Simons is about to debut at Yorkdale and the Eaton Centre. Can it succeed where Nordstrom failed?

Torontonians bummed about the Bay closing won’t have to wait long for a new in-person shopping option. Popular Quebec department store Simons is here to help. Armed with a $75-million investment, the chain is set to open its newest locations at Yorkdale on August 14 and at the Eaton Centre sometime this September. Both sites are former Nordstrom spaces, each occupying well over 100,000 square feet.

Simons, based in Quebec City, opened its first GTA location at Square One in 2016.

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CBRE agent Arlin Markowitz says that Simons at Yorkdale will be a welcome addition because it meets a need, serving both higher-end and middle-class customers in a mall that has veered toward luxury in recent years. Add in the recent departure of HBC and the movement to buy Canadian, and he says the store has a great opportunity to be successful in Toronto. In other words, it’s a win-win for both Simons and landlord Oxford Properties.

“It was really easy for Simons to walk in and bring their goods. It was plug and play,” Markowitz says, noting that Oxford likely didn’t need to invest much capital to upgrade the space, a frequent requirement in commercial real estate deals such as these. “They were able to fill the hole and bring in a different category of retail that was lacking.”

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So how will Simons fare given the failure of Nordstrom and the ubiquity of e-commerce? Markowitz isn’t worried for the brand. He says its Canadian identity is a huge advantage, giving it a better understanding of the market (and the people) than US competition.

Markowitz also suggests that having a brick-and-mortar location is ideal in today’s day and age, as it gives customers the best of both worlds: buying online with the option of an easy in-person return. “You need both.”