Sources tell us that Japanese fast-fashion retailer Uniqlo will open in Canada, and that it will arrive via Nordstrom. We cannot confirm this information, though we have been contacted by sources from across Canada (as well as one in the United States) notifying us of Uniqlo and Nordstrom’s potential business relationship. If these sources are correct, we could see Uniqlo open stores in Canada within the next two years.
One source informed us that Nordstrom has “purchased the rights” to open Uniqlo stores in Canada, not unlike Hudson’s Bay‘s licensed operation of Canadian TopShop/TopMan stores. Our source would not confirm if Uniqlo would open locations within individual Nordstrom stores or if Nordstrom would open free-standing Uniqlo stores.
Nordstrom will open its first Canadian location at Calgary’s Chinook Centre on September 19th, 2014. Its second Canadian store will open at Ottawa’s Rideau Centre in the spring of 2015. Its third location, the largest in Canada, will open in the fall of 2015 at Vancouver’s Pacific Centre. Following these will be three Nordstrom stores in Toronto: two in the fall of 2016 (at Toronto Eaton Centre and at Yorkdale Shopping Centre) and one in the spring of 2017 at Sherway Gardens. At least two more Canadian Nordstrom locations are expected to follow.
Again, we must make it clear that this is speculation and that none of our sources will go on record to confirm Uniqlo arriving in Canada via Nordstrom. We are nevertheless publishing this information, as all of these unrelated sources have essentially relayed the same message. If you can provide any further information on this topic (or if you have any retail-related tips in general), please email us here.
Ha ha, I like the graphic.
Hope Uniqlo enters Canada independently though, I’m actually more looking forward to Uniqlo than Nordstrom!