As Toronto’s retail landscape evolves, we’re launching a new format to capture the changes through photo reports. While not a daily feature, these visual updates on 6ixRetail.com will highlight significant retail developments, openings, closures, and community stories across our journeys.
Japanese beauty retailer Reiwatakiya is expanding to 237 Queen Street West, marking its second Toronto location alongside its existing store at 399 Spadina Avenue. The company specializes in curated Japanese skincare, cosmetics, and beauty products, focusing on premium yet accessible brands from Japan’s established beauty market.
The new Queen West location, situated on a block that’s starting to see an honest revival after being decimated from the pandemic, between University Avenue and Spadina Avenue, will join the brand’s established presence in Toronto’s Chinatown. While an opening date has not been announced, the retailer maintains an active social presence across Instagram (@reiwatakiya_to), WeChat, and Xiaohongshu platforms.
The Friar has re-opened after the leasing dispute with the landlord. We are glad to see this long-standing traditional British pub back in business.
Banana Republic is consolidating its CF Toronto Eaton Centre presence by relocating its men’s storefront to the existing women’s store location. The current standalone men’s store will close on February 20, 2025, with the integrated storefront reopening on the 3rd Floor of the mall on February 24, 2025.
The move represents a shift in Banana Republic’s retail footprint within Toronto’s downtown mall, transitioning from separate gender-specific stores to a unified retail space. During the brief transition period, customers are directed to shop the brand’s full collection online at bananarepublic.ca. The consolidation follows a broader retail trend of optimizing store footprints within major shopping centres, including Abercrombie Kids shuttering recently and other brands in the mall, like PINK being consolidated into Victoria’s Secret to allow for ALO to open.
Alberta-based specialty toy retailer Treehouse Toys has opened its permanent location at CF Toronto Eaton Centre in the former GNC space. The move follows the retailer’s temporary tenancy in what was previously the Toronto Blue Jays flagship store, a space that will now become home to a combined Suzy Shier / Le Chateau location.
The retailer operates fourteen locations across Canada, including six stores in Vancouver, two in Edmonton, four in Calgary, and two in Toronto. Treehouse Toys specializes in specialty items including 3D wooden puzzles, DIY model houses, K-pop merchandise, imported Korean stationery, and anime collectibles. This permanent location solidifies the brand’s presence in Toronto’s premier downtown shopping center after its initial entry into the Eastern Canadian market through its temporary space.
T&T Supermarket has unveiled its second downtown Toronto location at Panda Condos near Yonge and Dundas, with crowds of eager customers lining up as early as 4 a.m. despite snowfall for the grand opening. The 31,000-square-foot store marks the Asian grocery chain’s 38th North American location, following its recent expansion into Bellevue, Washington.
Located steps from Toronto Metropolitan University, the new store introduces the GTA’s first self-serve street food kiosk system, complementing T&T’s signature offerings including hot food stations, sushi counter, PaPa Chicken, and egg tarts. CEO Tina Lee cited strong delivery data from the Yonge-Dundas area and overwhelming demand at their College and Spadina location as key factors in selecting this site at Canada’s highest-profile intersection. The store operates daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., matching the scale of T&T’s existing downtown location while serving the dense student population and residential community in the area.
We’ll be doing a full article on the location soon.
Korean dessert café The Peachy is expanding to downtown Toronto, taking over the former Aroma space at 618 Yonge Street. The café chain, which operates an existing location in North York, specializes in Korean-style cakes, bingsu (shaved ice), and grab-and-go meals.
The new location will occupy the corner unit that previously housed Aroma Espresso Bar from 2016 until its closure in 2024. The Peachy will join a growing cluster of Korean food and beverage retailers along the Yonge Street corridor, bringing its signature premium desserts and Seoul-inspired menu to the downtown core. An opening date has not yet been announced.
Natural beauty and wellness retailer Pure + Simple is relocating its Yorkville presence from 108A Cumberland Street to the Manulife Centre on February 26th, 2024. The new location, positioned across from Pilot Coffee, marks an evolution for the brand after a decade of operations in the luxury shopping district.
The retailer, which operates eight locations across Toronto and the GTA, will continue offering its signature natural skincare products and holistic spa services from the Manulife Centre space. Pure + Simple’s approach combines their house brand with curated third-party products, all adhering to clean beauty standards that exclude parabens, petrochemicals, silicones, and artificial fragrances. The February transition maintains the brand’s established presence in Yorkville while integrating into the Manulife Centre’s street-level retail mix.
