Simons Toronto 2025 — Inside The 118,000 Sq Ft Yorkdale Flagship And The ‘New Chapter’ For Canada’s 185-Year-Old Retailer

Canadian retail news — after 185 years, La Maison Simons has finally cracked Toronto. Its 118,000-square-foot Yorkdale flagship opened its doors this week, and CEO Bernard Leblanc calls it a “new chapter” for the Quebec institution.

By Maplestime Business Desk | Toronto, Ontario | September 19, 2026

Sources: The Canadian Press | Last updated: September 19, 2026

Key Takeaways

• La Maison Simons has opened its first-ever Toronto store — a two-storey, 118,000 sq ft flagship at Yorkdale Shopping Centre.
• CEO Bernard Leblanc calls the Toronto entry a “new chapter” and proof that “slow and steady wins the race.”
• The 185-year-old Quebec retailer detoured through Halifax, Vancouver and Mississauga before finally landing in the heart of Toronto.
• Simons arrived at Yorkdale (and Eaton Centre) because Nordstrom exited Canada in 2023, leaving prime retail space behind.
• The opening lands just as Hudson’s Bay collapses and buy-Canadian sentiment surges amid the tariff war.

Inside The Simons Yorkdale Flagship

Wandering through Simons’s newest store a day before it opened on Thursday, Bernard Leblanc had a quiet confidence despite the chaos around him. Across almost every inch of the flagship at Yorkdale mall, staff were scurrying to unwrap and steam the last of the merchandise, vacuum carpets and dress mannequins.

The seemingly menial tasks belied the enormity of the moment: Simons’s entry into the venerable Toronto market.

At 118,000 square feet across two storeys, the Yorkdale location is the largest space in Simons’s Ontario portfolio. It carries the brands shoppers know from other markets — Herschel, JW Anderson, Lacoste — alongside Simons’s own house labels.

Two things are unique to this store. A sprawling, geometric ceiling mural called “Ciel” from French artist Nelio gives the space a fresh, airy feel. And a “walk of frames” composed of 40 pieces from 24 artists gives shoppers a reason to linger in the store’s many nooks.

Simons’s house brands — Twik, Icône, Contemporaine and Le 31 — make up 70 per cent of the merchandise in its stores on average. That’s the engine of the business, and it’s what Leblanc is betting will keep Toronto customers coming back.

Related: Toronto Mayoral Poll: Chow Leads as Bradford Closes the Gap

Related: Kyle Lowry Key to the City: Toronto Throws Block Party for the GROAT

Related: HyperComply Acquisition 2026 — SecurityScorecard Buys Toronto Startup Founded by Ex-Vidyard Engineers

185 Years — And Finally Toronto. Why Did It Take This Long?

La Maison Simons is 185 years old, founded in Quebec City in 1840 as a dry goods retailer before evolving into the department store Canadian fashionistas swear by. But its expansion outside Quebec has been methodical to a fault: it counted just 17 stores before Toronto.

While the company long wanted to head to Toronto, it somehow detoured through Halifax, Vancouver and even the city’s outskirts in nearby Mississauga before forging its way into the heart of Ontario.

“Ultimately, we have owners that don’t think in quarters. We think in generations,” Leblanc said of the Simons family.

Leblanc himself is the first non-family member to hold the company’s top job — so there’s a lot riding on this expansion going right.

The Hudson’s Bay Collapse Left A Gap — Simons Isn’t Rushing To Fill It

Leblanc’s milestone arrives at a remarkable moment. The last eight months saw the fall of Simons’s biggest competitor — 355-year-old department store Hudson’s Bay, which filed for creditor protection under the weight of mounting debt in March — and a rise in consumer support for Canadian goods amid the tariff war.

Leblanc is thrilled about the buy-Canadian wave but takes no pleasure in the Bay’s demise.

“I’m saddened by the fact that such a historical Canadian icon has left the market,” he said. “As a retailer, we like to have a very buoyant and dynamic retail industry, so having somebody exit is always a little bit of a shock to the industry.”

It was also a warning: “history and heritage is not a guarantee of success.”

Notably, Simons has not publicly emerged as a bidder for any of the Bay’s leases or intellectual property — and hasn’t aggressively pursued brands freed up by the Bay’s exit.

“We do scout the market globally for new upcoming brands and discover brands that people perhaps don’t know about,” Leblanc said. “That’s more our focus, not so much coming in to be opportunistic, to pick up something that somebody left behind.”

The Nordstrom Handoff — How Simons Got Into Yorkdale And Eaton Centre

Here’s the irony: it was something somebody left behind that made Simons’s Toronto ambitions possible. Simons moved into Yorkdale and Eaton Centre only because U.S. department store Nordstrom decamped from Canada in 2023, saying it had been too hard to turn a profit in this market.

The massive properties Nordstrom held in some of Toronto’s top shopping destinations were exactly the opportunity Simons had been waiting for.

“We had been in discussions with Yorkdale for some time,” Leblanc said. “We were here many years ago trying to see what potentially we could put together.”

What’s Next For Simons In Toronto

Leblanc named both Toronto and Vancouver as markets that could potentially support even more Simons stores — but for now, he’s focused on “taking it all in stride.”

“I’m really excited about making these two stores a success, starting with Yorkdale,” he said. “And then we’ll see where things take us.”

Slow and steady. It’s worked for 185 years.

Quick Reference — Simons Toronto Yorkdale

Maplestime will provide updates from Simons’ Toronto expansion as announcements are made in 2026.

Have a tip about Canadian retail? Email [email protected]

Have a correction? Email [email protected]

Do you think a Quebec institution can win over Toronto’s fashion crowd — or did Simons wait a decade too long to finally make its move? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Canadian who still believes in department stores.