A century after Herman and Sarah Reitman opened a small shop on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, their brand is still very much in the business of reinvention.
On April 28th, Reitmans cut the ribbon on a completely overhauled store at Carrefour Laval, the first look at what the company wants its retail future to look like. The space, designed in collaboration with Toronto-based interior firm BURDIFILEK, trades the old formula for something more immersive: cleaner sightlines, a refined material palette, a shopping environment built around the customer’s experience rather than just the merchandise. BURDIFILEK founders Diego Burdi and Paul Filek were present for the opening alongside Ian Dorais, General Manager of the brand.
For Dorais, the new store is l about what the brand has become. “After 100 years, we have more clarity, more confidence, and a stronger sense of who we are,” he said. “This space is the first tangible expression of that energy, a place where fashion reclaims its full place.”
The Laval location is a statement. Reitmans is betting that physical retail, done well, still matters. “There are recent studies showing that young people want to return to stores,” noted Isabelle Bonin, the brand’s VP of Marketing and E-Commerce, adding that the in-store and digital experiences are increasingly two halves of the same journey.
That digital side has been quietly overhauled too. The company completed its migration to Shopify earlier this year, streamlining the online experience across Reitmans, RW&CO, and PENN. Penningtons.
The store opening landed at the heart of a broader centennial push. Reitmans has refreshed its logo, signed Quebec actress Catherine St-Laurent as a brand ambassador alongside international supermodel Coco Rocha, and announced a two-year partnership with the McCord Stewart Museum as Grand Fashion Partner. A collaboration with the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards (CAFA) rounds out the cultural programming, with the brand presenting the Emerging Talent prize at the April 23rd ceremony in Montreal.
“We are building a more expressive brand,” said President and CEO Andrea Limbardi, “resolutely focused on style and fashion, while staying rooted in our Canadian heritage.”
