Zellers
Sign in to saveZellers is a former Canadian discount store chain, currently operating only one store location in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded by Walter P. Zeller in 1928 and closed two years later, it was relaunched in 1931. It was later acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in 1978, and after a series of acquisitions and expansions, it peaked with 350 locations in 1999. However, fierce competition and an inability to adapt during the early stages of the retail apocalypse resulted in Zellers losing significant ground in the 2000s.
Key facts
- Company.name
- Zellers
- Company.logo
- Zellers logo.svg
- Company.type
- Subsidiary
- Company.founder
- Walter P. Zeller
- Company.fate
- Closed with most store leases acquired by Target Canada. A store opened in 2025 with a new owner.
- Company.industry
- Discount retail store
- Company.defunct
- (as a chain)
- Company.products
- Clothing, grocery, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewellery, beauty products, electronics, toys, sports equipment, appliances, housewares
- Company.parent
- HBC Les Ailes de la Mode
- Company.location
- Brampton, Ontario, Canada
- Company.locations
- 1
via Wikipedia infobox
~27 min read
Encyclopedic overview
26 sectionsContents
- History
- 1930s–1960s: Early years, partnership with W.T. Grant
- 1970s–1980s: Acquisitions of Field and by HBC
- 1990s: Further acquisitions
- 2000s: Decline
- 2011–2013: Lease acquisitions by Target, liquidation and closures
- 2013–2020: Liquidator
- 2021–2025: Hudson's Bay store-within-a-store relaunch
- 2025: Relaunch under Les Ailes de la Mode
- Stores
- Restaurant
- Liquidation centres
- Products
- Grocery
- Exclusive labels
- Acquired labels from Target
- Customer service
- Advertising
- Festive Finale
- Loyalty program
- Slogans
- Zeddy
- See also
- Note
- References
- External links
Zellers is a former Canadian discount store chain, currently operating only one store location in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded by Walter P. Zeller in 1928 and closed two years later, it was relaunched in 1931. It was later acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in 1978, and after a series of acquisitions and expansions, it peaked with 350 locations in 1999. However, fierce competition and an inability to adapt during the early stages of the retail apocalypse resulted in Zellers losing significant ground in the 2000s.
In January 2011, HBC announced that it would sell the lease agreements for up to 220 Zellers stores to the US chain Target. While HBC initially retained 64 Zellers locations, it announced in July 2012 that all of them would be closed by March 31, 2013. When the chain ceased, HBC converted three former stores into Zellers-branded liquidation outlets for Hudson's Bay stores, however they all had closed by January 2020.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Zellers” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
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