Store Guide: hr2, Holt Renfrew’s new designer discount store at Vaughan Mills

| May 10, 2013

Name: hr2 Sells: Womenswear, menswear, footwear, accessories and jewellery Contact info: 1 Bass Pro Mills Drive, Vaughan, 905-886-2427, holtrenfrew.com
Hours: M–Sa 10–9, Su 11–7 See it on a map »

The new hr2 store at Vaughan Mills breaks from now defunct Holt Renfrew Last Call’s packed racks of clearance merchandise and last season’s rejects. Instead, Holt Renfrew’s new lower-priced spinoff sells brand new merch from upscale brands at discount prices (for example, Rebecca Minkoff purses are all at least $100–$200 cheaper than the suggested retail price, while men’s Gucci loafers are going for $299 instead of $385). The stores also carry high-end designer’s diffusion lines, like Michael Michael Kors and Marc by Marc Jacobs.

Weekly shipments mean the stock is constantly turning over, and the 150-brand roster also includes shoes and accessories by Burberry, Prada, Manolo Blahnik, Stuart Weitzman, Mulberry and Valentino and clothing by Boss, Naked and Famous, Nicole Miller, Diane von Furstenberg, Alice + Olivia and Pink Tartan. Though the 25,000-square-foot space still has the cement floor and barebones feel of an outlet store, it’s bright and well-organized, making the hunt for designer deals fun rather than frustrating. (Nordstrom—and its off-price shop Nordstrom Rack—should arrive in Canada braced for battle).