Kit and Ace has opened a new store at Hillcrest Mall in Richmond Hill, bringing the Canadian technical apparel brand to 17 locations across the country as its expansion under new ownership continues.
The approximately 4,700-square-foot store is among the retailer’s largest and follows the recent opening of a roughly 3,500-square-foot location at West Edmonton Mall. Kit and Ace CEO David Lui said the company remains selective about where it wants to be as it continues evaluating opportunities across Canada.
Growth remains important to Kit and Ace, but the company is not working toward a rigid store-count target. Each new location represents a significant investment of capital, time and operational resources, making the quality of the real estate and market opportunity central to expansion decisions.
That approach has guided the retailer’s development since Unity Brands acquired Kit and Ace in 2023. The company had four stores at the time of the acquisition and has since expanded to 17 locations through new openings and relocations across several Canadian markets.
The growth has made Kit and Ace one of the more active Canadian specialty apparel expansion stories of the past several years, while the company is also beginning to broaden its business beyond its core clothing assortment.
Larger Kit and Ace Store Opens at Hillcrest Mall
The Hillcrest Mall opening gives Kit and Ace another substantial suburban location in the Greater Toronto Area, complementing its growing presence in downtown Toronto and other major shopping centres across the region.
At approximately 4,700 square feet, the Hillcrest location is comparable in scale to the retailer’s store at CF Toronto Eaton Centre. The larger footprint provides additional room for men’s and women’s apparel, accessories and newer lifestyle categories that Kit and Ace is beginning to introduce.
The company’s Ontario network also includes locations at Bayview Village, CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Queen Street West, The Well and CF Sherway Gardens in Toronto, as well as Toronto Premium Outlets, downtown Oakville and CF Rideau Centre in Ottawa.
Kit and Ace also has a multi-store presence in British Columbia and Alberta as it builds out a national network concentrated primarily in major Canadian urban markets.
Kit and Ace Returns to West Edmonton Mall
Hillcrest follows Kit and Ace’s recent return to West Edmonton Mall, where the retailer opened an approximately 3,500-square-foot store in space previously occupied by Michael Kors. The luxury brand moved into a smaller adjoining unit, allowing Kit and Ace to take the larger portion of the former store.
The opening represents a return to a familiar market. Kit and Ace previously operated at West Edmonton Mall in 2015 during the company’s earlier period of expansion under its previous ownership.
This time, the decision to enter Edmonton was also supported by existing customer demand. Kit and Ace was already shipping online orders into the market, while some Edmonton-area customers were travelling south to Calgary to shop at the company’s stores.
The Edmonton opening demonstrates how e-commerce data can provide an indication of where a physical location may be viable. It also gives Kit and Ace a presence between its established store networks in British Columbia and Calgary.
Potential for Further Growth Across Canada
Lui believes Canada could potentially support approximately 20 to 25 Kit and Ace stores, although the company does not consider that range a firm ceiling or a formal expansion target.
With 17 stores currently operating, Kit and Ace has already established a sizeable national footprint. Rather than opening stores to achieve a particular number, the company is continuing to assess opportunities based on the strength of individual markets, available real estate and their fit with the brand.
There is still considerable geographic whitespace. Kit and Ace has built meaningful clusters in markets including Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, while other Canadian cities remain without stores. Quebec is among the markets the company could consider as it evaluates future opportunities, although no specific location or opening timetable has been announced.
Winnipeg is another potential opportunity. Similar to Edmonton, online sales can help Kit and Ace identify cities where an existing customer base could support a physical store.
The company has also received interest from consumers in Halifax and elsewhere in Atlantic Canada. For now, however, Kit and Ace continues to evaluate possibilities across the country without committing to a specific timetable for entering those markets.
Sherway Gardens Store Moving to Better Location
Expansion is not exclusively about adding stores. Kit and Ace is also repositioning some of its existing locations as opportunities emerge within shopping centres.
At CF Sherway Gardens in Toronto, the retailer is preparing to relocate its existing pop-up into a more prominent location within the mall. The replacement store is expected to open around the week of September 1 near the escalators leading toward the food court, below Sporting Life and close to Indigo.
