Ahead of its scheduled grand opening on August 15 of this year, developer Carbonleo has announced an initiative that will see artwork permanently placed in the retail component of Royalmount. A total of 15 works of art from 17 artists will be showcased, as part of an effort to heighten the visitor experience and further differentiate the centre from competitors.
Carbonleo says that the artists are among the “boldest local and international artists of our time”, creating a unique aesthetic and wide-ranging visual experience for guests.
“The art walk speaks to Royalmount’s unifying essence. We want to celebrate art, democratize it, and open it for everyone to discover,” said Andrew Lutfy, CEO of Carbonleo and co-owner of Royalmount in a statement. “People should be inspired by, enjoy, and be moved by the works of artists from here and elsewhere. By making human connections the driving force behind our initiatives, we look forward to offering the community an evolving visual experience.”
“An open-air museum visitors will find enriching, that will kindle their curiosity, their emotions, and spark discovery.”
The large original art pieces will be stationed in various areas of Royalmount when it opens — the works’ titles will be unveiled this summer. To keep things fresh, Carbonleo says that additional art pieces will be added on an ongoing basis to further enrich the experience.
The art walk was made possible by a collaboration with MASSIVart, which is well-known in Montreal’s art community, to make this unprecedented art walk happen.
“This is an incredible initiative, and thanks to Royalmount’s bold vision, we were able to bring together the most inspiring talent, both local and global, to design an art walk like no other in Montreal,” said Claire Tousignant, a partner at MASSIVart in charge of overseeing the art walk initiative. “This collection of powerfully arresting works will stimulate social connections, and together they will form an inspiring gathering place. This is how public art is at its most effective, where art and the reaction it generates meet.”
Participating artists were asked to create a series of works around the theme of Unexpected Horizons. The art walk will showcase works by Hanna Barczyk (Montreal), Nicole Beno (Toronto), Bikismo (Puerto Rico), Chiaozza (New York), Cooke-Sasseville (Quebec), Chun Hua Catherine Dong (Montreal), Collectif Escargo (Montreal), Isidro Ferrer (Spain), Cristina Mejías (Spain), Drew Merritt (Los Angeles), Zéh Palito (Brazil), Matthias Pliessnig (Rhode Island), Soft Lab (New York) and Ara Thorose (New York).
MASSIVart is also working jointly with LNDMRK and Art Souterrain to bring the art walk to fruition.
Artist: Chun Hua
The art work will create a unique and interesting visual element to the shopping centre, which will be unlike anything in the region. The art work is part of an effort to enhance the overall visitor experience to Royalmount, with a goal of bringing in shoppers and having them return. Royalmount will compete with the downtown core as well as a handful of suburban shopping centres for customers, with Royalmount’s differentiation including its newness, brand-focused tenant mix and a range of attractions.
Royalmount’s art initiative is also likely an attempt to attract a monied visitor to the shopping centre, which will feature a roster of luxury brands not found elsewhere in Quebec. Luxury brands will cluster along a central corridor on the main floor of the shopping centre component of Royalmount, with art work located in central areas that will be visible from some of the big-brand stores. In November of 2022, Royalmount announced a roster of luxury brands secured for the retail centre that include Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., and Gucci, as well as French contemporary brands Sandro and Maje. In June of 2023, Royalmount announced further luxury brands including Saint Laurent, Versace, Jimmy Choo, David Yurman and TAG Heuer — all of which will be the first standalone locations for the Montreal market.
In June of 2023, several Montreal-based brands were announced to be opening stores at Royalmount. They include Acuité Visuelle, Aldo, Arc’teryx, Bikini Village, Browns Shoes, Dynamite, Garage, Influenceu, Judith & Charles, La Canadienne, La Vie en Rose, Mackage, Moose Knuckles and Rudsak.
Other brands released by Carbonleo for publication include US-based Michael Kors — owned by the same parent company as Versace and Jimmy Choo. In April, newly announced retailers at Royalmount include Moncler, Longchamp, Veronica Beard, Anine Bing, Roche Bobois and Canada Goose, Zara, Nike, Mango, H&M, Alo Yoga, and Sephora.
Previous larger-format retailer announcements include home furnishings retailer RH (occupying about 46,000 square feet) and Rennaï, a beauty hall concept spanning about 36,000 square feet housing a retail presence for various leading brands.
In April, as well, details on a newly announced food hall were released. Le Fou Fou, which will span about 35,000 square feet and be run by MTB Collective. The European-style food hall will have 12 distinct culinary offerings including catering plus four bars with indoor/outdoor dining that seats over 900 guests. It’s described as being Montreal’s first food hall to combine top-tier talent, hi-touch technology and programming all year round.
