page_title: La Maison Simons
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: La Maison Simons / History
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: La Maison Simons, 20, côte de la Fabrique, Vieux-Québec
context_page_description: La Maison Simons, commonly known as Simons, is a fashion retailer in Canada, based in the province of Quebec. It is a family business currently operated by Richard and Peter Simons. The business was established in 1840 by the son of a Scottish immigrant to Quebec as a dry goods store. In the 1960s, the focus of the business changed to a department store, incorporating youth-oriented brands. Beginning in 1981, La Maison Simons began an expansion across Quebec. In 2012, the company expanded its business to the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta first, before opening several more stores across Canada. The success of the location at the West Edmonton Mall led to the company being sought out as a key anchor tenant at malls across Canada. Primarily a privately held firm, La Maison Simons received outside investment for the first time in its history in 2018 when it sought to open a distribution centre in Quebec City.
context_section_description: Peter Simons, born in Scotland in 1785, arrived in Lower Canada in 1812, settling on a small farm near Quebec City at Beauport. Peter Simons raised a family of five, including a son, John Simons, who went on to open a small dry goods shop in Quebec City in 1840 at the age of 17. Placing an emphasis on quality merchandise, he made more than 70 crossings of the Atlantic Ocean in order to seek out quality English and Scottish goods to stock as merchandise.
  In 1870, John Simons moved his shop to 20 Côte de la Fabrique, where it remains today. Business increased following the move, and in 1952 the post-World War II boom brought new market opportunities. This is when Gordon Donald Simons entered the company and led the store into a new era, transforming it into a department store where it became leader in popular fashion with the introduction of youth-centred and fashion forward brands such as Twik, which was based on Twiggy, a cultural icon of the time.
caption: Old Quebec store and headquarters
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