Luxe at Eaton Centre
Nordstrom stakes claim on high-end fashion scene,
Well-heeled fashion fans have been drooling — and homegrown department stores have been girding — for the U.S. invasion of our luxury fashion sector. Another ambitious flagship hits town this week: following a gala on Wednesday, the doors of Nordstrom’s first local location will open Friday at the Eaton Centre. The first customers through the door at 10 a.m. on that day will be ushered through a “human tunnel” of the store’s beaming employees.
The three-floor, 220,000-square-foot department store is the first Toronto out- post of the 115-year-old Seattle-based luxury fashion chain, following stores in Calgary, Ottawa and Vancouver. This “downto-the-studs” reno of the old Sears store (originally Eaton’s, of course) will be joined by a new-build at Yorkdale launching Oct. 21, then a Sherway Gardens location next spring.
Nordstrom spokesman John Bailey, landing from head office for the media prelaunch tour, makes the new-to-town mistake of employing the dreaded “W” word (“world-class”) about our city. “Toronto is one of the most international cities in the world with world-class retail and we’re humbled by our opportunities. We’re mindful that we need to be at our best to compete. Customers here have a lot of choices as to where to shop and their expectations are high.”
The top floor Bar Verde, a retro-styled lounge and restaurant, has a window wall that looks out over the main Dundas Square atrium and down the length of the Eaton Centre. Which means it is effectively staring down the other U.S. luxury brand that arrived this past spring, Saks Fifth Avenue (owned by Hudson’s Bay), as well as the Bay’s the Room at the other end of the complex.
So where do the new options fit onto our existing luxury spectrum? Well, it is getting squishy at the top end. Even as designer brands open their own standalone shops apace across the city, there is a lot of label overlap at the department store level. Both Holt Renfrew and Harry Rosen have made significant investments and renovated since Nordstrom’s arrival was announced in 2012.
It would seem that Holt Renfrew and Saks have the most direct crossover in high-end labels. Nordstrom, Bailey says, aims to compete with perky service and perks, plus a greater range of offerings and prices.
There are some exclusive labels for the Toronto flagship, including Marchesa, the red-carpet favourite with its $10,000 fairy tale gowns and British high-street brand Madewell. There will also be store-in-store boutiques from Moncler, Miu Miu, Loewe, Lanvin and Stella McCartney. There will be an Alexander Wang “pop in” shop for accessories, debuting smack in the centre of the main floor.
Nordstrom is known for its drilldown research on the local market, part of the reason it is slow to open its stores compared to other imports (notably, Target). You can see this care in the front-and-centre cowboy boots and beefed-up menswear in Calgary, a city heavy on males and swagger; the extra stock of small size designer shoes in Vancouver; and a later delivery of spring stock when things are still frozen solid in Ottawa.
Nordstrom promises to heed feedback here, too, Bailey says. “We want to focus on serving Torontonians the way they want to be served and they’ll direct us on where we go next.” How are they on the homegrown talent scorecard? A benefit of all this competition is that it leaves an opening for emerging and established Canadian brands to get some shelf space. Mel Ashcroft, a co-founder of The Collections, a marketing and consulting firm specializing in emerging Canadian designers, sees the increased competition as a very positive thing. “For brands trying to connect to the Canadian market, consumers want access to local designers. Competition is good, and the expansion of retail provides more opportunities for Canadian designers, and exposure to the databases of these retailers when they do trunk shows.”
The Eaton Centre Nordstrom will launch with a curated zone featuring five Canadian labels called SPACE, including Steven Tai, Vejas, Brother Vellies, Wwake and Franny E. Other Canadian brands in the regular mix are Mackage, Matt & Nat, Wings + Horns, Mereadesso, Arc’teryx, Moose Knuckles and Soia & Kyo.