Quebec City-based large format retailer La Maison Simons has revealed new details about its CF Rideau Centre store in Ottawa, opening on August 11 of this year. It will be the 13th store location for Simons and the second in Ontario, following the opening of its Mississauga Square One store in March.

The two-level, 100,000 square foot store CF Rideau Centre will be located in the mall's expansion wing at the corner of Rideau Street and Nicholas Street. Simons will occupy the top two levels of the four level expansion, which will incorporate the facade for the former Ogilvy store which once occupied the site. The fourth floor, being Simons' top floor, will be encased in glass which wraps up and over to form part of the roof. Simons’ bottom floor (third floor of the expansion), will include part of Ogilvy's facade, which saw bricks carefully removed, cleaned, catalogued and reinstated to preserve its architectural significance.

The store's interior was designed by award winning firm figure3, incorporating the most celebrated elements featured in Simons' West Edmonton Mall and Montreal CF Galeries d'Anjou stores -- including high gloss, bold colour fitting rooms, decorative woven animal heads and 'porta pottie' change rooms for young men. Architectural firm Lemay Michaud created the store's overall framework and configuration at CF Rideau Centre.

*figure3 designed the award-winning West Edmonton Mall Simons store, which opened in October of 2012 (images above and below)*

Each Simons’ store features a significant work from a Canadian artist. At the CF Rideau Centre location, Torrential Red, a striking installation by Shayne Dark, will be suspended in the centre of the store in Simons’ escalator atrium, connecting the bottom and top floors. Mr. Dark used ironwood saplings gathered from the forest floor near his home in Kingston, where he saturated the trees in a brilliant red pigment. He then intertwined and assembled the ironwood elements to create a 22-foot tall, 8-foot wide suspended sculpture which represents the contrast between urban and natural environments.

*'Torrential Red', a striking installation by Shayne Dark, will be suspended in the centre of the store in Simons’ escalator atrium, connecting the bottom and top floors.*

The store's bottom floor, located on the third floor of CF Rideau Centre, will measure 35,000 square feet and will feature the following departments:

Djab: cutting edge, urban streetwear for young men
iFive: stylish active wear for women
Miiyu: feminine lingerie and loungewear for women
Twik: dynamic fresh looks for young women
Women’s Accessories

The store's top floor, located on the fourth floor of CF Rideau Centre, will measure 56,000 square feet and will include the following:

Contemporaine: elegant women’s career and casual wear
Edito: men’s and women’s designer collections
Icône: cosmopolitan styles for the modern woman
iFive: stylish active wear for men
Le31: classic and avant-garde fashions for men of all ages
Maison: modern décor elements for the home
Men’s Accessories
Customer Service

The fourth floor will also feature Ève Café, a counter service café offering French Canadian inspired items with seating for 12. All recently opened Simons stores feature this dining concept.

The store will have some unique features specific to the Ottawa location. A separate set of stairs will connect the men’s shopping areas, allowing men to access the space without venturing through women’s fashions. The top floor of the men’s environment will feature large windows with a view of CF Rideau Centre’s rooftop garden. Views of the Byward Market and the newly created Ogilvy Square (a pedestrian area on Nicholas at Rideau) will be visible from the iFive women's department on the bottom floor and from Ève Café and Maison on the top floor. Also unique to this store is how the youthful Djab and Twik departments will be together, with direct access to the mall.

Simons will feature significant window displays on Rideau Centre's ground level facing Rideau Street, despite not having retail space on the street. A ground-level elevator will bring shoppers directly to both the third and fourth floors.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: June 7, 2016