Austrian crystal brand Swarovski has launched its ‘Instant Wonder’ flagship concept store in Canada with a single location on Bloor Street in Toronto. It is one of a select few stores for the new concept globally with the store replacing a previous Swarovski location that recently closed nearby.
The new 1,900 square foot Instant Wonder Swarovski is located at the Manulife Centre, with a Bloor Street-facing entrance in the space between the main entrance to Eataly and the main entrance to Manulife Centre. It is one of only 27 Instant Wonder stores around the globe according to Swarovski, following the concept’s launch in 2021. Manon Parisien of Aurora Realty Consultants negotiated the lease on behalf of Swarovski. CBRE’s Urban Retail Team represented landlord Manulife including Arlin Markowitz, Alex Edmison, Jackson Turner, Teddy Taggart and Emily Everett.
The Toronto store is highly experiential according to Swarovski. The location “pays homage to the shimmering beauty of crystal” with an interior of “mesmerizing metallic finishes and fluted glass combined with chrome and silk touches throughout.” The store, as with other Instant Wonder flagships, is colour-blocked in blue — various stores globally feature other colours. The experience also includes packages that are wrapped up with signature gross-grain silks and velvets.
A collection of octagon display cases on the walls of the store showcase a range of jewellery and other offerings adorned in Austrian crystals, and the store also carries an assortment of accessories, figures and collectables, gifts and other categories displayed throughout.
“We are thrilled to continue expanding the footprint of our new retail landscape which will allow customers to explore Swarovski collections in a modern luxury environment,” said Kolja Kiofsky, General Manager, Swarovski North America. “Our newly opened presence on Bloor Street underscores Swarovski’s commitment to our business development and to delivering joyful extravagance to our customers in North America.”
The new Swarovski replaces a former location that shut at 2 Bloor Street West in early 2022. That former location, which operated since 2002, shut along with an adjacent Talbots store so that construction could begin on a new Lululemon flagship that will open early next year at the northwest corner of Yonge and Bloor Streets.
Swarovski operates standalone stores across Canada and the brand also wholesales in jewellers nationally. The Manulife Centre Instant Wonder store is expected to be the only one of its kind to open in Canada. Swarovski was founded in 1895 in Austria and the company designs, manufactures and sells a range of crystal, gemstones, Swarovski Created Diamonds and zirconia, jewelry, and accessories, as well as crystal objects and home accessories. The company has about 2,400 stores and 6,700 points of sales in around 140 countries and employs more than 18,000 people.
The Manulife Centre is anchored by a 50,000 square foot Eataly location that opened in late 2019, as well as a Loblaw City Market grocery store, Shoppers Drug Mart, LCBO, Birks, and a new Earls restaurant is currently under construction that will open in the winter. Several smaller retailers also operate in the mixed-use Manulife Centre, including Ron White shoes, Over the Rainbow Jeans, Studio D, Petra Karthaus and others.
There have been plenty of changes nearby in terms of retail, with more to come. Fabricland recently opened a store in the former H&M space at 15 Bloor Street West, and the location could remain open until the site is demolished for a proposed mixed-use tower. Next to that is the construction of an Apple store at 1 Bloor Street West, and across from that will be a new tenant that will replace Nordstrom Rack which shut a couple of weeks ago. Morguard’s properties on the north side of the street, including the Holt Renfrew Centre, will be seeing two new significant Canadian retail tenants while further west along Bloor will be several new luxury retailers that will be opening throughout the remainder of the year. Names include Rolex, Van Cleef & Arpels, Ferragamo, Saint Laurent, Alexander Wang, Bonpoint and others.
Additional Photos from Swarovski at Manulife Centre on Bloor Street
