The discount retailer Zellers is making a comeback at an Edmonton mall, with the brand’s operator eyeing a rollout across Canada.
Last seen inside some selective Hudson’s Bay stores in 2023, Zellers was sold to a Quebec retailer, Les Ailes de la Mode, in August, following the collapse of its former parent company.
The household name will make another return on Thursday — this time at Edmonton’s Londonderry Mall — with an emphasis on affordable family offerings.
HBC bought Zellers in 1978 and built it into a 350-store discount empire. Competition from Walmart and other big-box chains drove it into decline, with most stores closing in 2013. A decade later, HBC made a short-lived attempt to revive the brand online and within Hudson’s Bay stores.
At the heart of the new operation will be value because “that’s the one thing that never goes out of style,” said Joey Benitah, Zellers’ chief operating officer, in an interview with The Canadian Press ahead of the brand’s relaunch.
The new retailer will take over much smaller spaces in the Londonderry mall and be stocked with men’s, women’s and kids’ apparel, as well as home goods, luggage and seasonal items, but ditch other Zellers categories like toys and pharmaceuticals.
The plan is to roll the launch of the news stores in different phases, with the new location opening Thursday meant to be a teaser.
With files from the Canadian Press
