Ralph Lauren Expands to Canada With First Luxury Store Opening and Digital Commerce Site
Ralph Lauren Corp. said Wednesday it is expanding in Canada with the launch of a dedicated digital commerce site and the first Ralph Lauren store in the country.
The 5,492-square-foot store, which recently opened in Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre, is the first of a planned expansion in Canada, building on Lauren’s existing wholesale and outlet presence in the region. Toronto represents one of the company’s top 30 cities targeted for a comprehensive omnichannel ecosystem expansion globally.
At present, Lauren has 12 outlet stores in Canada as well as a wholesale presence through Hudson’s Bay, Sporting Life and Harry Rosen. The company’s game plan is to open several Ralph Lauren stores across the country in the coming years.
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“Ralph Lauren’s ethos of timelessness and authenticity has inspired and connected with our Canadian consumers for decades, and we’re excited to bring a more holistic expression of our brand to Canada,” said Bob Ranftl, regional chief executive officer of North America at Ralph Lauren Corp. “We look forward to serving our consumers throughout Canada with enhanced and elevated experiences that reflect our luxury lifestyle point of view.”
The new ralphlauren.ca site will house Lauren’s full portfolio of brands, including Purple Label, Ralph Lauren Collection, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL and Lauren across men’s, women’s and childrenswear assortments in apparel, accessories and footwear, in addition to select home items. The company plan to launch the English version of its Canadian digital commerce site on Oct. 11. It will explore a future launch in Quebec with a French-language version.
The Ralph Lauren store features a mix of men’s Purple Label and women’s collection, as well as a curated selection of Polo Ralph Lauren men’s and women’s collections. Situated on the ground floor of Yorkdale Shopping Centre, one of Canada’s leading retail destinations with stores such as Celine, Burberry, Cartier, Michael Kors, Bulgari, Tiffany and Coach, the Lauren store offers an array of dedicated client services, including private styling appointments, alterations and repairs and made-to-measure clothing.
The one-level store is designed with a double-height facade with cherry wood louvers and aged-bronze metal, giving way to a contemporary interior with bright, white walls and a limestone floor.
The Canadian digital commerce site and new luxury store build on the company’s targeted expansion in North America, as well as across Asia and Europe, as part of its Next Great Chapter. The company is focused on creating elevated consumer ecosystems through a strategic balance of flagship stores, intimate boutiques, outlets, wholesale partnerships and digital platforms.
For the first quarter ended July 1, Ralph Lauren’s revenues in North America fell 10 percent to $632 million, with about half of that coming from a shift of spring receipts in the fourth quarter of last year as the company normalized its timing post-pandemic. The company’s own comparable store sales in North America fell 6 percent, including an 8 percent drop in digital commerce and a 5 percent decrease in brick-and-mortar doors. Wholesale sales in the market fell 16 percent and would have been down by midsingle digits without the timing shift.
Company-wide, Ralph Lauren’s net income for the quarter gained 7 percent to $132.1 million from $123.4 million a year earlier. Revenues for the three months ended July 1 inched up to $1.5 billion from $1.49 billion a year earlier, an increase of 1 percent in constant currencies that was led by Europe and Asia.
This story was reported by WWD and originally appeared on WWD.com.
