Construction hoarding has gone up for a new Aesop boutique at CF Richmond Centre near Vancouver, marking the latest Canadian expansion for the Australian skin care and fragrance brand.
The approximately 1,741-square-foot store will be located in a prominent section of the shopping centre beside Coach and near L’Occitane en Provence. Jo Malone London, MAC Cosmetics and Le Creuset are located across the corridor, placing Aesop within an established cluster of premium beauty, fashion and lifestyle retailers. An opening date has not been announced.
The Richmond boutique reflects a broader strategy that has unfolded over more than a decade. Since opening its first Canadian stores in 2015, Aesop has steadily assembled a network of standalone locations that differs from the wholesale distribution model used by many prestige beauty brands.
The forthcoming Richmond location will become Aesop’s sixth store in the Metro Vancouver region, joining boutiques in Gastown, Kitsilano, on Main Street, at Park Royal in West Vancouver and at the corner of Robson and Thurlow streets in downtown Vancouver. The Robson Street location opened in January 2026, becoming the brand’s second downtown Vancouver store and its fifth in the region.
Retail Insider has identified 17 operating Aesop signature stores across Canada, including the Robson Street location. The Richmond boutique would bring that total to 18.
A Different Approach to Growth
Aesop’s Canadian expansion stands apart within the beauty industry.
Many premium beauty brands rely primarily on wholesale distribution through retailers such as Sephora, Shoppers Drug Mart and department stores. That approach provides national reach without requiring brands to build and operate their own retail network.
Aesop has taken a different path. While the company has maintained selected wholesale relationships over the years, including previous concessions inside Saks Fifth Avenue stores in Canada, it has invested heavily in standalone retail, giving it direct control over merchandising, customer service and the environment in which shoppers experience the brand.
That strategy has become increasingly relevant as Canada’s department-store landscape has changed. Nordstrom closed its Canadian operations in 2023, while Hudson’s Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue exited the market in 2025, leaving fewer traditional department-store channels for prestige beauty brands.
Aesop had already established a significant network of standalone stores before those closures. Rather than depending heavily on department-store distribution, the company had invested in its own retail presence across several Canadian markets.
The stores also allow Aesop to control nearly every aspect of the customer experience. Products are introduced through consultation, customers can test formulations at the brand’s signature basins, and the retail environment is designed specifically around Aesop’s philosophy rather than sharing space within a multi-brand cosmetics department.
Operating its own stores gives Aesop ownership of pricing, merchandising, customer relationships and service standards while allowing the architecture itself to become part of the brand experience.
The strategy helps explain why the company continues investing in new physical locations such as CF Richmond Centre despite the rapid growth of e-commerce.
Building a Canadian Network
Aesop entered Canada in 2015 with three architecturally distinctive boutiques on Queen Street West in Toronto, in Vancouver’s Gastown neighbourhood and in Westmount, Montreal.
From the beginning, the company focused on neighbourhoods known for independent retail, design, restaurants and established local communities rather than pursuing rapid expansion across shopping centres.
Its Queen Street West store, designed by Toronto architecture practice superkül, became one of the company’s first Canadian signature locations. The Gastown boutique followed in a heritage building at 19 Water Street, establishing an early presence in one of Vancouver’s best-known shopping districts.
Montreal soon became another important market. Aesop expanded across Westmount, Mile End, Old Montreal and Petite-Bourgogne, with each location reflecting its surrounding neighbourhood. The Mile End store was designed by Montreal architecture firm naturehumaine, while Alain Carle Architecte designed boutiques in Westmount and Petite-Bourgogne, incorporating materials and architectural references inspired by each community.
Toronto followed a similar pattern. After Queen Street West, Aesop opened in Rosedale before later adding locations in Midtown Toronto and Yorkville. The former Rosedale boutique has since closed, and the space is now occupied by Canadian fashion brand Smythe.
In Vancouver, the company expanded from Gastown to Kitsilano before opening a Main Street boutique inspired by the work of renowned Vancouver architect Arthur Erickson.
These stores established a consistent approach. Aesop built collections of carefully selected locations serving different neighbourhoods across Canada’s largest cities.
Expanding into Canada’s Leading Shopping Centres
As the brand matured, its real estate strategy evolved. Aesop demonstrated that its design-led retail concept could successfully translate to enclosed shopping centres without losing the qualities that distinguished its streetfront boutiques.
The company entered CF Toronto Eaton Centre in 2018 with its first Canadian mall-based signature store before expanding into other leading regional shopping centres, including CF Chinook Centre in Calgary, CF Rideau Centre in Ottawa, Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto, Square One in Mississauga and Park Royal in West Vancouver.
Aesop has remained selective, choosing high-performing regional centres with strong luxury and premium retail adjacencies. CF Richmond Centre fits that strategy. The new store will join an established collection of premium retailers, including Coach, L’Occitane, Jo Malone London and MAC Cosmetics, while becoming part of a shopping centre that has continued strengthening its luxury and premium tenant mix as redevelopment progresses.
At approximately 1,741 square feet, the Richmond boutique will also rank among the company’s larger Canadian locations.
Growth Under L’Oréal
Founded in Melbourne in 1987, Aesop has grown into a global skin care, body care and fragrance company recognized for its architecture as much as its products.
Brazilian beauty group Natura became Aesop’s owner before selling the company to L’Oréal in a US$2.525 billion transaction completed in 2023.
Since then, Canadian expansion has continued. The Robson Street boutique opened earlier this year, while Richmond Centre represents the next addition to the company’s growing network.
Although online shopping continues to expand across the beauty industry, Aesop’s investment in physical retail reflects the role its stores play in communicating the brand. Each location is individually designed, yet all share a consistent emphasis on materials, craftsmanship, service and customer experience.
That philosophy has remained remarkably consistent as the company has grown.
