Even in challenging times for department stores, Quebec-based Simons is expanding

The rise of e-commerce decimated the business of department store chains, with names like Nordstrom pulling out of Canada altogether. But, department store chain Simons recently announced it is opening two new stores in Toronto. The Quebec City-headquartered retailer has slimmed-down offerings, with no in-store furniture sales or fragrance counters and lots of private label clothing brands. “Department stores have been under huge pressures,” says Charles de Brabant, Executive Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management (BSRM). “They just haven’t kept up with the times. The ones that are doing well, like Simons, are offering something distinctive to customers,” he tells The Globe and Mail.