Canadian Tire’s acquisition of Hudson’s Bay’s intellectual property could mark the beginning of a transformation in Canadian retail — if the retailer seizes the full potential of the brands it has acquired. That’s the view of retail executive advisor and Principal at Retail Strategy Group, Liza Amlani, who sees both immediate and long-term opportunities to leverage iconic Hudson’s Bay brands and imagery in ways that could rejuvenate Canadian Tire’s assortment, customer experience, and even international presence.
“I’m really excited about what the future holds for Canadian Tire,” said Amlani in an interview with Retail Insider. “They could really use some freshness in their product assortment. Buying into the categories from the Bay could really help them — taking hero products like the blankets, the stripes — and creating product stories throughout the store.”
Stripes, Storytelling, and New Customer Experiences
At the heart of the opportunity, Amlani said, lies the famous Hudson’s Bay multicolour stripe design, rooted in the company’s 18th-century fur trading origins. That design, she believes, could be brought into new retail categories that resonate strongly with Canadian Tire’s customer base — including outdoor living, camping, cottage life, and seasonal goods.
“There’s a lot of opportunity to create product stories throughout the store,” she explained. “Think about incorporating the stripes into Yetis, or camping gear. It could be really cool — capturing both new customers and loyal Bay customers. And we know they have the loyalty data. They can leverage that to personalize not only a shopping experience but get the customer excited again.”
Amlani also sees potential for Canadian Tire to experiment with smaller-format stores that focus on tightly curated assortments built around these iconic brands. “I would love to see GlucksteinHome with its own small store footprint,” she said, referring to one of the private labels Canadian Tire now owns. “Even the private labels like Hudson North and Distinctly Home could plug right into Canadian Tire’s banners, including Mark’s Work Warehouse.”
The key, she emphasized, is curation and storytelling. “This isn’t about just adding more SKUs. This is an opportunity to elevate the assortment and create real excitement.”
An International Opportunity: Bringing Hudson’s Bay Abroad
Beyond Canada’s borders, Amlani believes Canadian Tire could also test international waters by reintroducing Hudson’s Bay stripes and branding in global markets where Canadians maintain strong cultural connections.
“I’d love to see them in airports, pop-up stores, or even partner with someone like Marks & Spencer in the UK,” she suggested. “There are a lot of Canadians living in the US and the UK who would embrace this. You could create a small log cabin-type store with curated seasonal products, stripes, and storytelling.”
Unlocking the Power of Loyalty and AI
One advantage Canadian Tire brings to the table is its sophisticated use of customer data through its Triangle Rewards program — now bolstered by Hudson’s Bay loyalty data acquired in the deal. That combination opens new possibilities for highly personalized retail strategies.
“Imagine combining Triangle Rewards and the Bay’s loyalty program — that’s winning, if they use it properly,” said Amlani. “They’ve already made great strides with AI and CRM, partnering with Microsoft to build store-level tools that could now connect customers directly to new storytelling opportunities behind the product assortment.”
The Court-Approved Acquisition: How Canadian Tire Secured the IP
The opportunity now in front of Canadian Tire stems from a deal approved this week by Ontario Superior Court Justice Peter Osborne. The $30,001,670 purchase price secured Canadian Tire the intellectual property portfolio of Hudson’s Bay Company after an extensive, court-supervised sales process.
The approval came only two days after Hudson’s Bay permanently closed its remaining Canadian stores, ending over 300 years of continuous retail operations that began as a fur trading enterprise. The ruling also authorized a receivership process for the real estate joint venture between Hudson’s Bay and RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust.
During the hearing, Ashley Taylor, counsel for Hudson’s Bay from Stikeman Elliott LLP, confirmed that no parties opposed the transaction, and described the sales process as “robust.” Reflect Advisors LLC conducted a global marketing effort that targeted 407 prospective bidders. While 17 bids were received, none proposed acquiring Hudson’s Bay as a going concern.
According to a confidential memorandum circulated to buyers in March 2025, Hudson’s Bay sought $82 million in first-year funding to support a turnaround strategy involving six stores and its e-commerce platform. However, no buyer was willing to make the required financial commitment.
Former Hudson’s Bay president Bonnie Brooks reportedly explored a potential bid of approximately $13.5 million — though no formal offer was ever made. Weihong (Ruby) Liu, who separately acquired the rights to 28 Hudson’s Bay store leases, invested an estimated $300 million in acquiring those properties and leasehold interests. The name of her new store will be Ruby Liu.
A Wealth of Historic Brands and Private Labels
Canadian Tire’s acquisition includes many of Hudson’s Bay’s most valuable historic trademarks, logos, and private-label brands. The multicolour stripe design, known globally as part of the company’s signature point blankets, is among the most recognizable assets. The Hudson’s Bay coat of arms, featuring two stags flanking a shield, was also included.
Beyond the iconic imagery, Canadian Tire now owns well-known slogans such as “The Official Store of Christmas,” “Bay Days,” “More than you came for,” and “Because…the lowest price is the law.” Additional slogans include “Canada’s cutest baby,” “Truly Canadian,” and “Shopping is good.”