The move illustrates one of the benefits of Kit and Ace’s flexible approach to real estate. Temporary stores can allow the retailer to establish a customer base and measure performance before making a longer-term commitment or moving into stronger space within the same property.
Kit and Ace has used pop-up arrangements in several markets while still attempting to deliver a complete representation of the brand through its temporary locations.
Victoria Store Demonstrates Smaller-Market Potential
One of Kit and Ace’s recent openings also suggests that opportunities extends beyond Canada’s largest metropolitan areas.
The retailer opened a roughly 2,200-square-foot store on Government Street in Victoria earlier in 2026. The location has performed well, serving customers who previously had to travel to Vancouver or purchase online to access Kit and Ace products.
Victoria also benefits from tourism, while its local customer base includes a mix of younger couples and families as well as older consumers with disposable income.
The market provides an interesting case study for Kit and Ace as it considers future expansion. Cities do not necessarily require the population of Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary if there is already meaningful brand recognition, sufficient spending power and a concentrated customer base.
Leather Handbags Coming This Fall
Physical retail represents only part of the company’s growth strategy. Kit and Ace is also looking to extend the brand into additional product categories beyond the technical apparel for which it is best known.
A new collection of leather handbags is expected to arrive this fall. The bags were developed with designers in Italy and will be made from 100 per cent leather, with prices up to about $400.
The company is positioning the initial collection within that range to encourage customers to try the category while allowing Kit and Ace to gather market feedback as it expands beyond its traditional apparel assortment.
The retailer is also considering larger programs involving socks and underwear that would follow the same emphasis on fabrication, comfort and functionality found throughout its apparel assortment. Beyond Canada, the United States could also represent an opportunity when the timing is right.
Home Goods Extend Kit and Ace Beyond Apparel
Kit and Ace has meanwhile been building a home-goods program with TJX Canada, extending its focus on fabrics and comfort into products used outside the wardrobe.
Products including bedding, pillows, comforters and throws are being offered through TJX banners including HomeSense, Winners and Marshalls. Additional home products are being introduced as the program develops.
The relationship is significant because it exposes Kit and Ace to customers through a large national off-price network, including communities where the company does not operate its own stores.
It also gives Kit and Ace another avenue for growth that does not depend on continuously adding bricks-and-mortar locations, while applying its fabric-focused identity to products with a natural connection to its apparel business.
Licensing Builds International Reach
Licensing is becoming another component of the company’s broader product strategy. Kit and Ace has partnered with Quebec-based Jovi Sports Inc. on a bag program that moves the brand into adjacent lifestyle categories. The program is also beginning to reach markets outside Canada, with Kit and Ace currently in, or having upcoming orders for, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, South America and the Caribbean.
Further international opportunities are being developed, while additional licensed Kit and Ace products are planned for spring 2027.
The model allows the company to enter specialized product categories with an experienced manufacturing and distribution partner while introducing Kit and Ace to consumers in markets where it does not operate its own retail network.
Together with the home-goods business, licensing provides another indication of how Kit and Ace is building beyond its 17-store network. Apparel remains at the centre of the business, while accessories, home products and other functional lifestyle categories provide additional opportunities to extend the brand domestically and internationally.
Consumers Prioritize Value and Longevity
The expansion comes as Canadian shoppers have become increasingly deliberate about where they spend their money. Consumers remain prepared to invest when they perceive value, but are paying greater attention to quality, comfort, versatility and the expected life of a product. That behaviour aligns with Kit and Ace’s positioning around technical fabrics, functionality and products designed for repeated use.
Physical stores also remain an important part of that proposition. E-commerce continues to generate sales, particularly in markets without a nearby Kit and Ace location, while stores allow shoppers to touch fabrics, evaluate quality and try on products before purchasing.
Increasingly, the two channels are informing one another. Online demand helped support Kit and Ace’s return to Edmonton and could eventually identify opportunities in cities such as Winnipeg and other underserved Canadian markets. Physical locations can then give those existing customers direct access to the assortment while also supporting the company’s broader e-commerce business.
