Photo: Google Street View screen capture
American retailer Eddie Bauer will open a street-front location on Vancouver’s Robson Street in the spring. The store replaces French Connection, which closed over the weekend.
The new Eddie Bauer store will feature French Connection’s address of 1150 Robson Street, and will measure about 3,150 square feet. The deal was negotiated by Mario Negris and Martin Moriarty of Vancouver’s CBRE Urban Retail Team.
Mr. Moriarty noted that the 1100 block of Robson Street is becoming something of an “athletic/outdoor apparel destination” with Eddie Bauer joining New Balance, Sketchers, and Nike on the same block. CBRE also coordinated the Nike deal, which will soon replace the former 4,000 square foot Mexx location at 1119 Robson Street.
Robson Street will be one of two Canadian street-front locations for Eddie Bauer, with the other being on Government Street in Victoria. A street-front Toronto Bloor Street flagship closed in 2006 to make way for an expansion of neighbouring Holt Renfrew.
French Connection has struggled in recent years and has closed most of its North American locations. Only three French Connection locations now remain in Canada — Montreal’s Sainte Catherine Street West houses one French Connection store, and the company’s two Toronto-area stores are at CF Sherway Gardens and Vaughan Mills. French Connection has closed most of its Canadian stores over the past several years, including its Canadian flagship on Toronto’s Bloor Street West in 2013.
Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: January 18, 2016
I suppose it makes sense for them to open there. Perhaps Robson understands that it has long lost its status as a "shopping destination" for Vancouver since all the mid-range and mass-produced brands all opened in the suburbs and there was no reason to come downtown just to shop at Zara or Mexx with all the riff-raff who like to post pictures of their latest acquisitions at Forever XXI as if that were a life accomplishment. The luxury zone a block away on Alberni is going to be amazing. Let the plebes have Eddie Bauer. How soon before Tommy Bahama and Dress Barn show up??