La Maison Simons, Canada’s oldest private, family-owned retailer, announced Tuesday it is opening a new store at CF Pacific Centre for Fall 2027 – bringing its distinctive blend of fashion, art, and design to Vancouver’s downtown core.
The location will mark Simons’ 20th store nationwide and its second in British Columbia – a milestone that builds on a period of strong growth, with Simons exceeding expectations and reaching more than $830 million in sales in 2025, said the retailer.
Located in part of downtown Vancouver’s former Nordstrom, Simons said the new store will complement its existing Park Royal location and enhance access for customers across the region, creating more opportunities to discover the uniquely Canadian Simons experience. CF Pacific Centre is among the highest-traffic retail destinations in Western Canada and is widely recognized as a leading location for flagship retail, it added.
The project represents an investment of more than $55 million and will contribute to the local economy, including the creation of approximately 150 new jobs. With this addition, Simons will employ more than 4,000 people across Canada.
The expansion reflects sustained demand in British Columbia, where the Park Royal store has delivered consistent, high double-digit growth since opening, including more than 30 per cent year-over-year growth in 2025. This momentum is further supported by strong digital engagement, with e-commerce accounting for approximately 35 per cent of Simons’ sales in the province.
“Vancouver is one of Canada’s most dynamic and inspiring retail markets, and we’re pleased to expand our presence here,” said Bernard Leblanc, President and CEO of Simons. “Our growth is guided by our customers and a desire to create spaces that reflect the communities we serve. The strong response in Western Canada has reinforced our commitment to the region, and we look forward to bringing a distinctive Simons experience to the downtown core – one that blends fashion, art and design while building meaningful connections with Vancouver’s diverse communities.”
Simons said the new CF Pacific Centre store will span approximately 92,000 square feet across three floors, representing a significant investment in downtown Vancouver. Designed by McKinley Studios, with architecture by LemayMichaud, the space will reflect Simons’ distinctive approach to retail, blending fashion, art, and architecture to create an immersive and thoughtfully crafted environment.
“Inspired by Vancouver’s architectural legacy, the concept references Brutalism and 1960s aesthetics, expressed through a balance of raw materials, sculptural forms, and warm, modern accents to shape a space that feels both monumental and sensorial – encouraging movement and curiosity throughout. Each Simons store is uniquely conceived, with a creative, people-first approach that shapes environments thoughtfully integrated into local communities, extending beyond the traditional shopping experience,” added the retailer.
In an interview with Retail Insider, Leblanc said it’s important to be in the heart of one of Canada’s most dynamic cities, both culturally and economically.
“We’ve been waiting for the right opportunity for us in downtown Vancouver for some time, and now it’s really exciting to be here to talk about it more and to be able to announce this publicly,” he said, adding the store is in part of old vacated Nordstrom space.
“We opened the other store in Park Royal in West Vancouver in 2015, so it was 10 years last year already. In fact, since opening, it’s been a very successful store for us. We’ve been enjoying double-digit growth since it opened, and actually we did 30% year over year last year in Park Royal. Whether it be in our physical location in West Van, as well as the results that we have digitally, we’re seeing a very strong response to the Simons brand here in the Vancouver market and in BC in general. We feel that this is going to be a very good store for us in the heart of downtown Vancouver.
“(The Park Royal store is) amongst the top performers, and you would expect that from a market like Vancouver, just having the one store here. We feel that this second store will really build proximity with our client base and ensure that we can bring our authentic Simons customer service to life right in the heart of downtown Vancouver.”
Leblanc said the retailer’s strategy has always been more thoughtful and prudent in expansion plans, and that philosophy remains.
“We’re really focused on the very best markets or the most densely populated markets in the country, and the very best malls as well—really looking at a top-tier mall strategy. Now that we’ve opened our two flagships in Toronto last year and are now announcing this one in the heart of downtown Vancouver, we’re quite pleased with our footprint right now across the country. There aren’t any specific targets that we’ve identified. Our objective has never been to be the biggest; it’s really about being the best in the eyes of our clients, and that’s what we’ll stay focused on going forward,” he said.
Founded in 1840, Simons continues to grow through a measured and intentional approach. Over the past seven years, Simons said it has invested more than $350 million in the Canadian retail landscape, including the development of a state-of-the-art automated fulfillment centre, and continued enhancements to its digital and in-store experience.
“This sustained investment has contributed to Simons’ recent performance, including a mid-20 per cent increase in annual sales in 2025. Same-store sales grew in the mid-teen per cent range across Canada from 2024 to 2025, with growth reaching the mid-twenties per cent range in newer markets. Recent openings in 2025 at Yorkdale Shopping Centre and CF Toronto Eaton Centre have exceeded traffic and sales expectations, while solid results for earlier openings in Pointe-Claire and Halifax further demonstrate continued demand for Simons’ fashion and home decor offering across the country. This continued expansion into new markets, supported by strong customer response, is contributing to Simons’ growing national presence – with the new Vancouver store marking the next step in that journey, as Simons continues to shape retail experiences that resonate with communities across Canada,” it said.
“We are incredibly proud to support Simons’ continued growth across Canada with their first flagship store in downtown Vancouver at CF Pacific Centre,” commented Sal Iacono, President & CEO, Cadillac Fairview. “The new store directly reflects our shared commitment to creating unparalleled retail destinations, and we look forward to the excitement Simons will bring to this landmark location.”
The current 19 Simons store locations: 10 in Quebec, including the company’s head office in Quebec City; three in Alberta; one in British Columbia; one in Nova Scotia; and four in Ontario.
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Great news! Now we just need Eataly to move in too!
Always impressed with the foot traffic at the Fairview Pointe-Claire store. While they don’t call themselves a Department Store they certainly occupy a space in the market that the legacy Department Stores in Canada were trying to get to — although debt and legacy costs prevented them from truly evolving. The slightly smaller floor plates and the high proportion of private labels (with very limited discounting) works — they don’t operate in the beauty space the way the now departed majors did — presumably that’s strategic on their part — although the potential certainly exists for growth/sales in that lane…not having those concessions definitely simplifies their business — again — no reason to fix something that isn’t broken.