Chinese New Year is one of the biggest celebrations in the world and and with 10 per cent of Toronto’s population being Chinese, you can bet the city’s retailers will have a lot to offer.
“It’s a good idea,” H&M assistant manager Peter Quinn says. “We like to offer everybody spectacular storefronts and marketing strategies aimed at every big holiday. Chinese New Year makes sense, and it has helped a bit with sales after a slow early January.”
Wherever you look now there’s shop windows adorned in red and gold which are supposed to be lucky and prosperous in Asian culture. If you go to Eaton Centre, you now see more displays that are catering towards Chinese New Year shoppers.
Red, white and gold are popular at Abercrombie and Fitch store at the Eaton Centre (Alana Rayman/Toronto Observer)
The Eaton Centre is one of the biggest malls in Toronto with plenty of shoppers from international students to tourists at anytime of year.
“This time of year is a good time to feature these displays as a lot of people are looking for something to celebrate and it’s refreshing to see another multicultural holiday being showcased in these shops,” says Markus Holt, an Eaton Centre customer service rep.
The Bay is an anchor department store with displays that showcase Year of the Pig as soon as you enter its doors. MAC makeup specialist Adele Kerha says, “The customers love it and we’ve had a lot of dancers and artists come in. It brightens up our day too and livens things up in the store.”
Upstairs towards the designer sections, more mannequins are adorned in red dresses and Chinese lanterns scattered about.
Another shop aimed at teens, Abercrombie and Fitch, features a lot of red, white and gold fashions to draw in more customers looking for fashionable New Years looks.
Chinese New Year is on Feb. 5 and is celebrated across the GTA, including at Dragon City Mall on Spadina Avenue, Scarborough Town Centre, and Pacific Mall in Markham. It is a time for the Asian culture to get together with friends, family to celebrate the Lunar New Year and exchange gifts, food and money.