H&M's upscale fashion brand COS (stands for 'Collection of Style') opens its third freestanding Canadian store today, as it continues to expand operations across Canada. A fourth location will open early next year in Vancouver, and more are planned, according to sources.

A 5,188 square foot, one-level COS opens this morning at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The well laid-out store is located adjacent to the mall’s highly productive Holt Renfrew, steps away from the mall’s Nordstrom-anchored $331 million, 300,000 square foot expansion wing that opened earlier this week.

*(click image above for interactive Yorkdale mall map)*

Yorkdale’s COS includes fashion collections for women, men and children, in an open environment featuring minimalist white walls. Furniture from mid-century modern designers accent the space, which houses fall collections as well as a sample selection of Spring/Summer 2017 lines. The store's exterior includes separate entrances for men's and women's departments, with wood doors that slide along the store's facade.

*(the wood panel above is a doorway that slides shut after hours. This is the women's side and the men's section [see top photo] has the same)*

Vancouver's COS, opening in early 2017, will be the first in the city. Located at 18 Water Street (former Zientte Interiors space) in Gastown, the 3,024 square foot retail space will be located in a heritage building with a "store interior that will reflect the COS design values and aesthetic of clean-lines and natural elements". The space housing COS includes a 4,130 square foot ground floor as well as a 2,330 square foot basement level, according to the CBRE Urban Retail Team (Mario Negris and Martin Moriarty) who negotiated the Gastown deal.

COS launched its first Canadian store in September 2015 in Toronto at 85 Bloor Street West (former Tiffany & Co. space), followed by a second store in October 2015 at 1310 Sainte Catherine Street West in Montreal (formerly occupied by Le Chauteau). The store openings at Yorkdale and Vancouver’s Gastown mark the third and fourth locations for COS in Canada.

Parent company H&M launched the COS store concept on London’s Regent Street in March 2007. The brand has a wide product range that is divided into a number of different concepts, incorporating fashion essentials, reinvented classics and modern trends for men and women. COS is created by an in-house team of designers and buyers. It has close to 200 stores in over 30 countries worldwide.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: October 21, 2016