Coolibop
Active Member
^ Sounds like they are using the same playbook as the Ontario provincial gov't (science centre).
So far it’s Windsor, Chinook Centre in Calgary…during Stampede week, Coquitlam,They've also closed stores in Winnipeg and Windsor. The claim is that HVAC systems are overwhelmed by the heat. One store having such a problem is believable........two at the same time, unlikely......at least 5 across 3 provinces? To the extent that its true, it would certainly reflect a complete under investment in maintenance.
Maybe the contractors got burned with Sears but not with HBC…….Even Sears Canada in its late-era decline after 2010 didn’t close stores early in the evening, turn off escalators and elevators, and shut stores down over HVAC issues.
HBC is rotten, and at this point, it’s hard to see it recovering at all.
Not much point doing promotions if many of their stores are closed!I hope that Hudson's Bay isn't filing for bankruptcy in Canada for its Canadian operations. It's promotional activity has been minimal for the past 2 weeks with no storewide promotional events.
As HBC seems to be 'circling the drain', this piece on the building of these major department stores may be of interest.
Paris’s department stores transformed urban life. What can they teach today’s struggling shops?
Inspired by opera houses, the grands magasins were astonishing spectacles, built on a pharaonic scale. A new exhibition in the French capital charts the golden age of a dying conceptwww.theguardian.com
There is an "experiential" aspect to department store that is still relevant I think - but I am afraid there is no market for experiencing tired stores. Since AC is out, they can try turning the lights off as well - shopping a la ONoir. Change rooms ought to be an interesting experience.
AoD
I can concur with that.
During my most recent trip, there were tons of tourists in both Harrods and Fortnum and Mason.
They would get store branded items to say they were there, they would walk around the store and take pictures. The floors with household goods and clothing were sparse. There were a few Emiratis walking around Harrods but for the most part it was just tourists looking to say they were there.
Marks and Spencer was similar to a lesser extent. People like myself who remember it from Canada stopped in to check it out but for the most part it was locals looking to shop for daily stuff. I found Marks and Spencer to be more relaxed version of the Queen St Bay location. You could buy clothes, shoes, etc along with groceries.
I was at the Bay in STC last weekend and noticed how tired it was. I was in and out rather quickly as I felt it was dying. The store itself was very quiet with little foot traffic. Everything was very overpriced and the store was not being maintained.
nobody likes to shop at a morgue.