Canadian Retailer - Spring 2017 - 17

Getting noticed

The Bloor Street flagship "put Strellson on the
map" according to Altow, with the store's prominent signage being visible from vehicle and
pedestrian-heavy Bloor Street and Avenue Road,
as well as from the Royal Ontario Museum and
other attractions in the Yorkville neighbourhood.
The store's location is considered to be among
the most prestigious in Canada.
Altow explains that part of the company's
success is due to the fact that fashion-forward
Canadian men have a real European aesthetic,
lending nicely to the assortment of clothing
available. Strellson's quality, design and pricepoint had little competition in the market, and as
brand awareness continued to grow, the company's retail and wholesale divisions both saw
considerable gains.
Piggybacking off the success of the Bloor Street
flagship location, Strellson opened a second Toronto
store at the upscale Bayview Village shopping
centre in the summer of 2014. That location, as
well, saw gains that led to the relocation of the
original 850 square-foot store to a new 1,300
square-foot location within the mall.
Western expansion

A year later, with the aim to bring sleek men's
fashions to the underserved Ottawa market,
Strellson opened its fourth Canadian store in
September of 2015 at the CF Rideau Centre. The
1,800 square-foot store is located in the mall's
three-level expansion wing. Foot traffic is picking up in the new expansion area, according to
Mr. Altow, and is expected to only increase as
new fashion and restaurant tenants move into
retail spaces nearby.
Shortly thereafter, Strellson looked westward for
the location of its third Canadian store, recognizing
Vancouver's strong retail sales as well as its fashion-

forward population. In December of
2015, Strellson opened a 2,200 squarefoot store at 1108 Alberni Street in the
city's 'Luxury Zone'.
Strellson made the leap into Toronto's Yorkdale Shopping Centre,
Canada's most productive mall, in
October of 2016. With rental prices
among the highest in the continent,
Strellson's 2,000 square-foot Yorkdale store features the company's
updated branding, including a
dramatic soaring storefront housing
Strellson's 'guitar pic' shaped logo.
The store is located in Yorkdale's
recently opened expansion wing.
The Yorkdale shopper may
already have been familiar with
the brand-Strellson has operated
a concession within the mall's
Hudson's Bay department store for
almost three years. Hudson's Bay
recently completed a renovation of
its Yorkdale men's floor, adding new
upscale brands while also removing
part of the store's exterior facade to
install glass windows. The combination of natural light, upgraded
interiors and strong co-tenants has
resulted in increased sales for the
brand, according to Altow. At some
point, Strellson could operate more
department store concessions in
Canada, he said.
Strellson expects to continue expanding both within Canada, as well
as in the United States over the next
five years, identifying potential in
markets such as Calgary, Edmonton
and Montreal.

Strellson by
the numbers

1984

Strellson was founded
more than 30 years ago.

Strellson operates in 40
countries around the
world.

Men, 25-40

The company's target
market is men aged 25-40.

2012

Strellson opened its first
Canadian location at
the Park Hyatt Hotel
in Toronto.

2014

Strellson opened a second
Toronto store at the
upscale Bayview Village
shopping centre.

September 2015

The company opened its
third Canadian location,
bringing sleek men's fashions to the underserved
Ottawa market.

December 2015

Looking westward,
Strellson opened its fourth
Canadian location in Vancouver.

October 2016

Strellson made the leap
into Toronto's Yorkdale
Shopping Centre, Canada's
most productive mall.

Strellson will be looking
to bring its lines of sleek
men's fashions to more
Canadian cities over the
next few years, including
Calgary, Edmonton and
Montreal.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Retailer - Spring 2017