Luxury retailer Balenciaga opens second Canadian store in Vancouver

Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive

Downtown Vancouver’s Alberni Street luxury retail district has a new addition, with Balenciaga opening its second Canadian standalone store in the area, according to local commercial realtor Martin Moriarty.

The flagship store is located at 1095 Alberni Street — the northeast corner of the intersection of Alberni Street and Thurlow Street — within the ground level of a 16-storey office tower.

It replaces space that was previously the longtime locations of Blenz Coffee and Escada, and more recently a temporary Gucci store.

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Balenciaga’s origins are traced back to Spain, but it is currently headquartered in France. It is known for its clothing, footwear, bags, and accessories for both women and men. The brand is known for its partnership with celebrities, including Justin Bieber and controversially Kanye West.

Balenciaga store in downtown Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Balenciaga 1095 Alberni Street Vancouver store

Balenciaga store in downtown Vancouver. (Martin Moriarty)

This is one of the largest additions to the Alberni luxury retail area since the pandemic. The creation of this new and expanded retail space has been years in the making, with 2020 plans showing the reconfiguration of the main floor and mezzanine level of the 16-storey office tower to accommodate over 2,000 sq ft of additional leasable retail space in a consolidated single retail unit. A deep awning for the exterior was also added.

Last year, Balenciaga opened its first standalone Canadian store at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto.

The recent closure of Nordstrom’s Vancouver flagship store could potentially spur more interest from luxury brands to open a standalone presence in the city to fill some of the void left by the luxury department store’s exodus. The Nordstrom store at CF Pacific Centre mall was the entire chain’s best-performing location in both Canada and the US.

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