Northern Light
Superstar
Saks Fifth Avenue is being rebranded to Hudson's Bay, and Hudson's Bay is being rebranded to Zellers?
No.
But that would be funny!
|
|
|
No.
But that would be funny!
Northern Light
Superstar
And it's now public..........as hinted at recently............
MEC is opening up store-in-store inside HBC stores.
The story is up at Retail-Insider:
retail-insider.com
From the above:
The first 3 outposts will be GTA-area HBC stores, at Queen Street, Yorkdale and Square One, generally occupying the space previously allocated to Forever 21.
Supposedly, except for the absence of some services such as ski-waxing these will be full-line MEC stores. However, they are only 7000-12,000ft 2 as compared to
27,000-34000 for recent full-build MEC stores, so I question whether there is really room for a full assortment.
More detail over at R-I, just follow the link!
MEC is opening up store-in-store inside HBC stores.
The story is up at Retail-Insider:
MEC to Open within Hudson’s Bay Stores: Interviews with MEC CEO & Hudson’s Bay President Wayne Drummond
It’s a “Canadian retail marriage made in heaven” as Vancouver-based Mountain Equipment Company prepares to open its own stores within Hudson’s Bay locations as part of an omni-channel partnership.
retail-insider.com
From the above:
The first 3 outposts will be GTA-area HBC stores, at Queen Street, Yorkdale and Square One, generally occupying the space previously allocated to Forever 21.
Supposedly, except for the absence of some services such as ski-waxing these will be full-line MEC stores. However, they are only 7000-12,000ft 2 as compared to
27,000-34000 for recent full-build MEC stores, so I question whether there is really room for a full assortment.
More detail over at R-I, just follow the link!
Last edited:
Northern Light
Superstar
Took them a bit longer than I thought................
Zellers Stores to be Revived by Hudson’s Bay Company [Exclusive]
The 2.0 retail concept will include Zellers locations within Hudson’s Bay department stores as well as an online portal.
retail-insider.com
HBC is reviving the Zellers brand as both an ecommerce site and physical stores, the latter of which are planned to be inside current 'Bay' stores (which will remain Bay stores as well).
The stores should be up and running sometime (likely in the 1st 1/2) of 2023.
Not yet clear how large these new stores will be or how they will separated from 'The Bay' physically within their footprints.
Retail-Insider has a bit more at the link above; with more details to be released in the months ahead.
Comments: I can see a potentially successful path in resuscitating the brand I have extreme difficulty envisioning that with the store-within-store concept discussed. To me the 'ideal' of Zellers
is essentially an over-sized dollar store with a bit of nostalgic cache and that doesn't jive well with the positioning of Hudson's Bay Company as an upper-middle store with more of an emphasis (in theory) on quality.
I find HBC's current retail strategy.....odd.
Last edited:
Bayer
Senior Member
It would be fascinating, on Queen St., if it were necessary to walk through Zellers to reach Saks.
Northern Light
Superstar
I don't disagree.
One would tend to think, if there were a place for such a brand, it would be in the 'bargain basement' in such stores.
Yet, that's where Pusateri's can be found.
As noted, I can't wrap my head around this strategy which, also involves MEC inside the 'The Bay' and various other retailers as well.
It appears as though they are moving towards 'The Bay' being a brand only, a brand associated with being the home of other brands.
Its very odd. We already have a retail concept for this, its called the shopping mall. LOL
The only difference being, the malls actually own their real estate, where HBC has largely divested itself of its.
So it's a sub-letting landlord.......sort of......
Richard White
Senior Member
I can see the Bay becoming its own brand like it was in the 70s with Hudsons Bay Rum, Hudsons Bay Oil, etc.
Undead
Senior Member
Re Zellers, I told ya... lol
Northern Light
Superstar
Yes, yes you did!
soundmuseum
Active Member
The Bay should just re-open the Bloor and Yonge location as Zellers. They won't have to change a thing!