Shake Shack’s media preview at Yorkdale Shopping Centre offered an opportunity to observe several notable retail transitions within the mall. While a comprehensive analysis of Yorkdale’s evolution is definitely on the horizon, our walkthrough revealed a couple interesting developments in the shopping centre’s retail landscape.
If you haven’t read the Shake Shack Yorkdale story, which features an interview with Billy Richmond, Business Director of Shake Shack Canada, definitely check it out.
Marry Me Mochi has opened its thirteenth location at Yorkdale Shopping Centre, taking over the former Starbucks space adjacent to Rolex. The premium dessert concept, which positions itself as a luxury player in the mochi donut category, distinguishes its offerings through high-end ingredients like real white chocolate and a proprietary cooking process that reduces oil content compared to traditional donut preparation. The Yorkdale location operates from 9:30 AM to 9:30 PM in the space vacated by Starbucks’ relocation to the Restoration Hardware wing.
Founded by Vietnamese siblings Tommy, Tuyen, Salena, Sofia, and Elisa, the brand launched its first store at Toronto’s Stockyards on January 27th, 2024, and has rapidly expanded across the GTA. The concept combines Japanese mochi donut traditions with American donut influences, complemented by authentic Vietnamese iced coffee and Dubai chocolates. Their expansion strategy has targeted major retail centers, with current locations including Square One’s Food District, Hillcrest Mall, Vaughan Mills, and Scarborough Town Centre.
The company has also indicated potential future locations at several other major GTA malls including Markville Mall, York Lanes at York University, Sherway Gardens, Fairview Mall, CF Toronto Eaton Centre, and Pacific Mall.
Simons has begun construction on its 118,000-square-foot Yorkdale location, taking over the first two levels of the former Nordstrom space that became available following the department store’s exit from Canada in 2023. The Quebec-based fashion retailer’s expansion marks part of a $75 million investment in Toronto that includes a second location at CF Toronto Eaton Centre.
The Yorkdale store, designed by Lemay-Michaud Architecture with interiors by Gensler Design, will feature expansive floor plates exceeding 60,000 square feet per level and capitalize on the space’s distinctive south-facing glass facade. Set to open in fall 2025, the location will showcase Simons’ mix of private labels – including Twik, Contemporaine, Le 31, and Djab – alongside designer brands in its Edito department. The store represents Simons’ second GTA location after Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, with the retailer’s 110,000-square-foot, three-level CF Toronto Eaton Centre flagship also slated to open in late 2025.
Virgin Plus has shuttered its high-profile Yorkdale Shopping Centre location, which was found at the TTC Subway entrance, with closure signage now visible at the former mobile carrier storefront. The telecommunications retailer, which operates as a sub-brand of Bell Canada, has ended its presence at Toronto’s luxury mall though its products and services remain available through other retail channels.
The space is situated next to the recently relocated Sunglass Hut, which moved from its prominent corner location near Ladurée and Nike to the former Craig’s Cookies storefront. A replacement tenant for either the former Virgin Plus location or Sunglass Hut’s previous high-profile corner unit has not yet been announced.
Nespresso is relocating its Yorkdale Shopping Centre boutique to the former Allbirds storefront, with construction signage now visible at the new location. The premium coffee brand, which pioneered portioned coffee retail since its 1986 founding, continues its presence in Toronto’s luxury mall though an opening date has not been announced.
We will continue to take note of the changes at Yorkdale, as the shopping centre is undergoing a massive transformation and would require more than a simple photo walk to pay respect to the work being done behind the scenes and with all the brands involved.
Thanks for joining our February 19 retail coverage across Toronto! We explored exciting developments from the Yonge & Dundas corridor to Queen West, and significant transitions at both Yorkdale Shopping Centre and CF Toronto Eaton Centre. Looking forward to documenting more retail changes as Toronto’s shopping landscape continues to evolve.
Dustin Fuhs is the Editor-in-Chief of 6ix Retail. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of Retail Insider, Canada’s most-read retail trade publication. He has over 20 years of experience in the retail, marketing, entertainment and hospitality industries, including with The Walt Disney Company, The Hockey Hall of Fame, Starbucks and Blockbuster.
Dustin was named as a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert in 2024 and 2025.