Nordstrom has unveiled its latest flagship location set to open in Toronto and gave BNN a sneak peek.
While Canada’s retail scene continues to reel from countless store closures, Nordstrom has slowly ironed out its kinks in Canada over the past two years in an effort to prevent a Target-sized catastrophe.
The Seattle-based department store chain has deliberately spaced out its Canadian store openings – Calgary was its first, back in September 2014 – to figure out what resonates with consumers, and what elements of its strategy are better left behind on its home turf.
The Toronto store at the CF Toronto Eaton Centre feels cozier than the cavernous Sears it replaced and opens up the once-brutalist walls with floor-to-ceiling windows to bring in natural sunlight from Yonge Street.
Toronto is becoming the testing ground for some concepts Nordstrom hopes will keep customers in its stores for longer.
Nordstrom is taking a page out of the Target playbook as the Toronto stores (including another location in suburban Toronto that is set to open next month) will offer up shop-within-shops, namely the SPACE concept that teams Nordstrom with up-and-coming designers. Nordstrom has also set up pop-up shops with hot designers: Alexander Wang is first up at the CF Toronto Eaton Centre location.
And as Lululemon can attest to – catering to male shoppers is becoming big business, big enough that Nordstrom’s newest store is the first in its history to feature a Men’s Clubhouse and a Habitant bar (fully stocked with craft beers and a Toronto-exclusive Dundas Streetcar cocktail) to encourage men who balk at shopping to stick around and, well, chill.
There’s one thing that Nordstrom’s Toronto store will be missing: its signature grand pianos and live players that have serenaded weekend shoppers south of the border for decades.
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