Asian Brand LOJEL Entering Canadian Market with 1st Store Opening in Vancouver This Summer [Interview]
By
Mario Toneguzzi
Date: June 12, 2024
Retailer LOJEL is expanding into the Canadian market with its first store scheduled to open this summer in Vancouver.
Rachel Draper, General Manager, North America for LOJEL, said the brand is building its North American team in Vancouver.
“You could go to New York, LA or Toronto but for us we’re really excited to open our first store in our backyard in Vancouver and specifically it’s a very green city, very diverse, multicultural,” she said.
Beyond Vancouver, Draper said the brand is particularly interested in growing very intentionally.
“We’re very fortunate to be a family business, privately owned. So when we look at growth we look at how do we reach our key audiences. It’s not just west coast Pacific although that is very tied to our audience. It’s getting into the key metro cities, the urban cities where you have people moving every day and travel hubs.
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“We were founded in 1989 in Japan. We are a family-owned business. The current CEO is in fact the grandson of the person who founded it originally. We have a headquarter in Hong Kong and we have a North American headquarter in Vancouver.”
There are 18 stores in Asia Pacific.
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The Vancouver store will be opening on West Fourth in Kitsilano. Target opening date for the just over 1,800-square foot store is late summer.
“The landscape and environment on West Fourth has changed so much. A lot of brands have come first to market in North America on West Fourth so there are a lot of reasons for it but a big reason is our office (is close) to the store,” said Draper.
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https://retail-insider.com/retail-in...mer-interview/