Sarah Pacini Continues Canada-Wide Expansion, Plans More Locations

Upscale Belgian women’s fashion brand Sarah Pacini is continuing its Canadian store expansion by opening new locations. In April of this year, the company’s first Western Canadian store opened at Park Royal in West Vancouver and last week, Pacini’s eighth Canadian store opened at Toronto’s Yorkville Village, formerly named Hazelton Lanes. 

The Sarah Pacini brand was founded 20 years ago in Belgium. The collection, made primarily in Italy, is distributed in 48 countries across five continents with more than 70 boutiques as well as department store shop-in-stores and wholesale accounts. Designs are simple and elegant, and are at a contemporary price point. The company has three primary corporate offices, with locations in Montreal as well as in Belgium and Ireland. 

The Yorkville Village store is located on the enclosed centre’s second level, alongside retailers Judith & Charles, Ophelia, Maska Mode, Andrews and newest retailer philip, which we profiled last week. The Sarah Pacini store features the brand’s newest look, with light walls contrasting dark wood fixtures, and a unique concrete floor treatment that almost looks like water. Pacini’s fashions are displayed extensively throughout the store — designs are simple and elegant with day and evening wear, as well as a selection of footwear, handbags and other accessories, and jewellery. The Sarah Pacini jewellery line is particularly notable, as it’s made in Canada and available at stores worldwide. 

Sarah Pacini will continue opening Canadian stores, according to international expansion director Said Boujmada. He confirmed that Sarah Pacini’s next store location will be opening at the McArthurGlen Designer Outlets in suburban Vancouver. This will be the second Canadian outlet location for the brand, following its outlet location at Premium Outlets Montreal, which opened in the fall of 2014. Sarah Pacini also operates full-priced stores in Montreal (four locations, Les Cours Mont Royal, 1061 rue Laurier Ouest in Outremont, CF Carrefour Laval and 4919 Sherbrooke Ouest in Westmount) as well as two Toronto stores (Bayview Village and, now, Yorkville Village) and at The Village at Park Royal in West Vancouver. Remarkably, Sarah Pacini currently operates only two freestanding stores in the United States, with units in New York City’s Soho and on North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills, California. 

Aurora Realty Consultants represents Sarah Pacini in Canada. Broker Manon Parisien confirmed that the brand will continue to focus expansion plans on Vancouver and Toronto for 2016-2017, and will then look to other Canadian markets, depending on opportunities. Auora Realty Consultants has a team of brokers with Jeri Brodie assisting with the Yorkville Village deal, while Trevor Thomas assisted with Vancouver location negotiations. Ms. Parisien explained that although high streets are a target for the brand, enclosed shopping centres are also considered for new stores. According to Aurora Realty Consultants’ website, Sarah Pacini stores are generally in the 1,400 to 1,800 square foot range. 

Yorkville Village is in the process of adding new upscale retailers, as it overhauls its premises. We’ll be doing an in-depth feature in the centre’s progress this summer, as it prepares to debut its second phase. Landlord First Capital Realty is also redeveloping retail properties on nearby Yorkville Avenue, and we’ll also be profiling these as permitted over the coming weeks and months. 

Photos were supplied by Idea Workshop.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: June 13, 2016