Zellers Opens First 12 Stores in Ontario, Alberta—13 More to Come

A shopper picks up an item at a newly-opened Zellers store in Scarborough Town Centre Mall, in Scarborough, Ont., on March 23, 2023. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)

The Zellers-comeback has begun with 12 stores opening across Alberta and Ontario on March 23.

Parent company Hudson’s Bay Co. (HBC) closed most Zellers stores in 2013, with only two hanging on until 2020. The new 10,000-square-foot Zellers locations are within Hudson’s Bay stores, and another 13 will be phased in across the country.

The Ontario locations include two in the GTA, two in Ottawa, as well as locations in Burlington, London, St. Catharine’s, Cambridge, and Kingston. The three Alberta stores are in Edmonton, Medicine Hat, and Calgary.

British Columbia is set to get four stores, three in and around Vancouver and one in Kamloops. Saskatchewan and Manitoba will each get one, Nova Scotia will get two, and Quebec will get five.

Zellers launched a new website and a new brand, Anko.

Anko is exclusive to Zellers within Canada, HBC spokesperson Tiffany Bourré told The Canadian Press. It includes clothing for all ages, toys, home and living products, and pet products.

Zellers first opened its doors amid the Great Depression. Founder Walter P. Zeller was born in Waterloo County, Ont., in 1890 and began his career in the F.W. Woolworth Company’s stockroom in 1912, according to HBC’s website.

He opened his chain in 1928 with locations in a few Ontario cities. It was acquired by an American retailer, but he bought it back with his life savings in 1931.

“It is a critical time,” Zeller told the press in 1931, “but as a Canadian who has availed himself of many opportunities to study other countries, I place my faith in Canada.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this article.