Le Château is rolling out a makeover as a higher end boutique fashion destination with the launch of redesigned stores across the country over the next five years, says senior VP sales and operations, Franco Rocchi.

The stores were redesigned in-house, based on customer and employee feedback. Meant to mimic boutiques on New York’s Fifth Avenue, the stores will feature larger change rooms, better lighting, a layout separated by style (weekend casual, work, evening, etc.), lit cubbies to showcase shoes and purses, and a streamlined focus on accessories. This moves away from the club-wear market to a more sophisticated urban-work target audience.

One of the biggest comments the team considered was that the product selection was overwhelming to consumers, Rocchi says. While the stores will maintain their current stock levels, they will be laid out to compartmentalize different styles. “It’s almost like turning the store into a fashion magazine, and each section is a page.”

The brand itself has evolved slowly over the past few years, says Rocchi, with higher end-fabrics and better quality finishes, at moderately higher prices.

“Now it’s reached the point where the evolution of our product has surpassed that of our current store design. We wanted an overt way of signaling the change [to a higher-end brand],” he says. “We felt that these elements spoke to the new direction of the brand.”

In September, it unveiled the silver and white look at its Saint-Bruno, Quebec, location, to great feedback says Rocchi. As leases expire, the rest of the chain will be redesigned, with the second location opening at Toronto’s Sherway Gardens Mall this spring.