La Maison Simons

2025-11-03T01:25:43Z

2001:1970:4FE6:B300:0:0:0:3437:

{{Short description|Canadian department store chain}}
{{Infobox company
| name = La Maison Simons Inc.
| logo = SimonsLogo.jpg
| logo_size =
| image = Freezing rain in Quebec city 15.jpg
| image_size =
| image_caption = [[Flagship store]] and headquarters on Côte de la Fabrique in [[Old Quebec]], 2018.
| type = [[Privately held company|Private]]
| industry = [[Retail]]
| founded = {{Start date and age|1840}} in [[Quebec City]], [[Lower Canada]]
| founder = [[John Hamilton Simons]]
| hq_location = 20, côte de la Fabrique<br />[[Quebec City]], [[Quebec]]<br />G1R 3V9
| num_locations = 19
| num_locations_year = 2025
| area_served =
| key_people = {{ubl|
* [[Peter Simons (businessman)|Peter Simons]]
}}
| owner =
| num_employees = 2,500
| num_employees_year = 2017
| website = {{URL|simons.ca}}
| footnotes =
}}'''La Maison Simons''' ([[Colloquialism|colloquially]] '''Simons''') is a Canadian [[department store]] chain founded in 1840 by [[John Hamilton Simons]]. The business was first established as a [[dry goods]] store.

While historic Canadian department stores such as [[Eaton's|Eaton’s]], [[Sears Canada|Sears]], and [[Hudson's Bay (department store)|Hudson’s Bay]] have closed or downsized, La Maison Simons and [[Holt Renfrew]] continue to operate and expand. They both represent the last large-format department-style clothes retailers in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The death of the great Canadian downtown department store |url=https://issuu.com/retailinsider/docs/untitled-101/s/55362687 |access-date=2025-09-01 |website=Issuu |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Sophia |date=2025-03-18 |title=Hudson’s Bay’s demise marks the death of the traditional department store in Canada |url=https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/en/news/2148673/hudsons-bays-demise-marks-the-death-of-the-traditional-department-store-in-canada |access-date=2025-09-01 |website=RCI |language=}}</ref>

==Founding to 1950s==
[[File:Chantier de construction de l Hotel de ville de Quebec, 1895 - a.jpg|left|thumb|Simons & Foulds store in 1895 on côte de la Fabrique, Quebec City.]]
Peter Simons, born in [[Scotland]] in 1785, arrived in Lower Canada in 1812 and settled on a small farm in [[Lac-Beauport|Beauport]], near Quebec City. He raised a family of five, including a son – [[John Hamilton Simons|John Simons]] – who went on to open a small dry goods shop in Quebec City in 1840 at the age of 17. Placing an emphasis on quality products, John Simons made more than 70 crossings of the Atlantic Ocean in order to seek out quality English and Scottish goods to stock as merchandise.<ref name="nuvo">{{cite web |url=http://nuvomagazine.com/magazine/winter-2015/la-maison-simons |title=La Maison Simons: The retailer's cross-Canada expansion |last=Kosonen |first=Elisa |work=Nuvo |date=December 9, 2015 |accessdate=July 9, 2018}}</ref>

In 1870, John Simons moved his shop to 20 Côte de la Fabrique, where it remains today. Business increased following the move, and in 1952, the post-[[World War II]] boom brought new market opportunities. This is when Gordon Donald Simons entered the company and led the business into a new era, transforming it into a [[department store]]. It became a leader in popular fashion with the introduction of youth-centred and fashion-forward brands such as Twik, which was based on [[Twiggy]], a cultural icon of the time.<ref name="nuvo" />

