French Connection exits Canada

UK-based fashion brand French Connection is exiting Canada, as it closes its last remaining Canadian store.

French Connection's last remaining Canadian boutique, located in downtown Montreal on St-Catherine Street West, is expected to close by the end of the month, while the company’s Canadian e-commerce site and social media pages have already shuttered.

The last post on French Connection Canada’s Instagram page encouraged followers to follow its U.S. page (@frenchconnectionus) before being deleted.

The brand, which saw much success in the early 2000s, entered Canada in 1998 with its first store in Vancouver. French Connection would eventually go on to operate up to nine locations throughout the country including in Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal.

The company, however, started shuttering its Canadian stores as early as 2013. Most recently, it closed its last store in Ontario at CF Sherway Gardens last fall, the second-last store in Canada.

Founded in 1972, French Connection has also been struggling abroad. It currently operates just two stores in the United States, though they also have a wholesale business including Bloomingdales and Nordstrom that’s contributing to some progress in the country.

Last October, the company said it had started “preliminary discussions with several interested parties” to potentially sell the business, but no official strategic plans have been made.

French connection announced mixed results on Tuesday as it reported preliminary figures for the year to January 31 (FY 2019) including an operating loss that almost tripled from £3.8m to £9.3m.

French Connection exits Canada

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