Canada’s last LCDH closing
Canada’s last LCDH closing. In the heyday of the La Casa del Habano in Canada, the Habanos franchise had four stores in the North American country. Montreal, Vancouver, Windsor, and Toronto. And in a few days, the last remaining one will close its doors permanently. Actually, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the location in Montreal has been closed except for mail orders and curbside pickups for a while. All the farewell events that the store had planned have been canceled.
The Montreal location opened its doors in 1996 and was a very popular destination for cigar smokers. The shop was frequented by locals and by many international travelers who could buy any Cuban brand available except for Punch. Punch is not sold in Canada due to trademark issues. The decision to close the Montreal location came straight from the Habanos board in Cuba.
La Casa del Habano
Currently there are over 150 La Casa del Habano locations worldwide, in over 110 cities. A complete list can be found here. The franchise was founded in 1990, when the distributor for Cuban Cigars, Max Gutmann, opened the first La Casa del Habano shop. When the Cubatabaco and Imperial Brands founded Habanos, the concept started taking shape, and in the years after the franchise concept rolled out globally, with La Casa del Habano stores on every inhabited continent and in countries where you wouldn’t expect cigar shops.
Will Canada be the biggest developed country without a La Casa del Habano? Well, besides the United States that is, where Cuban cigars aren’t allowed to be sold due to the embargo that has been in place for 60 years. Probably not. The location in Windsor, Ontario is planning to re-open this summer. In 2017, a neighboring building caught on fire destroying the La Casa del Habano. But after three long years, the re-opening is on track for 2020 although the current pandemic might cause delays.
