Torontonians will soon understand what the big deal is about U.S. discount department store Marshalls — and apparently there are a lot of them. Deals, that is. The first three Canadian stores are set to open in the GTA on March 17. The stores are coming to Leaside, Scarborough and Woodbridge, and will feature brand name clothing at discount prices, kind of like our good Canadian friend, Winners.
Don’t expect discount wars any time soon, though. Marshalls’ U.S. parent company, The TJX Cos. Inc., is likely to want Marshalls to complement rather than compete with Winners, Frances Gunn, an assistant professor at Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management, told The Star.
Still, we’re betting Sears and The Bay won’t be too happy with the new kid on the block since the chain carries many of the same designer labels, like Kenneth Cole and Ralph Lauren, for cheaper prices. Marshalls has plans for a downtown location, too, at the site of defunct Circa nightclub in the Entertainment District. That store won’t open until later this year, so in the meantime, the drive to Woodbridge might actually be worth it for once.
