead, our approach is to build depth in the cities we enter. We’ve learned that multiple studios in one city help us build stronger communities and give our teams more opportunities to grow. We see New York as an opportunity to take that approach into a new market,” she said.

“The right neighbourhood and the right space will continue to guide our decisions. Each Jaybird takes inspiration from its surroundings, while sharing the same purpose: making mindfulness more accessible and fitness more impactful.”

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Roku expands NFL Zone to Canada, Mexico and Brazil

Mario Toneguzzi

September 22, 2026

Roku is expanding its NFL Zone beyond the U.S. to Canada, Mexico and Brazil as the streaming platform seeks to give international viewers a centralized destination for NFL content throughout the season.

The NFL Zone is available immediately in each of the three markets and is part of Roku’s Sports experience, bringing together live and upcoming games, NFL Fast Channel highlights, clips and other NFL content.

International expansion

The expansion extends a partnership between Roku and the National Football League that previously made the NFL Zone available to U.S. viewers. Roku said the move follows the rollout of its Sports experience in Mexico in 2025 and in Brazil and Canada earlier this year.

The company said its U.S. Sports experience recorded a 122 per cent year-over-year increase in streaming hours and an 80 per cent increase in unique visitors in the second quarter. Roku said the international expansion of the NFL Zone is intended to broaden access to NFL programming as the new season gets underway.

“With the NFL Zone, we’re bringing the League’s content together in one place,” said Joe Franzetta, head of sports at Roku Media. “We’ve seen the success of the NFL Zone domestically, and we’re excited to bring that experience to Canada, Mexico, and Brazil this season.”

The NFL Zone in Canada, Mexico and Brazil will feature officially branded NFL clips and highlights along with live and upcoming games. The expansion also introduces the NFL Channel to viewers in the U.K., Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

NFL Channel expands internationally

The NFL Channel is the league’s free, ad-supported service offering programming around the clock. The international rollout gives viewers in the four markets free access to the channel’s 24/7 programming for the first time, according to the release.

The NFL Channel and NFL content will be integrated into the NFL Zone in the international markets, while the U.S. version provides viewers with additional access to the NFL App and the NFL Channel.

The NFL App provides access to NFL+, the league’s streaming service, which includes live local and primetime games on mobile devices, NFL Network, live game audio and other on-demand content. NFL+ Premium also includes game replays and NFL Redzone.

Roku said the combination of the NFL Zone, NFL Channel and NFL App gives U.S. viewers additional ways to access league programming, while the international expansion provides dedicated NFL content through its Sports experience in Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

Ivan Pehar, Ad Sales Director for Canada at Roku shared his thoughts on the NFL Zone in an interview with Retail Insider.

Question: What does bringing the NFL Zone to Canada mean for Roku’s strategy in the Canadian sports-streaming market, and how important is the country to Roku’s international growth plans?

Answer: Bringing the NFL Zone to Canada felt like a natural next step after launching our Sports experience here earlier this year. At its core, it’s about making things a little easier for football fans by giving them one place to see what’s happening throughout the NFL season, from live and upcoming games to highlights, clips and the NFL Channel.

Sports are becoming a bigger part of streaming, but figuring out where to watch can sometimes feel more complicated than it needs to be. In Canada, we’re focused on making that experience simpler and continuing to learn from how Canadian audiences are watching sports.

Q: How many Canadian Roku users do you expect to engage with the NFL Zone during the 2026 NFL season, and what does Roku’s existing Canadian sports viewership data tell you about demand for NFL content?

A: We aren’t sharing a Canadian audience forecast for the NFL Zone just yet, but we’ve been encouraged by the engagement we’re seeing with sports on Roku more broadly.

In the U.S., streaming hours across Roku Sports experiences increased 122 per cent year over year in Q2, while unique visitors grew 80 per cent.

Every market is different, of course, but it does show how quickly sports viewing on streaming is evolving. We’re looking forward to seeing how Canadian NFL fans use the Zone throughout the season and what we can learn from that.

Q: How does the NFL Zone complement existing ways Canadians watch NFL games, and what role does Roku expect the hub to play in helping viewers discover content across different broadcasters and streaming services?

A: The goal isn’t to change how Canadians already watch football. It’s really about making it easier to find what they’re looking for, while giving fans more ways to stay connected to the NFL beyond a single game.

