Harry Rosen opens flagship Calgary store
By Mario Toneguzzi, Calgary Herald September 3, 2010
Showing confidence in the Calgary marketplace,
Harry Rosen today opens its flagship store downtown -- an indication the city in recent years has moved upscale on the retail landscape.
"We're a 56-year-old proud Canadian company and we've been in Calgary now for 26 years. And obviously we've watched Calgary evolve from what it was to what I consider probably one of the most sophisticated and modern eclectic cities," Larry Rosen, CEO and chair of Harry Rosen Inc., said Thursday as he gave the Herald a tour of the new store.
The expanded flagship store in the CORE shopping centre (TD Square-Calgary Eaton Centre) is on two storeys, covering more than 30,000 square feet. It has six designer shop-in-shops including a first for Calgary --
an exclusive Tom Ford shop.
The company said the addition of Tom Ford "truly proves Calgary's place of importance in the global luxury market."
Other shops that are exclusive to Harry Rosen in Calgary include
Ermenegildo Zegna, Brunello Cucinelli, Canali and Hugo Boss. The store will also feature an Armani Collezioni shop-in-shop.
"We wanted to bring to Calgary a store that really represented where Calgary is now with the best of what we have to offer," said Rosen. "We brought everything that we consider a world-class, modern city should offer. This is the A-plus version of Harry Rosen and it really reflects what the city is capable of delivering.
"Calgary's a young city. It's got a lot of head offices, entrepreneurs. It's got a lot of professionals. It's a place where a lot of action is happening."
Harry Rosen is also opening a new 8,000-square-foot store at Chinook Centre at the end of this month. The expansion in the Calgary market will add about 40 to 50 new positions to the company this year.
"The Harry Rosen brand is at the forefront of an emerging battle for customer loyalty in the local high-end men's apparel business. The winners in this competitive environment will be the image-conscious fashion consumers of Calgary who will enjoy a greater selection in a historically thin category," said Michael Kehoe, an Albertabased retail specialist with Fairfield Commercial Real Estate Inc.
"As the head office capital of Canada's energy sector and an important financial centre, Calgary is a prime market for Harry Rosen."
Maggie Schofield, executive director of the Calgary Downtown Association, said having three iconic retailers -- Holt Renfrew, Brooks Brothers and Harry Rosen -- in such close proximity at the CORE not only anchors the new and rejuvenated mall, but is a great indicator of the long-term viability of retail in downtown Calgary.
"It adds so much to the unique experience that downtown offers workers, citizens and visitors alike," she said.
mtoneguzzi@theherald.canwest.com
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