Luxury men’s retailer Harry Rosen has launched a “reimagined shopping experience” at its West Edmonton Mall location in Edmonton, revamping its 13,000-square-foot space.
The renovation marks the first initiative in a $50-million program to reimagine Harry Rosen retail stores across the country over the next five years.
“Harry Rosen is evolving and moving into a new era but our vision remains unchanged,” said Ian Rosen, COO and President, Harry Rosen. “For over seven decades now, we’ve helped men discover their personal style. You’ll see in each store touchpoint that these roots remain, and that the customer is still at the core of everything we do. We’re actively evolving to continue to exceed our client’s expectations and to better serve the customer of today.
“We’ve been thinking about the evolution of our business for a number of years now. COVID got us up to par where we wanted to be as a first-class omnichannel player, really upped our digital game, gave us the ability to invest aggressively outside of some of our core categories, so broadening what we sell to customers. We have our heritage rooted in tailored clothing which we’re not walking away from.
“But sportswear, sneakers, shoes, accessories have become a really big part of the business that we’re running. So to complement that you have to come back to the store which is where it all started for us and have been putting together a pretty dynamic plan which we announced obviously in tandem with the big announcement that we’re relocating our Yorkvillle flagship. But we’re putting a lot of money, $50 million, back into our stores to renovate and upgrade the presentation to reflect a much different experience that we want to deliver to clients.
“Edmonton represents the first in this new concept. It came out remarkably. We partnered with a Toronto-based global design firm to push the thinking on the Harry Rosen experience and what it ought to look like moving forward.”
Rosen said the Edmonton market has been very good for the brand. It was the first market that it expanded to outside of Toronto and the retailer has been in the Alberta city since 1981.
Harry Rosen, founded in 1954 by the man whose name the chain still bears, has 19 stores across Canada.
The new space at the West Edmonton Mall store features a modern design and unique elements that distinguish it from traditional Harry Rosen locations, promising customers an exceptional and immersive shopping experience.
It has mobile points of sale, digital display screens, an elevated made-to-measure experience, and private salon fitting rooms. The store also hosts the latest designs from three powerhouse luxury brands: Brunello Cucinelli, Tom Ford, and Zegna. Each shop-in-shop represents the first branded experiences from each of these labels in the Edmonton market. The store allows each shopper to discover and express their individual style with curated products and personalized support from Harry Rosen’s legendary style advisors.
The redesign was developed in partnership with Karen Mak and Dmytriy Pereklita of dkstudio architects inc.
“We are honored to be a partner of the iconic Harry Rosen team and are thrilled to undertake the challenge of crafting a new concept for the future of their retail stores,” said Pereklita, President and Co-Founder of dkstudio architects inc. “Our goal is to fulfill the Rosen family vision, which extends beyond merely designing a space, but to craft an experience that seamlessly blends elegance, innovation, and exclusivity. Every detail is meticulously considered to reflect the essence of high-end fashion and to elevate the shopping experience for existing and new customers alike.”
The architecture firm has also worked to reimagine the concepts for Harry Rosen’s upcoming locations at Vancouver’s Oakridge Park development, which will open in 2025, and a new flagship store on Cumberland Street in the heart of Yorkville, Toronto.
Pereklita said Harry Rosen is transitioning to the third generation of leadership and that is very timely, coinciding with a huge shift in the retail landscape in terms of menswear. The main focus is no longer formal wear and tailored clothing, although they remain a core part of the business.
He said the new look store pays homage to the past while celebrating the present and the future.
Each store is meticulously designed to optimize client experience and interaction, and to seamlessly fuse together sophistication with ease. With this in mind, every update has been inspired by the art of tailoring—including a shoe wall based on a measuring tape—and fostering relationships between customers and their trusted advisors.
“We start with Edmonton. Nail it here and then scale it,” said Rosen. “Edmonton is really the new concept you can expect to see. Oakridge Park, the opening for the mall has been delayed a little bit but let’s call it 2025 summer or fall. Late summer probably. We’ll be opening a flagship position there. I believe it’s 18,000 square feet.
“And then our Yorkville flagship will be 40,000 square feet, opening in 2026. And we are just working through plans with all of our partners to figure out when all the other chips are going to fall but have very important rethinks to bring to each one of our stores.”
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Additional Photos from Harry Rosen West Edmonton Mall
