Article content The story of is a retail recounting that starts in Montreal but quickly grows to encompass much more of Canada. From one store opened by founder Henry Birks on Saint James Street in 1879, the fine jewelry business followed the expansion of the Canadian railway to venture farther across the vast terrain. “Henry and his three sons decided to open stores almost as the trans-Canadian railway was being built,” says Jean-Christophe Bédos, president and CEO of Birks Group.
“You could feel with the history of Birks, how close it is to the history of Canada. Of Canada becoming a nation to the point where we have stores along the railway. We have Toronto, we have Ottawa, Saskatoon, Winnipeg.
We have Calgary, all the way to Vancouver. “And by the mid-20th century, all those stores were open. And Birks became a national retailer.
” While founded in Canada, the corporate mark of Birks can be traced to Sheffield, U.K., a hub of silversmithing, in 1694.
It’s that family tie that led the founders to first lean in to the expertise and legacy with the precious metal. was in every Canadian household. I mean, Birks was accompanying every Canadian family.
” One-hundred-and-forty-five years later, silver isn’t a category of emphasis for Birks as it once was — “the silverware business has disappeared from Birks,” The category of fine jewelry, engagement rings — and, recently, high jewelry or the ‘haute couture’ of jewelry — taps into the company’s Roy.