== 1960s to 2008 ==
1961 marked a turning point for La Maison Simons as it entered a growth phase with its new store in Place Sainte-Foy, where home decor was introduced, as well as new brands for men and women in their thirties and forties. In 1981, a new store opened in Galeries de la Capitale, also in Quebec City. La Maison Simons opened new Quebec locations in [[Sherbrooke]] and [[Montreal]] in 1999. Two years later, in 2001, a store was opened at Promenades Saint-Bruno. The final new location in the burst of expansion was in 2002, when La Maison Simons opened a new store in [[Laval, Quebec]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www3.simons.ca/?lang=en |title=Accueil - Simons - Our history |website=simons.ca |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110530012825/http://www3.simons.ca/?lang=en |archivedate=May 30, 2011 |accessdate=July 9, 2018}}</ref>

Celebrating the [[400th anniversary of Quebec City]] in 2008, La Maison Simons gifted a restored fountain, the {{Interlanguage link|Fontaine de Tourny|fr|}}, imported from France. The fountain was originally positioned in [[Bordeaux]]'s Allées de Tourny, named after [[Louis-Urbain-Aubert de Tourny|Aubert Tourny]], a French intendant remembered for his contribution to the beautification of Bordeaux, Quebec City's sister city. It was built in the mid-19th century and won a gold medal at the [[Exposition Universelle (1855)|Paris world exposition]] of 1855. The Fontaine de Tourny was installed in front of the [[National Assembly of Quebec]] in April 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hansard |url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?pub=hansard&mee=33&parl=38&ses=1&language=E&x=1#T1105 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228081037/http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?language=E&mee=33&parl=38&pub=hansard&ses=1&x=1#T1105 |archive-date=2017-02-28 |access-date=2006-09-16}}</ref>

In August 2008, the retailer chose to withdraw its fall catalogue after complaints its models were too thin.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 27, 2008 |title=Quebec retail chain pulls catalogues over too-thin model photos |url=http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=edb27dd5-e897-4415-83de-b8cff5e59fb9 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105051606/http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=edb27dd5-e897-4415-83de-b8cff5e59fb9 |archivedate=November 5, 2012 |accessdate=July 9, 2018 |work=Ottawa Citizen |publisher=canada.com}}</ref>

== 2012 to present ==
[[File:La Maison Simons 02.jpg|thumb|Simons store in 2014 on côte de la Fabrique, Quebec City.|252x252px]]In 2012, Simons expanded to its seventh and largest location at [[West Edmonton Mall]], its first outside of Quebec.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://business.financialpost.com/news/retail-marketing/amid-retail-turmoil-simons-stays-focused-on-culture-and-people-rather-than-aggressive-expansion |title=Amid retail turmoil, Simons stays focused on culture and people, rather than aggressive expansion |work=Financial Post |last=Csernyik |first=Rob |date=June 26, 2017 |accessdate=July 9, 2018}}</ref> It spent nearly $50 million on the store alone.<ref>{{cite book |last=Babin |first=Barry J. |last2=Harris |first2=Eric G. |last3=Murray |first3=Kyle B. |name-list-style=amp |title=CB (Consumer Behaviour) |edition=Second Canadian |publisher=Nelson Education |location=Toronto |year=2017 |orig-year=2014 |isbn=0-17-657038-1 |page=68}}</ref> The success of the location led other shopping malls to seek out La Maison Simons as an anchor tenant.<ref name="kellyglobe">{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/property-report/simons-fashions-itself-into-major-anchor-tenant/article19601535/ |title=Simons fashions itself into major anchor tenant |work=The Globe and Mail |last=Kelly |first=Deirdre |date=July 15, 2014 |accessdate=July 9, 2018}}</ref> On March 27, 2013, Simons announced it would open a new location in [[Ottawa]], Ontario's [[Rideau Centre]] in 2015 (although the store did not actually open until August 2016).<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/simons-coming-to-ottawa-rideau-centre/ |title=Simons coming to Ottawa Rideau Centre |last=Schnurr |first=Joanne |work=CTV News |date=March 27, 2013 |access-date=July 9, 2018}}</ref> This was followed by an announcement on December 6, 2013, stating that a [[flagship]] store was to open at [[Square One Shopping Centre]] in [[Mississauga]], in spring 2016. The new store, which opened in March 2016, occupies a large portion of the former [[Sears Canada]] store.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1275377/simons-to-open-first-ontario-store-at-square-one-shopping-centre |title=Simons to open first Ontario store at Square One Shopping Centre |website=newswire.ca |date=December 6, 2013 |accessdate=July 9, 2018 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402101439/http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1275377/simons-to-open-first-ontario-store-at-square-one-shopping-centre |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Simons store locations are each uniquely designed. Former CEO, Peter Simons, said in an interview in 2015 with ''Canadian Business'' "We’re trying to hold on to this belief in creativity and architecture and art. We’re working with Doug Coupland, for instance, on an art piece in Vancouver, and we try to do that with all the stores we build."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Toller |first=Carol |date=March 30, 2015 |title=Simons CEO Peter Simons on the new department-store wars |url=http://www.canadianbusiness.com/leadership/peter-simons-interview/ |access-date=June 19, 2017 |work=Canadian Business |language=en-US}}</ref> All stores incorporate art installations and unique architectural elements.

