Vancouver-based Lululemon has opened an impressive two-level flagship store at the corner of Yonge and Bloor Streets in Toronto. The prominent storefront took about two years to build and is part of a transformation of the immediate area.
Retail Insider was first to report on the new store in April of 2022, when we revealed that the Lululemon flagship would span more than 12,000 square feet at the northwest corner of the Yonge and Bloor intersection. Lululemon’s opening is part of a repositioning of the 2 Bloor Street West retail podium, which formerly housed Talbots and Swarovski stores and a CIBC bank on the corner.
The new Lululemon flagship’s metal and glass facade includes signage, the largest being the brand’s logo on the Bloor Street frontage of the store. Access doors from the street corner lead into the space, where visitors are greeted by a staircase with terrazzo flooring and metal railings, surround by brown brick — the look is reminiscent of 1970’s architecture. Plants and other greenery in the store soften the look and makes the space feel fresh.
The main floor of the store is home to women’s clothing and other items, while the second level is for men’s Lululemon product. A full range of clothing for men and women is available in the new store, from athletic wear to dressier styles, as well as footwear, bags, hats, and various accessories and other items produced by the company. Brand ambassadors and various messaging is profiled on the store’s walls.
SAJO built the new Bloor Street Lululemon store, which required extensive general contract work after demolition of the vast space. SAJO built the store’s grand staircase, which required full construction of the structure, terrazzo flooring, railings and brick walls, as well as a planter area with custom seating. Custom oak millwork is found throughout the store as well as custom oak wall paneling, some of which has curved corners which required extra attention to detail. BDP Quadrangle acted as the architect on the project, with the Lululemon Store Design team being responsible for the design of the new Bloor Street store.
The store’s fin ceiling was also created by SAJO, along with customized dressing room areas on each floor. SAJO also installed artwork, digital brand screens and exterior perimeter lighting as part of the construction project, which was completed last week.
Tim Sanderson of JLL, in partnership with Open Realty Advisors, acted on behalf of Lululemon in the lease deal with KingSett Capital which owns 2 Bloor Street West. The landlord broker for the deal was Graham Smith of JLL with Jaimy Hunt of KingSett Capital handling the transaction on behalf of the company.
As part of the renovation to the 2 Bloor West podium, a third floor glass facade was created for offices while the office lobby of the building was relocated to Yonge Street, including new escalators into the retail concourse below. Above is a 430,000 square foot Class A office tower.
Lululemon relocated from a much smaller 3,067 square foot space nearby at 153 Cumberland Street, also owned by KingSett Capital. Other retail tenants at 153 Cumberland include Nicolas Menswear, Aveda and Moscot eyewear, all being required to vacate for a new Harry Rosen flagship store that will occupy the building in 2026.
The new Yonge and Bloor Lululemon store is one of the company’s largest retail locations. Its largest store to date is a 20,000 square foot location in Chicago’s Lincoln Park area that opened in July of 2019.
Lululemon’s new Bloor Street store is located on the same block as competitor Alo Yoga, which opened its first Canadian location at the northeast corner of Bloor and Bay streets in the fall of 2022. Standing prominently between the two stores is Holt Renfrew’s flagship, which is seeing updates inside that will include a new third-floor men’s department that will open before the end of the year. Brown’s Shoes, Arc’teryx and Aritzia also have large stores on the same north side of the Bloor Street block.
The immediate area is in a state of transformation — Retail Insider recently reported that First Capital REIT had fully leased-out the commercial podium of 1 Bloor Street East, diagonally across from Lululemon’s flagship. New retailers set to open at 1 Bloor East include a Nike flagship and Mango stores, both of which will also be built by SAJO and are now under construction. At the southwest corner of the intersection is a tower project started by developer Sam Mizrahi, now in the hands of Skygrid, which was supposed to have an Apple flagship store at its base. The lease deal has since been cancelled and a new tenant will have to be found. And at the northeast corner of the intersection is a complex formerly known as the Hudson’s Bay Centre, which will see redevelopment along with the underlying subway network which will be rebuilt at a cost well in excess of $1 billion.
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