Saks Fifth Avenue to Feature Upscale New Restaurant Concepts in Canadian Stores

Rendering: Hudson's Bay Company

Rendering: Hudson's Bay Company

Saks Fifth Avenue's Canadian stores will feature upscale restaurants, with one dining option spanning an impressive three floors. Saks Fifth Avenue's first two Canadian stores open in early 2016, with as many as seven planned for this country over the next several years. 

According to City of Toronto planning applications, Toronto-based restauranteur Oliver & Bonacini will operate restaurants in both the 150,000 square foot downtown Toronto Eaton Centre Saks flagship, as well as in the 132,000 square foot suburban Sherway Gardens Saks location. 

Click image for City of Toronto application

Click image for City of Toronto application

According to the application above, Olivier & Bonacini will operate a three-level restaurant space at the downtown Toronto Saks, spanning the store's basement level, ground floor and second level. Saks' basement will also feature a Pusateri's Fine Foods-operated grocery floor, which will look similar to the rendering below. Saks' ground level will include leathergoods, handbags, accessories and cosmetics, while Saks second-level will feature Saks' men's store. 

Saks Fifth Avenue food hall. Rendering: Hudson's Bay Company

Saks Fifth Avenue food hall. Rendering: Hudson's Bay Company

According to another planning application, Oliver & Bonacini will also operate restaurant space at Sherway Gardens' Saks location. According to the application, the Sherway restaurant will seat in excess of 30 patrons. 

Click image for City of Toronto application

Click image for City of Toronto application

Saks' parent Hudson's Bay Company has an established relationship with Oliver & Bonacini, the latter operating several food concepts within existing Hudson's Bay stores. Oliver & Bonacini also operates some of Toronto's finest restaurants, under nameplates Canoe, Auberge du Pommier, Jump, Luma, Biff's Bistro, Bannock (connected to the Eaton Centre Hudson's Bay), O&B Café Grill and O&B Canteen. The company was founded in 1993 by Peter Oliver and chef Michael Bonacini. 

Saks Fifth Avenue plans to open as many as seven Canadian locations over the next several years. The company has confirmed intentions to open locations in Vancouver and Montreal, and it may also open a location in Calgary, according to sources at Saks. 

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: July 29, 2015