Canadian Retailer - Store 2017 - 17

became a business philosophy for the Simons retail outlet,
which relocated to 20 côte de la Fabrique near Quebec City's
Basilica in 1870 (Simons continues to operate a store at that address, though in a substantially expanded space made possible
by annexing adjacent buildings).
Fast-forward to 1952, when Donald Simons transformed the
retailer into a leading fashion department store, carrying a
variety of exclusive brands. Fashions changed dramatically
in the 1960s, and Simons launched its 'Twik' (modeled after
Twiggy, Brigitte Bardot, and Françoise Hardy) department,
catering to young women aged 16 to 25. Twik became the place
to shop for designs by bold young designers that were revolutionizing the fashion world at the time, including the likes of
Mary Quant, Kenzo, and Emmanuelle Khanh.
In keeping with the entrepreneurial spirit of the '60s, Donald
Simons opened a satellite store at the new Place Ste-Foy shopping centre, located in the heart of Quebec City's wealthiest suburb. At the time, shopping malls were a new phenomenon, considered to be cutting-edge and 'the way of the future' for retail.
The spacious and modern new Simons store included departments for women and men as well as household linens, and Simons' Le 31 for Men department was launched in the new space.
In 1965, the company expanded its offerings to include luxury
fashion brands in a new women's department called
'Contemporaine'. Pricey, ground-breaking design"I'M ABOUT HEART...
ers such as Lanvin, Chloé, Tiktiner, Courrèges, Cardin, Cacharel, Nina Ricci, and Daniel Hechter were
[IDEAL EMPLOYEES]
carried in the new space-few other retailers in CanHAVE A FUNDAMENTAL
ada could make claim to such offerings.
DESIRE AND PLEASURE
In 1989, La Maison Simons opened its third loTO SERVE."
cation at Quebec City's Galeries de la Capitale
- PETER SIMONS
and at the time, it was the city's largest clothing
La Maison Simons
retailer. In 1999, Simons opened its first store
outside of the Quebec City area at Carrefour de
l'Estrie in Sherbrooke, followed soon after by a multi-level downtown Montreal
flagship, located in part of the retail space formerly occupied by a Simpson's
department store. Both stores opened under the direction of Donald Simons'
two sons-brothers Peter and Richard Simons.
Under the brothers' direction, Simons began to open stores more rapidly. A
sixth location opened in 2001 at Promenades St-Bruno in suburban Montreal,
and in 2005 Simons opened a unit at suburban Montreal's popular Carrefour
Laval shopping centre. As well, in order to address consumer demand, Simons
doubled the size of its Place Ste-Foy flagship in 2007-the expanded retail space
was an innovative, avant-garde architectural showpiece that became the inspiration for future locations.
Recognizing the growing importance of selling online, Simons launched its
Canadian e-commerce site in 2010. Canadians coast-to-coast suddenly had access to La Maison Simons fashions at the click of a button. And brand awareness for the retailer grew as consumers discovered the innovative retailer.
Expanding Outside of Quebec

In order to further grow its operations, La Maison Simons' management decided to open stores nationally, partnering with the Bank of Montreal for funding. Peter Simons says that it was the right move, though at the same time anxiety-inducing-Simons was still a new concept to many Canadians, and the new

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