German women’s fashion brand Gerry Weber has closed its eight corporately operated Canadian stores, after entering the market in the spring of 2015. Three franchised Gerry Weber stores, which have operated for several years, will continue to remain open.
As of last week, all corporately owned Gerry Weber stores in Canada had closed, except for a location at Vaughan Mills, north of Toronto. The store continues to clear out the brand’s merchandise and will close on Friday, January 27.
Gerry Weber’s first corporately owned Canadian store opened in March of 2015 at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre, followed a month later with stores at Upper Canada Mall in Newmarket and at Scarborough Town Centre in Toronto. In May of 2015, locations opened at Vaughan Mills, Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, and at Outlet Collection at Niagara, near Niagara Falls. The company’s last two Canadian stores opened at Calgary’s CF Chinook Centre and at CF Promenade in Thornhill, north of Toronto. More were expected to follow.
Three franchised Gerry Weber stores will continue to operate in Canada, including two in Ontario and one in British Columbia. The Ontario locations include stores at 1177 Yonge Street in Toronto and in downtown Burlington. The Gerry Weber franchise at 1849 Marine Drive in West Vancouver is operated by Vancouver-based retailer Edward Chapman Woman. The Gerry Weber brand continues to wholesale in retailers across the country.
The Gerry Weber brand has been struggling for the past couple of years, with store closures being part of a restructuring effort to bring the company back to profitability. One of the brand’s focuses is on wholesale operations, which is expected to be its priority for the Canadian market moving forward.
Founded in 1973 in Halle, Germany, moderately priced Gerry Weber targets women over the age of 30. The brand features women’s ready-to-wear as well as accessories, leather goods and footwear. The brand has over 1,270 company managed locations around the world, as well as more than 2,300 shop-in-stores and 270 franchised stores. It employs over 5,000 worldwide.
