CHRISTIAN DIOR TO OPEN AT THE HOTEL VANCOUVER

[Photo Source]

Sources tell us that Christian Dior will occupy a two-level space within the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, replacing St. John (which will move into another space in the same hotel). We're awaiting details as to the size of the new Dior space, as well as its projected opening date. It will be Canada's first free-standing Dior store. 

We've been told that this will be an unusually large store for Dior and that it will carry women's ready-to-wear and accessories. We're not sure if its men's collection, Dior Homme, will be carried in this store (Update: Dior Homme WILL be carried in Vancouver's Dior location). 

Georgia Street reception desk, to be eliminated and replaced with more luxury retail [Photo Source] 

The Hotel Vancouver's owner, Ivanhoe Cambridge, is expanding retail space within the hotel to include second-floor space for selected retailers. We've been told that Ivanhoe Cambridge is expanding the hotel's retail in anticipation for the eventual selling of the hotel. The Hotel Vancouver's Georgia Street reception desk will be relocated to create more valuable retail space, and the rest of the hotel's lobby (including a restaurant) will be renovated over the next year with a budget in excess of $12 million. 

There are currently 3 Dior accessory shops-in-store in Canada, all located within the Vancouver, Toronto (Bloor Street) and Montreal Holt Renfrew stores. A fourth Dior accessories shop will open this fall at Holt Renfrew's Yorkdale location, and the Montreal Dior shop recently renovated and re-opened. 

This is a modified floorplan of the ground floor of the Hotel Vancouver. We took its photo within the hotel. Photo: Colin Arber

There are 11 free-standing Dior women's ready-to-wear boutiques in 8 American cities (including 4 in Las Vegas), as well as 12 Dior accessory shops-in-store located within 9 Saks Fifth Avenue stores, 2 Bloomingdale's stores and 1 Nordstrom store. 

There's no word yet if Saks Fifth Avenue will include Dior shops within its new Canadian stores, the first of which are expected to open late next year. 

Thank you to our source Van23H of Vancouver Skyscraper Forum for being this article's source. 

We recently interviewed a Vancouver-based real estate broker, who says other luxury retail tenants are on the way for Vancouver. We'll discuss this more in an article tomorrow. 

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