After a string of department store closures, Canadian-owned Simons is setting its sights on becoming Torontonians’ retailer of choice, as it unveils its new store at Yorkdale Shopping Centre this Thursday.
The two-level, 118,000-square-foot fashion space marks the second Greater Toronto Area location and the third in Ontario for Canada’s oldest private, family-owned retailer, with another store set to open at the Eaton Centre this fall.
As the 185-year-old company, founded in Quebec City, seeks to expand its reach, CEO Bernard Leblanc said he will try to convince Torontonians that Simons is no ordinary department store.
He said the store’s product mix is designed to cater to multiple generations and includes both private-label and international brands. At any given time, around 100 employees are on the floor helping customers, he adds.
“This is a major milestone for us,” Leblanc said, “being able to build our proximity to the clientele in Toronto and really bring our brand to life in the city.”
The day before its opening, Simons Yorkdale staff busily flitted through the store making final preparations.
On the first floor, shoppers will find women’s fashion, the accessories section, located next to the central escalators, and the home decor collection, Simons Maison, while the second floor is dedicated to menswear.
“Another differentiating factor for Simon is that there’s something for everyone,” said Leblanc. “We have elements that are very much value-driven, everyday, low-price kind of products. You’ll find high-fashion items as well.”
Simons, which already operates 17 locations from coast to coast, offers roughly 70 per cent high-margin private-label merchandise exclusive to its stores and does not stock low-margin items such as furniture or appliances.
While many retailers in recent years, including Hudson’s Bay and Claire’s, have either shuttered or downsized, the Simons CEO, who has been with the company for 15 years, says his firm is “fortunate,” with same-store sales projected to rising in the mid-teens year over year.
Leblanc says the company currently generates annual revenues of $750 million and expects its two upcoming Toronto stores, which it has invested nearly $100 million in, to contribute roughly 15 per cent growth to overall revenue.
“We’ve been there for 185 years. But we’re also very thoughtful about the fact that history is not a guarantee of the future,” Leblanc said, “and we have to always be on the tip of our toes … ready to adapt.”
When it comes to expanding its stores, Simons tends to take a more cautious approach than other retailers.
Leblanc says the company has spent decades carefully exploring opportunities in Toronto, Canada’s largest and most dynamic retail market, and that the openings of the new stores have always been part of a long-term plan.
“It was just a matter of being able to be patient enough to find the perfectly right spot,” Leblanc said, “and now is the time,”
Both of Simons’ new Toronto stores will occupy spaces formerly held by Nordstrom, which exited the Canadian market in 2023.
Leblanc added that he believes to be successful today, the retailer needs to be strong in the digital world and in the brick-and-mortar realm.
The store’s ‘Walk of Frames’ features 40 pieces by 24 Canadian and international artists, while digital art installations will create a ‘Perennial Ephemera’ concept, showcasing the changing seasons and encouraging customers to slow down by incorporating a touch of nature into their urban lives.
Leblanc said his favourite part of the Yorkdale store is the huge ceiling mural “CIEL” in the first-floor atrium, created by French artist Nelio, which evokes the ethereal beauty of clouds at sunset.
“I think there’s some really exciting things that Torontonians will get to know,” he says. “This has really been put together for them and for the people of Toronto.”
