"Thanks!" to so many of you, including JCrew Guy In Canada, as well as C, who shared the following news with us: J.Crew has new stores opening in Canada! There are several articles about their expansion (thanks JCAs for sharing them!), the following is from the Globe and Mail (click here to read in its entirety):J.Crew announces Edmonton and Vancouver storesSo many stores opening in Canada, including Menswear- exciting news indeed!
By Maggie Wrobel
February 23, 2012
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.
What are your thoughts on this latest locations for a store opening? Do you think the locations are a good fit with J.Crew? Will you be stopping by?
Exciting for Vancouver and Edmonton JCAs. Surprised the Calgary store seems to be on hold now. I understand that they want a presence in WEM for the tourist shoppers but Calgary has a larger and more white collar population than Edmonton and has become a shopping mecca with all the major store openings here in the past few years. Even Anthro opened in Calgary before Vancouver. But since when does J.Crew have to make sense anyway?
ReplyDeleteI'll likely visit the Vancouver store when I am there this summer but I've been to WEM once and that was more than enough for a lifetime.
@xoxo: I bet Calgary's on hold because of the lack of available space - same reason why the opened a women's store only in Toronto. You need a pretty decent amount of space to house guys and women's together and two spaces to have separate men's and women's stores.
ReplyDeleteGood to see the guys getting some love from J.Crew. It'll be nice not to have to travel to the states to see things in person.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised as well about Calgary not getting a store. Also how about Quebec?
@jcrewguy: I think that would take time because of language issues.
ReplyDeleteI'm hearing that the new Eaton Centre store is going to at Esprit, not Harry Rosen. Is that spot even big enough? I'm not sure if it's 8,000 square feet.
Don't get me started on Quebec...freakin' language laws are killing me! As it is, Anthropologie can't send me catalogues AT MY REQUEST (because a store is due to open here) and if I lose J Crew too...
ReplyDeleteI find it annoying that the price issue with J Crew is never properly explained in these media articles that endlessly refer to the September debacle. We are still paying more than we did before it opened in Canada and it still irritates me. Prices are 20-30% higher than for US customers, plus tax, with rare shipping rebates. It's still about 5-10% more expensive than pre-september, even considering the taxes and duties charged previously. It's just that they were charging even MORE when the store first opened!
...and we pay in US dollars, but higher prices, which doesn't make sense. Why not charge us in Canadian then?
ReplyDeleterant over :)
CynthiaC, that's my husband's take on it too. He said that they probably got a great deal on a lease in Edmonton but the rates are crazy in Calgary since space is at such a premium and it may mean other stores moving to accommodate their needs, which means waiting until the other store's lease is up.
ReplyDeleteNothing personal against Edmonton either, I just don't like the concept of the mega-mall as a destination.
But wouldn't you love to see someone at the Language Ministry ( or whatever it's called these days) looking at JC's non-French French? Warning to NY'ers, alert the National Guard, border lookout for angry guys in fur jackets carrying red pens, dictionaries , textbooks and lists of idioms.
ReplyDeleteI have been hearing about this for a long time. Just open the store already! :)
ReplyDeleteThe store front photo at the bottom of this post. It's on Robson at Thurlow next to Banana Republic.
I'm with Rose. Enough talk already. The storefront's been papered over for months.
ReplyDeleteWellfedFred: you're funny as H E double-hockey sticks as always.
I love that picture of Jenna in the green skirt.
ReplyDeletehttp://thechicaddict.blogspot.com
I wish they'd open in Ottawa! I haven't heard anything about that but my fingers are crossed. :)
ReplyDeleteI live in Calgary and believe a J. Crew store will arrive in our city eventually. If you recall Victoria's Secret, Abercrombie & Fitch and French Connection all opened at West Ed before coming to Calgary. I suspect it is due to that mall being such an attraction. I am actually not looking forward to J. Crew coming to Calgary because now everyone will have the same clothes I have. I strive to be different and appreciate purchasing a dress or sweater that I know I won't see on every other girl. Like in the case of Banana Republic.
ReplyDeleteMeh... I live in the Vancouver area, but Robson Street is full of crazy expensive high end stores in the tourist area. Not exactly where I shop. If they want to establish a presence that will last in Vancouver, maybe forgo the high rent on Robson and go to any one of the large malls around town where most of us shop.
ReplyDeleteThat photo of Jenna in the window totally gives me the willies....
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