UK-based luxury footwear and accessory brand Jimmy Choo will open its first freestanding Vancouver store in early 2018. It is the latest luxury brand to be announced for the city’s burgeoning ‘Luxury Zone’.

Vancouver’s Jimmy Choo will be located at 1035 Alberni Street and will measure 1,549 square feet on one level. When it opens, it will technically be Canada’s second freestanding Jimmy Choo store, following the August 2014 opening of a 2,250 square foot location at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. We also recently confirmed that Jimmy Choo will be opening a second Toronto store that will span about 2,400 square feet over two levels, though the newly constructed 102 Yorkville Avenue space won’t be ready for occupancy until towards the end of 2018.

David Wedemire and Stan Vyriotes of DWSV Remax Ultimate Realty Inc. acted on behalf of Jimmy Choo in the Vancouver deal, while Mario Negris and Martin Moriarty of CBRE Vancouver negotiated on behalf of the landlord.

Jimmy Choo will replace Montreal-based leather goods and fashion retailer m0851, which has operated its Alberni Street location since the spring of 2008. M0851 has already secured a replacement location at CF Pacific Centre, and it also will continue to operate a unit on Water Street in the nearby historical Gastown area.

*(click above for interactive google street view of vancouver's alberni street 'luxury zone')*

Vancouver’s ‘Luxury Zone’, centred around the 1000 block of Alberni Street and extending onto Burrard Street and Thurlow Street, is quickly becoming one of Canada’s most important luxury retail areas. Last week we announced that luxury watch brand Hublot will be opening its first Canadian store nearby at 1076 Alberni Street, and more changes are on the way, as new retail space is built and deals for new retailers are secured.

Jimmy Choo, which was co-founded by designers Tamara Mellon and Jimmy Choo in 1996, has stores globally, including 33 in the United States. In Canada, the brand can also be found in selected retailers such as Holt Renfrew, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: April 13, 2017