*(Papered over windows at the former Chanel flagship at 131 Bloor St. W. on January 1, 2017)*

Paris-based luxury brand Chanel officially closed its 131 Bloor Street West flagship in Toronto, with a new location set to open in a few months. In the meantime, Chanel has opened a large ‘pop-up’ store on the second level of Holt Renfrew at 50 Bloor Street West to serve its loyal clientele.

Chanel’s former 7,400 square foot flagship closed on the afternoon of December 31. Chanel will move into an 8,700 square foot space at 98 Yorkville Avenue this spring/summer, as there has been some delays with its construction. French luxury brand Christian Dior will replace Chanel at 131 Bloor Street West, with construction set to commence shortly. Dior will span about 10,400 square feet over two levels, technically making it the largest Dior location in North America.

*(elongated view of Holt's second floor, showing the existing Chanel concession to the left, and the pop-up to the right)*

*(Viewing the Chanel pop-up from the top of the escalators on the mezzanine shoe/restaurant floor)*

While the ‘pop-up’ is new, Chanel already had a presence at Holt’s Bloor Street. For over a decade, Chanel has operated a 1,850 square foot concession at Holt’s, and the new pop-up space in front of this boutique adds substantially more Chanel to Holt’s women’s designer floor. The pop-up is so large, in fact, that it takes up the entire central floor area on the east end of Holt’s second-level — a floor which also features boutiques for Giorgio Armani, Tom Ford, Prada, Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana, as well as a roster of some of the world’s most prestigious brands.

*(In a few months, Chanel will move into an 8,700 square foot retail space at 98 Yorkville Avenue)*

(*From the paper edition of City & Country Home Magazine, April 1989. Photograph: Christa Patterson)*

Chanel has had a presence on Toronto’s Bloor Street West since the 1980’s, when it operated a concession in the now defunct retailer, Creeds. In April of 1989, Chanel opened its 131 Bloor Street store as a one-level, 3,100 square foot retail space that was expanded upwards several years later. Chanel subsequently expanded to other Canadian markets including Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary, where it maintains a presence to this day as Holt Renfrew-housed concessions. The recently relocated Vancouver Chanel concession is particularly notable, spanning over 5,000 square feet in a new retail space on Holt’s ground floor, facing Dunsmuir Street.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: January 4, 2017