A new store in [[Gatineau]], Quebec, opened on August 13, 2015, investing $21 million in the location.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/life/style/simons-store-opens-to-much-fanfare-in-gatineau |title=Simons store opens to much fanfare in Gatineau |last=Wilson |first=Janet |work=Ottawa Citizen |date=October 16, 2015 |accessdate=July 9, 2018}}</ref> Furthermore, in 2015, a location opened at [[Park Royal Shopping Centre]] in [[West Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]].<ref name="kellyglobe" /> A store in [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]], opened on March 16, 2017, in the Lancaster Building as part of [[The Core (shopping centre)|The Core]] shopping mall. In August 2017, La Maison Simons opened a new store in [[Edmonton]], Alberta, at [[Londonderry Mall]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/3690810/simons-ready-to-open-its-doors-at-edmontons-londonderry-mall/ |title=Simons ready to open its doors at Edmonton’s Londonderry Mall |last=Kornik |first=Slav |work=Global News |date=August 23, 2017 |accessdate=July 9, 2018}}</ref> In May 2018, La Maison Simons received outside investment for the first time in its history as part of efforts to open a new distribution centre in Quebec City.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-simons-taps-outside-investors-for-first-time-as-challenges-pressure/ |title=Simons acquires outside investment to help fund distribution centre |last=Franson |first=Jason |agency=The Canadian Press |work=The Globe and Mail |date=May 29, 2018 |accessdate=July 9, 2018}}</ref>

In February 2020, [[Canada Goose (clothing)|Canada Goose]] ended its wholesale agreement with La Maison Simons, which accounted for millions in sales for the company. At the same time and through the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Canada]], Simons was having troubles with credit insurance on deliveries and all stock from designers, such as Balmain, had been moved to Simons' website. In August 2020, La Maison Simons claims to have regained profitability and sent letters to vendors in July assuring payment in full and fall deliveries will be delayed to preserve cash.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-08-05 |title=Simons voit " la lumière au bout du tunnel " |url=https://www.lapresse.ca/affaires/entreprises/2020-08-05/simons-voit-la-lumiere-au-bout-du-tunnel.php |access-date=2020-08-11 |website=La Presse |language=fr}}</ref>

In March 2022, Bernard Leblanc succeeded Peter Simons as chief executive officer, becoming the first person outside the Simons family to lead the company.<ref>{{Cite web |last=CA |first=FashionNetwork com |date=2022-03-20 |title=Simons names Bernard Leblanc president and CEO |url=https://ca.fashionnetwork.com/news/Simons-names-bernard-leblanc-president-and-ceo,1389192.html |access-date=2025-08-14 |website=FashionNetwork.com |language=en-CA}}</ref>

