Le Château

Le Château Inc. is a fashion company founded in 1959 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that designs, imports and retails a wide range of women's and men's apparel, accessories and footwear. In 2006, the company generated sales of nearly $303.88 million CAD. The company sells directly to customers with over 232 retail stores in Canada, one in the New York metropolitan area, as well as five throughout the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. As of 2007, Le Château employed more than 3,000 people worldwide. Le Château manufactures about 35% of the merchandise itself in Canadian factories with the remainder being imported.

History

Early years: 1959-1982

Founded by Herschel Segal in 1959, as "Le Chateau Men's Wear", it began as a menswear store in downtown Montreal's Victoria Square, formerly called Craig St.and on St. Catherine's Street, a bustling shopping district at the time and a third store in Verdun on Wellington street. Segal gave his store a French name because of the budding francophone feelings occurring in Quebec. At first, Le Château was not a "fashion-forward" store, as it would later become, as Segal sold overstock from his father's old store. In 2003, Segal described his early customers as "old ... blue-haired ladies." Le Château did well at first, and three more stores were opened. However, by the early 1960s the company was close to bankruptcy, and all but the original store were closed.

Château de Chenonceau

The Château de Chenonceau (French: [ʃa.to də ʃə.nɔ̃.so], also spelled Chenonceaux) is a French château spanning the River Cher, near the small village of Chenonceaux in the Indre-et-Loire département of the Loire Valley in France. It is one of the best-known châteaux of the Loire valley.

The estate of Chenonceau is first mentioned in writing in the 11th century. The current château was built in 1514–1522 on the foundations of an old mill and was later extended to span the river. The bridge over the river was built (1556-1559) to designs by the French Renaissance architect Philibert de l'Orme, and the gallery on the bridge (1570–1576) to designs by Jean Bullant.

Description

An architectural mixture of late Gothic and early Renaissance, Château de Chenonceau and its gardens are open to the public. Other than the Royal Palace of Versailles, it is the most visited château in France.

The château is classified as a Monument historique since 1840 by the French Ministry of Culture. Today, Chenonceau is a major tourist attraction and in 2007 received around 800,000 visitors.