Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo has opened its first Montréal store — the largest Uniqlo store in Canada and features several Canadian firsts. The store is hoped to give an injection into downtown Montreal’s retail which has struggled due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as because of extensive construction to revitalize Ste-Catherine Street West. Located at the recently overhauled Montreal Eaton Centre, the flagship spans more than 40,000 square feet over two levels with about 32,000 square feet dedicated to retail space.

The store also features a children’s reading area with curated books from local Montréal bookstores and a collaborative pop-up space which will initially feature a flower shop display where customers can shop from Montréal floral design studio, Bell Jar Botanicals, until November 15th. It is the first Uniqlo store in Canada to feature a street-facing entrance, with the store’s facade facing both Ste-Catherine Street as well as Boul. Robert-Bourassa. In total, the store has five access points. As well as an expansive range of apparel for men, women, and children, the store also features a small selection of home goods including bedding which aren’t available at other Uniqlo stores in Canada. The Montreal store is the second in Canada to feature a UT department featuring graphic printed t-shirts that often sell-out quickly. The store also has an eco-focus including RE.UNIQLO, an initiative to recycle used garments and redistribute to those in need.

“We are excited to welcome Montréalers to our new store, to not only enjoy our high quality and functional LifeWear apparel, but to also experience community collaborated areas that are exclusive to this UNIQLO store and not in any of our other stores in Canada,” said Yuichiro Kaneko, CEO of UNIQLO Canada. “With a continuous demand for UNIQLO from our customers, we are delighted to make LifeWear more accessible to Canadians as we continue adapting to new lifestyles.’

The LifeWear line is described as meeting “the needs of everyone's daily lifestyles to make their everyday life better and more comfortable. Whether that is to protect you against a cold winter wind, keep you dry on a rainy day or to look smart for an important occasion, LifeWear is simple, high-quality, everyday clothing with a practical sense of beauty that is always evolving. LifeWear is available in a variety of colours and styles for people of all ages.”

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic Uniqlo has implemented health and safety protection measures including physical distancing while shopping, frequent cleaning of high-traffic areas in front and back of house, hand-sanitizing stations which are located at the entrance of the store and at cash registers, and acrylic barriers at checkout counters and fitting room counters. All staff have their temperatures taken daily and are required to wear personal protective equipment. All customers are also required to wear a face coverings and to have temperatures taken before entering the store as well — this now appears to be a practice at all Uniqlo stores in Canada.

It is hoped that Uniqlo will give a needed injection to downtown Montreal, which has seen retail sales plummet amid the pandemic as well as construction to Ste-Catherine Street. Driving downtown and parking is said to be challenging and some businesses are saying that business is down as much as 90%. A report by the Urban Development Institute of Quebec on Thursday of last week noted that 26% of downtown Montreal’s businesses have closed temporarily or permanently, and that number could grow. Montreal is planning on offering free weekend parking downtown for the rest of the year to bring shoppers back at a critical time, especially given that construction in downtown Montreal is expected to be ongoing for years.

The Montreal Eaton Centre has seen an overhaul that includes a new Time Out Market food hall as well as new Samsung, Sephora, Pandora, and Ernest storefronts among others. Browns Shoes will open a two-level B2 flagship at Montreal Eaton Centre next year. The first downtown Decathlon store in Canada opened at Montreal Eaton Centre in the fall of 2019. Uniqlo has been expanding its Canadian operations since its first store opened almost four years ago in Toronto. Jeff Berkowitz of Aurora Realty Consultants represents Uniqlo as broker in Canada and he negotiated all of Uniqlo’s store leases in Canada.