Quebec-based Bath Depot, Canada’s destination for bathroom and kitchen essentials, continues to expand its physical footprint with the recent opening of its first store in Edmonton at Mayfield Common.
The brand, founded in 2008 by four brothers who are plumbing enthusiasts, now has 43 stores nationwide with plans to continue its growth trajectory.
Andrew St-Charles, Senior Director of Marketing & E-Com for the company said the Edmonton location is the brand’s first store in Western Canada.
“The furthest we are is in Ontario and now we’re finally traveling across the Ontario border into Western Canada. We’re opening another one at the end of August in Calgary,” he said.
In mid-August, Bath Depot is opening in Barrie, Ontario and in September a location is planned for Saint John, New Brunswick.
“That’s what’s confirmed for this year. Next year we do have other locations coming up,” added St-Charles.
“Our objective is about eight stores. More locations in Edmonton and in Calgary as well. We’re looking at Saskatoon and Winnipeg.”
St-Charles said the brand stands out as being unique in the business in its market share.
“You don’t see much competition within our line of business. We’re vertical. We’re very direct with our partners in Asia. We also have an office in Asia. So we’re able to do a lot on our own compared to other retailers out there who are using brands, not being able to be as quick and moving in terms of product selection for our customers,” he said.
“We see an opportunity in Western Canada. We’re not there. We have 20 locations in Quebec, 20 locations in Ontario but nothing out West. For us, it’s an opportunity to grow and gain market share and be a national retailer from coast to coast.”
He said the typical size of a store is about 5,000 square feet.
“We’re looking at strip malls with locations with docks ideally where we have space to be able to deliver the product. That’s why we don’t look for mall locations. We’re looking mostly at strip malls usually located near a high traffic area whether it be a competitor like a Home Depot, a RONA, a Costco. Somewhere where we can see high traffic for us.”
The first location for the brand was on the North Shore of Montreal in Blainville.
