Montreal’s Royalmount: Luxury Has a New Address

Story | Leslie Yip Boucher-Harris      Photography | Agence Geminy, Featured brands

Royalmount, Montreal’s newest shopping, dining & entertainment destination, opened its doors in September and, is a Mecca for luxury shoppers.

The multi-million-dollar complex is set to be Canada’s second-largest shopping centre, after the Edmonton Mall, surpassing Mississauga’s Square One and Toronto’s Eaton Centre and Yorkdale. Located in midtown Montreal, it will eventually house a mix of high-rises with homes, offices and parks, surrounding an 824,000-square-foot commercial centre with 170 stores, including 60 restaurants and cafes.

It also boasts the largest concentration of international luxury stores in the province. Louis Vuitton, Gucci, St Laurent , Jimmy Choo, Longchamp and Versace have all opened their first standalone stores in Quebec. Rolex announced that it will be opening its largest Canadian flagship store in partnership with Raffi Jewellers in Spring 2025. High-end watch brands Tudor, IWC and Omega are also staking their place and marking their debut in Québec. These brands will be joining the other world-class watchmaking and jewellery names, including Tiffany & Co., David Yurman, Swarovski, Montblanc, TAG Heuer and more.

This focus on luxury makes quite a lot of sense as Montreal is home to a considerable amount of wealth—five out of the 20 wealthiest neighbourhoods in Canada are within the area.

There are also new marques and retail concepts coming to Canada for the first time, such as TimeVallée from Switzerland, which offers a curated selection from seven of the most prestigious watchmakers in the world. For scent and beauty lovers, there is Rennaï, a 36,000-square-foot wellnesssanctuary carrying more than 175 local, national and international brands. New York’s fashion footwear and accessories brand Dolce Vita has also opened its first non-American outpost there.

Royalmount is also a culinary destination, with a 30,000-square-foot food hall called Le Fou Fou, (which means the crazy mad in English). You will find two à la carte restaurants, 10 unique culinary concepts, three individually themed bars and more than 900 seats. These are not your run-of-the-mill shopping mall food court stalls. Many of the upscale eateries are run by celebrity chefs, including ishu sushi bar and Bayswater Raw Bar by James Beard Awardwinning chef Tony Messina, RIME Bar à Boeuf by Lenny Lighter of the original Moishes, and Tori Ramen by Hanhak im. Can’t decide which one to try?There is a custom-built ordering system that lets you choose dishes from different vendors and have the food delivered to your table, all on the same bill.

The mall is located at the intersection of Highway 40 and the Decarie Expressway, on Royalmount Street. There are 4,000 above- and below-ground parking spots on the property, and the first half hour is free. However, shoppers are encouraged to take the Metro to De La Savane station, a 15-minute ride from downtown Montreal. Because the existing exit of the station is across the busy highway, the developer spent $50 million to build a 200-metre-long footbridge to connect the subway to the second floor of the mall. It is climatecontrolled for all-season use, and there is a Starbucks inside, plus other retailers.

The complex also includes a 77,000-square-foot urban park and public art trail, featuring more than 60 art installations from local and international artists. The first phase that opened in September is only about eight per cent of the development’s ultimate build-out plans for the site. In the coming months, more family-friendly attractions will be opening, including a VI Cineplex and Rec Room arcade. An aquarium is also slated to open in 2026.

The next time you visit MTL, be sure to experience Montreal’s biggest buof the moment.

Gucci

Gucci’s new store at the Royalmount is its first boutique in Montreal. The 8,700-square-foot space carries a wide selection comprising men’s and women’s bags, accessories, shoes, ready-to-wear, Gucci Beauty and pieces from the travel collection, Gucci Valigeria. Guests will discover the House’s signature Horsebit 1955 and the Jackie 1961 lines, as well as exotic and precious leather handbags, including a set of black crocodile men’s bags brought in especially for the Royalmount opening.

Dolce Vita

Dolce Vita, the New York City-based luxury fashion footwear & accessories brand, has officially opened its first flagship store outside the United States in Royalmount.

 

TimeVallée

Swiss multi-brand watch retail concept TimeVallée’s first flagship store in Canada in partnership with Maison Birks opened in late September. Celebrating its 50th boutique worldwide, the Richemont Group store carries a curated selection of watches from seven of the most prestigious Maisons worldwide: Baume & Mercier, Cartier, Chopard, Grand Seiko, Jaeger-LeCoultre, anerai and iaget. Each brand is presented in a distinctive setting that emphasizes its heritage. A new Birks concept store sits next door, dedicated to Birks’s own jewellery collection, which celebrates Canadian heritage.