On August 14, 2025, La Maison Simons opened its first Toronto store at [[Yorkdale Shopping Centre]], occupying a 118,000-square-foot, two-storey space formerly held by Nordstrom.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=2025-08-14 |title=Simons opens first Toronto store at Yorkdale mall |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-simons-opens-first-toronto-store-at-yorkdale-mall/ |access-date=2025-08-14 |work=The Globe and Mail |language=en-CA}}</ref> Unique to the location is ''Ciel'', a geometric ceiling mural by French artist Nelio, along with a "walk of frames" displaying works from 24 artists.<ref name=":1" /> A second Toronto store at the [[Toronto Eaton Centre|Eaton Centre]] opened in September 2025, with both locations representing a $75 million investment.<ref name=":1" /> Simons projects the expansion will increase annual sales by 15 percent to $650 million, noting that recent [[Tariffs in the second Trump administration|U.S. tariffs]] have encouraged more Canadian consumers to purchase its house brands, which account for about 70 percent of merchandise.<ref name=":1" />

==Locations==
The chain includes 19 stores throughout Canada. It also has business offices in [[London]], [[Paris]], [[Florence]] and [[Hong Kong]].
[[File:Maison Simons (Montréal) 2006-01-27.JPG|thumb|right|Downtown Montreal store on [[Saint Catherine Street]]]]
[[File:Simons-Park-Royal-Vancouver.jpg|thumb|right|Park Royal store in [[West Vancouver]]]]
[[File:Place Ste-Foy Québec Ivanhoé Cambridge.jpg|thumb|right|Place Sainte-Foy store in Quebec City]]

===Alberta===
* [[The Core Shopping Centre (Calgary)|The Core Shopping Centre]], [[Calgary]]
* [[Londonderry Mall]], [[Edmonton]]
* [[West Edmonton Mall]], Edmonton

===Quebec===
* [[Les Promenades Gatineau]], [[Gatineau]]
* [[CF Carrefour Laval]], [[Laval, Quebec|Laval]]
* Carrefour Industrielle Alliance, [[Downtown Montreal]], [[Montreal]]
* [[Galeries d'Anjou]], Montreal
* [[Fairview Pointe-Claire]], [[Pointe-Claire]]
* [[Galeries de la Capitale]], [[Quebec City]]
* Côte de la Fabrique, [[Old Quebec]], Quebec City
* [[Place Sainte-Foy]], Quebec City
* [[Promenades Saint-Bruno]], [[Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville]]
* [[Carrefour de l'Estrie]], [[Sherbrooke]]

===Ontario===
* [[Square One Shopping Centre]], [[Mississauga]]
* [[CF Rideau Centre]], [[Ottawa]]
* [[Yorkdale Shopping Centre]], [[Toronto]]
* [[CF Toronto Eaton Centre]], [[Toronto]]

===British Columbia===
* [[Park Royal Shopping Centre]], [[West Vancouver]]

===Nova Scotia===
* [[Halifax Shopping Centre]], [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Simons is coming to Halifax - opening the 1st store in Atlantic Canada!|url=https://www.iheartradio.ca/move/halifax/podcasts-more/simons-is-coming-to-halifax-opening-the-1st-store-in-atlantic-canada-1.17729713 |website=iheartradio |accessdate=May 6, 2022 |date=May 6, 2020}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of department stores#Canada|List of Canadian department stores]]
*[[History of Quebec City]]
*[[Holt Renfrew]], another fashion store founded in Quebec City in the mid-19th century
*[[Scots-Quebecers]]

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|https://www.simons.ca/}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Portal bar|Canada|Companies}}

==References==
{{reflist}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Maison Simons, La}}
[[Category:Clothing retailers of Canada]]
[[Category:Department stores of Canada]]
[[Category:Companies based in Quebec City]]
[[Category:Old Quebec]]
[[Category:Online clothing retailers of Canada]]
[[Category:Retail companies established in 1840]]
[[Category:Privately held companies of Canada]]

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La Maison Simons