French luxury brand Saint Laurent Paris (formerly 'Yves Saint Laurent') will open a store this fall at Toronto's Yorkdale Shopping Centre. It will be one of two freestanding Canadian stores for Saint Laurent, following the opening of a downtown Vancouver location last week. Sources at Saint Laurent recently confirmed the new Toronto location.

According to a City of Toronto Application, Saint Laurent will occupy retail space '219' in the mall, which was recently vacated by footwear retailer Geox. The new 3,000 square foot, one-level Saint Laurent will be located next to luxury brand David Yurman, which opened its first Canadian location at Yorkdale in December of 2013. A source at the Vancouver Saint Laurent store says that the Yorkdale location is expected to open in November of this year, and that the Toronto store will feature men's and women's ready-to-wear fashions as well as footwear, bags and accessories.

*Hoarding for the new Saint Laurent. High ceilings could facilitate a dramatic facade. Photo taken on July 17, 2017 by Retail Insider.*

Yorkdale has recently added a number of luxury retailers nearby, in the mall's 'luxury wing' located near Holt Renfrew. Bulgari, Mulberry, Cartier, Ferragamo, Versace, Moncler, Jimmy Choo, Longchamp and other luxury brands have opened in the centre over the past four years, joining a Holt Renfrew which expanded in 2013, with mall-facing concessions for brands Chanel, Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. The mall will also open a new 300,000 expansion wing this fall, anchored by Nordstrom, featuring retailers such as Uniqlo, Muji, and the world's first freestanding Canada Goose store.

Last week, Saint Laurent opened a two-level, 4,800 square foot store at 746 Thurlow Street in downtown Vancouver, in the heart of the city's burgeoning 'Luxury Zone'. That store also features the brand's men's and women's collections, as well as footwear, bags and accessories.

Saint Laurent is also carried at a handful of upscale retailers in Toronto. The brand's largest presence is at Saks Fifth Avenue at CF Toronto Eaton Centre, which features two shop-in-store Saint Laurent boutiques -- a handbags shop on the ground floor, and a women's ready-to-wear boutique on Saks' third floor. Saint Laurent will also have a presence at Nordstrom in the same mall when it opens in September.

Saint Laurent Paris operates locations globally, including 18 full-priced U.S. stores and three Saint Laurent outlets. The brand is owned by French luxury holding company Kering. Saint Laurent recently saw designer Hedi Slimani exit the company, to be replaced by Anthony Vaccarello.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: July 18, 2016