Amsterdam-based fashion brand Scotch & Soda opened its first location in B.C., part of a national expansion led by its Canadian retail partner, Montreal-based Freemark Apparel Brands (FAB).
The new location, a 1,500 sq.-ft. store at the Richmond Centre in Richmond, B.C., is Scotch & Soda’s fourth standalone location in Canada. Stores at CF Toronto Eaton Centre, West Edmonton Mall and CF Chinook Centre in Calgary opened in 2011.
Lawrence Routtenberg, VP of sales and co-owner of FAB, said the Canadian expansion paralleled Scotch & Soda’s global expansion plans. The brand currently has 150 stores worldwide and is sold in more than 8,000 department stores and independents.
“They’re growing their retail channel significantly through both corporate owned stores and franchise stores worldwide,” he said. “They’re all over the U.S. and continuously expanding in Europe, so we’re just continuing the trend. But, certainly we feel in the Canadian marketplace, we can shine and be one of their top performing countries per population based on our rollout strategy.”
Routtenberg said the plan was to open 12 to 15 stores in the next few years. “We definitely see Scotch & Soda stores in every major city in Canada,” he said. “We’re going to be focusing on the triple-A premium shopping centres in Canada, as well as a few street locations.” In Montreal, for example, FAB is looking at CF Carrefour Laval and Saint Catherine Street. In the Greater Toronto Area, it’s eyeing Yorkdale Shopping Centre, CF Sherway Gardens and Square One.
Like the new store in Richmond, future locations will be around 1,500 sq. ft. to create a cozier shopping experience. “With the stores we initially opened, we went 2,500 sq. ft.,” said Routtenberg. “In looking back, the ideal size to create that closet type of shopping environment—where people feel they’re in a more intimate environment and they might as well be in a large walk-in closet—is about 1,500 sq. ft.”
As an “accessible luxury” brand that sells both men and women’s clothing, Scotch & Soda is in a good spot in Canada, said Routtenberg. “Certainly, we’re not competing at the moderate to mid level—we’re not competing with the likes of the Zaras and the H&Ms and more of those mass players,” he said. “You could say in Canada that Aritizia [is a competitor], but they’re women’s only. I think we have a wide open lifestyle apparel brand that is kind of unique in the retail space.”