Jonny5
Senior Member
I wasn't really old enough to be buying any stuff there before it was gone, though my mother says she distinctly remembers shopping at Zellers and emphatically disagrees that it was ever a "discount brand," as the media is portraying it today, but was in fact "overpriced on everything" and usually out of stock on anything you wanted, which, hey, that's a lot like the Bay. My mother may be biased though as she worked at K-Mart in the early 70's somewhere in Mississauga (she can't recall exactly where that K-Mart was and remembers only that it was close to the QEW but I've always wondered its location).Took them a bit longer than I thought................
Zellers Stores to be Revived by Hudson’s Bay Company [Exclusive]
The 2.0 retail concept will include Zellers locations within Hudson’s Bay department stores as well as an online portal.
HBC is reviving the Zellers brand as both an ecommerce site and physical stores, the latter of which are planned to be inside current 'Bay' stores (which will remain Bay stores as well).
The stores should be up and running sometime (likely in the 1st 1/2) of 2023.
Not yet clear how large these new stores will be or how they will separated from 'The Bay' physically within their footprints.
Retail-Insider has a bit more at the link above; with more details to be released in the months ahead.
Comments: I can see a potentially successful path in resuscitating the brand I have extreme difficulty envisioning that with the store-within-store concept discussed. To me the 'ideal' of Zellers
is essentially an over-sized dollar store with a bit of nostalgic cache and that doesn't jive well with the positioning of Hudson's Bay Company as an upper-middle store with more of an emphasis (in theory) on quality.
I find HBC's current retail strategy.....odd.
I do remember the Zellers in-store restaurant though and if they bring back the plate of fries and gravy for $2 I'll be there.
Last edited:
Northern Light
Superstar
Zeller's was unquestionably the discount arm of Hudson's Bay Company, with apologies to your mother, her memory is off.
The price profile was very similar to K-Mart.
Their slogan, for a time, was 'The Lowest Price is the Law'
Now, it's fair to say, when Wal-Mart came along in Canada they were getting slightly under-cut on price, though not hugely, for the most part.
I was not a big Zellers shopper by the time I was spending my own money; but I can't say I recall them having wide-spread in-stock issues. Target certainly did. (which replaced Zellers)
****
Of note, K-Mart Canada was bought out by Zellers. (well HBC, and folded into Zellers).
Woolco (the former Woolworths) was bought out by Walmart as its entry to Canada.
****
Zellers did have execution issues under HBC, it rarely made much money, though it rarely lost much money; their challenge was that they were rarely the cheapest, and yet they rarely offered a compelling reason to shop there otherwise.
Last edited:
Northern Light
Superstar
Zellers former CEO, now a Prof. at Columbia University had weighed in with his thoughts via BNN Bloomberg:
www.bnnbloomberg.ca
In a word; 'Ouch'.
Zellers' revival: Former Sears Canada CEO on its comeback - BNN Bloomberg
Hudson’s Bay's revival of Zellers could be an effort to fill underperforming retail space, Mark Cohen, the former chief executive officer of Sears Canada, said
www.bnnbloomberg.ca
In a word; 'Ouch'.
When I lived in a small town, zellers was the only department type store. I bought a lot of kids clothes there, sheets, small appliances and so on. It was like Target. Not top of the line but better than k Mart IMO. (I’m going back 35 years here). What I couldn’t get at Zellers, I ordered in from the Sears catalogue.
Bayer
Senior Member
I walked through the basement at Hudson's Bay on Queen this morning... Pusateri appears to be 95% empty, only a few counters are operational, and countless shelves would be ready to receive lots of cheap clothing. How about calling it "Zellers at Pusateri"?
Northern Light
Superstar
Pusateri was the most successful part of Sak's before the pandemic emptied out the Financial District.....
The banks are all forcing a lot of people back at least 3 days per week beginning in September.
I imagine, but don't know, that Pusateri's will be reopened in line w/that.
The rest of Sak's, however, is a waste of space at current hours.
I'd be inclined to merge it back into Hudson's Bay Company space; they could then try out Zellers on one of the upper floors. I'd typically say discount belongs in the basement, but it seems like an odd juxtaposition w/Pusateri's.