The NFL Zone brings live and upcoming games together with highlights, clips and the NFL Channel, so fans can catch up, explore more content and really immerse themselves throughout the season. With sports programming available across a growing number of services, sometimes the hardest part is simply figuring out where to find what you want to watch. If we can make that part a little easier, fans can spend less time searching and more time enjoying the sport.

Q: What opportunities does the NFL Channel’s launch in Canada create for Roku’s advertising business, particularly as more sports audiences shift from traditional television to streaming?

A: What’s interesting about sports is that it’s still very much appointment viewing. Fans want to be there when the game is happening, and increasingly, some of those moments are happening through streaming.

The NFL Channel gives Canadian viewers another free, ad-supported way to engage with NFL programming throughout the day. For advertisers, streaming also creates more flexibility around how they reach audiences and understand what happens after an ad is seen. As viewing habits continue to evolve, I think we’ll see brands continue to explore how streaming can complement what they’re already doing around major sports moments.

Q: Beyond the NFL, what other sports leagues or major sporting properties is Roku considering as it expands its Sports experience in Canada and other international markets?

A: Hockey Zone is launching in the coming weeks and we’re always paying attention to how people are watching sports and where we can make that experience a little easier.

Canada has its own sports culture and viewing habits, and that’s important to keep in mind. Rather than assuming the same approach will work everywhere, we want to learn from how Canadian viewers are using the Sports experience and let that help inform where we go next.

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Dupray brings part of air purifier production back to Canada amid U.S. tariff uncertainty

Mario Toneguzzi

September 22, 2026

Dupray, a Montreal-based small appliance company, has just moved part of its production to Canada instead of China or Vietnam.

That includes its award-winning air purifier, in a category that is rarely, if ever, manufactured here, said Sébastien Dupéré, President & CEO, Dupray.

“The decision came after our manufacturing partner in Spain went bankrupt and we had to choose where to move production. With roughly 70% of our sales in the U.S., tariff uncertainty and erratic U.S. tariff actions materially changed that decision.”

Dupray is not primarily a Canadian-market company protecting domestic sales. Most of its customers are American, but it is a Canadian company bringing manufacturing home while continuing to compete predominantly in the United States.

“Rather than move further offshore, we chose to manufacture here at home, near Montreal,” said Dupéré.

“My business partner, Brent Gray, and I started Dupray 18 years ago as 20-year-old students, cleaning the streets of Montreal. Today, we sell across North America and Europe, and in 2025 our Neat Steam Cleaner was the #1-selling steam cleaner on Amazon in North America.”

Amazon featured their story in the summer in its Rising Stars series, including Dupray’s decision to bring production back to Canada.

In an interview with Retail Insider, Dupéré talked about the company’s decision.

Question: How did U.S. tariff uncertainty and the changes in U.S. trade policy influence Dupray’s decision to move part of its manufacturing from overseas back to Canada?

Answer: When trade rules change every few weeks, you can’t build a plan around them. What we could control was where we placed our bet, and Dupray decided to bet on Canadian suppliers, Canadian workers and a policy environment we actually understand. The math wasn’t the deciding factor. We’re a Canadian company, and we felt a responsibility to put our money into the economy we’re part of.

And why not the U.S.?

They aren’t providing any programs to actually bring manufacturing to the U.S. When 50% of your costs are components you can’t source within North America, that means you’re hit with tariffs on 50% of your production costs — a large and uncertain exposure.

Q: What are the practical challenges and costs of manufacturing a consumer appliance such as an air purifier in Canada compared with producing it in China or Vietnam?

A: Canada has no shortage of talent or know-how. But China and Vietnam are genuine superpowers in small household appliances, and the reason is the ecosystem more than the labour rate. In China, if a supplier can’t deliver a component, there are a hundred others within driving distance.

Here you might have two or three. Building the Bloom air purifier in Canada meant a real learning curve on sourcing and a lot more legwork per part. The important thing is that most of those costs are one-time setup costs, not permanent structural ones. You pay to build the supply base once.

Q: How much of Dupray’s production is now taking place in Canada, what products are being manufactured here, and do you expect to bring additional production home?

