CHRONICLE 15-16 ISSUE 14

Community chronicle.durhamcollege.ca March 21 - 27, 2017 The Chronicle 31
New Saks store in Pickering
Photograph by Nicole O'Brien
Kim Howchin was the first to sign up for the new emails for
Saks Off 5th store at Pickering Town Centre.
Nicole O'Brien
The Chronicle
One year after entering the Canadian
market, Saks Off 5th has
opened a new store at the Pickering
Town Centre.
Customers lined up to see the unveiling
of the new 30,000 square
foot store on earlier this month.
The store offers a mix of designer
fashion, accessories and footwear
for men, women and children.
in Brampton opened on the same
day as the Pickering store.
“There hasn’t been many new
stores in the PTC so I am happy to
have another shopping option,” said
Pickering resident Kaitlin Brown.
As part of the Hudson's Bay
Company brand portfolio, Saks Off
5th has 117 stores globally and an
e-commerce division, saksoff5th.
com. Since entering the Canadian
retail market last March, locations
are popping up around the country.
Typically Saks Fifth Avenue is a
higher end store.
But it’s not your average store.
With brands such as Calvin Klein,
Ralph Lauren and BCBG, the average
sweater can cost up to $500.
Jeans can cost anywhere from
$100 to $300, and a pair of high
heel shoes can be a pretty penny,
running anywhere from $20 to
more than $300. Customers such
as Louise Antle were buzzing in the
grand opening line up, hoping to
find something new.
“Standing outside in the line, I
was anticipating good deals,” said
Antle. “But looking at the price
tags, it is pricey.”
Lorna Murphy, a Saks marketing
director, is “thrilled” to welcome
Saks Off 5th.
"Shoppers can look forward to
off-the-runway trends, exceptional
service, and savings on more than
800 of the biggest names in fashion,”
she said in a statement.
The store is one of two Saks Off
5th locations to open in the Toronto
area this year. The second location
Pickering resident and frequent
PTC shopper Kym Howchin attended
the grand opening. She
said she knew the Saks brand from
numerous shopping trips to the U.S.
“I was excited to see what they
have. I’ve been to Saks Off 5th Ave
at other locations so it was cool that
it was coming to Pickering,”
Howchin said. From Edmonton,
Alta., to Vaughan, Ont., the retailer
plans to operate up to 25 Canadian
locations by the end of the decade.
Howchin thinks the new addition
to the Pickering Town Centre will
benefit the mall and the city as a
whole.
“From looking around and seeing
the prices, typically Saks Fifth Avenue
is a higher end store, but this
is sort of the outlet so the prices I
think are pretty reasonable,” Howchin
says.
There are no plans for an Oshawa
location, but stores are set to
open next in Quebec City, Winnipeg,
and Montreal by 2018.