Swiss watchmaker Swatch recently opened a new flagship store at 1145 Robson Street in downtown Vancouver. The Vancouver store is part of a larger expansion in Canada for the brand.
Shawn Kotania, brand manager in Canada, was on hand for the grand opening event last week. Kotania explained he was particularly proud of the design of the downtown Vancouver location as it “brings the outside inside”.
The design team had a unique challenge with the original space which was originally the entrance to a former Milestones restaurant which closed in 2017. The approximate 1,000 square feet of utilitarian space was framed with harsh concrete, accented with red accents. The design team set ahead with the task to “bring the outside in” which included interweaving natural light LED displays within the space.
A stroll through “The Swatch Group” history reveals that it was launched out of the idea of being an artistic and emotional “second watch”. Robson Street in downtown Vancouver is a destination for tourists, which means that sales could be high — cruise ship traffic has increased to record levels and visitor levels are strong overall.
Swatch has a range of watch styles and prices. For the refined client, there’s the new ‘Art Journey’ collection which involves a collaboration with the world-famous Tate galleries. The adventurer may purchase something from the Bioceramic Moonswatch Collection in collaboration with Omega. The child at heart may look to the children’s Flik Flak collection – or even the adult child at heart for the “The Simpsons” collection.
The new Vancouver store is located on the main floor of the John Robson Place building. The remaining second-floor space of the former Milestone’s restaurant has been separated and repurposed into additional office space.
Mario Negris and Martin Moriarty of Marcus & Millichap negotiated the lease deal on behalf of the landlord.
Swatch announced this location as part of a five store Canadian expansion in June 2023. Swatch underwent a rapid store expansion in Canada after the pandemic, having opened five stores since last summer alone. The company has now penetrated the country in a meaningful way with stores, which means that the store expansion may slow for now. The company now has 12 stores in Canada, in addition to the Robson Street store, including:
- Metropolis at Metrotown (Vancouver/Burnaby)
- Government Street (Victoria)
- CF Chinook Centre (Calgary)
- West Edmonton Mall (Edmonton)
- CF Sherway Gardens (Toronto)
- Yorkdale Shopping Centre (Toronto)
- CF Toronto Eaton Centre (Toronto)
- CF Rideau Centre (Ottawa)
- CF Carrefour Laval (Montreal/Laval)
- Montreal Eaton Centre (Montreal)
- Halifax Shopping Centre (Halifax)
The Swatch Group Ltd. is a Swiss manufacturer which has acquired numerous luxury watchmakers over the years. Some Vancouver related-Swatch retail brands include:
- OMEGA: Originally opened a stand-alone store in Fairmont Hotel Vancouver prior to the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. The boutique most recently relocated within the hotel in December 2021 to make way for Gucci to expand.
- Alberni Street: The Swatch Group’s subsidiary finishes watches for LVMH (including Hublot) and Richemont (including IWC Schaffhausen, Officine Panerai and Piaget) which all have stores on downtown Vancouver’s Alberni Street.
Additional photos of Swatch Vancouver on Robson Street:
