NORTH AMERICA'S FIRST MAX MARA BRIDAL BOUTIQUE TO OPEN IN VANCOUVER

[Image Source]

In early January, 2014, Vancouver's Max Mara store will move from 2756 Granville Street to a considerably larger space at 3025 Granville Street. The new store will be the largest Max Mara store in Canada, and it will include the first Max Mara Bridal salon in North America.

According to a press release, the new store will be about 3,850 square feet. Lease materials show the store space featuring 3,074 square feet on its street level as well as 2,683 square feet on its basement level, making for a 5,757 square foot retail building.

For those unfamiliar, Max Mara is a luxury Italian fashion house established in 1951. It is known for its womenswear as well as accessories and shoes, and has stores around the world. Max Mara also retails other fashion lines including Weekend by Max Mara, which recently opened a store at the Metropolis at Metrotown.

The new Max Mara store will be the largest in Canada. Max Mara only has four free-standing Canadian stores, and three of those are in Vancouver. The other Vancouver stores are located at Oakridge Shopping Centre and Pacific Centre. The Toronto store recently relocated to 151 Bloor Street West. Max Mara is also carried at selected Holt Renfrew stores as well as at Hudson's Bay's Toronto flagship. In addition, the Vancouver license holder operates two lower-priced Weekend by Max Mara stores, located at Vancouver's Oakridge Centre and Metropolis at Metrotown.

3025 Granville Street: Location of Vancouver's newest Max Mara store (Image is from the landlord's marketing materials)

Vancouver's concentration of three Max Mara stores and two Weekend by Max Mara stores gives it the highest concentration of Max Mara locations of any city in North America. Given the relatively small size of Vancouver, it could even be considered one of the world's most Max Mara-friendly cities. 

The new Vancouver store, being relocated three blocks to the south, will be even closer to the wealthy Shaughnessy neighbourhood, where some of Max Mara's customers live. Shaughnessy is a historical estate neighbourhood that is home to some of Vancouver's largest and most expensive residences.

The current Max Mara store at 2756 Granville Street is connected to multibrand luxury retailer Boboli. Business restructuring has led to a separation between Boboli and Max Mara's Vancouver license holder, Vestis Fashion Group.

Canada's first Max Mara Outlet store will open in suburban Montreal next year.

[Max Mara website]