Canadian Retail Thread

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

40 years ago today West Edmonton Mall opened!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6HjiWFR_Qk

That was charming

I have my own memories of my first visit to WEM for a spring break trip with my mom and some aunts and cousins in 1987. We spent probably about five days at the mall... we stayed at the Fantasyland Hotel and I think we left the mall once that entire time before heading to the train station to go back home. It is hard to overstate how epic that place was to a kid in the 80s.

[Coldrsx]

87' for me as well.

My friends and I had planned an entire weekend in the mall for 2020 but COVID prevented that.

[AuxTown]

I definitely hit up that submarine and water park in the late 80's as well. To a young kid from Regina, WEM was like visiting the future! Albeit a slightly dystopian future....

[Coldrsx]

Did West Edmonton Mall’s opening 40 years ago change the downtown core?

By Phil Heidenreich

It was 40 years ago this week that a relatively small city in northern Alberta saw the world’s largest shopping centre open its doors about 12 kilometres away from the downtown core.



Ever since, not only has West Edmonton Mall and the city centre in Alberta’s capital continued to evolve, but so too has the discussion about the megamall’s impact that many feared would leave downtown Edmonton in its shadow.

https://globalnews.ca/news/8188279/w...years-downtown

[zahav]

I always wanted to visit as a kid, but still have never even been to Edmonton! My brother went on a school trip from Vancouver in '94 or '95, they took a bus there. It's still hard to believe a giant mall like that was built there in the early 80s. It was pretty much the only thing I ever knew about Edmonton.

[Coldrsx]

Given that Edmonton was 521k and had a relatively small regional catch at the time this is indeed rather amazing.

Literally the largest enclosed mall in the world.

[JHikka]

Nostalgia is a powerful drug:

Zellers Store-in-Store Launches inside of Hudson’s Bay Location
By Craig Patterson, September 23, 2021

Hudson’s Bay recently launched a Zellers pop-up shop-in-store at its Burlington Centre location near Toronto, and more Zellers pop-ups could follow according to the retailer.

The Burlington Zellers pop-up is a “fun and nostalgic experience with one of HBC’s most beloved brands,” according to Hudson’s Bay which still owns the rights to the name of the Zellers chain which once had a network of stores across the country.

The Zellers pop-up at Burlington Centre features a range of products including Canada-themed apparel and home goods. Red floor tape indicates the boundaries of the Zellers space located on the second floor of the Hudson’s Bay store.

https://retail-insider.com/retail-in...cation-photos/

[esquire]

^ I think it's more than just nostalgia... there is a bit of a gap at the lower end of the market. There is Walmart, Giant Tiger and not much else. Bringing Zellers back as a brand lets HBC go after that segment again.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ I think it's more than just nostalgia... there is a bit of a gap at the lower end of the market. There is Walmart, Giant Tiger and not much else. Bringing Zellers back as a brand lets HBC go after that segment again.

I wonder if there is an opening there for the return of a Zellers standalone store?

[hipster duck]

The Zellers pop-up at Burlington Centre features a range of products including Canada-themed apparel and home goods. Red floor tape indicates the boundaries of the Zellers space located on the second floor of the Hudson’s Bay store.

https://retail-insider.com/retail-in...cation-photos/

That's not how I remember the inside of a Zellers looking. If they wanted to be authentic, they'd have vinyl flooring throughout, a higher ceiling and rows of merchandise like a Wal-Mart.

Also, if you want the true Zellers experience, you need that knock-off 50s diner they had with the checkerboard floors.

[le calmar]

The last couple of Zellers closed at the end of 2019/early 2020. Those we nothing like the Zellers of the old days, nor is this new pop-up concept it seems. They were essentially liquidation centres for HBC and Home Outfitters. I guess HBC likes to use the name for nostalgia purposes.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

That's not how I remember the inside of a Zellers looking. If they wanted to be authentic, they'd have vinyl flooring throughout, a higher ceiling and rows of merchandise like a Wal-Mart.

Also, if you want the true Zellers experience, you need that knock-off 50s diner they had with the checkerboard floors.

For sure, that dinner is an essential part of the Zellers experience!

And one more thing; the Zeddy coin ride.

[hipster duck]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

For sure, that dinner is an essential part of the Zellers experience!

And one more thing; the Zeddy coin ride.

They also need "The lowest price is the law!" printed on the walls, and there should be a TV at the front playing this commercial on repeat:

• Video Link

[q12]

Internet amused and horrified by mall's Christmas tree

Talking Christmas tree creeps people out while delighting them. CNN's Jeanne Moos reports.
Source: CNN

https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2021/1...os-pkg-vpx.cnn

(Mic Mac Mall in Dartmouth)
• Video Link

[LeftCoaster]

Saw that on reddit, it's stuff of nightmares!

[WhipperSnapper]

I forgot about the Zellers restaurants. Cheap traditional diner food.

[HomeInMyShoes]

I'm getting a Maximum Overdrive kind of vibe from the Christmas tree.

[Harrison]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

I forgot about the Zellers restaurants. Cheap traditional diner food.

I miss those diners, but I miss the 'classy' restaurants that used to be in Eaton's stores, more. So much nostalgia.

[whatnext]

This is kind of sad. It always used to be kind of cool to be on Oxford Street and pop into this Canadian-owned icon.

Weston family agrees to sell Selfridges to Central Group
SUSAN KRASHINSKY ROBERTSONRETAILING REPORTER
PUBLISHED 4 HOURS AGO

Canada’s billionaire Weston family has agreed to sell luxury department store operator Selfridges to Thailand-based corporation Central Group, according to reports.

The Westons have been considering a sale of department store assets since receiving a $6.86-billion offer from a potential buyer for Selfridges Group earlier this year.

The assets up for sale include the high-end Selfridges department-store chain, Arnotts and Brown Thomas in Ireland and de Bijenkorf in the Netherlands, according to a source with knowledge of the matter – but do not include Canadian luxury chain Holt Renfrew, which is also under Selfridges Group ownership.

The Times of London initially first reported on the deal on Thursday.

Selfridges Group declined to comment.

Selfridges was founded in 1908 by Harry Gordon Selfridge. The Westons’ private holding company, Wittington Investments Ltd., purchased Selfridges PLC for US$1-billion in 2003. It was among a number of acquisitions in luxury retail led by W. Galen Weston, who died in April. Mr. Weston first purchased a stake in Dublin-based Brown Thomas in 1971, and bought the entire business in 1983. He purchased Holt Renfrew in 1986....

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/busi...central-group/

[CivicBlues]

So now it'll be a Thai-owned British Icon that was founded by an American. What's the big deal?

Wonder if visiting Brazilians say it's cool stepping into a Brazilian-owned icon that is Tim Hortons on Robson Street