*CF Carrefour Laval store. Photo: Daniel Wellington*

By Mario Toneguzzi

Swedish watch and jewelry brand, Daniel Wellington, has opened its first Canadian store with Cadillac Fairview at CF Carrefour Laval in a 654-square-foot retail space designed by Montréal-based LODA Design and built by Prisma Construction.

“As we began to expand throughout the Americas, we knew that Canada was going to be a priority. Taking a look at our successful online e-commerce alongside our audience on social media within Quebec specifically, we knew that we already had a big fan base in the province. Naturally, Montreal was the first place to establish that foothold in the country to bring our online experience offline, directly to our existing customer,” said John Ehrnst, the retailer’s Executive Director Americas, in an email interview with Retail Insider.

*Daniel Wellington store location at CF Carrefour Laval, circled in red. Click image for interactive mall map*

“We find the Canadian market attractive because we are excited about the opportunity to harness our existing high brand awareness in a market that is full of possibility. As we have expanded over the past eight years across countless countries, we have come to the realization that you can’t commit yourself to one universal strategy—it’s important to curate your messaging for a specific local audience. We have focused significant resources to bringing Daniel Wellington to the Canadian customer, and a brick-and-mortar store has a crucial role in that.”

Daniel Wellington is a Swedish brand founded in 2011. Known for its sleek and minimalist design, DW offers timeless watches and accessories, worn on all occasions by men and women all over the world. Since its inception, Daniel Wellington has sold over 11 million watches and established itself as one of the fastest growing and most beloved brands in the industry. Daniel Wellington is partnered with distributors in over 37 markets and represented in over 9,000 points of sales worldwide.

“Everything we produce is designed in our Stockholm headquarters by our in-house design team, ensuring the highest quality craftsmanship in every piece,” said Ehrnst.

“Daniel Wellington is well-regarded for our classic and minimalist designs, which means our collections appeal to anyone with an eye for timeless design at an affordable price point. Recently, we have also expanded further into accessories with the addition of rings and new bracelet styles, allowing for our customer to mix and match Daniel Wellington pieces into their existing personal style.”

The company says the Daniel Wellington brand represents detail-oriented design, crafted around minimalism and preciseness to create immaculate watches and accessories. It believes that the traditional, yet crisp design blends together perfectly with the colourful NATO strap, the elegant leather strap and the beautifully-crafted mesh strap.

“The story of the Classic watch is also the history of the creation of Daniel Wellington. On a trip halfway across the world, founder Filip Tysander met a captivating British gentleman with impeccable yet unpretentious style. The man had a particular fondness for wearing his vintage watches on old, weathered NATO straps. Inspired by his new acquaintance, an idea was ignited, and Tysander decided to design his own watch, minimalist and refined. The man's name – Daniel Wellington. From this single moment, the idea grew into a design, and the design into a watch – a watch that would come to define the Daniel Wellington brand,” explains the company of its history.

Today it has more than 400 retail stores worldwide.

“We believe that today’s consumer is looking for a unique offline experience that mirrors the brand’s values, providing a comfortable atmosphere to shop whether that person is looking for style advice, the perfect gift or values being able to touch and feel the product firsthand. Daniel Wellington has a range of watches and accessories that are meant to be mixed and matched, not just with each other but also with the customer’s own style. Our style advisors provide a personalized in-store shopping experience for every customer,” said Ehrnst.

Sal Iacono, Executive Vice President of Operations, Cadillac Fairview, said the company is thrilled to partner with the iconic brand.

"At Cadillac Fairview we are dedicated to delivering an exceptional shopping experience for our guests and introducing first to market retailers like Daniel Wellington is an example of our ongoing commitment,” he said.

Cadillac Fairview is one of the largest owners, operators and developers of best-in-class office, retail and mixed-use properties in North America. The Cadillac Fairview portfolio is owned by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, a diversified global investor which administers the pensions of more than 327,000 active and retired school teachers. The real estate portfolio also includes investments in retail, mixed-use and industrial real estate in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. Valued at around $32 billion, the Canadian portfolio includes over 37 million square feet of leasable space at 70 properties in Canada, including landmark developments, such as Toronto-Dominion Centre, CF Toronto Eaton Centre, CF Pacific Centre, CF Chinook Centre, Tour Deloitte, and CF Carrefour Laval.

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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