*Update: The Whitby, ON location opened March 19, 2015, the Calgary Crossiron Mills location opened March 25, and the West Edmonton Mall location opens on April 10, 2015*
Popular value-priced American footwear retailer DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse has revealed four new locations, including its first for Western Canada. We interviewed Town Shoes/DSW Canada CEO Bruce Dinan to learn more.
The four new stores will open in spring of 2015 (April, tentatively), all measuring between 20,000 and 22,000 square feet. Three will be in Alberta, and one in suburban Toronto. The locations include:
Edmonton: West Edmonton Mall: DSW will open on the second level of the mall’s ‘Phase One’, in the wing anchored by Sears. Located in North America’s largest shopping centre, DSW joins anchors such as Hudsons’ Bay, Target, La Maison Simons and Sport Check, not to mention hundreds of retailers and a variety of world-class attractions.
Calgary: CrossIron Mills: Located just north of Calgary, DSW will open in the enclosed 1.2 million square foot mega mall, also anchored by Albert’a only Bass Pro Shops location.
Calgary: Sunridge Mall: A second Calgary DSW store will also be located on the city’s north side. The enclosed 830,000 square foot shopping centre is anchored by Hudson’s Bay, Target, Sport Chek and Old Navy.
Whitby, Ontario: Located in the RioCan Thickson Ridge Power Centre, DSW will join a number of other large retailers including Sears Whole Home, Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Outfitters, and Winners, with its largest anchor being a 130,000 square foot Home Depot.
Town Shoes President and CEO Bruce Dinan runs DSW’s Canadian operations. Mr. Dinan says that DSW’s sales at its first two locations have been exceptional, warranting further Canadian stores. On August 7th of this year, DSW opened at Heartland Town Centre in Mississauga, and at Woodland Hills Shopping Centre in Newmarket. The Whitby store will be the third for the Greater Toronto Area.
DSW also sells online, and it’s Canadian e-commerce site launched a couple of months ago. DSW’s Canadian stores also operate as fulfillment centres, shipping ordered product either to customer’s homes or to local Town Shoes-owned locations for pickup. DSW’s Western Canadian stores can therefore also act as new e-commerce fulfillment centres.
Mr. Dinan says that more Canadian DSW locations are on the way and that in the New Year, he’ll reveal a number of new stores which will open in the fall of 2015.
DSW’s Canadian stores are about the same size as its U.S. locations. Mr. Dinan tells us that DSW is ideally seeking Canadian retail space in the 18,000 to 24,000 square foot range. Each Canadian DSW store will have over 22,000 pairs of shoes, as well as an extensive selection of handbags and accessories. About 80% of the brands in DSW’s American stores are carried in Canada, and Canada’s DSW stores also carry brands exclusive to Town Shoes.
DSW is hugely popular in the United States with over 430 locations in that country. Its name indicates its business model – it sells designer shoes at discounted prices. The company has hundreds of millions in cash and no debt.
Can’t wait for a Vancouver location
Absolutely. Any guesses where DSW will land in the Lower Mainland?
Curious if they find themselves in The Plaza at Polo Park. There is definitely room for them there as the place has yet to start construction other than the Target anchor store which opened recently.
There is also a 17,000 Sq ft opening in Seasons of Tuxedo however the struggles of that development which contributed to the closure of the previous tenant will make it challenging for anyone locating there.
Winnipeg will very likely get a DSW store, given that the retailer plans to eventually operate approximately 40 Canadian locations. Plaza and Seasons are both excellent potential sites for DSW.
i wonder why they put these locations in the middle of no where
Whitby? Makes no mf sense.
Quite possibly because of inexpensive real estate – similar to why most outlet malls are so far away from urban centres.
Yesssss!!!!! Can
t wait for this store to open in WEM! I just hope its a good as the DSWs in the US. Sometime those US stores that open in Canada just dont do as good a job up here.We’ve been told that Canada’s DSW locations are essentially the same as those in the U.S.
We hope to see you at the WEM grand opening! Retail Insider’s office has moved to Edmonton to work with the U of A School of Retailing.
i wonder when DSW well come saskatchewan and where?, regina or saskatoon
Very good question. We haven’t been provided any specific information, though we expect DSW will eventually operate about 40 Canadian stores. It remains to be seen if Saskatchewan will get DSW in either or both cities.
There’s a sign outside of Park Place in Barrie, ON saying a DSW will be coming there in the summer of 2015
Thank you for the tip – it sounds like we’ll be making more DSW announcements in the early New Year. A location in Etobicoke is also under construction, we’re told.
It say that you guys are opening a DSW store in sunridge mall here in Calgary.. when would that be?
We were told that it could be as early as April, though that could change depending on when the store and staff hiring are finished. DSW will likely make an announcement closer to the opening date.
I am so happy you are opening a store in Whitby. I LOVE DSW!
Thank goodness!! Some fantastsic news after Target gutted us.