L.L.Bean continues Canadian expansion with new store openings

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Jul 13, 2020

Iconic outdoor retailer L.L.Bean opened on Friday its second store in Canada, following plans to aggressively expand the brand throughout the country, with another two new store openings set for 2020. 

The Maine-based outdoor gear and apparel retailer, which opened its first brick-and-mortar store in Canada last August, following the launch of its Canadian e-commerce site in fall 2018, debuted its second store in the country on Friday in the Georgian Mall in Barrie, Ontario. 

Next, it announced that it will open a third location at the Ottawa Train Yards on August 21 and Canada’s fourth L.L.Bean store in Toronto at the Shops at Don Mills, later this fall. 

The opening of the three new retail locations reflects the company’s continued success in the Canadian market, accelerated by strong year-over-year sales and new customer growth.

“The positive response to our first store opening accelerated our expansion plan from two stores to three stores this year, despite the economic downturn,” explained Greg Elder, vice president of retail and international for L.L.Bean, in a news statement. 

“We’re extremely grateful to our Canadian customers for welcoming us, and the continued success really speaks to the strength of the brand, the relevance of our iconic products and the kinship we share in the inherent love and care for the outdoors.”

The company teamed up with Toronto-based Jaytex Group, a 40-year old Canadian distributor of brand name outerwear and apparel, for its Canadian debut and continued store opening plans.

“The success of L.L.Bean in Oakville has been encouraging, and the new stores across Ontario will widen the reach to our loyal Canadian customer base,” said Howie Kastner, president of Jaytex Group.

“We’re excited to work with L.L.Bean to expand the iconic brand in Canada and to encourage outdoor activities with family and friends.” 

L.L.Bean said that Canada is recording its highest new customer growth worldwide. 

In addition to growth in Canada, L.L.Bean also has an international footprint in Japan, where it operates 27 stores. It equally currently operates 54 stores across the United States.