Lululemon Flagship Store To Open On Vancouver's Robson Street

MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 10: A sign hangs on a Lululemon Athletica on December 10, 2013 in Miami, Florida. Lululemon Athletica, Inc. named Laurent Potdevin as their new chief executive and said founder Chip Wilson will step down as chairman after Wilson recently issued a formal apology for remarks he made about how 'some women's bodies just don't actually work' for his company's yoga pants. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Lululemon is set to open a new flagship store in Vancouver, further cementing Robson Street as a retail hub.

The store will be located at the southeast corner of Robson and Burrard Streets, across from Victoria's Secret, Retail Insider reported on Monday.

The move comes as Lululemon is looks to open stores on streets rather than malls, founder Chip Wilson said in a talk at the International Council of Shopping Centres conference in Whistler on Jan. 27.

The yoga retailer has applied for a building permit to develop space that used to house a Blenz coffee shop and a New Balance shoe store, Business in Vancouver reported.

The move comes after a difficult 2013 for the chain. First, Lululemon was mired in a controversy over its Lu-On pants after customers complained they were too sheer. People were apparently being asked to bend over for a refund, although the company later denied that was the case.

Then in November, Wilson appeared to blame the pants' issues on women, saying in a TV interview that some bodies just don't work for its clothes.

The area is hopping with major retail developments. Old Navy opened on Granville Street last year and the old Sears building is being remodeled for a Nordstrom location scheduled to open in early 2015.