In mid-October, upscale Italian fashion accessories company Furla will open its first store in the Canadian market. With a network of over 1600 points of sales worldwide, the Bologna, Italy-based company, in partnership with Montreal-based Halcyon Brands, will open a 1495 square foot corner location near Holt Renfrew in Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto. “We have seen high traffic on our e-commerce site from Toronto-based customers and have identified this Canadian region as an opportunity for growth,” says Alberto Camerlengo, Furla’s CEO. “We are excited to enter this specific market through such an established shopping center and offer shoppers the full brand experience in our store.” In January 2020, the company will launch its Canadian eCommerce platform on its Canadian website. Since its inception in 1927, the family-owned company has been creating luxury accessories which are accessible to a broad audience of consumers. Furla produces the Italian-designed bags, shoes, and small leather goods for both women and men. New licenses for textile, eyewear and watches are extending Furla’s quality craftsmanship and contemporary Italian design aesthetic. Since the 1970s, the company has encouraged an ambitious retail strategy that has created a mono-brand network that reaches almost 100 countries with more than 467 points of sale, of which about 253 are corporately owned, 177 franchising and 37 travel retail stores. Halcyon Brands is handling Furla’s expansion in the Canadian market and Jeffrey Berkowitz of Aurora Realty Consultants is has been retained to handle the site selection. Presently a search is underway for high profile sites in Toronto and Vancouver. Ideal sites for future stores are in the 1000 to 1500 square foot range on high streets and larger fashion malls.