BOUCLAIR IS ABOUT TO COMPLETE RENOVATIONS ON ITS MONCTON LOCATION ON TRINITY DRIVE. IMAGE: FILE PHOTO
A Quebec-based home fashion and decor chain hopes to reinvigorate its Moncton market with a more sensory-heavy shopping experience, as renovations are about to wrap up.
Bouclair is preparing to launch its revamped concept store at 105 Trinity Drive following a months-long renovation process that picked up momentum in mid-June.
Bouclair spokesperson Christina Mangiola said the facelift for the chain’s 10,500-square-foot location is part of a larger rebranding it has been carrying out since 2020.
The rebranding is heavily focused on arranging wares in a more visually appealing style, coordinating and showcasing the best of what each collection has to offer.
“They’ve updated a bunch of their existing stores in Canada to fit this scene they’ve been going for, which is a lot of greenery — a rustic sort of thing,” Mangiola said.
“It’s a new concept they have, they want to really elevate their features and shopping experience. The new goal of the look they’re going for with their concept stores is natural wood, greenery, and an exclusive scent. They want the experience to be stimulating and elegant so that’s really the overall goal of remodeling these locations.”
This rebranding came after Bouclair filed for bankruptcy and closed almost half of its 92 stores across Canada in 2019 — including two in Halifax and one in Fredericton — as part of an ownership transfer that saw Alston Investments Inc. acquire the majority of the company’s assets.
Bouclair’s new look was informed by the expertise of Sid Lee Architecture, a Montreal-based firm that has many feathers in its cap, including the Four Seasons Montreal and the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, as well as the Adidas X Concepts Sanctuary retail space in Boston.
Renovations to the Moncton Bouclair, which began over a year ago, were delayed by some of the many supply chain hitches that have plagued business since the outbreak of Covid-19. Mangiola noted Bouclair weathered some of the worst impacts of the pandemic through its online sales platform.
“There were some delays, as anyone was experiencing with how the world was working, but nothing out of the ordinary,” said Mangiola.
Once renovations are complete, Bouclair Moncton has an official reopening event planned from July 8 to 10.
While Mangiola couldn’t specify if the Moncton location revamp would require any new hires, she said Bouclair is undertaking multiple recruitment days to bring on more staff.
Bouclair, founded in Montreal in 1970, is known for its variety of simple-yet-elegant, coordinated collections of furniture and home accessories indoors and outdoors.
With an emphasis on wood and raw material, Bouclair offers collections like Exotic Nomad, Scandi Culture, Malibu, and Soft Tropics.
The chain has 55 stores in Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec, and Ontario, in addition to its store in New Brunswick. Of those, it’s converting 20 to new concept stores. The chain launched its concept store line in Montreal in late 2021.
Mangiola was mum when asked if the chain has any plans to begin opening new stores, beyond noting there aren’t plans to open any more Maritime locations anytime soon.
Bouclair first opened its Moncton location in 2012.
Sam Macdonald is a Reporter with Huddle Today, a content-sharing partner of Acadia Broadcasting
