Upscale American fashion brand Kate Spade shut its flagship store at 138 Cumberland Street in Toronto’s Yorkville area on Monday after opening there in June of 2013. A new tenant is said to have already leased the space.
The 4,000 square foot Kate Spade store opened to fanfare with a mix of bags, accessories and apparel and occupied a prominent corner location facing Old York Lane. It replaced a Hugo Boss store. At the time that it opened, Kate Spade was in expansion mode in Canada and was in the process of strategizing opening stores across the country. The Cumberland Street store was the second location for Kate Spade in Canada following the opening of a store at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre in 2012. Kate Spade was one of many international brands that was entering Canada during a boom time that eventually faded and numerous brands have since quietly exited Canada over the course of the pandemic.
Kate Spade continues to operate 20 store locations in Canada including 10 full-priced stores and 10 outlet stores. In the Toronto area, Kate Spade has stores in Toronto at CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Yorkdale, CF Sherway Gardens and Square One in Mississauga as well as outlet stores at Vaughan Mills and Toronto Premium Outlets. The Vancouver area has a high density of Kate Spade stores including full-priced locations at CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver, Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby and Park Royal in West Vancouver with outlet stores at the McArthurGlen Designer Outlets in Richmond and Tsawwassen Mills in South Delta. In Ottawa, Kate Spade has a full-priced store at CF Rideau Centre as well as an outlet store at the Tanger Outlets. In Edmonton Kate Spade has a full-priced store at West Edmonton Mall as well as an outlet store at the outlet mall beside the airport and in Calgary Kate Spade has a full-priced store at CF Chinook Centre as well as an outlet store north of the city at CrossIron Mills. Other Kate Spade outlet stores are located at the Premium Outlets Montreal, Outlet Collection at Niagara near Niagara Falls and at the Outlet Collection Winnipeg.
New York City-based Tapestry Inc., formerly known as Coach, bought the Kate Spade brand in 2017. The Kate Spade brand is said to have struggled to attract younger consumers in recent years as it became somewhat ubiquitous with storefronts and outlets in major markets — when the Kate Spade brand was founded by the late designer of the same name in 1993, it became something of an “it” brand with limited distribution in stores such as Holt Renfrew. Tapestry also owns upscale brands Coach and Stuart Weitzman footwear which is also said to be looking to close its store on Bloor Street in Toronto.
Katherine Noel Brosnahan, later known as Kate Spade, sold a 56% stake in her brand to Neiman Marcus Group which acquired the remaining stake in 2006. In November of 2006 Liz Claiborne Inc. bought the Kate Spade brand and in July of 2017 Coach/Tapestry acquired the brand for a whopping USD $2.4 billion. In 2018, Kate Spade tragically took her own life at her home in New York City at the age of 55.
We have been informed of a brand that has leased the former Kate Spade space and we’ll report back with further details.
Is 100 Bloor fully leased now? Heard rumours that someone rented remaining space.