Toronto retail is in the middle of a shakeup, and the new Simons at Yorkdale Mall is both a symptom and a response. The Quebec-born fashion retailer, which has long been whispered about by Torontonians who’d trek to Montreal (or shop online) for a fix, finally opened its first urban flagship here last week. The scale is considerable: 118,000 square feet and nearly $100 million in investment, resulting in an estimated 400 new jobs. It’s the kind of commitment that signals not just expansion, but confidence — in the city, in shoppers, and in the idea that brick-and-mortar retail can still feel vital.
It’s no coincidence this is since the departure of Hudson’s Bay. After years of decline, the department store that was once a cornerstone of Canadian shopping culture shuttered its Yorkdale and downtown Toronto locations in June. For decades, The Bay was both a symbol and a utility: the place you bought your first winter coat, picked up sheets for your first apartment, or maybe even bought an important ring. Its absence leaves a hole in the city’s retail psyche.
Simons is not here to patch that hole, exactly — it’s not The Bay, and it doesn’t seem to want to be. The Yorkdale store is all angles, bright lights and easy on the eyes pastels under the amorphous theme “Perennial Ephemera,” which also sounds more like a gallery exhibit than a simple sales floor. It features a walkable gallery of 24 Canadian artists, a sprawling geometric mural and digital installations (including a solarium and diorama) that make the store as much an aesthetic playground as a place to buy socks. Even the racks feel heavily edited. The company is also emphasizing its history as the country’s oldest private family-owned business more than ever. After all, it adds to the story and makes it much more than plastic.
“What a pleasure it is to open our doors in Toronto and become part of such a vibrant, creative, and diverse community,” said Bernard Leblanc, President and CEO of Simons, at the grand opening, which saw over 500 people swing by. “This milestone represents many years in the making. Our Yorkdale store reflects our commitment to creativity, design, esteemed service, purpose, community and connection. Because, at Simons, we believe our spaces are more than just places to shop — they are places to discover, to be inspired, and to engage with fashion, Canadian art and design.”
In what might have been a slight dig to the Bay, he dubbed it, “the Canadian heritage brand.”
The product mix leans heavily on Simons’ house lines — Twik, Icône, Contemporaine, Le 31 — which have built a loyal following among shoppers looking for stylish but accessible fashion. Alongside them, the Édito departments hosts high-fashion labels like Balmain and Kenzo. In other words, this is not one-stop shopping, but a whole brand shoppers will be buying into.
Which is telling: in a retail environment where department stores are supposed to be dying, Simons is betting on experience, art and design to keep shoppers coming back. Where The Bay leaned on heritage, Simons appeals to a richer taste and a less disposable urge. That’s a shift not just in strategy but in how Toronto might be coming to view retail as a cultural experience. Going to Simons is meant to feel like an outing, not an errand. That’s a subtle but significant reframe, especially in a moment when Toronto is still defining what kind of global city it wants to be.
The store’s opening is also a reminder that Canadian retail isn’t just at the mercy of American giants. After Nordstrom’s high-profile exit and The Bay’s collapse, it would be easy to assume the country’s largest city is inhospitable to large-format retail. Simons is saying otherwise, and that couldn’t be better timing as U.S. and Canada tensions linger. With a second downtown store coming this fall to the Eaton Centre, the company is doubling down on Toronto, with Leblanc confidently chanting, “Long live Simon’s!”
Call it cult-like. What the city gains with Simons is not so much a replacement for The Bay’s utilitarian sprawl, but something closer to a cultural space. Kind of like how the mall used to feel in high school, like a place to spend real time, an anchor even, but with taste and style.
