La Maison Simons to open at Toronto’s Eaton Centre, Yorkdale in former Nordstrom spaces
Posted June 6, 2024 9:14 am.
Last Updated June 6, 2024 10:13 pm.
Cadillac Fairview (CF) announced that retailer La Maison Simons, commonly known as Simons, will open a new store at Toronto’s Eaton Centre as part of an ongoing expansion.
The La Maison Simons in downtown Toronto will be a 110,000-square-foot flagship Yonge street-level storefront across three levels of the shopping centre. It will take up a small portion of the 63,800-square-foot second floor of the space where Nordstrom used to be located.
La Maison Simons says it also plans to open a store in Yorkdale Shopping Centre that will span roughly 118,000 square feet and occupy the first two levels of the former Nordstrom store.
The two locations, scheduled to open in 2025, will offer the full range of La Maison Simons merchandise, including labels by emerging Canadian designers, and feature a modern home fashion and decor selection.
“It’s a long play for us,” CEO Bernard Leblanc told The Canadian Press during a recent trip to Toronto. “We have been and will continue to be patient [because] the intent is not to be the biggest. It’s really to be the best at what we do.”
La Maison Simons says the company is spending over $75 million to build the new Toronto locations, which will create about 400 jobs. There are currently two La Maison Simons in Ontario in Mississauga at Square One and Ottawa’s Rideau Centre.
Eataly coming to downtown Toronto along with new Nike flagship store
CF also announced that Eataly will open its fourth outpost across 25,000 square feet over two levels at Toronto’s Eaton Centre.
Toronto will become the only North American city to have four Eataly locations, CF said.
CF confirmed that Nike will be relocating from level 1 of the Eaton Centre to a new two-level flagship location at Trinity Way, totalling approximately 18,000 square feet.
“At Cadillac Fairview, nothing is more important than creating a world-class shopping experience for our guests, and we’re thrilled to welcome these exciting clients to our flagship shopping centre in the heart of downtown Toronto,” said CF CEO Sal Iacono.
Leblanc, who spent roughly 15 years at La Maison Simons and just as many at snowmobile maker BRP Inc., had his eye on the Toronto sites even before Nordstrom retreated.
“Timing is everything,” he said. “We had to wait for the right location, the right moment, at the right conditions.”
With files from Tara Deschamps of The Canadian Press
