Laura is a Canadian women’s wear boutique chain. From a single boutique in Montreal, Quebec, Laura Canada has grown to 200 stores (26 of which are double concept stores and 36 being triple concept stores) with plans for continued expansion and growth.
Founded in 1930 by Laura Wolstein, the first Laura store was located on St. Hubert Street, Montreal and later moved to Verdun Avenue in Verdun, a suburb of Montreal. It was a successful women’s wear boutique catering to meet the fashion needs of women seeking exceptional service and quality merchandise. Mrs. Wolstein's daughter and son-in-law, Gertrude and Leonard Fisher, were actively involved in the business for a number of years.
Laura Canada remained a one-store operation until 1973 when Kalman Fisher, grandson of Laura Wolstein, and now President of Laura Canada, opened a second store in a small shopping centre in the Montreal suburb of St. Laurent. A third store was opened in Place Vertu in 1975, followed by another in les Galeries d'Anjou in 1976.
The success of these first stores, coupled with the company’s mandate to provide exceptional merchandise and customer service, laid the foundation for Laura Canada’s continued growth. Over the years, Laura Canada has increased its holdings by expanding throughout Quebec and by expanding into Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. New concepts were also developed to meet the diverse fashion needs of Canadian women. Today, in addition to the original Laura concept, of which there are 72 locations, Laura Canada offers three additional divisions: Laura Petites, Laura Plus, and Melanie Lyne.
The Laura Petites division, catering to women 5' 4" and under in sizes 2 to 14, opened its first store in 1989. Since then, Laura Petites currently has 71 locations. The Laura Plus division, which offers plus fashions in sizes 14 to 24 and plus petite fashions in size 14 to 22 was launched in 1995. Today it numbers 54 locations. The higher end Melanie Lyne stores opened in 1984. There are currently 47 Melanie Lyne locations across Canada. Laura Superstores were launched in 2002 and offer fashions from Laura, Laura Petites and Laura Plus under one roof. There are 18 Laura Superstore locations.
Under the stewardship of Mr. Fisher, Laura Canada has grown to become one of the most successful chains of women's clothing stores in Canada. Laura Canada is a privately owned company.