West Edmonton Mall's Harry Rosen reopens with redesign

Article content

After being closed for a few months, West Edmonton Mall’s Harry Rosen reopened Thursday with a luxurious redesign, befitting the fashionable menswear within the store.

The closure allowed for a massive overhaul of the store’s interior, which now boasts 13,000 square feet of retail regality. The updated interior is the first of similar renovations happening at Harry Rosens nationwide following a $50-million “investment strategy.”

Article content

‘A new era’

Ian Rosen — president and COO of the business, and Harry Rosen’s grandson — said that of its 14 locations, West Edmonton Mall was a logical place to start the renovations.

“Edmonton as a market has been so good to us. We’ve really found a great base of customers who really appreciate clothing. We found that they have an appreciation for luxury and appreciation for quality, and we have a great team,” Rosen said.

It isn’t just the store’s appearance that’s getting an update — its products are, too.

“Harry Rosen is evolving and moving into a new era, but our vision remains unchanged,” Rosen said.

“We had to go down to the studs, and we had to think about doing a number of things differently.”

The clothes are adapting to a change in consumer preference, which tends toward “casual and expressive” options. The store said it would still have the tailored clothing and formal wear it’s known for, but it will be integrated throughout the store, sharing space with more casual clothing.

Although renovations happened over nearly six months, the planning took roughly two years, Rosen said.

Article content

Article content

As the store welcomes a new layout and different styles, including the latest from Brunello Cucinelli, Tom Ford and Zegna, Rosen said they also worked to fine-tune the customer experience.

The renovations were designed in partnership with dkstudio architects inc., which also worked on the Louis Vuitton store at West Edmonton Mall.

“We found inspiration in the fabrics, materials and tools of the tailor and wove these into a design narrative that speaks to the company’s 70-year history, yet also sets a vision for the future,” said Dmytriy Pereklita, president and co-founder of dkstudio, in a press release.

Generational involvement

While the look may be new, the store has been in Edmonton since 1981. Edmonton’s Harry Rosen was the company’s first store outside of Ontario, where the chain of stores started.

Rosen founded the store in 1954, and the business continues to be operated by his descendants. With his son Larry Rosen as chairman and CEO and his grandsons Graham and Ian Rosen as executives, the company has been run by three generations of Rosens.

The $50 million being injected into the business and the accompanying redesign also coincide with the company’s 70th year of operation. Although Edmonton’s store was the first to get an upgrade, similar renovations will be landing across the country over the next five years.

Article content

Ian Rosen said the new design is a concept that will be similar in other stores but also adapted and customized to suit the market.

Harry Rosen is set to open its 15th store in Vancouver at the Oakridge Park Development next year and will also be moving its flagship store to Cumberland Street in Yorkville in Toronto.

Article content