Crate & Barrell expanding in Canada

Michael Knell -- Home Textiles Today, 8/16/2011 3:19:56 PM

Mississauga, Ontario - Crate & Barrel will open its second store in Alberta in October and its first store in Quebec next spring, bringing its Canadian network to a total of five stores.
The home furnishings specialist will open a 24,430-square-foot store in Edmonton's Southgate Mall in October, followed in the spring with a 25,000-square-foot store at the Carrefour Laval mall in the Montreal suburb of Laval.
Crate & Barrel's other Canadian stores are located here as well as in Toronto and Calgary, Alberta.
Construction began on the Laval store last week and when completed, it will have a staff of about 50. According to a report in the Edmonton Journal, the store there will have 40 associates.
Founded in 1962 and headquartered in Chicago, Crate & Barrel entered the Canadian market with its first store in Toronto's Yorkdale Shopping Centre in 2008. The following year it opened the unit in Calgary's Southcentre mall, and a few months later opened in Mississauga's Square One.
According to a report in the Journal, Crate & Barrel - along with its sister brand CB2 - plans to open eight or nine stores in Canada over the next two years, including at least one store in British Columbia.
Crate & Barrel is among a growing group of U.S. retailers looking to establish a presence in Canada. Among those with strong furniture, home décor and appliance businesses are Target, Big Lots, Lowe's and Restoration Hardware.