*At Saks Fifth Avenue's downtown Toronto flagship on May 11, 2016. Photo: Craig Patterson for Retail Insider.*

Italian luxury brand Prada has opened its first location within a Canadian Saks Fifth Avenue store. The ground floor accessories boutique at Saks Queen Street/CF Toronto Eaton Centre could be the first of several for Saks, as the retailer further expands operations into Canada.

Toronto's 170,000 square foot Saks flagship opened on February 18 of this year, though ground floor concessions for Prada and Dior were both latecomers. Dior still has yet to open and when it does, it will be one of two Dior concessions within the downtown Saks -- this fall, Dior will also open a ready-to-wear women's boutique on Saks' third floor.

*Prada is located beside Oliver & Bonacini's 3-level restaurant concept, Leña, opening soon.*

Prada currently doesn't have a concession within Saks at CF Sherway Gardens in suburban Toronto, Saks' only other full-priced Canadian store. Prada could eventually open within other Canadian Saks stores, as the retailer expands operations outside of Toronto. Sources say that Saks is expected to soon announce a store location in a major Canadian city that will open in February of 2018, measuring in excess of 100,000 square feet.

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Prada is in the process of significantly expanding its Canadian operations. The Toronto Bloor Street flagship is adding a second level, growing the store from 5,889 square feet to 13,640 square feet, making it the largest in Canada. Prada opened a large two-level flagship in downtown Vancouver in March of this year.

Prada currently operates concessions within five Holt Renfrew locations (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto Bloor Street, Toronto Yorkdale, Montreal). Last year, sources said that Prada would open an expanded ground-floor concession with a streetfront entrance at Holt Renfrew's Bloor Street flagship, featuring accessories, footwear and ready-to-wear. It's unclear if that's still the case. The Prada concessions within Holt Renfrew’s Vancouver store will expand as the store grows and renovates, and sources at Holt Renfrew say that Prada will open in an expanded Ogilvy/Holt’s in Montreal in 2017.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: May 12, 2016