Iconic New York City-based jewellery and accessory brand Tiffany & Co. has unveiled a second-level expansion of its freestanding downtown Vancouver location, tripling its retail space. The store is now about the same size of Tiffany’s Toronto Bloor street flagship.

Tiffany & Co. opened at 723 Burrard Street (corner Alberni Street) in the fall of 2006. The one-level 4,700 square foot store included 3,322 square feet of retail space. Last year, Tiffany leased a second-level space formerly occupied by Japanese restaurant Kamei Royale, allowing for a significant expansion. Tiffany & Co.’s Vancouver flagship now spans an impressive 9,762 square feet of selling space, which is about the same as the 9,800 square feet of selling space at Toronto's Tiffany flagship at 150 Bloor Street West.

The Vancouver store’s granite facade is inspired by Tiffany’s iconic Fifth Avenue flagship in New York City (including an Atlas figure holding a clock), with a nod to American Deco skyscrapers and luxury high-rises of the 1930s and 1940s. Tiffany Blue features prominently on the store’s new branded awnings, as well as its halo-lit signage. The store’s new curved exterior is an "architectural feat” according to the company — the previous facade can be seen in the photo below.

*(facade prior to the expansion/renovation. photo: PCI-GROUP.COM)*

New soaring double-height ceilings off the store's front entrance were created by blasting through the concrete floor above — not a simple task, and no doubt costly. A metal balustrade punctuates the new second floor mezzanine above, with hand-leafed and hand-forged Tiffany Magnolia chandeliers (by New York-based artist Michele Oka Doner) hanging overhead. Interior accents in the store also include marble, cerused walnut paneling, velvet drapery and upholstered walls.

The expanded Vancouver store allows Tiffany & Co. to showcase a broader range of product. The store features a Fine Jewellery Salon, as well as Fashion, Bridal, Gift and Private Sales Salons. Private shopping areas were expanded in the new space, and the Burrard Street store also features the new Tiffany HardWear collection which officially launched this month.

CBRE’s Vancouver office facilitated negotiations for the store’s second-level space acquisition, under the direction of Mario Negris and Martin Moriarty.

Tiffany & Co. entered the Vancouver market as a licensed shop-in-store within Holt Renfrew in 1994. Tiffany continues to operate a shop at Vancouver's Holt's as a concession. Tiffany has three free-standing stores in Toronto, two in Vancouver, and one each in Edmonton, Calgary and Montreal. Three smaller Tiffany & Co. concessions also operate within Holt Renfrew locations in Calgary, Montreal (at Ogilvy) and as mentioned, in Vancouver. Tiffany’s first Canadian store opened at 85 Bloor Street West in 1991, in a building spanning 13,450 square feet over four floors.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: May 8, 2017