Several private-label brands that were once exclusive to Hudson’s Bay are also now controlled by Canadian Tire, including Black Brown 1826, Distinctly Home, Hudson North, Nordic Fleece, and Beaumark Appliances. The Zellers brand — revived by Hudson’s Bay in 2023 — was excluded from the sale.
Integrating Across Canadian Tire’s Banner Ecosystem
Amlani sees Canadian Tire’s multi-banner retail structure as uniquely positioned to integrate these newly acquired assets. With banners that include Canadian Tire, Mark’s, SportChek, Party City, and Pro Hockey Life, the retailer could extend Hudson’s Bay product lines far beyond their traditional department store environment.
“Imagine Mark’s doing an apparel line with stripes. Or seasonal patio and garden products at Canadian Tire with the Hudson North or Distinctly Home labels. Even the coat of arms could add heritage appeal to outdoor gear,” Amlani suggested.
Canadian Tire’s ongoing True North Plan — a strategy focused on customer data, loyalty integration, and merchandise curation — could serve as the ideal framework for maximizing the value of the acquired brands.
“Everything fits together like a puzzle,” said Amlani. “The path to success is to leverage these hero products and build a merchandising strategy that’s exciting, delightful, and purposeful.”
Caution Against Reviving the Full Hudson’s Bay Banner
Despite the rich potential of the intellectual property, Amlani is clear that reviving full Hudson’s Bay department stores would not be a wise strategy.
“I do not see full HBC stores run by Canadian Tire. The Bay banner doesn’t come with a lot of confidence anymore. The decline has been visible for quite some time,” she said. “Leave the past behind. Create something new and exciting.”
Instead, she argues Canadian consumers are ready for an elevated retail experience. “Canadian customers want exciting product and a delightful shopping experience. Give it to them.”
Potential Collaboration with Ruby Liu’s New Department Stores
Interestingly, Amlani also noted the possibility of Ruby Liu — who now controls 28 former Hudson’s Bay store locations — collaborating with Canadian Tire by licensing the HBC brands.
“She absolutely should do that. Even buying it wholesale from Canadian Tire and creating a shop-in-shop could work well, especially as these stores will operate inside former Bay locations,” Amlani said.
A Turning Point for Canadian Retail
With this historic acquisition complete, Canadian Tire now holds a rare opportunity to reshape parts of Canadian retail — not by simply replicating Hudson’s Bay, but by reimagining its best-known symbols for a new generation of consumers.
“They can absolutely do something special here,” said Amlani. “They just need the creativity and excitement to execute it.”
did someone buy Zellers trademark?
The trademark on the logo itself expired in 2020, I guess no one was checking the mail at the HBC offices.
Back in 2021, Retail-Insider reported on the Moniz family of Quebec opening two Zellers stores in that province, and registering the trademarks for themselves; HBC filed lawsuit. There was also a Kmart owned by the same family.
I do wonder if the whole Zellers store-in-store was to try and re-establish the trademark, as much as it was to try and reach a wider selection of customers. (Same thing for the food truck that they branded “Zellers Restaurant” and toured a small number of the stores.)
While the original trademark was expunged, Hudson Bay Company ULC applied for a new trademark in 2021, and the latest action was an “extension of time” for the application on February 13, 2025, so probably the sale was more of paperwork on the application than an actual trademark. (At some point, the application was transferred to The Bay Partnership Limited.)
Zellers Marketplace is listed as “Searched” by The Bay Limited Partnership, but Zellers Plaza and Zellers Restaurant are still live applications from Zellers Inc. in La Trinité-Des-Monts, which I presume to be the Moniz family.
Mixed emotions as its sad Hudson’s Bay couldn’t survive and that history is now forever gone but also exciting to see what Canadian Tire has in store for the brand. Its nice to see it survive in some form instead of being a memory. Wonder what HBC is doing with Zellers? Is that brand being sold to someone else? We need to know!!!
I’m so happy to hear this as someone who worked for the bay I’m proud to be connected to this Canadian company and very happy the bay is backin Canadian hands where it should of always been
I remember a really catchy Hudson’s Bay Commercial that stated….”Come on Canada…Meet you at the Bay!” I will miss Hudson’s Bay…However my favourite Canadian Department Store was one Hudson’s Bay owned from 1978-1991…Simpsons. Especially the 176 Yonge and Queen Store. Also the Bay was my first Credit Card opened when I was a Student at McGill University in Montreal back in 1984. It was an Orange/White Hue and looked similar to an EATON’S Account Card…with a little wedge on the right side of it. I still have it along with my Simpsons Charge Account…and had a HUDSON’S BAY Neo Mastercard right to the end.
The Bay should go back to what it’s flagship on Toronto was in the 90s. There were restaurants and chocolatiers which provided a unique mixed retail experience for people traversing PATH. The Bay as a department store may be over but a flagship retail experience centered around quintessentially Canadian cuisine in a retail environment for curated branded goods could be something nice and unique, think Marks & Spencer from that same era.
So so missing shopping at The Bay
Glad steps are bringing taken. Pls send on line link for purchasing.
Thanks