Quebec City-based fashion retailer La Maison Simons will open its second Edmonton location at Londonderry Mall in the fall of 2017. The two-level 88,000 square foot store will replace part of the mall's current Army & Navy location, as well as occupy space formerly occupied by Sport Chek. Londonderry Mall is undergoing a $130 million overhaul which will see the addition of various new retailers, as well as an innovative rebranding.

Londonderry will be the third Alberta location for La Maison Simons, following the November 2014 announcement that a 92,000 square foot Simons will open in downtown Calgary in March of 2017. According to CEO Peter Simons, a second Calgary location could also open in the coming years, possibly at Southcentre Mall.

La Maison Simons has substantial growth plans over the next several years. In an interview with Mr. Simons late last year, he stated that he's looking to eventually operate as many as 20 Canadian locations. This is remarkable, considering that the brand currently operates nine stores -- eight of them in the province of Quebec, as well as a 126,000 square foot location which opened at West Edmonton Mall in October of 2012.

In August of this year, an 80,000 square foot Simons store will open at Les Promenades Gatineau in metropolitan Ottawa/National Capital Region and in October of 2015, a 100,000 square foot location will open at West Vancouver's Park Royal. In March 2016, a 113,000 square foot Simons will open at Mississauga's Square One and in August of 2016, a second Ottawa location, measuring just over 100,000 square feet, will open at Rideau Centre.

Londonderry Mall is in the process of undergoing a $130 million overhaul which will see completely new interiors, innovative new branding, and a variety of new tenants at various price points. The mall's common areas, mall entrances, flooring, storefronts, escalators, elevators, washrooms, ceilings and seating areas will be fully renovated. A new full-service dining experience will be added, relocating the mall's existing food court to the west side of the mall. Interior and exterior lighting will be converted to energy efficient LED, and a state of the art security surveillance system will also be added. The project involves a partnership between MMC Architects and GH+A Design.

The 779,000 square foot two-level Londonderry Mall currently houses about 150 retailers and features anchors Hudson's Bay (118,000 square feet), Army & Navy (60,200 square feet), Save-On-Foods (38,300 square feet), Winners (31,800 square feet) and Shoppers Drug Mart (17,000 square feet). It boasts in excess of 3,500 parking spaces.

When it opened in 1972, Londonderry was Canada's largest mall west of Toronto, and the only two-level mall in Western Canada. The 85 store mall was anchored by Eaton's, The Bay, Woolco, Safeway, and a movie theatre. In 1984, the mall added 65 additional stores and services.

Simons was founded in Quebec City in 1840. The retailer is unique in how it pairs its substantial private-label fashion with a handful of higher-priced designers. Despite its large floorplates, Simons stores lack cosmetics departments and the large footwear areas typical in similar-sized department stores. Simons currently operates nine stores, including eight in the province of Quebec and one in Edmonton. The company has over 2,000 employees.