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Toronto’s retail scene is set for a major boost with this week’s announcement that Toronto Eaton Centre and Yorkdale Shopping Centre will welcome major new tenants into spaces once occupied by Nordstrom. La Maison Simons, Eataly, and Nike will open expansive flagship stores at Eaton Centre, with La Maison Simons also opening a store at Yorkdale.
Quebec-based fashion department store La Maison Simons is set to dramatically expand its Greater Toronto Area presence (their only other local store is at Square One in Mississauga) with the opening of these new stores, scheduled for the Fall of 2025. At the Eaton Centre, the store will span approximately 110,000 ft² over three levels, including an entry area at ground level, a small portion of the roughly 63,800 ft² second floor of the former Nordstrom. and most of the third floor which spans more than 90,000 ft². At the Yorkdale location, the store’s footprint will be 118,000 ft² over two levels. The Eaton Centre store will feature a street entrance on Yonge Street, while a new ground floor corridor through the Nordstrom space will link north and south portions of the mall. The Yorkdale store is designed to maximize natural light, with expansive glass walls on its southern facade.
The design and architecture of these new Simons locations, created in collaboration with Lemay Michaud and Gensler Design, aim for a blend of art and commerce, featuring unique installations and whimsical interiors that have become a hallmark of the brand. Both stores will offer a full range of merchandise, from private labels like Twik and Le 31 to luxurious international brands housed in their ‘Edito’ departments.
Meanwhile, Eataly is continuing its rapid expansion in Toronto, preparing to open its fourth location in the city at the Eaton Centre. This new store will use approximately 25,000 ft² across the main and second levels of the former 223,000 ft² Nordstrom space. With this addition, Toronto will boast the highest number of Eataly locations in North America.
It will feature multiple sit-down restaurant concepts and a variety of grocery items, prepared foods, and gifts. It will join Eataly's other Toronto locations, including its inaugural 55,000 ft² space at Manulife Centre and more recent expansions at Sherway Gardens and Shops at Don Mills.
Further enhancing the retail mix, Nike will expand into an approximately 18,000 ft² flagship store spread over two floors at the Eaton Centre, part of a newly developed interior corridor on the main level of the area previously occupied by Nordstrom, situated near the Trinity Way entrance, and across the hall from where both Eataly and La Maison Simons will also feature entrances. Some of Nike's space will be on the second floor. This move marks an upgrade from Nike's current 5,370 ft² store at the Eaton Centre. The design and layout of this new flagship store will be crafted by the design-build firm SAJO.
These openings signify what these companies hope to be a retail renaissance. The introduction of these stores is expected to boost job creation, with Simons alone projecting to add around 400 new jobs. In 2023, Yorkdale boasted overall sales of $2,402 per square foot, making it the most lucrative retail mall in the country, with the Eaton Centre reporting $1,457 per square foot. There remains more space to fill in both former Nordstrom locations. Both Yorkdale and the Eaton Centre have undergone significant renovations over recent years, with Yorkdale enhancing its luxury offerings and the Eaton Centre continuing to attract key global brands.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on these developments, but in the meantime, you can learn more about them from our Database files, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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