Upscale French fragrance and candle brand Diptyque is building its first standalone store at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre that will open within a few months. It’s part of a direct-to-consumer expansion for the brand which for years has been available in upscale multi-brand retailers.
The Yorkdale Diptyque storefront will be in the mall’s new ‘luxury wing’ anchored by Louis Vuitton to the north and Furla and Nespresso at its south-end. Diptyque will join other nearby beauty brands including Aesop and a large Sephora store.
More Canadian Diptyque locations are expected to open with Jeff Berkowitz of Aurora Realty Consultants negotiating leases on behalf of the retailer. Ideal Diptyque retail spaces could be in malls and on streets with mall locations ideally being in the 600-700 square foot range while street front stores may occupy as much as 1,000 square feet.
Diptyque was founded in 1961 by interior designer Christiane Gautrot, theatre set designer Yves Coueslant, and Desmond Knox-Leet, a painter. The brand, which sells fragrances, candles & home, skincare, and home decor, has stores globally as well as distribution in upscale retailers.
Candles are typically priced in the $50-$100 range depending on size, with some more expensive ones approaching $500. Diptyque fragrances are typically well over $100 and a room spray was priced at $92 on a Canadian retailer’s website.
In the United States, Diptyque has more than 20 stores in major markets with a mix of street and mall stores in upscale locations. Some stores are on luxury streets while others are located a bit off the beaten path in trendy places close to affluent population areas.
The Diptyque brand was introduced to Canada via wholesale channels, with retailers such as Holt Renfrew, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue carrying the brand in Canadian stores. The multi-brand retailers are expected to retain distribution despite the direct-to-consumer brick-and-mortar expansion.
We’ll follow up on this story when the Yorkdale store opens.
