Rebranding: 2012-2019
With many US retailers expanding into Canada, including competitor Express, and fast fashion stores such as H&M and Zara gaining market share, Le Château relaunched their brand in 2012. The company went from apparel for young shoppers to "new concept" stores carrying better quality, grown-up clothes at various price points. The rebranding was complete with a new logo and new white, sterile, more upscale stores, with nickel fixtures and glass shelving. Known for their tailored and form-fitting clothes, it sells formal wear, casual wear, evening wear, and footwear. At this point, Le Chateau had over 240 stores in Canada. While Le Château is publicly traded, the company is tightly held with 67% of shares owned by Silverstone, the company's board, executives, and two institutional investors. In addition, the shares have less than 2% of voting rights. The CEO at the time was Segal's wife, Jane Silverstone-Segal, following her promotion during the 2008 restructuring.
To further the new company direction, Le Château clothes were featured in the Canadian film, After the Ball, featuring stars such as Chris Noth, Portia Doubleday and Lauren Holly. The movie was released across Canada in early 2015. Le Chateau used this opportunity to launch a clothing line named Lauren's Closet, a fashion line inspired by Lauren Holly.
In 2017, Le Château delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange, and relisted on the TSX Venture Exchange, because it no longer met the Toronto Stock Exchange's listing requirements.[7] The company has recently experienced significant financial trouble, with losses of $35 million a year from 2014 to 2016, and has been forced to borrow from founder Herschel Segal.[7]
