Birks rebrands as 'maison birks' and opens mono-brand stores amid increased competition

Iconic Canadian jeweller Birks has just changed its name to ‘Maison Birks’, and it’s opening new boutiques carrying only Birks-branded jewelry. These moves are partly a response to increased competition within Canada’s premium jewelry market.

The first “mono-brand” Maison Birks opened last week at Mapleview Shopping Centre in Burlington Ontario, and a second opens this week at Montreal’s Quartier DIX30. More mono-brand Maison Birks stores will follow. The new stores are relatively small. The Mapleview Birks is 1,385 square feet, and the Quartier DIX30 Birks is about 1,500 square feet. As a comparison, Birks’ largest stores are in the 15-20,000 square foot range.