According to Retail Insider’s William Connor, upscale Australian skin care brand Aesop is set to continue its rapid expansion in North America by opening stores in Canada later this year. Sources have told us that Aesop will open a store in Gastown this summer and is currently advertising sales and management positions for the location.

Image courtesy of Aesop

Aesop was founded in 1987 in Melbourne by hairdresser Dennis Paphitis. Since then, it has grown and is now in more than 11 countries internationally. Operating a combination of dedicated ‘signature stores’, high-end department stores (Holt Renfrew and Barneys New York) and selected stockists. Canadians seeking Aesop products can currently find them at multiple WANT Apothecary and gravitypope locations, as well as a handful of smaller independents.

Image courtesy of Aesop

Aesop is a retailer resisting the urge to create uniform retail spaces. Its signature stores are remarkably distinct retail spaces that are often designed by local design studios and do not take a one-size-fits-all approach. This uniqueness sets the Aesop brand apart from other skin care brands. They seek to reference the local customer and by doing so, Aesop has crafted a unique brand which places significant emphasis on design, which can be seen across all levels of the brand – even its newsletter does not advertise its products; rather, it explores areas such as architecture, travel, books and movies.