PLUS, Canada’s luxury streetwear shop, has opened its new flagship store at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto.
Liam Blackadder, the retailer’s Creative Director, said Yorkdale was a natural for the company’s expansion.
“It’s the centre of style, being that epitome of shopping and go-to place for retail within Canada. Ever since we opened our first flagship at that mall in September 2020, that was our first time opening a flagship there, it was evident how impactful that mall is, especially footprint wise,” said Blackadder.
“Traffic at that shopping centre definitely is a step above the rest in terms of retail in Canada. Definitely wanting to stay in that mall. That mall obviously has a lot of renovations and changes going onto there. So with that, we wanted to increase our footprint into a larger space to kind of show our growth as a company and kind of make sure we keep that Yorkdale location as one of our staples.”
The company’s first location in Ontario was a temporary store in Yorkdale in 2019.
The Yorkdale store is the brand’s largest store of its eight locations in Canada.
“As a young company in 2022 from 2017 that was our first time for designing a space and trying to consider everything. Now fast forward four years later it opens. We’ve had a number of spaces, I believe almost 20 in our six years, seven years of operations, whether that’s through specialty leases, temporary stores, moves, etc,” said Blackadder.
“So definitely we’ve learned a lot. Seen what works for us. How it affects our customers. What kind of experience you want to give a customer. Making that move, having that opportunity to move into a bigger space, kind of feels like a refresh. And shows that new space we were willing to take to grow within that mall.
“Being a young, independently owned company, we have to be pretty diligent with the decisions we’re making while also exploring ways we can do things a little differently and stand out and make an impact. Definitely we try to do a bunch of that with our new locations.”
He said the brand considered how people interact with the space in designing the new Yorkdale store. The floor plan was changed. Everything is more integrated into a shopping experience in the layout and how the products are displayed. A big digital display video wall has been incorporated into the space as well as a lounge.
Blackadder said the company in 2023 did some housekeeping with its stores and did some work for a new space in its Vancouver location with a new design there as well as a complete revamp of the Square One location in Toronto.
“In our spaces, we’re always just looking to create a space that’s inviting and welcoming and fosters community,” he said, adding they are spaces for people looking for that wow factor as they shop.
“Our demographic kind of ranges all the way from 13 year olds who are excited to get into streetwear by this whole allure and newness of it, all the way to people who are in their late 40s, 50s who have been collecting sneakers and are into the scene their entire life and now they’re seeing it accessible at their fingertips. It’s something new that draws them in again and where they can have those in-store conversations. We definitely do cater to a large scale of people.”
Blackadder said the company is not ready at this point to discuss any future growth plans.
“The company PLUS stands for people like us, and with that we aim to create environments for people like us; whether they are serious collectors, enthusiasts or just entering the space.” said Blackadder in a previous interview with Retail Insider.
“We sell highly sought-after sneakers, collectibles and objects. We’ve also just recently introduced vintage clothing. A curated collection of one of a kind garments. We also do a lot of trading cards like sports and Pokémon. Our products are geared more towards enthusiasts in their respective spaces.”
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