BcBusiness.ca septemBer 2015 BCBusiness 63
Simons
From Quebec, With Love
W
hen simons, a 175-year-old family-owned fashion
retailer from Quebec city, opens at park royal in
october, it will be just the second location outside
la Belle province. simons carries a large private label
collection and a small selection of international designers.
the architecture of the 100,000-square-foot, two-level park
royal store is inspired by salish weaving, and the store will
contain installations by B.c. artists douglas coupland, Bobbie
Burgers and Jody Broomfield.
ceo peter simons chose park royal because, like his own
stores, it is owned by a private company–the lalji family's
larco investments–that embraces innovation: the village at
park royal and larco's shops at morgan crossing in south
surrey were the first open-air shopping malls in canada. "our
business is over the generations really based on relation-
ships," says simons. "the owners of park royal really
wanted to support us and seemed to be good partners."
apart from the merchandise, which goes from high-end
to mid-range, what sets simons apart, says its
ceo, is that no
two stores are the same. "they incorporate a lot of art into
them, and we try to make them special places." plus, he adds,
"we've always been very focused on spending a lot of energy
in terms of the in-store experience, the physical experience,
the service experience. that now is sort of the 'in thing,' but
it's been part of our
dna for a very long time." –F.S.
2015 bcb
consumer
report
the
the burbs Go upscale
this fall, downtown will have to share the
spotlight for upscale retail activity, as
Quebec fashion house simons opens
at park royal and the mcarthurGlen
designer outlet lands at
yvr
M
carthurGlen designer outlet
vancouver airport, which opened in
July, boasts considerable euro-
pean influence but celebrates both local
aesthetics and businesses–a combination
reflected in all 21 centres currently operated
by the u.K.-based firm around the globe. five
business pillars drive the overall consumer
experience: international appeal, a high level
of customer service, unique entertainment,
stylish visual merchandising and notable
dining options.
"We're really excited to be first in north
america. We have a lot in the works," says
robert thurlow, general manager of the
vancouver outlet, which represents the first
foray into the north american marketplace for
mcarthurGlen. the location was a strategic
decision in the company's rollout process,
given the easy access for high-spending
international travellers and the over 400
yvr
employees working nearby.
visually, the centre's open-air walkways
include peaks that recall the oxidized copper
roof of the fairmont Hotel vancouver, the
familiar façade of the city's original post
office and the red brick storefronts com-
monly associated with Gastown.
shops are a mix of high-end brand store-
fronts–including armani, polo ralph lauren
and coach–plus more accessible favourites,
among them Gap, Banana republic and nike.
for shoppers needing a bit of sustenance,
popular local eateries include Kitsilano
favourite the BiBo and downtown vancou-
ver's ryuu izakaya. "We're confident that
there will be something for every shopper,"
says thurlow. –Josh Murray
■
McArthurGlen Designer Outlet
Flying in Style
