Thyme Maternity
| Company type | Brand |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail, maternity clothing |
| Predecessor | Shirmax Fashions Ltd |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Montreal , Canada |
Area served | Canada, United States |
| Products | Maternity apparel |
| Parent | Reitmans (Canada) Limited |
| Website | www |
Thyme Maternity was reintroduced as a brand within RW&CO. retail locations and on its digital platform starting August 15, 2022. This refreshed line offers fashionable, adaptable, and practical apparel designed to support individuals through pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond with confidence.
The Thyme Maternity range became accessible online via rw-co.com on August 15 and was launched in selected RW&CO. outlets throughout Canada by September 2022.
Early history
The origins of Reitmans trace back to the early 20th century when Herman and Sarah Reitman operated a modest department store in Montreal. The establishment of the Reitmans Company followed the opening of a second location in 1926. Over the years, the company expanded steadily, introducing additional retail banners such as Smart Set, RW&CO., Penningtons, Addition Elle, and Thyme Maternity.
The Thyme Maternity brand has been in existence since at least October 1993, initially owned by Shirmax Fashions Ltd and managed through its subsidiary Shirmax Retail Ltd. This Montreal-based firm also ran Shirley K, a larger maternity apparel label. In 1999, a licensing agreement allowed a Singaporean company to operate five Thyme-branded stores.
In June 2002, Reitmans acquired Shirmax Fashions Ltd., which at that time managed 109 Addition Elle stores alongside 66 Thyme Maternity outlets.
On June 2, 2020, Reitmans declared it would shutter all Thyme Maternity locations amid restructuring efforts influenced by financial difficulties linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following this announcement, Thyme Maternity confirmed via its website that both its physical stores and online shop had ceased operations permanently.
Later, on August 15, 2022, RW&CO., a division of Reitmans (Canada) Limited, unveiled the Fall 2022 launch of the Thyme Maternity Collection. This collection became available online at rw-co.com on August 15 and was introduced in select RW&CO. stores across Canada by September 2022.
Partner Collaborations
In September 2011, Thyme Maternity introduced 10 shop-in-shop outlets within select Babies"R"Us stores across Canada and simultaneously began offering their maternity collection online at babiesrus.ca. Presently, there are 23 such retail spaces operating nationwide.
By September 2012, Thyme Maternity expanded its presence by launching 150 shop-in-shop locations in various Babies"R"Us stores throughout the United States, alongside initiating e-commerce sales on babiesrus.com. Currently, the number of these outlets in the U.S. exceeds 160.
In 2013, Thyme established a partnership with Baby Buggy, a charitable organization founded by Jessica Seinfeld that supplies essential maternity and infant products to families facing hardship. As part of this collaboration, Thyme contributed maternity and nursing apparel to expectant and new mothers across the United States.
In 2022, RW&CO. announced the introduction of the Thyme Maternity collection starting that fall.
Photography
Thyme consistently employed actual pregnant women as models for all its photographic campaigns.