The retailer has also all but confirmed the relaunch to the Zeddy teddy bear mascot as it prepares to open 25 locations inside of Hudson’s Bay stores this spring.
Competition, a questionable real estate strategy and challenges in the value-price category are among the headwinds for the re-introduction of the Zellers brand to Canada says Bruce Winder.
The HBC-owned brand will open smaller shop-in-shops within Hudson's Bay department stores, including a mix of downtown and suburban locations across the country.
Craig and Lee talk about HBC's recent unveiling of a Zellers pop-up store-in-store in a Hudson's Bay store in Ontario. The discussion includes what's there and how it might be improved for a national rollout.
Retail Insider counts well over 700 retail locations that will shutter early on this year amid a shift in consumer preferences and an otherwise challenging time for the industry. At the same time, some analysts expressed optimism as new concepts open and expand in Canada.
The remaining two storefronts for the iconic retail chain, still owned by HBC, will finally be closing after almost all of its stores shuttered to make way for Target’s disastrous entry into Canada in 2013. At a time of unprecedented competition in the market, more chains could also fail.
Zellers will keep three stores open in suburban Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. The modified store format will include multiple Hudson's Bay Company banners. We have little other information at this time.
We're not sure if these stores will be some...