Laser Clinics Canada, part of the world’s largest cosmetic clinic group, is continuing its aggressive expansion into the Canadian market with the opening this spring of a location at Toronto’s Union Station.
The brand, which originated in Australia, has more than 200 clinics in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom. In Canada, four are operating in the Toronto market. It’s also about to open soon another location in Ottawa at CF Rideau Centre.
George Jeffrey, Managing Director of Laser Clinics Canada, said he hopes to open the Union Station location in the middle of May.
“We will have six open and operating within our first fiscal year since we entered the market with the Australian support. We have plans in place for at least another six. We’re trying to get to a schedule of opening about one every couple of months and we are focused on the major shopping centre landlords – Cadillac Fairview, Oxford Properties and Ivanhoé Cambridge,” said Jeffrey.
The first Canadian location was Hillcrest Mall in Richmond Hill followed by Square One shopping centre in Mississauga, then CF Sherway Gardens in Etobicoke and the fourth opened in February at Scarborough Town Centre. Hillcrest Mall opened in February 2022.
Jeffrey said the company thinks there is space in the Canadian marketplace for the brand to have over 100 locations.
“That is certainly on our development radar,” he said. “The model that we operate is through co-ownership.
“Being in the main shopping centres is something new. Canadians haven’t seen these types of retail offerings and services in the main runway. Accessibility is important and I think what we’re doing is we’re inviting Canadian consumers that really haven’t considered laser services previously because they were not affordable and we’re making them more affordable. We’ve had tremendous uptake. We’re very pleased. Our Australian ownership is ecstatic about what we’ve been able to achieve in the market.
“We have seen excellent sales numbers so we’re ramping to expectations.”
Jeffrey said the company does very well with high footfall and the new Union Station location fits into that.
“Particularly being a new brand and new to Canada, we wanted to have a lot of visibility and the Union Station venue offers a lot of daily foot traffic. We were very pleased to negotiate with Beauleigh Retail Consultants and Brokerage and the City of Toronto to get a very unique unit within that Front Street Promenade,” he said.
“It’s a transit hub but it’s also a retail mall. The service mix, the retail mix, the co-tenancy that Beauleigh was looking for, we fit right in. We filled a need for them and the fact we’ve got the international story and that we’re a growth brand was something important to them.
“As we look at the central business district in Toronto for our brand, we consider it with two nodes. Union Station and CF Toronto Eaton Centre as sort of the north and south nodes with obviously the PATH in the middle. It has demonstrated very strong uptake with the retailers that have operations ongoing now at the new Union Station. I guess the ‘Go To Union’ is the tagline. It used to be ‘Meet at Union’ but they really want to ‘Go To Union’ to create a destination for people to consider behind a transit hub. It’s a great spot to go and shop and meet and connect with friends and move your day along with transit and other retail shopping considerations.”
Neasha Schlamp, Manager, Retail Leasing with Beauleigh, executed the deal in collaboration with Kate Camenzuli, Vice President with CBRE, who represented Laser Clinics.
“Laser Clinics Canada was a natural fit for the station. They’re a global brand with over 200 locations worldwide, but still a new and exciting entrant into the Canadian market. They bring a level of sophistication and expertise that is hard to come by within this category of service. And for us, layering in service-based uses to the merchandising mix is equally as important as food and beverage or traditional retail in order to completely immerse the consumer and generate repeat traffic through the station,” said Schlamp.
Marcelle Rademeyer, Founding Partner and CEO of Beauleigh, said the company has been involved in leasing Union Station since the concept’s beginning.
“Before all the construction started, our role was to come up with the vision of what Union Station was going to look like in the short, medium and long-term and how it was going to be merchandised and what ultimately it would be catering to in terms of the consumers and what it would look like,” she said.
“The whole concept of neighbourhood came from the vision that what we’re creating is essentially a little city within the Station that is going to reflect the fabric of Toronto and its different neighbourhoods.”
The Laser Clinic at Union Station will be about 2,300 square feet. The location will act as the training centre for Laser Clinics Canada’s medical aestheticians, doctors and nurses. The centre allows certified medical aestheticians to receive additional mandatory in-depth training from their technical trainer as well as qualified experts from the medical equipment providers such as HydraFacial, and licensed trainers from Allergan and Galderma. Union Station will be the flagship location and also act as Laser Clinics Canada’s Support Office.
Laser Clinics Canada offers a wide variety of medical aesthetic treatments that are safe and effective on all skin types – laser hair removal, skin treatments like HydraFacial, microdermabrasion, skin needling, LED light therapy, as well as cosmetic injectables. Each treatment uses top-of-the-line medical-grade equipment and advanced technology. All treatments are performed by their experienced team of Medical Aestheticians, Nurses and Doctors.
Union Station’s retail component is about 170,000 square feet.
“Our retail strategy for Union Station is about really being community focused as well and connecting with the residential nearby because obviously there are a lot of local residents that live in the neighbourhoods. And there are people who go to events nearby, which creates a seven day a week environment,” said Rademeyer.
“Uses like the Laser Clinics, which generates good traffic, is non-traditional retail but it’s super important because it’s an amenity. It’s a service that the majority residents too are looking for. So the idea is really not to rely on commuter traffic only but to create an environment where people in the surrounding neighbourhoods can come for the convenience of it and that’s why we’re mixing these kinds of uses with the more traditional retail.”
Recently, Laser Clinics Canada signed Canadian media personality Natasha Gargiulo as brand ambassador to help support Canadian growth.
The partnership is centered on helping Canadians look and feel their best selves and falls within the context of the company’s continued Canadian expansion. She will act as the spokesperson at upcoming grand openings and help create brand awareness as the business continues to grow nationally.
“The timing of this partnership could not be better,” said Jeffrey. “Natasha is an accomplished professional who shares in our brand values and is equally passionate in helping others feel their best. Natasha embodies the style, essence and authenticity that Laser Clinics Canada stands for, and I’m confident she will help us to build our brand as we expand into new markets over the coming months.”
“I am happy to be a part of this impressive brand and, most importantly, its team,” said Gargiulo. “I appreciate their energy and share in the excitement for the brand’s growth potential within the medical aesthetics industry. Based on my experiences thus far, I can see the company offers a fresh perspective on beauty treatments with valuing being true to your authentic self, and a commitment to transparency, fair pricing and a well-trained team of professionals.”
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Mario Toneguzzi
Mario Toneguzzi, based in Calgary, has more than 40 years experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist, and editor. He worked for 35 years at the Calgary Herald covering sports, crime, politics, health, faith, city and breaking news, and business. He is the Co-Editor-in-Chief with Retail Insider in addition to working as a freelance writer and consultant in communications and media relations/training. Mario was named as a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert in 2024.
