There is soon to be a fifth Uniqlo store in Metro Vancouver, as part of the Japanese fast fashion retailer’s new wave of expansion locations in Canada.
Uniqlo has announced it will open a new store location within Willowbrook Shopping Centre in the Township of Langley.
“We have seen incredible momentum throughout Canada, and we couldn’t be more excited to open four new stores,” said Daisuke Tsukagoshi, CEO of UNIQLO North America, in a statement.
“UNIQLO continues to resonate with Canadian customers, and we aim to deliver essential clothing that complements their lifestyles, made to be building blocks of their wardrobe with longevity in mind.”
Upon inquiry, a spokesperson for Quadreal Property Group, the owner of Willowbrook Shopping Centre, told Daily Hive Urbanized that the Uniqlo Store will be located within the mall’s south corridor — just across from Winners. It will have a floor area of 15,000 sq ft within a portion of the former 30,000 sq ft Nordstrom Rack unit and a previously empty unit.
The previous Nordstrom Rack store before its closure at Willowbrook Shopping Centre. (Nordstrom)
The previous Nordstrom Rack store before its closure at Willowbrook Shopping Centre. (Nordstrom)
Uniqlo’s first location within Metro Vancouver is Metropolis at Metrotown mall in Burnaby, which first opened in 2017. Strong demand prompted Uniqlo to expand its Metrotown store by over 6,000 sq ft to 27,000 sq ft in 2022.
Other Uniqlo locations in Metro Vancouver entail CF Richmond Centre, Coquitlam Centre, and Surrey’s Guildford Town Centre. Although it has a strong presence in Metro Vancouver’s suburban malls, there is still no Uniqlo location within downtown Vancouver or Vancouver proper.
Uniqlo’s Willowbrook Town Centre store will be comparable in size to the locations at Coquitlam Centre and Guildford Town Centre.
The Uniqlo store at Willowbrook Town Centre and three new locations in Southern Ontario — CF Sherway Gardens in Toronto, Heartland Centre Town in Mississauga, and Bramalea City Centre in Brampton — will all open in Fall 2024. According to the retailer, the Canadian expansion is part of its strategy to grow to 200 stores in North America by 2027.
While Uniqlo is expanding its presence and number of locations in Metro Vancouver, another major Japanese retailer recently decided to downsize its presence in the region.
Early in Summer 2024, Muji suddenly closed its largest store in Metro Vancouver, at Guildford Town Centre. The two-storey, 15,800 sq ft prominent store space is currently sitting vacant.