ASC Public Relations has been named PR agency of record in Canada for Shinola, as the American brand gears up to open its first store in Canada.
The upstart brand, founded in 2011, is dedicated to producing American-made products and in rejuvenating Detroit, where it is headquartered and manufactures its wristwatches, bicycles and leather goods.
Shinola will open its first store this summer in the Queen and Ossington neighbourhood of Toronto. Other Canadian stores are planned, but details have not been finalized.
Toronto-based ASC won the account after it went through “a rigorous RFP and pitching process,” says its founder and principal Suzanne Cohon. ASC is Shinola’s first PR firm in Canada.
The agency will handle media relations, social media, events, charitable partnership recommendations, “and all the work to ingrain them into the Toronto community and eventually across Canada,” Cohon says.
The new store, which will be about 2,000 sq. ft., will carry Shinola’s full line of wristwatches, leather bags and belts, bicycles, iPhone cases, pocket knives and varsity jackets. “It will give Torontonians the full Shinola experience,” Cohon says. “The retail concept will be fresh and innovative for this market.”
Shinola also sells its watches at Holt Renfrew, Saks Fifth Avenue and Hudson’s Bay in Canada.
The brand is owned by Dallas-based Bedrock Manufacturing, the venture-capital firm of entrepreneur Tom Kartsotis.
Shinola was founded as a shoe polish company in Rochester, N.Y., in 1907, but went out of business in 1960. Kartsotis bought rights to the name in 2011.
Cohon says Shinola ingrains itself in the communities in which it operates and that it is committed to becoming part of the Toronto community in terms of charitable and creative partnerships.
“They’re very hands-on,” she says. “They really see the importance of making a very strong and positive impact in the local market.”
Shinola aims to bring manufacturing jobs back to Detroit and to rebuild the downtrodden city.
It is “a fascinating concept that I think will be interesting for Canadians to see,” Cohon says. “What they want to do is share their story and inspire Canadian brands to follow their model,” in markets that could use job creation and an infusion of excitement.
