Australian walk-in haircut chain Just Cuts has opened its first Canadian salon in Guelph and confirmed its Toronto debut will land at Dufferin Mall in early January, with the company targeting up to 15 Ontario locations in its initial phase of growth.
The brand’s Stone Road Mall location in Guelph opened on July 23, the first of four confirmed Ontario salons that also include Masonville Place in London this November and Lime Ridge Mall in Hamilton, both ahead of the Dufferin Mall opening. Just Cuts operates more than 230 salons across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom on a no appointment, walk-in model, and is now in active discussions on roughly eight additional Ontario properties beyond the four already confirmed.
Global COO David Mathie said the Guelph opening was the company’s first real test of the Canadian market. The company ran a 10 day activation ahead of the launch that included an AI mirror experience to capture visitor data and a promotion offering free cuts to the first 30 clients. Approximately 45 customers were in line before the salon opened at 9 a.m., with one customer arriving as early as 7:50 a.m. after driving 55 minutes to the location. The salon served roughly 85 clients on opening day and close to 180 over its first four days.
“We didn’t know what to expect. Guelph, and Stone Road Mall specifically, was our very first location, and it’s a community centre rather than an A grade shopping mall,” Mathie said. “It actually blew away our expectations.”
Just Cuts Founder and CEO Denis McFadden framed the Canadian launch as a natural fit for the brand in the company’s press release announcing the expansion.
“Canada has always stood out as a market that shares many of the same values as Australia: great service, strong communities and busy lifestyles,” McFadden said. “We’re excited to partner with Canadian entrepreneurs, create rewarding careers for local Stylists and build Salons that feel genuinely connected to the communities they serve.”
Mathie said the company spent roughly two years researching the Canadian market before committing to it, and found the fit closer than most new-country launches.
“Canada really does feel like our big brother, at the end of the day,” Mathie said. “The malls are set up like Australia’s. The leases are set up similarly. We’re pretty much dollar for dollar.”
That similarity has let Just Cuts skip the adjustment period a new market usually forces on a franchise brand.
“We always say that we’ve probably got to change the business model anywhere between 20 and 30 percent to fit a new country and its demographic,” Mathie said. “But here in Canada, I’m not finding that we need to change much at all. We can take the business from Australia, bring it here and maximize it.”
“We are proud to have welcomed Just Cuts’ first Canadian location to Stone Road Mall, marking an important milestone in the brand’s growth, shared Eva Bosnjak, Senior Leasing Manager, Primaris. “We look forward to supporting their continued expansion across Canada.”
The Dufferin Mall location will occupy a unit at Entrance Three and marks the start of Just Cuts’ Toronto push rather than the extent of it. The property itself is in the middle of its own tenant changes: Old Navy is set to take over the space vacated by Toys R Us, which closed in January, with an opening also targeted for November. The mall has also recently added Kibo Market, a sushi concept now open across from the food court, and JD Sports, which opened next to Sephora. Mathie toured the property the same day he spoke with 6ix Retail.
“I’m actually really excited about Dufferin. It seems like the right market for us, and it really is that middle market: a lot of families, which is what we look for in a mall that fits our brand,” Mathie said. “We service anywhere from babies’ first haircuts all the way up to grandparents.”
Unit size has required some adjustment from the company’s standard Australian footprint.
“A lot of the units here are bigger than what we’re used to. In Canada, you’re talking 1,000 square feet plus, where generally an ideal location for us would be anywhere between 600 and 800 square feet,” Mathie said. “Somewhere like Dufferin Mall, the mall is pretty much at capacity year round, and landlords don’t cut units down here the way they do in Australia. So we go into malls that are a little bit bigger, sitting at that 1,000 to 1,200 range, but we’d only trade out of 800 to 900 square feet.”
Mathie, who has been based in Toronto for the past six weeks overseeing the rollout, said pricing is central to the brand’s positioning downtown, citing his own experience paying between $70 and $80 for a barbershop haircut after arriving in the city.
Primaris REIT is the landlord at three of Just Cuts’ four confirmed Ontario locations: Stone Road Mall, Lime Ridge Mall and Dufferin Mall.
On tenant mix, Mathie pointed to Michael Hill Jewellers, a New Zealand founded chain, and Specsavers as two brands he tracks when evaluating new Canadian sites.
“Both of those brands really sit within that middle market,” Mathie said. “I’ve got other brands from Australia and New Zealand that are very successful here, and we generally follow each other. Even in Australia, we probably follow those brands into the malls they’re opening in.”
Despite the pipeline of additional Ontario properties under discussion, Mathie was asked how quickly the company plans to scale.
“We don’t want to come in and open 50. We’d probably want to get 10 to 15 salons up and running first and really make sure the business is running correctly, that our franchisees are supported, and that those businesses are successful,” Mathie said.
Franchisee selection follows a similar approach. The company generally requires a franchisee to operate a single location successfully for six to 12 months before opening discussions on additional units.
“I was having a conversation last week with a prospective franchisee who said she wanted to open 15 locations, and I said that’s great, but let’s get one open first,” Mathie said.
Part of that discipline is tied to how Just Cuts wants to be perceived as it grows in Canada. Despite being an Australian brand, Mathie was clear the company isn’t positioning itself as an import.
“We don’t want to be another international brand just coming into Canada,” Mathie said. “All of our locations here are locally owned and operated by Canadian franchisees.”
Canada remains Just Cuts’ primary growth focus globally, though the company is also entering India under a newly signed master license agreement.
Just Cuts does not take appointments, but relies on an app for customers to manage the walk in experience.
“You can be at home, check into the queue, and by the time you get into the salon it’s pretty much your turn,” Mathie said. “If there is a wait time, you can go away, have a coffee, do some shopping, and our system messages you when you’re next in the queue to make your way back to the salon.”
Masonville Place, Lime Ridge Mall and Dufferin Mall are all scheduled to open between November and early January, bringing Just Cuts’ walk-in model to three additional Ontario markets within roughly five months of its Canadian launch.
Dustin Fuhs is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of 6ix Retail, Toronto’s premier source for retail and hospitality industry news. As the former Editor-in-Chief of Retail Insider, Canada’s most-read retail trade publication, Dustin brings over two decades of expertise spanning retail, marketing, entertainment and hospitality sectors. His experience includes roles with industry giants such as The Walt Disney Company, The Hockey Hall of Fame, The Canadian Opera Company, Starbucks Canada and Blockbuster.
Recognized as a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert in 2024, 2025 and 2026, Dustin delivers insider perspectives on Toronto’s evolving retail landscape, from emerging brands to established players reshaping the city’s commercial districts.