A: It’s a small share of our volume today. We deliberately started with one product as a pilot — the Bloom air purifier — because we wanted to learn on something real rather than theorize about it. Air purifiers are a category that’s rarely, if ever, manufactured in Canada, so it was a genuine test. It’s gone very well and we’re in the process of launching a second product here. We expect to bring more over time, and at minimum we’re doing a serious evaluation of what makes sense to reshore. But we’re being disciplined about it. We’d rather under-promise and deliver than announce a number we can’t stand behind.

Q: With roughly 70 per cent of your sales coming from the U.S., how do you balance the advantages of Canadian manufacturing with the challenges of competing in the U.S. market against much larger brands such as Hoover, Dyson and Bissell?

A: There are soft advantages to producing locally, like brand image and corporate responsibility. Those are real, but they’re not the whole case. The concrete advantage is proximity. Having production close to the customer makes you faster and more responsive, and that’s how a company our size competes with legacy brands. We’re never going to outspend them, so we have to out-manoeuvre them: improve products on the fly, react to what customers tell us in weeks instead of quarters. That’s how our Neat Steam Cleaner became the #1-selling steam cleaner on Amazon in North America in 2025 — not by outspending Bissell, but by iterating faster than they do. When your supply chain is measured in weeks rather than many months, that’s a structural advantage, not a marketing line.

Q: What does Dupray’s experience tell you about whether reshoring consumer-product manufacturing to Canada is realistically viable for other small and mid-sized Canadian companies?

A: If you’re doing it purely to save money, you’ll be disappointed. But the cost gap is a lot narrower than most people assume once everything is accounted for, and what you give up in margin you get back in speed, control and resilience. For Dupray those benefits outweigh the difference. Any company considering it should run the numbers honestly and then ask what the non-financial benefits are worth to them.

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Poshmark launches new brand campaign focused on fashion discovery

Mario Toneguzzi

September 22, 2026

Poshmark has launched a new brand concept as part of what the online marketplace describes as its largest integrated brand campaign to date, with the company placing greater emphasis on fashion discovery and personal style.

Called “Try Yourself On,” the campaign launched Sept. 8 during New York Fashion Week and is running across film, out-of-home advertising, social media and experiential activations in New York City, Los Angeles and Toronto. The initiative is intended to encourage shoppers to explore fashion beyond their existing preferences and discover items listed in other users’ closets.

The campaign comes as Poshmark undergoes what it describes as a broader evolution under new leadership and with additional industry expertise, with a focus on fashion, cultural relevance and commercial growth.

Campaign targets fashion discovery

Developed with creative agency nice&frank, the campaign is based on the idea of exploring another person’s closet and finding clothing or accessories that a shopper may not have considered searching for. Poshmark says more than 700,000 new listings are added to its marketplace each day.

“Poshmark brings millions of expressions of human taste together in one place,” said Elizabeth von der Goltz, chief revenue officer, Poshmark. “You can move between aesthetics, discover a new designer, find an amazing piece from another era, or stumble upon something you never would have searched for. That’s the idea behind ‘Try Yourself On’ – fashion as a way to discover different versions of yourself. There’s no other fashion destination quite like Poshmark where the world’s closets are at your fingertips.”

A series of long- and short-form films directed by mixed-media director and photographer Léa Esmaili combines live action, animation and computer-generated imagery. The films feature characters moving through different worlds, outfits and identities while looking for particular items and encountering unexpected alternatives.

The campaign’s out-of-home component includes what Poshmark calls its largest such campaign to date, with advertising takeovers at Manhattan’s Union Square and Broadway-Lafayette subway stations, as well as Toronto’s St. George Station.

Creative collaborations expand campaign

Poshmark is also working with individuals from fashion, entertainment, photography and culture during Fashion Month to provide different interpretations of personal style and discovery.

Chloe Fineman, Courtney Grow, Jalil Johnson, Nicky Campbell, Colleen Allen, Elissa Santisi and daughter Francesca Keller, photographer Tyler Joe, Jerry and Zachary Pozniak of Jeeves Dry Cleaners and von der Goltz are participating in a social content series tied to the campaign.

Several participants will also create Tastemaker curations on Poshmark, selecting and liking products they find on the marketplace to produce curated edits for shoppers. The company says the initiative is intended to give buyers another source of fashion inspiration while highlighting individual perspectives on personal style.

New York activation

The campaign also included an interactive consumer activation in New York’s SoHo neighbourhood called the Poshmark Dry Cleaners.

