La Maison Simons - History

History

La Maison Simons was founded by the Simons family in 1840 in Quebec City, and is headquartered in that city. The store began operations as Simons House, where retail operations began in 1889. Simons is a retail chain consisting in seven store locations, currently headed by Peter Simons. The birth of the family business took place in 1812. Peter Simons who was born in Scotland in 1785 settled in the Quebec City area where he lived on a farm and raised his family including his five children. His 17 year-old son, John Simons, opened a dry goods store where he sold imported products from England and Scotland. In 1870, La Maison Simons moved to its current location at 20 côte de la Fabrique. From this time on the store grew to be even more successful. In 1952 the Postwar boom brought brand new market opportunities. This is when Donald Simon entered the company and led the store into a new era, transforming it into a department store where it became leader in popular fashion. As well as high quality fashion, La Maison Simons sells home decor. 1961 marked a turning point for Simons as it entered a growth phase with its new store in Place Sainte-Foy where home decor was introduced as well as new brands for men and women in their thirties and forties. In 2012, Simons expands to its seventh location at the West Edmonton Mall.