TORONTO — Shoppers Drug Mart officially opened its doors today at Toronto’s Yonge and Dundas Square.  The new location is a unique reimagining of the space once occupied by the Hard Rock Cafe and Friar’s Tavern, offering consumers a refreshed design and a convenient and interactive retail experience while paying homage to its predecessor’s iconic history and musical roots.

“We are honored to bring the Yonge Dundas shopper an enhanced shopping experience in the heart of the city while preserving one of Toronto’s most beloved landmarks,” said Anthony Spina, senior vice president, national operation, Shoppers Drug Mart.  “Shoppers Drug Mart locations are an integral part of communities across the country.  Recognizing the importance of this location to the local community, our team worked to bring all the exceptional conveniences of a modern Shoppers Drug Mart – including digital screens, ecommerce abilities and outstanding pharmacy services – while honoring the building’s rich history.  We believe we’ve captured the spirit and vibrancy of the venue, and created a unique shopping experience for Torontonians.”

Designed as a one-stop retail destination, the new store aims to simplify the downtown Toronto shopping experience for all customers while providing an enhanced offering across the beauty, pharmacy and grocery categories. Tailored to the preferences and habits of the urban shopper, the new location houses interactive technology to help Canadians select the right products for their individual needs, a refreshed pharmacy look and feel and an enhanced convenience food offering, providing customers with fresh and healthy items they can grab on the go.

“When we started construction on the Yonge Dundas location, we knew it was essential to deliver a fresh new look and feel while still meeting the unique needs of the urban shopper,” said Chong Bang, senior vice president, Merchandising, Shoppers Drug Mart. “As a proud member of the Yonge Dundas community, we look forward to continuing to deliver unparalleled health, wellness and beauty expertise all under one roof.”

Key features of the new location include:

beautyBOUTIQUE: Quo Beauty Wall and Indie Beauty selection – Located within the Enhanced beautyBOUTIQUE, the Quo digital wall provides consumers with beauty information tailored to their selections and preferences. The enhanced beautyBOUTIQUE location also offers a rotating selection of unique indie beauty brands for customers to explore.  Customers will also have access to the expertise of Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Experts and services such as personalized skin care consultations and make-up applications.

Historic Tribute to Yonge and Dundas Square – A tribute to the significant role this space played in the rise of Canada’s musical and pop culture scene from the 1950’s as Friar’s Tavern through to its time as the notable Hard Rock Cafe. This space will include artifacts from these venues as well as memorabilia from some of Toronto’s music legends, in addition to an interactive timeline that allows shoppers to see historical highlights come to life through photos and video.

Enhanced convenience food offering – As experts in health and wellness and now a division of Loblaw, Shoppers Drug Mart is committed to offering customers an assortment of fresh and healthy food items that can be purchased on the go. At the Yonge Dundas store, customers can find a great assortment of food including: fresh produce, PC Kabobs, pork chops, ground beef, burgers, chicken breast, sausages, and salmon, grocery items such as cereals, soups condiments, ice cream and various frozen foods, ready-to-eat food such as sandwiches, wraps, sushi, as well as fresh pastas, sauces, quiche and meat pies. 

Pharmacy – The location is owned and operated by Andrew Yeh, who has been a pharmacist in the Yonge and Dundas community for the past ten years.  In addition to the full-service pharmacy, the store’s offering will include digital pharmacy, where patients can manage their prescriptions online, and compliance pack services so patients can have their medications organized by date and dosage time in blister packaging.

Full service Canada Post post office – Customers will have the choice of visiting staffed counters or a self-serve shipping station to make purchases and send parcels at their convenience. The unique self-serve technology allows customers to print shipping labels or stamps, drop off parcels in a secure drop box and pay by debit or credit before receiving a receipt with the tracking number, giving customers greater control over their parcel shipping experience.

Over the Canada Day long weekend, the new Yonge and Dundas location invites everyone to stop by and explore the new store, while taking advantage of special offers and experiences.