The activation transforms a neighbourhood dry cleaner into a fashion-focused experience built around the campaign’s theme of discovering desirable pieces outside traditional runway settings.

Poshmark says the campaign, creative collaborations and New York Fashion Week activation are designed to reinforce its focus on fashion discovery and the range of products available through its marketplace.

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It’s Not Too Late to Attend CHFA NOW Toronto This Weekend

Retail Insider

September 22, 2026

image - 2026-07-16T123606.864 — Photo: CHFA NOW

If CHFA NOW Toronto has been sitting on your September calendar but you haven’t finalized your plans, there’s still time.

Canada’s natural, organic and wellness industry will gather at Exhibition Place this week for CHFA NOW Toronto 2026, beginning with the conference on Friday, September 25, followed by the trade show on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27.

Online registration for non-CHFA members has now closed, but that doesn’t mean you’ve missed the show. On-site registration will be available at the Enercare Centre throughout the event, and trade show admission remains complimentary for retailers and CHFA members.

For retailers in particular, the timing presents an opportunity to spend a weekend seeing products, meeting founders and suppliers, comparing emerging brands and getting a concentrated look at what is happening across one of retail’s fastest-evolving areas.

Thousands of Products, Hundreds of Retailers

CHFA NOW Toronto brings together companies spanning food and beverage, natural health products, supplements, beauty, skincare, healthy home and other wellness categories.

The scale makes it possible to accomplish something that would be difficult to replicate through individual meetings.

CHFA says its 2025 Toronto event featured more than 1,200 exhibitors, with more than 750 retail locations represented and more than 8,400 industry professionals participating.

For buyers, category managers and retail executives, the show floor provides an opportunity to compare products directly, sample new launches and have conversations with the people behind the brands.

Some will be familiar names. Others may be companies retailers are encountering for the first time.

Discover Emerging Brands Before They Become Familiar

Product discovery is a major part of CHFA NOW, and this year’s event puts additional emphasis on emerging businesses.

The new Greenhouse program is designed to connect promising Canadian natural, organic and wellness companies with retailers, distributors and other industry decision-makers.

CHFA NOW Toronto will also showcase emerging companies through its programming, giving retailers an opportunity to see new products and hear directly from entrepreneurs about the businesses they are building.

For buyers looking to differentiate their assortments, those early conversations can be particularly valuable. A product that is relatively unknown today could become a much more familiar presence on Canadian retail shelves in the years ahead.

See Where Wellness Is Heading

One of the advantages of attending a large trade show is being able to see broader patterns emerge across hundreds of companies and products.

Protein continues to move into unexpected categories. Functional beverages are evolving. Women’s wellness is becoming increasingly specialized. Personal care, beauty, healthy home and food are increasingly intersecting with the broader wellness conversation.

Walking the show floor allows retailers to see those developments in context.

It is one thing to read about an emerging trend. It is another to see dozens of companies approaching the same consumer need in different ways, compare their products and speak directly with the founders and executives behind them.

More Than Product Discovery

CHFA NOW is also an opportunity to reconnect with the people behind the industry.

Retailers, manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and entrepreneurs from across Canada will be in Toronto, creating opportunities for meetings and conversations that extend beyond individual products.

The event begins Friday with CHFA NOW’s conference program, which will examine some of the larger consumer, business and competitive issues affecting the natural, organic and wellness sector.

The trade show then opens Saturday and continues Sunday at the Enercare Centre, with additional programming and industry events taking place throughout the weekend.

Haven’t Registered? You Can Still Attend

With the event only days away, the window for advance planning is getting short, but attending is still possible.

CHFA NOW Toronto is a trade-only event, and attendees must work within the natural, organic or wellness industry. Those registering or collecting badges on site should bring photo identification and proof of industry employment.

On-site registration and badge pickup at the Enercare Centre in Hall A will be available:

Friday, September 25: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 26: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 27: 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The trade show itself runs from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

For retailers, trade show registration is complimentary.

If discovering new products, meeting suppliers or understanding where the wellness market is heading matters to your business, there is still time to put CHFA NOW Toronto on this weekend’s schedule.

CHFA NOW Toronto takes place September 25–27, 2026 at Exhibition Place in Toronto. The conference takes place Friday, followed by the trade show Saturday and Sunday.

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Haven’t Registered? You Can Still Attend

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