Uniqlo opening store in Ottawa's Rideau Centre

Uniqlo is opening a store in Ottawa this spring, its first foray into the nation's capital.

The Japanese retailer's 15,000-square-foot store in the Rideau Centre mall will open in June, the company announced Thursday. It will be on the mall's third floor.

It's Uniqlo's first new store in Canada this year, part of a planned five-year expansion across the U.S. and Canada. The company is planning to open 20 new stores a year to reach 200 in North America by 2027.

"We are proud of our strong connection to Canada," Daisuke Tsukagoshi, Uniqlo North America’s CEO, said in a news release. "Opening in the nation's capital marks an important milestone in UNIQLO's progress; it will allow us to strengthen our relationship with Canadian shoppers and introduce LifeWear to new guests – that clothing is made for everyone every day."

Uniqlo has seven Ontario stores, all in the Greater Toronto Area, and 16 across Canada. The company opened its first Canadian store in Toronto's Eaton Centre in 2016.

"I think it's actually a major coup for Ottawa and for the Rideau Centre," Bruce Winder, a retail analyst and author, told CTV News. "They're a phenomenal retailer. The reaction in Canada has been very positive."

The arrival comes as the Rideau Centre, Ottawa's largest mall, is losing an anchor tenant. High-end department store Nordstrom announced earlier this month it would shut down operations in Canada, closing 13 stores including its Rideau Centre location.

"At any given time in retail, you're going to have winners and losers," Winder said. "You're going to have companies that are falling out of favour and companies that are growing. And Uniqlo is one of those companies that's growing."

Winder also said he thinks Uniqlo products' quality and price point—"Think about if IKEA made clothing"—will be popular among Ottawa residents.

 

"You look at the Ottawa market, yeah there's a few rich people in Ottawa, but there's a lot of people who work for the government, and they're not making a million dollars a year," he said. "They need clothing that's durable, that looks great, that isn't going to break their pocketbook."

Uniqlo is encouraging potential Ottawa employees to apply for jobs on their career page.

They also will be hosting a series of career fairs in Ottawa for potential employees to learn about the different available roles.