Hudson’s Bay Co. says Zellers will debut a new e-commerce site and expand its footprint to select Hudson’s Bay department stores across the country in early 2023. The company says the revamped Zellers will offer “a digital-first shopping journey that taps into brand nostalgia.” Initial stock will include homewares, furniture and toys, while apparel will be introduced later in the year. The company also plans to launch a private label, according to the announcement. Zellers’ comeback comes as rising inflation drives consumers to discount retailers in search of lower prices. Following Hudson’s Bay’s announcement Tuesday that outdoor retailer MEC will open stores at three Bay department store locations this fall. It also comes amid an ongoing lawsuit over the use of the Zellers brand by a Quebec family. The Moniz family is behind several recent trademark applications and corporate registrations, including Zellers Inc., Zellers Convenience Store Inc. and Zellers Restaurant Inc. In a statement of claim filed last fall, HBC accused the Moniz family of trademark infringement, understatement of goodwill and so-called passing off — misleading marketing or counterfeiting of goods.
Most of the stores closed by 2013
Hudson’s Bay has launched a Zellers pop-up store at Hudson’s Bay Department Stores in Burlington, Ont. and in Anjou, Que., in 2021. (Anis Heydari/CBC) Zellers department store was founded in 1931 and acquired by HBC in 1978. It operated as the discount department of the iconic Hudson’s Bay department stores, with the slogan “Where the lowest price is the law”. The store peaked at about 350 locations in the late 1990s, before losing ground to big-box competitors like Walmart. In 2011, HBC announced plans to sell most of its remaining Zellers leases to Target Corp., closing most stores by 2013. The retailer has kept a handful of Zellers locations open as clearance locations through 2020. The company opened a Zellers pop-up store at Hudson’s Bay Department Stores in Burlington, Ont. and Anjou, Que., in 2021.
