Alo Yoga Entering Quebec Market Amid Ongoing Canadian Store Expansion

Los Angeles-based Alo Yoga is expanding further into the Canadian market as it prepares to open its first store in the province of Quebec. The brand is expanding more broadly than expected in Canada by opening at least two stores in five major cities. 

Alo Yoga’s next Canadian store will open at CF Carrefour Laval near Montreal. The store will be located next to Ted Baker and across from some strong brands including Hugo Boss, Vinfast, La Vie En Rose and Thomas Sabo. Jeff Berkowitz of Aurora Realty Consultants negotiated the lease on behalf of Alo Yoga, with Cadillac Fairview being the landlord of CF Carrefour Laval. 

It’s been a bit over a year since Alo Yoga entered the Canadian market with its first store, and it now has seven across the country. Alo’s first Canadian location opened in September of 2022 in Toronto at the northeast corner of Bloor and Bay Streets at the base of the 60 Bloor St. W. office tower, where a Gap store had operated for years. Alo’s second Canadian location opened a couple of months later at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. Toronto is an important market for Alo Yoga, which has since seen the opening of a store at CF Toronto Eaton Centre in the downtown core and plans are in place for a fourth Toronto store at CF Sherway Gardens. 

Since the summer, Alo Yoga has opened stores in the Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary markets. A Vancouver store opened at CF Pacific Centre in the spring of this year in a coveted retail space formerly occupied by an Apple store (which relocated). In Edmonton, Alo Yoga opened at store at West Edmonton Mall in August and last month a second location opened at the Southgate Centre. In Calgary, Alo Yoga opened at CF Chinook Centre and a second store is said to be opening at CF Market Mall. 

Alo Yoga is expected to continue expanding with more Canadian stores. The company has said that it would like a store on Ste-Catherine Street in Montreal, though nothing has been confirmed in terms of a secured location. Sources said that Alo Yoga had been in talks to open at Royalmount in Montreal, which will see its retail mall completed in August of 2024. The overhauled Oakridge Centre in Vancouver is also said to be another target for Alo Yoga. Given a pattern of location choices, other potential targets for Alo Yoga in Canada could eventually include locations at Square One in Mississauga, CF Rideau Centre in Ottawa and even CF Polo Park in Winnipeg, depending how many markets Alo Yoga decides to open stores. 

The brand is said to be gaining market share in Canada, most likely at the expense of Vancouver-based Lululemon. One advantage Lululemon has is its presence in Canada for several decades, not to mention the fact that it has almost 70 stores in this country. Alo Yoga could still carve out some of that with its stores and online presence, as well as selling at some retailers such as Holt Renfrew. 

Alo Yoga has been rapidly opening stores in the United States, and is also expanding its international footprint. The retailer has over 60 stores in the United States according to its website, up from just 13 stores when Retail Insider first reported on the brand entering Canada in January of 2022. Alo Yoga also has stores in the UK, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Israel, all having opened relatively recently. 

Alo Yoga was founded in Los Angeles in 2007 by entrepreneurs Danny Harris and Marco Degeorge who continue to own and bankroll the business. The company says that it makes “the most technologically advanced yoga clothing in the world” with a “studio-to-street” ethos. Home workouts are possible with Alo Moves, an at-home fitness concept with a $30 monthly membership for unlimited yoga, fitness and meditation.