In the 1950s, the chain again began opening new locations and in 1956, opened its first self-serve location at the Norgate shopping centre in Saint-Laurent, Quebec. Zellers employees were sent to Grant stores and head office for training and the two companies made common buying trips to east Asia. In exchange, the Grant Company made available to Zellers its experience in merchandising, real estate, store development, and general administration. Grant to purchase 10 percent of Zellers shares and eventually a 51 percent ownership in 1959. Grant, a similar chain of American mass merchandise department stores. ĭuring this period of expansion, Zellers concluded a deal with W.T. In 1952, in a move to expand into Atlantic Canada, it acquired the Federal Stores chain of variety stores, adding more than 12 new Zellers locations. Within 25 years, Zellers operated 60 stores and employed 3,000 people. Almost immediately, Zellers initiated an aggressive expansion strategy. One of the locations was the original Zellers at 176 Dundas Street in London, which would remain operating until the late 1980s. Zeller promptly bought fourteen Canadian locations of the failed Schulte-United chain, all located in Southern Ontario, and relaunched Zellers in late 1931 as a store for thrifty Canadians. The announced location later became part of the Toronto Eaton Centre. Zellers advertisement in the Toronto Star for its 1931 grand opening in Toronto. 1930s–1960s: Early years, partnership with W.T. Within months, Zellers was doing such good business that they were bought out by the American firm Schulte-United Ltd but within two years, the rebranded stores went bankrupt. Sixty women were hired for the opening day working in 21 different departments. It had a total of 7,000 square feet (650 m 2) of space on the ground floor with 2,000 square feet (190 m 2) of counter space spread out around the store. The London store had a street frontage of 53 feet (16 m) and a depth of 137 feet (42 m). Catharines, Niagara Falls, Fort William and Saint John, New Brunswick as part of an effort to establish a Canada-wide chain of department stores. The plan at the start was to have stores opened in London, St. Zeller, its founder, opened his new store and head office at 176 Dundas Street in London after working for years for Metropolitan Stores, F. On Saturday, August 4, 1928, Zellers Ltd was first established in London, Ontario. ![]() However, with no standalone locations, it is seen more as a merchandise diversification for HBC stores than a revival of Zellers. Īs of 2023, the Zellers brand name has been formally reintroduced as a store-within-a-store inside over two dozen Hudson's Bay department stores, complemented by online shopping. After the chain ceased, HBC converted three Zellers-branded locations into liquidation outlets for The Bay (since renamed Hudson's Bay), with the last of those stores closing on January 26, 2020. ![]() While HBC retained 64 Zellers locations, it announced on July 26, 2012, that all of them would be liquidated and closed by March 31, 2013, due to their lack of profitability. ![]() In turn, Target announced its intention to convert many of them to Canadian locations of Target, and re-sell the remainder to other parties such as Walmart Canada, resulting in their liquidation and eventual closure. In January 2011, HBC announced that it would sell the lease agreements for up to 220 Zellers stores to the US chain Target for $1.825 billion. However, fierce competition and an inability to adapt during the retail apocalypse resulted in Zellers losing significant ground in the 2000s, and ultimately closing all remaining stores in 2013. It was acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in 1978, and after a series of acquisitions and expansions, peaked with 350 locations in 1999. Zellers was a Canadian discount store chain founded by Walter P. Clothing, grocery, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewellery, beauty products, electronics, toys, sports equipment, appliances, housewares
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