Hudson Bay, who owned Zellers stores until the chain was closed in 2013, are re-launching the Zeller’s brand with the opening of 25 locations contained in existing Hudson Bay Stores. They are also launching a Zellers on-line store.
At launch, the Zellers shops within Hudson’s Bay will be between 8,000 – 10,000 sq ft., depending on location. The Zellers in-store experience and Zellers.ca are planned to launch simultaneously.
The Hamilton Hudson Bay Locations will not be involved but there will be Zellers operations in Burlington Mall and in the Pen Centre in St Catharines. There actually was a pilot project with opening a Zellers division in Burlington Mall in 2021, and at the time Hudson Bay suggested there could be more Zellers opening if the project proved successful.
Another factor that may play into the decision is a lawsuit that Hudson Bay has launched against a Quebec Company which it accuses of poaching the Zellers brand. Some observers suggest the Zeller’s launch is a strategy to protect Hudson Bay’s copyright on the brand.
When Zellers closed in 2013, many of its locations were leased to the US retail chain Target in their ill-fated foray into the Canadian retail landscape.
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