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One of the biggest mysteries in Vancouver retail has been solved.
Quebec-based department store Simons announced Tuesday it will take over the former Nordstrom space at CF Pacific Centre in the heart of downtown Vancouver.
The company is aiming to hire 150 people, and open what will be its 20th Canadian store, by the fall of 2027.
Speaking on CBC’s The Early Edition, Simons president and CEO Bernard LeBlanc said the move has been a priority for some time.
WATCH | Simons CEO Bernard LeBlanc talks about Vancouver expansion:
Simons to open department store in downtown Vancouver
Quebec retailer Simons is set to take over part of the space that was formerly occupied by Nordstrom at Pacific Centre in downtown Vancouver. For more on what is planned for the new department store, CBC’s Amy Bell spoke with Simons CEO Bernard Leblanc.
He said they opened two outlets in Toronto last year and Vancouver was next.
“Pacific Centre is number three, it’s right there at the top of the list … it was strategic for us to be in the heart of one of Canada’s most dynamic cities, culturally and fashion-wise as well.”
The retail sector has faced significant headwinds in Vancouver in recent years. Nordstrom pulled out of Pacific Centre in 2023, a space that defunct retailers Eaton’s and Sears Canada also once occupied.
Hudson’s Bay shuttered its downtown Vancouver store last year after entering creditor protection.
Nordstrom closed its Pacific Centre location in downtown Vancouver in 2023. (CBC News)
And according to business improvement association Downtown Van, one in four storefronts are currently vacant on Granville Street.
LeBlanc, however, believes Simons can succeed where its competition has failed.
He said he believes downtowns across the country are at a “turning point,” with many workers returning to offices and tourism rebounding.
“In fact, as we look at the statistics from the downtown area, there’s a lot of new retailers coming into the city core. We’re seeing investments from hospitality and from restaurateurs as well,” he said.
Bernard Leblanc, CEO of La Maison Simons, tells CBC’s The Early Edition Tuesday he believes their store can succeed in downtown Vancouver where others have failed. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Simons has recorded double-digit sales growth at its 10-year-old store in West Vancouver’s Park Royal Mall, he said, and the company has kept up with e-commerce trends, recording about a third of its sales online.
For the other two-thirds of its clients, he said the company has focused on providing a “human connection” to shoppers delivered in “unique, beautiful spaces.”
The Vancouver store will be built with the city’s “brutalist architecture heritage” in mind, LeBlanc said.
Retail consultant Lanita Layton said Simons has remained a powerhouse in Canadian retail since the mid-1800s by taking a very deliberate approach to growth.
WATCH | Last call for Nordstrom’s downtown Vancouver location:
Nordstrom’s downtown Vancouver store closes its doors
Today was Nordstrom’s last day in downtown Vancouver. The retailer announced its closure in March after being hit hard by the pandemic. CBC’s Baneet Braich headed to the high-end department store for its last day of business.
“They build a culture,” she said.
The company remained focused on its Quebec operations until 2012 when it opened a location in the West Edmonton Mall and then expanded to other locations in the rest of Canada.
But before expanding, Layton said, the company takes great pains to understand the local market and regional identity.
“They really focused from the very beginning on understanding the community and developing a rapport with the community, developing a relationship with them as they built their businesses,” she said.
“They are cautious, not conservative in the way they do things, but deliberate. They don’t make any sudden moves, they really analyze their business before the move forward.”
The new Simons location in Pacific Centre will occupy 92,000 square feet over three floors.