LVMH-owned luxury timepiece brand Hublot will open its first freestanding Canadian location this spring, in Vancouver. Hublot is the latest luxury brand to open a location in the city’s burgeoning downtown ‘Luxury Zone’.

The Swiss luxury brand was founded in 1980 by Italian Carlo Crocco — a scion of the Italian Binda Group dynasty, best known for making Breil watches. Mr. Crocco named Hublot after the French word for “porthole”, and the first watch that he created featured the first natural rubber strap in the history of watchmaking — a feat that took three years of research to create. In 1998, Hublot was acquired by French luxury conglomerate LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy), and it continues to operate as a subsidiary.

Hublot watches are crafted to precision in a variety of styles, which have proven to be popular by luxury buyers worldwide. Prices are often well into the thousands, and some styles cost in excess of $1 million each.

(Construction signage at 1076 Alberni Street. Photo: Brodie Henrichsen)

The 1,500 square foot Vancouver Hublot store will be located within ‘The Carlyle’ retail complex at 1076 Alberni Street, in a space next to luxury brand De Beers. Hublot’s location marks the last vacant retail space within The Carlyle, which now houses luxury brands including Prada, Tory Burch, Saint Laurent and Moncler.

Vancouver’s Hublot will feature a wide selection of the brand’s timepieces and will include VIP rooms. Brodie Henrichsen, principal at Northwest Atlantic, negotiated the lease on behalf of the retailer while Mario Negris and Martin Moriarty of CBRE Vancouver acted on behalf of the landlord.

Vancouver’s Hublot might not be the last for Canada, according to Mr. Dickson. He’s considering potentially opening more locations for the brand, as well as for other luxury brands, as opportunities become available in both Vancouver and Toronto.

Hublot operates freestanding stores in many of the world’s top shopping cities. In the United States, Hublot stores are in New York City, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Orlando, Florida. The Miami area boasts four Hublot stores — in Bal Harbour, Miami Design District, Boca Raton and in Palm Beach.

*Top photo: Hublot.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: April 5, 2017