Will Ladurée Open Canadian Stores?

Photo: spiralstyle.blogspot.ca

French luxury bakery and sweets maker Ladurée could open Canadian locations, according to sources. The company's Chairman will visit Canada this fall to assess the market, as the brand expands its store base internationally.

Ladurée's world famous macarons. Photo: Louis Beche

Founded in Paris in 1862, Ladurée is best known for its double-decker macarons. They're so popular, in fact, that the company sells over 15,000 of them daily. Many Ladurée locations also sell ice cream, sorbets, jams, chocolate and candy, as well as branded accessories. Some Ladurée locations also serve afternoon tea. 

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Ladurée was purchased by French business group Groupe Holder in 1993. Ladurée has since expanded from a handful of locations, to dozens of boutiques in 25 countries. The company currently has three American locations, including two in Manhattan and one in Miami. Its first American location opened in August of 2011 on Madison Avenue in New York City, and it recently opened a large tea salon in New York's Soho area. 

Photo: www.lukesanders.com

According to the Bangkok Post, Ladurée chairman David Holder will be assessing Canada, Chile and Mexico this fall for possible Ladurée stores. There were rumours of a location opening in Toronto a couple of years ago, though nothing came to fruition. A Canadian broker, speaking off the record, confirms Ladurées interest in the Canadian market. 

Examining the locations of Ladurée's international locations, we can expect its Canadian stores to be in prestigious areas in its most populous cities. Although this is speculation on our part, Yorkville is our best guess for a Toronto store, as would be Vancouver's 'luxury zone' (between the Hotel Vancouver and the Shangri-La Hotel) and a Montreal location may be between Ogilvy and the Ritz Hotel. Concessions within Holt Renfrew are also possible, given that Ladurée operates in Ireland's Brown Thomas, owned by Holt's parent company. 

Thank you, Jan Almanzor, for directing us to this article discussing Ladurée's International expansion. 

Today's retail news from around the web: August 7, 2014