Chanel is making one of its biggest commitments yet to the Canadian market with a new two‑level boutique inside Holt Renfrew Yorkdale in Toronto. The concession spans about 10,600 square feet and is now both the largest Chanel concession in the world and the largest Chanel‑operated store in Canada.
A flagship experience inside Holt Renfrew
Construction on the expanded Chanel space began roughly a year ago and has created a new anchor within Holt Renfrew Yorkdale, with the boutique taking up around 11% of the store’s total retail footprint. Designed to function much like a standalone flagship, it combines department‑store integration with a highly visible position in the mall.
While it sits inside Holt Renfrew, the boutique has its own double‑height façade opening directly onto Yorkdale’s main hallway, plus two entrances that connect back into the department store. Industry sources cited by Retail Insider say Chanel is targeting about $100 million in annual sales from the Yorkdale location, which would make it the brand’s highest‑performing store in Canada and roughly double the volume of its Yorkville Avenue flagship.
Cruise 2025/26 and first High Jewellery in Toronto
The Yorkdale boutique opens with the CHANEL Cruise 2025/26 collection and carries a full fashion and accessories universe: ready‑to‑wear, bags, footwear, accessories, watches, fine jewellery, and high jewellery. The addition of High Jewellery in Toronto is a first for Chanel and signals a stronger push into top‑tier product for Canadian clients.
With this assortment, Chanel is positioning Yorkdale as a comprehensive brand destination rather than just a handbag counter, mirroring the offer of its major global flagships while reinforcing Holt Renfrew’s luxury line‑up.
Peter Marino design and CHANEL & Moi service
Architect Peter Marino, known for shaping many of Chanel’s flagships worldwide, led the design of the new boutique. The interior uses the house’s black‑and‑white palette with gold accents and draws on Parisian residential architecture to create a polished but intimate setting.
The main floor focuses on accessories and leather goods, including the CHANEL 25 collection, and also houses watches, fine jewellery and high jewellery. Signature details include two Goossens gilded bronze and rock crystal chandeliers and a portrait of Gabrielle Chanel by Gregor Hildebrandt, assembled from more than 1,000 cassette tape cases. The upper level showcases ready‑to‑wear, three fitting rooms and a VIP salon for private appointments.
A key service addition is “CHANEL & Moi,” the brand’s repair and alteration offering, introduced in Canada for the first time at Yorkdale. The program lets clients bring in pieces for restoration or adjustment, highlighting Chanel’s focus on craftsmanship, longevity and after‑sales care.
Yorkdale’s luxury corridor keeps growing
The expansion comes as Yorkdale Shopping Centre continues to build out its roughly 65,000‑square‑foot luxury wing. Recent and upcoming openings in the wing include large‑format boutiques for Dior, Gucci and Saint Laurent, many over 10,000 square feet, reinforcing the mall’s status as a major luxury hub in North America.
Within this context, the enlarged Chanel concession strengthens Holt Renfrew’s position at Yorkdale and gives the mall another global name with strong productivity expectations, aligning with its strategy of courting brands capable of very high sales per square foot.
Chanel’s wider Canadian expansion plans
The Yorkdale boutique is part of a broader strategy to modernize and expand Chanel’s retail network in Canada. The brand plans to open a major two‑level standalone store at Oakridge Park in Vancouver in March 2026, similar in size to the Yorkdale concession and set to become Chanel’s second standalone location in the country after 99 Yorkville Avenue. That project is being handled with brokerage DWSV Realty (David Wedemire and Stan Vyriotes).
Beyond standalone boutiques, Chanel operates several key Holt Renfrew concessions: a street‑level space of about 5,000 square feet in Vancouver reported at roughly $60 million in annual sales, a 2,900‑square‑foot main‑level boutique in Calgary, a renovated 1,800‑square‑foot concession at 50 Bloor Street West in Toronto, and a 3,300‑square‑foot space at Holt Renfrew Ogilvy in Montreal.
