Forever 21 just reopened its first physical stores in Canada and two are at Toronto malls

The strange saga of Forever 21's relationship with Canada continues this week as two brand new stores-inside-stores open within Hudson's Bay locations at Yorkdale and Square One.

This, less than two years after the fast-fashion giant shuttered all stores across the country due to the bankruptcy of its then-Los Angeles-based parent company, followed by an abrupt (and disappointing) online-only Canadian relaunch.

Hudson's Bay — the same department store that just a few weeks ago announced the closure of all its remaining Topshops — confirmed the news in partnership with F21's new parent company, YM Inc., on Friday.

YM Inc. (the same company behind Stitches, Urban Planet and Sirens, among others) bought the rights to license Forever 21's brand in Canada following the popular chain's closure back in late 2019.

As just revealed, Hudson's Bay is now "the exclusive third-party retail partner to Forever 21 in Canada."

The first two F21-inside-HBC stores opened this past weekend at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in North York and the Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga.

The companies say that both retail spaces will carry "full-line collections" from Forever 21, and that more stores are slated to open across the country in the weeks ahead, starting with locations in B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.

Anyone who is interested will be able to buy Forever 21-branded clothes by YM Inc. on HBC's newly renovated digital marketplace, thebay.com, later this summer. 

While malls are not open on the whole in Ontario under Step 1 of the provincial government's reopening plan, non-essential retailers within malls may open to the public if they (like Hudson's Bay) have street-facing entrances.