Zellers Returns to Canada as Chain Set to Open 25 Stores Nationwide

A transport truck is seen outside a Zellers store in Lynn Valley in North Vancouver, B.C., July, 26, 2012. (JONATHAN HAYWARD/The Canadian Press)

The iconic Zellers department store, which had most of its Canadian stores shut down by 2013, is set to make a comeback.

On Jan. 18, a news release announced the opening of 25 stores inside Hudson’s Bay locations across Canada this year, as well as an online store.

“Opening in communities across the country, the brick-and-mortar locations will complement the first-ever Zellers.ca ecommerce site, ultimately bringing Zellers to nearly every community in Canada,” said Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), which owns Zellers.

The Bay first announced in August 2022 that the discount department store would return to Canada sometime in 2023 at a variety of locations, including four stores in British Columbia, four stores in Alberta, one in Winnipeg, one in Saskatoon, nine in Ontario, five in Quebec, and two in Nova Scotia.

“Zellers and Zellers.ca will deliver a digital-first shopping journey that taps into the nostalgia of the brand Canadians know and love, while introducing a refreshed identity and a unique and exciting product assortment for families at everyday value,” said the company last summer.

The Zellers section within Hudson’s Bay’s existing stores will be between 8,000 to 10,000 sq ft., depending on location. The Zellers in-store experience and Zellers.ca are planned to launch simultaneously, the company said.

More stores could follow, HBC said. The initial opening date has not yet been announced.

New Look

HBC has said Zellers is returning with a “refreshed identity” as well as a new in-house private label, that it called a “design-led, value driven private brand.”

The store will sell housewares and home décor, furniture, baby items, small appliances, toys, and pet accessories, plus grow their offerings and include clothing.

A new Twitter account for Zellers has the slogan “New Year New Us” as its branding, and promises to “become Canada’s go-to for design and value, from lifestyle to home and almost everything in between.”

Zellers was first conceived in 1931 and HBC bought the discount department store in 1978, operating with the slogan, “Where the lowest price is the law.”

In the 1990s, Zellers had 350 locations. But by 2011, with fierce competition from Walmart and other stores, Zellers was sold to Target. The U.S-based retailer initially opened inside old Zellers stores rebranding as Target, but closed most Canadian stores by 2013. A few locations were kept as outlet stores, but ultimately these last liquidation locations closed by 2020.