Canadian jewellery brand Hillberg & Berk is preparing for a new phase of growth that will expand its national footprint and sharpen its identity as a purpose-driven retailer. The Regina-based, women-owned company will open six new boutiques from late 2025 through 2026, beginning at Hamilton’s Lime Ridge Centre on Saturday, November 22, 2025. Those openings form the first wave in a plan to double the store base to 30 locations by the end of 2027, with additional leases now in active negotiation.

“We’re so excited to bring the Hillberg & Berk experience to even more people across the country,” said Rachel Mielke, Founder and CEO, in an interview. “Each of these new locations represents a chance to invite new people into our community of jewellery with purpose. Coming off the momentum of our Canadian Olympic Committee partnership and the national pride it inspires, this Canadian growth feels especially significant.”

The six confirmed sites follow Hamilton: Willowbrook Shopping Centre in Langley, British Columbia and Sherwood Park Mall in Sherwood Park, near Edmonton, both targeted for spring 2026; Scarborough Town Centre in Toronto for summer 2026; and Hillcrest Mall in Richmond Hill as well as Oshawa Centre for fall 2026. With 15 boutiques currently operating across Canada, the brand’s stated objective is to roughly double that count over the next several years. “We are aggressively looking for the right spots, primarily across Ontario and British Columbia,” said Mielke. “We want the right malls, the right co-tenancies and a pace of openings that keeps quality high.”

Focus on Hamilton to Start, Then a Cross-Country Push

Opening in Hamilton gives Hillberg & Berk a meaningful anchor for the coming year. The launch will include in-store offers and limited editions, consistent with the brand’s approach to tailoring each event to local shoppers. Although the company does not disclose sales by store, Mielke said the new markets align with strong e-commerce demand and a data-driven view of where the brand already resonates.

“Sherwood Park is a really strong online market for us, so online sales are definitely part of what we look at,” she said. “We have focused on building the strength of Hillberg & Berk as a brand so that our retail concept is turnkey. We can hit a new market with a clear strategy for getting open and getting profitable.” She added that the pipeline of expansion includes several additional opportunities in British Columbia and Ontario, which together account for a large share of Canada’s mall traffic and jewellery spend.

A Turnkey Store Concept with a Distinct Design Language

Hillberg & Berk’s retail environments have become part of its identity. Stores mix clean lines and warm textures with curved forms and softly lit displays, producing a space that feels both elevated and welcoming. Mielke summarized the aesthetic as modern southwestern influences combined with a feminine sensibility and luxury detail, designed to feel like a “dream closet.”

“I traveled through Europe and looked for luxury retail inspiration elements to bring into the store,” she said. “We wanted a luxury, elevated feel, but also warm and inviting. With every store we tweak and make it stronger.” The Cornwall Centre boutique in Regina was cited as an early example of the look and feel, and later flagships have broadened the palette with arches, layered materials and a focus on comfortable dwell time. The intent is to stage the collections in a way that encourages discovery, gifting and return visits.

Merchandise breadth remains a point of emphasis. Shoppers can expect a full expression of the core assortment, from sterling silver and gold pieces to gemstone-forward designs, with many items priced below $250. The brand’s signature Sparkle Ball earrings continue to serve as an accessible entry point. Mielke confirmed that the company still operates Sparkle Bar formats in selected centres, including CrossIron Mills near Calgary and CF Polo Park in Winnipeg, along with a larger, modular Sparkle Bar experience at West Edmonton Mall. These concepts allow guests to explore sparkle-centric looks within a distinct in-store zone.

From Kitchen Table to National Brand

Hillberg & Berk began in 2007, when Mielke rebranded her earlier line as a dedicated jewellery business and later secured investment through CBC’s Dragons’ Den. The company has since moved well beyond its prairie roots. Operations today are centred in Regina, where the firm designed and built a 30,000-square-foot head office and distribution centre almost a decade ago, complemented by satellite offices across the country. “We started the business at my kitchen table and then in a small character house,” Mielke recalled. “Now we are a brand represented across the country, with ambitious growth goals for the next several years.”

Ownership has also evolved. While early backers helped fuel expansion, Mielke said she now owns the business outright. “Still a huge supporter of the brand,” she said of former investor W. Brett Wilson, “but I own the business one hundred percent now.” The ownership clarity supports Hillberg & Berk’s long-term positioning as a Canadian independent with a strong social mission.

National Partnerships Signal Maturation and Reach

Partnerships have become central to the brand’s profile. In 2025, Hillberg & Berk was named the Official Jewellery Partner of Team Canada through the Canadian Olympic Committee, with programs slated to run into Milano Cortina 2026 and Los Angeles 2028. The relationship includes a custom Team Canada Sparkle Ball and athlete rings that celebrate national pride and women in sport. The company has also supported professional women’s hockey, entering a second season as a sponsor of the PWHL. Mielke said these relationships do more than generate media value. They align the brand with communities where confidence, performance and role modelling matter.

“You can see the impact when girls stay in sport,” she said. “They report higher self-confidence, self-esteem and healthier body image. We also know that a large majority of women in executive roles played sports growing up. The power of sport in developing leadership is real, and it connects to the kind of impact we want as a brand.”

A Purpose-Led Retailer with Community at the Core

Hillberg & Berk’s mission is to empower women as a practical framework for giving, partnerships and culture. The company donates a minimum of one percent of annual sales to organizations that support women, and it maintains a national program with Dress for Success Canada. “We give all of the women who go through the suiting program new Hillberg & Berk jewellery,” Mielke said. “There were about eight thousand participants last year who received pieces.” She emphasized that the company supports hundreds of organizations, with cumulative contributions now in the millions, and that these commitments help attract and retain a team motivated by impact.

Community events will feature prominently in each opening wave. While details vary by market, store teams focus on collaborations with local partners, purposeful gifting moments and activations that introduce the brand to multiple generations at once. “We definitely see multi-generational customers,” Mielke said. “A woman discovers the brand, then she brings in her daughter, her sister and her mother. Before long, we are seeing families shopping together, which is special.”

Merchandising Strategy and In-Store Experience

As the company scales, its merchandising targets two outcomes: consistency across locations and room for local nuance. New stores debut with a curated core that showcases best sellers and seasonal stories, while leaving flexibility for regional preferences. The store layout supports this strategy. Walk-in sightlines highlight signature categories, while side walls and focal tables present colour stories, gemstone moments and gifting statements. Associates guide shoppers through layers of add-on styling, from everyday studs and stackable rings to occasion pieces.

The Hamilton opening and the 2026 series of launches will continue to test fresh ideas in service and space planning. Mielke said the goal is to keep dwell times high and conversion strong by making stores comfortable. Seating areas, warm materials and a hospitality-minded approach to greetings are now standards. Store managers also receive training to host small events that bring in community partners during off-peak hours, creating a cadence of reasons to visit beyond traditional retail seasons.

A Data-Informed Real Estate Playbook

While brand heat matters, the Hillberg & Berk expansion is built on a practical playbook for site selection. The team triangulates e-commerce sales by postal code, mall footfall, co-tenancy fit and the availability of well-placed inline units near complementary categories. “It is a matter of making sure it is the right spot in the right mall,” Mielke said. “We want to land where our customer already spends time.” That lens explains the early emphasis on Greater Toronto Area nodes and established regional centres in British Columbia and Alberta.

Mielke credited broker Jessica Millet of Oberfeld Snowcap for recent dealmaking support, noting that clear credit matters as landlords and peers track momentum. In a tight availability cycle for prime inline units, a steady pipeline of deals often depends on relationships made years earlier, and on a brand’s reputation for presentation standards and store productivity.

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