urbandreamer
recession proof
^Or maybe you're too old to "get" it? I found those ads incredibly sexy, and very stylish. I seek out women who look good in AA. Without that company, so many Torontonians wouldn't have a clue how to dress.
The ads are gross and not flattering at all (in my opinion).
H&M is better as is TopMan (and that's saying a lot as TopMan in Canada is pretty crappy).
They were actually saved from going under by an investment from the Serruya family of Markham. They were the family behind the rise and collapse of Yogen Fruz, though they seem to have kept that chain on life support still. They also have or had some kind of business relationship with Cold Stone Creamery in Canada. Don't AA and CSC share a building at Yonge and Gerrard?AA is still around and their ads are still pure sexy.
Having been to a number of Topmans in the U.K., I'm not sure what you find so crappy about the ones here. Unless you're talking about the Oxford Circus flagship, which isn't really a comparable, they're much the same. The Topshop/Topman in downtown Vancouver is the largest one outside the U.K. Don't disagree they're kind of crappy - just don't think that's unique to Canada.