Canadian menswear retailer Harry Rosen recently announced a $50 million overhaul of its business, and the company’s president says the investment will elevate the client experience both online and at its existing stores.

Ian Rosen, Harry Rosen’s president and COO, told BNN Bloomberg that the luxury retailer is focused on building infrastructure that integrates the company’s online business with its brick-and-mortar stores.

“Clients want to start and explore online, (and) they want to see exactly what they saw online in the store,” he said in a Wednesday television interview.

“We've been investing in an infrastructure that has allowed a client to shop both ways comfortably… we're investing in making sure that our stores are up to the expectations of our customers in the next few years.”

Rosen said the retailer understands the need to update their in-store offerings based on changing consumer habits and needs, adding that “a store should be about experience.”

“When customers come into a store, they want to see something different each time. They're coming with much more intention than ever before,” he said.

“We need to be able to inspire them with lifestyle – it can't just be this age-old retail idea of: ‘stack them high, inventory is your power and then you watch them fly.’ Clients want to understand how the fashion is coming together.”

Rosen said the heart of this change can be seen at the company’s new flagship location on Cumberland Street in Toronto, which will be less than 200 metres from its current Bloor Street store.

It will include a patio overlooking the Village of Yorkville Park, an espresso bar, and a client lounge, which Rosen said will “slow down” the retail experience for its customers.

Rosen said the company is only planning to add one new store to its network, with the vast majority of the $50 million in funding going towards its existing 19 stores.

Changing retail landscape

Rosen said that since his grandfather, Harry Rosen, founded his namesake company in 1954, the high-end menswear business has changed dramatically, and the retailer has needed to adjust over the years.

The most recent challenge came during the pandemic, when many Canadian shoppers moved online and many others started working primarily from home.

Rosen said prior to 2020, online sales represented around three per cent of the company’s total business, but they now represents closer to 20 per cent. Rosen said he sees it staying around that level going forward. 

“We see them as very complementary businesses; when a man shops online with us, we want it to be for a replenishment item or something that's easier to shop,” he said. “We're not trying to build our formalwear business online.”

Investing in Canada

Rosen said the company has a responsibility to carry forward the legacy of his grandfather, who passed away last year at the age of 92.

“He taught me (that) the store needs to speak to the customer,” Rosen said.

“The store needs to be communicating what business you're in, so a lot of what we're reinventing is with his voice in the back of our heads.”

Rosen said another aspect of that legacy is continued investment in Canada for its loyal client base.

“Canadians have gotten us to where we are, and we could have chosen to deploy capital in a whole bunch of ways,” he said, “but we decided the best thing for our business is to continue to invest for Canadian men.”

With files from The Canadian Press