By Craig Patterson

Vancouver-Based cashmere brand Black Goat Cashmere has opened its first-ever mall-based store – a pop-up, located at CF Toronto Eaton Centre in the heart of downtown Toronto. The 1,625 square foot store operates in the centre until January of 2019 and complements an existing permanent location about two kilometres north on Toronto’s famed ‘Mink Mile’.

The CF Toronto Eaton Centre store features a simple interior that showcases its range of cashmere products for men and women that include a range of fashions and accessories in an ever-expanding range of colours and styles. For example, last year Black Goat Cashmere launched a line of high-quality coats that have been a hit with its customers, so much so that Black Goat Cashmere opened a standalone store called ‘The Coat Room’ in downtown Vancouver in the fall of 2017.

Black Goat Cashmere stands to gain a considerable amount of exposure with its new CF Toronto Eaton Centre store. The multi-level mall sees more than 50-million annual visitors, making it by far the busiest shopping centre in North America in terms of footfall.

Black Goat Cashmere CEO Robert Remy said that the company is growing and that the CF Toronto Eaton Centre Black Goat Cashmere pop-up shows that the brand’s model works as well in a mall as it does on a high street. High-end street retail is limited in North America, noted Mr. Remy, and a shopping centre expansion makes sense as the brand continues to seek out new locations in order to showcase its products in dedicated retail spaces.

Jessica Millet of brokerage Oberfeld Snowcap negotiated the CF Toronto Eaton Centre deal, and represents Black Goat Cashmere in Canada.

The CF Toronto Eaton Centre Black Goat store also operates in tandem with the company’s other Toronto store, located at ‘The Colonnade’ at 131 Bloor Street West in-between luxury retailers Cartier and Escada. That store, which is a cozy 650 square feet in size, opened in the spring of 2015 and boasts exposure to a wealthy base of shoppers that frequent the area.

Besides its locations in Toronto, Black Goat Cashmere operates standalone stores in Vancouver and in Victoria, BC. The three Vancouver stores include two downtown units at Cathedral Place at 925 West Georgia Street (next to Chopard and across from Gucci) which was recently renovated, as well as The Coat Room which faces onto Hornby Street. A third Vancouver store is located on the tony South Granville strip at 2818 Granville Street.

The retailer also operates a 1300 square foot store in Victoria at 1008 Government Street. The store is the company’s largest permanent location to date, and includes a healthy customer mix of locals and tourists.

Black Goat Cashmere's products are designed in Vancouver and manufactured in Mongolia with the highest-quality cashmere. The company is vertically integrated, and sells a variety of cashmere products for men, women and children. Some garments have accents such as mother of pearl buttons and leather trim. The Mongolian cashmere used is from long strands, which are known for durability and high quality, according to CEO Robert Remy.

Craig Patterson, now based in Toronto, is the founder and Editor-in-Chief Retail Insider. He's also a retail and real estate consultant, retail tour guide and public speaker.

Follow him on Twitter @RetailInsider_, LinkedIn at Craig Patterson, or email him at: craig@retail-insider.com.

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