Canadian retailer Kit and Ace expands
Clothing-store chain will launch Sorry Coffee Co. in select cities, including T.O.
Kit and Ace has plans for significant expansion in the coming months, but the retailer is already brewing up big change with the introduction of in-store coffee shops.
The Canadian apparel brand will launch Sorry Coffee Co. in select cities, including Toronto at its new 3,300-square-foot flagship location that is slated to open Sept.17 on Bloor St. W.
Kit and Ace co-founder JJ Wilson, the son of Lululemon founder Chip Wilson, said the coffee-shop moniker is an attempt to poke fun at Canadians — with a winking nod to the nation’s quick-to-apologize stereotype.
“When I look at how the world is changing in retail and experiential retail, and how people want to shop and what they’re looking for, they’re looking for more than just a clothing store,” Wilson said of the unusual decision to offer coffee and clothing together.
Keeping in step with the company’s desire to integrate community artists and contractors into its shops, everything from Sorry Coffee Co.’s food to fixtures will be locally sourced. Even the coffee cups will be adorned with artwork by local artists.
“We wanted to make sure every shop had unique elements, felt different and really had its own voice, depending on what location, market or community it was opening up in,” said Wilson.
In a grim retail landscape that has seen many Canadian and foreign chains close up shop, Kit and Ace is bucking the trend. The company is launching new storefronts both at home and abroad, including in the United States and the U.K, along with ecommerce platforms.
Kit and Ace will have close to 50 shops open by early 2016, Wilson
The company is launching new storefronts at home and abroad, including in the U.S. and U.K, along with e-commerce platforms
said.
The clothing chain sells a wide swath of products for men and women, including everything from button-up shirts, blouses, and sweaters to skirts, pants, dresses, outerwear and accessories.