TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA - Toronto’s competitive retail market may be getting a new player in the near future if upscale Italian eatery, Eataly, gets its way.  This eclectic and diverse food lovers’ wonderland is said to be eyeing prominent Toronto locations for its first Canadian restaurants-and-store emporium, according to The Globe and Mail.

“We really want to come to Toronto,” said Adam Saper, Managing Partner and CFO at Eataly’s U.S. unit. “We are looking to make a deal.”

Saper confirmed last month that Eataly has teamed with Canada’s Weston family business, which owns Canadian luxury chain Holt Renfrew & Co., to help scout for the best place to lay Eataly’s roots.

Locations near the Holts Bloor Street West flagship store in the Yorkville area, have been visited, the publication notes.

Eataly was founded by Oscar Farinetti in Turin, Italy, in 2007 and has grown its footprint to encompass 10 stores in Italy, one in Istanbul, one in Dubai, one in Sao Paulo and 13 in Japan. In the U.S., the company has a flagship location in New York and one in Chicago.  So, if you are in Chicago for United Fresh 2015, take a trip to this amazing locale and experience the high-quality flavors, food and drink that the company is known for.

As we previously reported, Los Angeles, California is also slated to receive an Eataly location. 

Saper noted his surprise at the extent of Italian food sophistication in Toronto when he began familiarizing himself with the market a handful of years back.  The company also has a joint venture with the Weston family to launch a food hall at its luxury Selfridges department store in London.

For more coverage of Eataly’s international expansion plans, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.

 Eataly