*Kensington Market storefront. Photo: Jerome Clark*

Toronto-based Deciem, the self-proclaimed “Abnormal Beauty Company”, has leased several more retail spaces in the Greater Toronto Area as it expands its Canadian operations. The company is also expanding globally at a rapid rate.

Three Toronto Deciem locations are now open. In July of this year, the company opened its first freestanding location in the world at 881 Queen Street West, now considered to be the brand’s flagship. Two more locations opened over the summer, both in unique locations. A store in the city’s Cabbagetown area is located at 242 Carlton Street (near Parliament Street), and another opened in the city’s iconic Kensington Market, at 285-A Augusta Avenue over the summer as well.

*Another shot of the facade of the new Kensington Market store. Photo: Jerome Clark*

*Cabbagetown's Deciem opened over the summer. Photo: Jerome Clark*

*Inside the Cabbagetown Deciem store. Photo: Jerome Clark*

Deciem is confirmed to have leased two more GTA locations — one in the city’s affluent Yorkville area, and one at Square One in Mississauga. The Yorkville store will replace women's fashion retailer Quasar Mode, located on Bellair Street beside the TTC ‘Bay’ subway entrance within the 1240 Bay Street commercial building (north of Harry Rosen's massive Bloor Street flagship). Square One will mark the brand’s first Canadian boutique within an enclosed shopping centre, as Deciem selects storefronts to help it gain brand awareness.

Stan Vyriotes and David Wedermire of DWSV Remax Ultimate Realty Inc. are representing Deciem in its Canadian expansion negotiations, as well as selected international markets.

*Deciem will replace Quasar Mode on Bellair Street in Toronto's affluent Yorkville area. Photo: Larry Leung.*

*Click above for interactive Google Map.*

Deciem has also opened a store location in Seoul, South Korea, and will soon open units in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia.

Deciem was founded by Brandon Truaxe in 2013, and its products are carried at more than 20,000 stores in 18 countries. The United Kingdom is currently Deciem's largest market (in the summer, only about 3% of its sales were in Canada), though that will increase as it opens more stores. Deciem features nine beauty brands under its corporate umbrella, ranging in price-point and focus.

Earlier this summer, we reported that the company is looking to expand globally into the UK, United States, Spain and Mexico, among other countries. Mr. Truaxe said that he’d like to have multiple locations in each major city that Deciem enters. "Toronto and all of Canada are high priorities for us in terms of retail expansion partly because Canada is our home and partly because the Canadian retail landscape in beauty is dysfunctionally behind the times" he said.

*Inside the Kensington Market store. Photo: Jerome Clark*

*Inside the Queen Street West flagship. Photo: Jerome Clark*

Mr. Truaxe explained that he's looking to expand the brand "opportunistically", and that part of the company's strategy is to gain brand awareness from establishing several store locations in each city, before moving into new markets. He explained that storefronts also act as 'advertising' for the brand, as well as providing a comfortable environment for consumers to become educated on its products.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: October 4, 2016