World's 2nd Largest Victoria's Secret Flagship to Replace Montreal Chapters Bookstore

Victoria's Secret will replace the Chapters bookstore at 1171 Saint Catherine Street West in Montreal. Photo: quillandquire, www.flickriver.com

Victoria's Secret will replace the Chapters bookstore at 1171 Saint Catherine Street West in Montreal. Photo: quillandquire, www.flickriver.com

The world's second largest Victoria's Secret location will replace Montreal's Chapters bookstore on busy Saint Catherine Street West. The 35,000+ square foot flagship will be located directly across the street from La Senza, owned by Victoria Secret's parent company. Chapters' Montreal location is the latest to shutter for the retailer, following the recent closure of three prominent Toronto stores. 

According to Chapters/Indigo Vice President Janet Eger, Chapters will close October 4th. 

The new Victoria's Secret location is exceptional, being two blocks west of popular La Maison Simons, and two blocks east of department store Ogilvy, set to expand and merge with the city's Holt Renfrew store in 2017. Victoria's Secret's lease deal was coordinated by Montreal-based Aurora Realty Consultants, which represents some of the world's top retailers in their search for Canadian retail space. 

Vancouver's Victoria's Secret flagship, currently the world's second-largest, will be similar in size to the new Montreal store. Photo: feinknopf.photoshelter.com

Vancouver's Victoria's Secret flagship, currently the world's second-largest, will be similar in size to the new Montreal store. Photo: feinknopf.photoshelter.com

The new Victoria's Secret is located directly across from lingerie retailer La Senza. Founded in Montreal, La Senza is now owned by Victoria's Secret's parent company, Limited Brands.  

The world's second-largest Victoria's Secret store opened last August in Downtown Vancouver. The 34,814 square foot store replaced a flagship HMV music store. Word has it that Montreal's Victoria's Secret will technically surpass Vancouver's in terms of size, though both will be similarly massive. The world's largest Victoria's Secret store is on New York City's Herald Square, measuring about 60,000 square feet.

The closure of Montreal's Chapters is the latest in a trend for the chain. Chapters/Indigo books has recently closed a number of prominent store locations. Most recently, the company closed two Downtown Toronto stores, including a Chapters at John and Richmond Streets, and World's Biggest Bookstore on Edward Street. A Chapters store housed in a former theatre in West Toronto also recently closed, to be replaced with a Shoppers Drug Mart. No word yet if more Chapters/Indigo stores will be closing. 

Today's retail news from around the web: July 30, 2014