Minneapolis-based Style Encore, operating under the Winmark Corporation umbrella, officially opens its first Canadian store this week. The unique women’s resale retail concept is looking to expand its Canadian operations rapidly under a franchise model, with more than 40 territories available nationally.

Husband and wife team Christina and Kyle Bromley are the first Canadian franchisees to open a Style Encore location in Canada. The couple comes from an accounting background, though Ms. Bromley also has 15 years experience in buying and selling clothes online. Their new Style Encore store, which officially opens on February 2, is located in Guelph, Ontario, in unit #4 at 170 Silvercreek Parkway North.

The Style Encore retail concept caters to women in their late 20's and upwards, selling gently-used clothing, footwear, handbags and accessories. Fashions range from casual to dressy, with Style Encore buying items that have been in retail stores within the past couple of years in order to reflect current trends. Sizes range from size 0 to 4X, and the company also makes it clear that it doesn't sell counterfeits by taking measures to ensure brand authenticity.

Unlike consignment stores, Style Encore pays cash on the spot for items it wants for its stores, and walk-ins are welcome.

Style Encore is working with Don Gregor of Aurora Realty Consultants as its Canadian broker. Style Encore locations will ideally be in the 3,000 square foot to 4,000 square foot range, in grocery-anchored strip centres or power centres with a fashion mix. Easy vehicle access is key for both consumers and product deliveries.

Mr. Gregor informs us that he's just completed a deal for a second Canadian store location, at 1289 Marlborough Court in Oakville, Ontario.

Winmark Corporation continues to seek Canadian franchisees for its Style Encore expansion. There are currently 40 territories open in Canada for Style Encore franchisees. The company has signed agreements for various sites, so the company is not soliciting sites from landlords at this time.

Minneapolis-based Winmark specializes in developing franchises for retail stores that buy, sell and trade new and used merchandise. It’s the parent company to retail concepts Plato’s Closet, Once Upon A Child, Play It Again Sports, Music Go Round, Style Encore, Wirth Business Credit and Winmark Capital. All focus on different demographics but adhere to the same frugal concept of ‘sell.buy.repeat’. The company’s retail brands have in excess of 1,180 franchised operations in North America with over $1 billion in sales, and it continues to expand rapidly. Winmark first entered the Toronto market in 1993 with the opening of a Play It Again Sports store in Whitby.

*Photos are of the new Guelph store, and were supplied.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: February 1, 2017