Rennaï is set to redefine the beauty retail experience with the unveiling of its new high-end flagship store in Montreal, Canada. Backed by L Catterton and Carbonleo, Rennaï's grand opening is slated for August 2024 within the highly anticipated Royalmount development—an upscale retail and lifestyle destination located in Montreal’s thriving Midtown district. Leading luxury brands such as Hermès have already inked partnership deals with the new beauty retail shop, which promises to unveil more “exclusives and never-been-seen-before experiences” in the months leading up to the store’s opening.

More than a retail store, Rennaï is positioned to become a 36,000-square-foot self-care sanctuary featuring five distinct zones, each tailored to address a specific aspect of self-care: “Reimagine” for makeup, “Rejuvenate” for skincare, “Refresh” for fragrance, “Revitalize” for nutrition and personal care, and “Retreat” for holistic well-being.

Hermès will open its first beauty and fragrance shop-in-shop in Canada at Rennaï, offering makeup and perfume alongside bath and body products.

The experiential element of Rennaï will be what sets it apart from other beauty retailers. Professional-grade skincare brand Dermalogica is bringing its first-ever advanced open-concept skin treatment services to the experiential retail store. Diptyque and Le Labo will offer personalized fragrance experiences in Rennaï's Refresh zone.

"Having experienced the retail industry with a luxury lens, I can confidently say that these prestigious partnerships are precisely what we want to bring to today's discerning clientele,” says Rennaï President Christopher Novak in a statement to the press. “We will continue to announce partners leading up to the launch that represents our brand spirit and promise—to offer our clients a complete one-stop experience both on location and through our complimentary virtual concierge experience.”

The flagship store will also shine a spotlight on local brands such as Watier Cosmetics, Apprenti Ôr'ganik, JB Skin Sävvi, Selv, Ruby Brown, Landish, and Camellia Sinensis Tea House.

Royalmount is set to be the first 100% carbon-neutral mixed-use development in North America and the largest LEED Gold retail project in Canada. The $7-billion development project will feature more than 170 retailers, including about 60 restaurants within an 824,000-square-foot, two-level retail and lifestyle complex. Royalmount’s “Luxury Row” will include brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, and Tiffany & Co. Half of the brands will either be new to Quebec or unique concepts, according to Carbonleo, the real estate development and management company spearheading the project. The district has been thoughtfully designed to ensure that on-site services will be no more than 15 minutes walking distance apart. Royalmount will also eventually feature a three-kilometer-long linear park for pedestrians as well as a 1.8-acre urban park. Carbonleo CEO Andrew Lutfy is placing a strategic bet on luxury to redefine the future landscape of physical retail, with Rennaï playing a pivotal role in realizing this vision.

“[The investors] saw that today’s consumer is really looking for more than just a product. They’re looking for an experience that adds value to their day,” Novak told WWD. “What we’re doing is creating a place for people to take a moment out of their busy lives to really reconnect with themselves through the lens of beauty and self-care.

According to a 2023 luxury retail report from The Business of Fashion, in partnership with Royalmount, the desire to shop in-person remains strong in the luxury sector. Nearly 77% of consumers expect to visit luxury stores as often or more frequently in 2024 compared to 2023. These consumers are increasingly demanding an elevated shopping experience, underscoring the need for luxury brands to continually evolve their retail offerings to sustain a loyal and engaged customer base.

Rennaï's launch at Royalmount is just the first step of what will hopefully be a much broader expansion across North America.

“We’re opening in Royalmount this August, and we do have plans for a nine-store rollout,” says Novak. “We’re looking for major cities across Canada and the US to open a future location.”