By Mario Toneguzzi

Clothing retailer Old Navy has reached a milestone in Canada with the recent opening of its 100th store in the country as the company looks to nearly double its footprint in North America in the coming years.

The 100th store was opened on October 30 in Medicine Hat, Alberta.

Pooja Sethi, VP and Head of International at Old Navy, said the retailer’s first of 12 stores in Canada opened in April 2001.

“We are so proud of our Canada business and believe it is an important market for our brand,” she said.

“One of the top comments we receive from our customers is that our stores are not close enough, especially in smaller markets. We want to be where our customers shop and live and opening new stores in smaller markets will help us bring the store experience closer to home and introduce the brand to new customers.”

Old Navy is a San Francisco, California-based brand founded in 1994, and this year marks the brand’s 25th anniversary. The first three stores opened in California in 1994. In 1997, it was one of the first retailers to reach $1 billion in sales within four years of opening. In 2000, oldnavy.com launched. After launching in Canada in 2001, the company launched in Mexico in October 2015 and now have 25 stores in Mexico City, Puebla, Querétaro, and Quintana Roo, making its store expansion in Mexico its fastest to date. Today, Old Navy has more than 1,100 stores globally.

“(Recently) we announced our plans to continue growing our fleet at a pace of approximately 75 stores a year, including entering small underserved markets. Over the long term, we believe there is white space for us to nearly double our store footprint in North America,” said Sethi.

In Canada, Old Navy also opened recently in Deerfoot City in Calgary, McArthurGlen outlets in Vancouver, and in Grandview Corners in Surrey, B.C.. The Montreal Eaton Centre location, which opened in 2004, has also been renovated. A report from a news publication in Kamloops, British Columbia, notes that recent building applications showed plans for an Old Navy store. It would occupy part of the space vacated by Sears last year at Kamloops’ Aberdeen Mall.

“While we don’t have any new store openings to announce at this time, we are excited to continue to grow our store fleet so even more customers can experience the Old Navy brand,” said Sethi.

Real estate company JLL represents Old Navy in Canada and is negotiating deals for new stores under the direction of Lawrence Hildebrand and Chris Canuel.

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“At Old Navy we believe in the democracy of style. This is what guides our brand and our business, and it means that everyone should be able to participate in fashion, at every age in the family, every income level, and every size. These principles are part of our brand’s DNA and have been with us since the brand was founded 25 years.

“Old Navy serves the whole family and we believe that style should be accessible to everyone. Our target customer is one looking quality, on-trend fashion at an exceptional value – accessible pricing is a part of our DNA.”

Sethi said the retailer is really excited for the holidays, adding that this year, it has “some incredible” gifting items, including its famous cozy socks and sleepwear, as well as lots of great fleece and outwear for the Canadian winter.

Mario Toneguzzi, based in Calgary has 37 years of experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist and editor. He worked for 35 years at the Calgary Herald covering sports, crime, politics, health, city and breaking news, and business. For 12 years as a business writer, his main beats were commercial and residential real estate, retail, small business and general economic news. He nows works on his own as a freelance writer and consultant in communications and media relations/training. Email: mdtoneguzzi@gmail.com

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