Edmonton and Vancouver will get a dose of Americana chic this spring, as iconic retailer J. Crew is set to open two new stores in the Canadian cities.
Following on the heels of the brand’s first Canadian store – which opened to much fanfare in Toronto’s Yorkdale Mall last August – a two-floor, 5,953-square-foot Vancouver outpost is planned for Robson Street, while the single-floor, 5,657-square-foot Edmonton store will be located in the West Edmonton Mall. (A second Toronto location is planned for this fall, to be housed in the Eaton Centre.)
Calling the Canadian response to J. Crew “absolutely electric,” president and creative director Jenna Lyons added that all three new stores will also offer, for the first time in Canada, the coveted men’s collection.
The brand’s arrival in Canada last year received a mixed reaction, as initial excitement turned to letdown over elevated prices, which were about 15 per cent higher in the Canadian store and on the Canadian e-commerce site compared with those at U.S. outlets. Following a consumer outcry, the company reverted to allowing Canadians to shop the U.S. site in American currency.
