UNIQLO to open first Canadian location at Yorkdale Shopping Centre

TORONTO, Jan. 26, 2015 /CNW/ - Popular Japanese brand UNIQLO is set to open its highly-anticipated first Canadian location at Yorkdale Shopping Centre. This new, almost 24,000 square foot flagship store will open in fall 2016 as part of Yorkdale's 300,000 square foot expansion wing and launch UNIQLO's Canadian expansion. UNIQLO joins a collection of some of the world's leading brands that have entered Canada with locations at Yorkdale.

"We are very excited to welcome UNIQLO to Canada. Canadian shoppers and fashion enthusiasts have been anticipating this news for a while. I'm very proud that Yorkdale will be introducing UNIQLO to our shoppers," said Claire Santamaria, Yorkdale Shopping Centre General Manager. "We have a proven track record for helping globally-renowned brands enter Canada for the first time and we're very much looking forward to supporting the launch of UNIQLO in the same way." 

"Yorkdale Shopping Centre is one of the highest performing shopping centers in North America," said Larry Meyer, CEO of UNIQLO USA and Canada. "We're delighted to join this thriving fashion and retail epicenter bringing customers a comfortable and welcoming shopping environment and the high-quality, fashion apparel that UNIQLO is known for around the world."

Yorkdale Shopping Centre is home the first Canadian locations of nearly 20 international brands including Longchamp, AllSaints, Jimmy Choo, J.Crew, Kate Spade New York, Mullberry, and Tory Burch to name a few.

About Yorkdale Shopping Centre
With more than 250 shops and services Yorkdale Shopping Centre is Canada's premier shopping destination. Construction is underway for Yorkdale's $331 million expansion that will add nearly 300,000 square feet of retail space and bring its total size to 2 million square feet. This expansion makes it possible to bring an even wider selection of the world's best fashion, technology and luxury brands to the Greater Toronto Area. Offering valet parking and seating reservations at the Dine on 3 food collection, everything about Yorkdale is designed to enhance shoppers' experiences. Yorkdale is co owned by Oxford Properties and Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) and managed by Oxford Properties Group. Yorkdale is located at 3401 Dufferin Street, off Allen Road, near the 401. For more information, download the Yorkdale app, visit www.yorkdale.com or follow @YorkdaleStyle on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.

About UNIQLO and Fast Retailing
UNIQLO is a brand of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., a leading global Japanese retail holding company that designs, manufactures and sells clothing under seven main brands: Comptoir des Cotonniers, GU, Helmut Lang, J Brand, Princesse tam.tam, Theory, and UNIQLO. With global sales of approximately 1.14 trillion yen for the 2013 fiscal year ending August 31, 2013 (US $11.62 billion, calculated in yen using the end of August 2013 rate of $1 = 98.36 yen), Fast Retailing is one of the world's largest apparel retail companies, and UNIQLO is Japan's leading specialty retailer.

UNIQLO continues to open large-scale stores in some of the world's most important cities and locations, as part of its ongoing efforts to solidify its status as a truly global brand. Today the company has a total of more than 1,400 stores in 16 markets worldwide including Japan, Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, U.K. and the U.S. In addition, Grameen UNIQLO, a social business established in Bangladesh in September 2010, currently operates several Grameen UNIQLO stores in Dhaka. UNIQLO manages an integrated business model under which it designs, manufactures, markets and sells high-quality, casual apparel. The company believes that truly great clothes should be supremely comfortable, feature universal designs, are of high quality and offer a superb fit to everyone who wears them.

With a corporate statement committed to changing clothes, changing conventional wisdom and change the world, Fast Retailing is dedicated to creating great clothing with new and unique value to enrich the lives of people everywhere. For more information about UNIQLO and Fast Retailing, please visit www.uniqlo.com and www.fastretailing.com.

SOURCE Yorkdale Shopping Centre

interviews or to access Yorkdale: Adrienne Simic, [email protected], 416-342-1800