From fewer than a dozen stores just two years ago to an expected 42 locations across North America by the end of 2026, Canadian-founded retailer Kiokii and… is rapidly becoming one of the country’s most closely watched shopping centre success stories.
The Toronto-based Asian beauty and lifestyle retailer has expanded aggressively across many of Canada’s top enclosed malls while simultaneously preparing for broader growth in the United States. Along the way, the company has emerged as part of a new generation of highly visual, discovery-driven retail brands helping reshape how shopping centres attract younger consumers and generate repeat visits.
What makes Kiokii and… particularly notable is not simply the pace of its growth, but where the company is opening stores. The retailer has steadily secured space within some of Canada’s highest-performing enclosed malls, working with landlords including Cadillac Fairview, Oxford Properties, Primaris REIT, and Triple Five Group.
“We work really well with all the landlords,” said Echo Peng during an interview with Retail Insider. “We’re in every single CF property except Shops at Don Mills.”
That level of penetration across Canada’s premier enclosed shopping centres is unusual for a relatively young specialty retail concept. As mall owners continue refining tenant mixes to emphasize entertainment, immersion, and repeat visitation, retailers capable of generating excitement and emotional engagement have become increasingly valuable within the modern shopping centre ecosystem.
Kiokii and… appears to be benefiting directly from those broader industry shifts.
From Emerging Concept to National Expansion Story
The company’s growth trajectory has accelerated rapidly over the past two years.
In early 2024, Kiokii and… operated fewer than a dozen stores nationally. By spring 2025, the retailer had grown to 28 locations while announcing plans for its first major U.S. flagship. Less than a year later, the chain expects to operate approximately 42 stores across Canada and the United States combined.
The expansion has largely focused on high-productivity enclosed malls in major urban centres, though the retailer has increasingly entered mid-sized Canadian markets as well.
Inside the stores, customers encounter colourful displays of skincare, cosmetics, beauty tools, accessories, hair products, and lifestyle merchandise sourced from across Korea, Japan, and China. Viral beauty products sit alongside curated assortments, imported exclusives, and proprietary merchandise, creating an environment designed as much for exploration and impulse discovery as for planned purchasing.
Executives repeatedly emphasized that the physical shopping experience sits at the centre of the company’s strategy.
“We’re not trying to sell product,” Peng said. “We really want the customer come in, have that experience to enjoy.”
That philosophy increasingly aligns with broader shifts occurring throughout physical retail. As e-commerce continues handling more routine transactional purchases, many successful bricks-and-mortar concepts have evolved toward sensory retail environments that encourage browsing, experimentation, and social interaction.
For younger consumers especially, shopping has increasingly become tied to discovery, self-expression, and participation in fast-moving trend culture rather than simply completing a transaction.
Eaton Centre Flagship Reflects the Brand’s Evolution
One of the company’s most significant upcoming openings will be a new flagship store at CF Toronto Eaton Centre expected to open this fall.
The approximately 3,500-square-foot location will relocate Kiokii and… into a much more prominent centre-court position near the James and Albert entrance within one of Canada’s busiest shopping centres. The new flagship will occupy a former Aritzia space, representing a major visibility upgrade for the brand.
“It’s gonna be amazing exposure for us in terms of the brand,” said a company representative during the interview.
Within the shopping centre industry, centre-court positioning inside Eaton Centre carries particular significance. The relocation reflects how quickly Kiokii and… has evolved from an emerging niche retailer into a strategically important tenant capable of driving traffic, energy, and younger demographic engagement within major urban malls.
The move also highlights how shopping centres themselves continue evolving. Landlords increasingly appear willing to allocate premium retail real estate toward concepts that create activity, excitement, and repeat visitation rather than relying exclusively on traditional apparel anchors.
Asian Beauty Retail Continues Moving Into the Mainstream
While Asian beauty products once occupied a relatively niche segment within the Canadian retail landscape, the category has expanded rapidly over the past several years as younger consumers embrace skincare routines, beauty rituals, and trend discovery originating across Asia.
Executives emphasized that Kiokii and… positions itself as a broader “Asian beauty” retailer rather than focusing exclusively on Korean beauty products.
“We carry lots of C-beauty and J-beauty plus lifestyle products,” Peng said. “Kiokii is more about experience for discovering.”
The company also emphasized that its customer base extends well beyond Asian consumers.
Its core demographic generally ranges from ages 16 to 35, though management said the stores increasingly attract a broad mix of customers drawn to skincare trends, curated merchandise assortments, and the immersive retail atmosphere.
Much of that momentum has been fueled by social media, influencer culture, and the growing popularity of skincare-focused routines among younger consumers. Physical retail environments increasingly serve as places where shoppers can test products, discover trends, and engage with fast-moving beauty culture in person.
Retailers such as MINISO, Pop Mart, and other highly visual retail concepts have similarly benefited from discovery-oriented merchandising strategies that encourage repeat visits and customer engagement, though Kiokii and… has increasingly carved out its own position within the growing Asian beauty and lifestyle category.
Expansion Beyond Canada’s Largest Cities
One of the more significant indicators of Kiokii and…’s broader appeal may be how successfully the concept has expanded beyond Canada’s largest urban markets.
Recent openings in Saskatoon and Winnipeg reportedly generated lineups and strong opening traffic despite operating in smaller markets with less established Asian beauty retail ecosystems.
“I think we’re doing pretty good. It’s higher than my expectation,” Peng said when discussing Saskatchewan performance.
The strong reception in those markets suggests Asian beauty and discovery-driven retail concepts may now be entering the Canadian mainstream more broadly rather than remaining concentrated primarily within Toronto or Vancouver.
Executives also described enthusiastic customer reactions during new store openings, including shoppers arriving with existing memberships and local consumers expressing excitement about finally having access to the brand in their market.
Exclusive Merchandise and Private Label Drive Differentiation
As the company scales nationally, Kiokii and… is also increasing its focus on exclusive merchandise and proprietary product development.
The retailer said it serves as the Canadian-exclusive distributor for several brands, including Flower Knows, a Chinese beauty label that has developed a significant international following.
“We’re the exclusive distributor for them in Canada only,” Peng said.
Approximately 20 per cent of the retailer’s assortment now consists of internally developed OEM and private-label products sourced through teams based in Asia.
That strategy may become increasingly important as competition within the beauty category intensifies. Proprietary merchandise can help retailers strengthen margins while also offering differentiated assortments unavailable through competing channels.
“We don’t want to follow,” Peng said. “We want to set up the trend.”
U.S. Expansion Underway as Retailer Eyes Global Growth
Alongside its Canadian expansion, Kiokii and… has now entered the United States with a store at American Dream in New Jersey that opened earlier this year.
The company indicated its American growth strategy will initially focus on northeastern markets due to operational proximity to Toronto while leveraging relationships with landlords already familiar with the brand through its Canadian expansion.
Potential future markets discussed during the interview included Boston, Washington, D.C., Florida, and Minnesota, including opportunities connected to Triple Five Group, owner of both West Edmonton Mall and Mall of America.
The retailer also indicated it is pursuing additional tier-one American shopping centres as expansion accelerates.
“I want it to become like a global brand,” Peng said. “Our focus next year will be U.S.”
