*RENDERING OF MUJOSH’S NEW SCARBOROUGH TOWN CENTRE STORE: MUJOSH*

By Mario Toneguzzi

Hong Kong-based eyewear retailer MUJOSH is expanding in the Canadian marketplace with plans to open stores in June in Yorkdale Shopping Centre and Scarborough Town Centre.

It’s part of an aggressive plan to build out the brand to about 40 locations across the country in the next few years.

Dino Huang, Assistant Vice President of Goldnes Vision Inc. which is bringing the brand to Toronto, said the company also plans to open a store in September in the Hillcrest Mall in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

Nick Iozzo, Senior Director, Retail Innovation and Lead Generation at Oxford Properties Group, negotiated the three deals on behalf of the landlord.

“We will focus on developing the MUJOSH stores in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal and also deeply cooperate with our franchising partner in Calgary, Edmonton,” he said.

“I’ve come to Canada to build the company.”

*MUJOSH’S WEST EDMONTON MALL STORE: GOOGLE MAPS*

Goldnes Vision has the distribution rights for MUJOSH in Canada. A MUJOSH store that opened in February 2017 at the West Edmonton Mall is owned by another franchisee.

“We think Toronto is our best location in North America and we have a plan to develop the market in Toronto and next year we will move to Vancouver, Montreal,” said Huang.

“We hope we can open 40 stores in four years. Usually our store model is in malls but we still have some models for street stores, in airports, train stations.

Huang said the Yorkdale location will be the flagship store for the upscale eyewear retailer.

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RENDERING OF MUJOSH’S SCARBOROUGH TOWN CENTRE STORE: MUJOSH

RENDERING OF MUJOSH’S YORKDALE SHOPPING CENTRE STORE: MUJOSH

He said the MUJOSH 4.0 generation store design conveys a fashionable, friendly and free image to welcome customers as they walk into the store. The retailer is focused on an affordable price point for frames and sunglasses between $79 and $199.

“We provide both regular fit and Asian fit frame design to fulfill the diversity of face shape,” added Huang.

The locations will have an eye exam room and processing lab in the store, which will not only be a fashion destiny, but it will also provide professional and efficient services to customers.

The MUJOSH brand slogan is “More Than Glasses” and the company’s philosophy comes from three elements - Wood, which stands for natural materials and the value of handicraft; Long lasting, which stands for long-lasting and good quality products; and Ten, which stands for perfection, showing the pursuit of perfect techniques.

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MUJOSH’S SHIN KONG MITSUKOSH NANXI STORE ONE BOUTIQUE IN TAIPEI, TAIWAN: MUJOSH VIA FACEBOOK

The company, which was founded in 2010, has a target market of customers aged between 18 and 30 years old.

Retail stores are located in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Australia, United States, and Canada.

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“For MUJOSH, the specialty is we sell not only glasses. Our slogan is more than glasses. The element is cutting-edge fashion, iconic styling. Our glasses are not only for eye function. For young people it’s about accessories and decoration,” said Huang. “We sell more sunglasses than optical glasses.”

In March, MUJOSH announced its first entry into the U.S. market with the opening of its two stores at Stoneridge Mall and Westfield in San Francisco and one store at Glendale Galleria in Los Angeles.

*MUJOSH concession at hankyu department store in osaka, japan Photo: mujosh via facebook*

The company said “the opening of the stores in the United States represent a significant milestone in the ongoing global business expansion of MUJOSH.”

“With its cutting-edge style and innovative spirit in both products and business models, the fashion eyewear brand is confidently bringing in a new exciting brand concept to the traditional eyewear market of the United States,” it said.

“With eight years of sustained growth and development, MUJOSH has proven to be the preferred eyewear choice among the trendy, fashion savvy and young at heart consumers around the world. The stylish, edgy and innovative design of its products has captured people’s attention, winning praise and making MUJOSH a loved brand among many customers.”

MUJOSH has more than 800 specialty stores located in high-end shopping malls and department stores around the world.

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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