TORONTO – Retail experts say Canadian Tire will be a good home for Hudson’s Bay and its brands but the company will need to strike the right balance when using them on products.
They say Canadian Tire will have to weigh the integrity and heritage of the 355-year-old department store with the wealth of possibilities brands like the multi-coloured stripes bring.
Elisha Ballantyne, a Toronto-based retail consultant who has worked for Target, Walmart and Zellers, says it would make sense for Canadian Tire to keep selling striped point blankets and also extend the motif to outdoor gear.
However, Grant Packard, associate professor of marketing at York University, says if the stripes get slapped on more ubiquitous items like tennis balls, Canadian Tire runs the risk of diluting the brand.
Hudson’s Bay has not listed all of the assets beyond the stripes and overall Bay name that it will soon ask a court for permission to sell to Canadian Tire for $30 million.
Hudson’s Bay’s brands also include houseware lines Gluckstein and Distinctly Home, as well as clothing label Hudson North.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2025.
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