By Megan Harman

Quebec-based women’s clothing retailer Boutique Colori Inc. is making its first stride outside of the province, with a new store set to open in Halifax in November.

The chain, which has approximately 40 locations throughout Quebec, offers trendy clothing geared towards women between the ages of 18 and 35. Merchandise ranges from casual tops and sweaters to evening wear, as well as a range of jewellery and other accessories.

After having fostered a well-established presence in the Quebec market over the course of many years, Colori is now testing the waters outside of that province.

“They fit a nice niche,” says Nat Weinstein, vice president of leasing at 20 Vic Management Inc., which manages Halifax Shopping Centre. “It’s a good mix for Halifax.”

*(Click for interactive halifax centre mall map)*

*(signage for the new halifax store, via colori/instagram)*

The new store in Halifax Shopping Centre is 1,460 square feet in size. It is located on the upper level of the mall, across from La Vie en Rose and RW&CO.

The new Colori location comes as Halifax Shopping Centre recently underwent a major $70-million redevelopment project that created 75,000 square feet of additional retail space. The mall has since welcomed several new retailers to its corridors, including large new two-storey H&M and Zara locations that opened over the summer.

The new Colori store will add another name to the mall’s list of new additions. Since Halifax Shopping Centre is the top-performing mall in the Maritimes, it was an obvious choice for Colori’s first location in that region, Weinstein says.

*(Screen shot from the boutique colori website)*

He notes that the retailer’s locations in 20 Vic’s Quebec properties have performed very well, and the company is hoping for similar success in Halifax.

The new Colori location will serve as an experiment for the retailer, Weinstein says, to gauge how the brand performs outside of its home province. With little brand recognition outside of Quebec, the extent to which Nova Scotia shoppers embrace the clothing company remains to be seen.

“This is the litmus test for them,” Weinstein says.

Depending on how well the new location performs, he says the retail chain will likely consider opening more locations outside of Quebec.

Megan Harman is a business reporter based in Toronto. She writes about topics including retail, financial services and technology. Megan covers Toronto’s retail industry through her blog Retail Realm (torontoretail.wordpress.com). Follow her on Twitter at @meganmharman.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: October 6, 2017