The $7 billion Royalmount development, set to open in August of 2024, will be the largest project of its kind in Canadian history, according to Carbonleo. The project has been under construction since before the pandemic and in the spring of 2019 Retail Insider attended the ground-breaking of Royalmount which at the time was a former industrial site with construction equipment preparing to begin building the complex.
Royalmount’s first phase will include an 824,000 square foot two-level retail and lifestyle complex, which will be the first 100% carbon-neutral mixed-use development in the Americas and the largest LEED Gold retail project in Canada. Previously announced components include an aquarium and Cineplex, which will bring premium cinemas and The Rec Room entertainment concept to Royalmount.
The privately-funded Royalmount project is being developed in partnership with investor L Catterton, an investment arm of LVMH. The development will include a mix of experiences and will also be home to a three-kilometre linear park called Le Champ Libre, along with an outdoor public plaza.
Carbonleo is a privately owned, Quebec-based real estate development and management company. Founded in 2012, the company has more than 170 employees and counts several major projects to its credit, including Quartier DIX30 and the Four Seasons Montreal Hotel and Private Residences.
This is the key insight.
“The art work will create a unique and interesting visual element to the shopping centre, which will be unlike anything in the region. The art work is part of an effort to enhance the overall visitor experience to Royalmount, with a goal of bringing in shoppers and having them return. Royalmount will compete with the downtown core as well as a handful of suburban shopping centres for customers, with Royalmount’s differentiation including its newness, brand-focused tenant mix and a range of attractions.”
Carbonleo’s CEO Andrew Lufty knows that In 2024, the last thing Montreal needs is another shopping mall. So he has wisely done what he can to create what would locally be called “un incontournable.” This very expensive experiment known as Royalmount will test his belief that the Montreal market has fundamentally shifted to a new level of affluence. His biggest achievement and primary coup is that roster of luxury brands he has attracted to his project, Quebec-phobic brands that previously avoided the country’s second largest metro to open in Toronto and Vancouver, or even Calgary and Edmonton. I think of Royalmount as Yorkdale East, for that is essentially what Carbonleo is attempting to do here. It’ll be a huge success when it opens, and it can count on its novelty alone to attract lots of media coverage and crowds eager to check out the latest circus in town. My question is, first, can that initial success be sustained? What happens after that first year? And second, what effect will it have on other centres and especially the downtown core where prestigious retailers used to locate. Bloor Street in Toronto seems to be doing just fine; can Rue Sainte Catherine, which has faced a number of challenges, recover and remain a Montreal incontournable?
Montreal is simply not affluent enough for this to become “Yorkdale East”. All one has to do is look at Retail Insider’s reporting on the top-performing malls in Canada. The best-performing mall in Quebec came in at number 10. The top 2 were in Toronto, with 3 and 4 in Vancouver. There are simply not enough wealthy households in the city to support this luxury cluster in the long term. And the effect on downtown Montreal will be disastrous.
Don’t forget Ottawa is close and has one of the highest avg incomes in the country.
That is very true — staff at Tiffany & Co. in Ottawa have confirmed a consumer, who unfortunately has to shop elsewhere for other brands that are not in the Ottawa market. Royalmount could definitely see a customer from Ottawa, and I hope it happens so that Royalmount is a success.
I’m not as pessimistic as you are, Douglas R., about downtown Montreal. I think it’s going through a transition with the decline of the office tower and the addition of so many residences that will lead to its renewal. But given your belief that the city cannot support such a luxury cluster, are you also saying that Royalmount itself will fail?
Mr. Hicks. I share your concern that after an initial honeymoon period, Royalmount may struggle. I will not be surprised to see some of the high-end retailers pull out after a few years, leaving the mall with more of a traditional suburban mall mix of retailers. If Montreal could support a true luxury cluster, then downtown would not have steadily lost luxury retailer after luxury retailer in recent years. There is virtually no luxury shopping left on Sherbrooke, and I would be very surprised if Holt Ogilvy is performing well (which we’ll never know, it being a private company). Perhaps I am wrong and the smart folks at L Catterton have identified unmet demand in the market.
I think it’s important for the city of Montreal to have a true luxury mall that survives on quality of their clients and not quantity of clients, like most malls.
Will it work….I think yes but it might take many years which I’m sure the investors are prepared to wait.
It will be great for the city and something that will draw many luxury seaking tourist,
It’s well overdue.
I can’t wait!!!
Howard Mosel