Birks to open 5 new stores

Canadian luxury jewelry retailer Birks is teaming up with Ivanhoé Cambridge to open five Birks stores at Ivanhoé Cambridge shopping centres in Canada.

The openings will include two new store locations and the repositioning of three existing stores to reflect Birks latest store concept, first launched at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto last October.

The two new Birks stores will open this coming October at Oshawa Centre in Ontario and at Guildford Town Centre location in Surrey, British Columbia, while three other Birks stores located at Bayshore Shopping Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Southgate Centre in Edmonton, Alberta and Place Ste-Foy in Quebec City will be relocated to new, entirely renovated spaces within the existing malls.

"We are pleased to announce the opening of new stores in partnership with Ivanhoé Cambridge, which will enable us to expand Birks' visibility in Canada with a store format tailored to each regional market," said Jean-Christophe Bédos, President and Chief Executive Officer, Birks, in a news statement.

The new stores will be designed around a "monobrand" concept, where customers will be able to find only Birks collection products including their silver, gold and diamond jewelry, along with diamond engagement rings and wedding bands. The new stores will be around 1,100 square feet each, which will be significantly smaller than current locations.

"The construction of new stores reflects our desire to constantly stay attuned to the preferences of our customers across the country, and the choice of the monobrand format is in line with our goal of continuing to grow the Birks brand," added Bédos.

The Canadian jeweler’s new concept store, unveiled at Yorkdale, was designed with the objective of targeting younger customers, including a bridal section geared at pleasing Millennials.

Overall, the new store experience is designed to be more casual and less intimidating.

The Montreal-based company founded in 1879, currently operates 26 stores under the Birks brand in most major metropolitan markets in Canada and two retail locations in Calgary and Vancouver under the Brinkhaus brand.

Birks to open 5 new stores

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