News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 02, 2020
A Message to Our Readers
 10K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
EarthCam Time-Lapse Documents Rafael Viñoly-Designed New Stanford Hospital Construction
 42K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
Resort Town
 5.9K     0 

So what's next for the Hudson's Bay Company after this? I think they still have some operations in other fields, but the Bay was their big thing.

I know I shouldn't be picking sides, but I hope we can still keep some semblance of the name alive, for the 350+ year old legacy it represents.
 
jje1000 said:
So what's next for the Hudson's Bay Company after this?
Click to expand...
Printemps might want the Sacks space...maybe, but then again, Nordstrom couldn't survive, (in Canada) and I have no idea how Sack's was actually doing in all of this mess...
 
jje1000 said:
So what's next for the Hudson's Bay Company after this?
Click to expand...

RIP, it's dead. This is the end of the department stores. I was at Walmart today, the parking lot was packed, every checkout was lined up from here to Timbuktu. Walmart is what the average shoppers wants sadly. But i get it. Not everyone can afford a 90 dollar shirt or 120 dollar dress that The Bay sells. I will admit. If i need new dishware or patio furniture, i will just buy cheap crap from my local Walmart.
 
gabe said:
RIP, it's dead. This is the end of the department stores. I was at Walmart today, the parking lot was packed, every checkout was lined up from here to Timbuktu. Walmart is what the average shoppers wants sadly. But i get it. Not everyone can afford a 90 dollar shirt or 120 dollar dress that The Bay sells. I will admit. If i need new dishware or patio furniture, i will just buy cheap crap from my local Walmart.
Click to expand...
I really wish Walmarts looked nicer inside. I miss the look of target. Much more “premium” looking.
 
Some random comments relating to posts above:
  • When you get older and already have too many clothes, the "hunt" at Winners can justify a purchase because its a bargain! ... and you become choosier because you already have every style or pattern that you like (and you reject the polyester stuff except dri-fit).
  • For some items, remote suburban or smaller city Winners may have a better selection than busier locations because they are not picked through (although their selection may not be high end or unique like the flagship stores). Whenever I go on a road trip, hitting up a Winners or Homesense in the boonies may yield a "find".
  • When the airline lost my luggage to Kailua-Kona, HI last year, the selection at Ross Dress for Less yielded many more fashionable replacement items than the local Wal-Mart (did not check Target), and I did not want to spend a lot of time shopping store to store. There are no other department stores in Kailua-Kona.
  • Hudson's Bay did, at one time, try to stay with the times. Didn't it have an off-price store called "Designer Depot"? I think they were only opened up in the Toronto area (Vaughan Mills)? And HBC also had separate home stores called "Home Outfitters" which was more like a Linens & Things / Bed Bath Beyond. I think Sears is the one that had the separate furniture store chain. Those separated out those departments for more focussed shopping.
  • Hudson's Bay also took over a lot of former Woodward's department stores out west in about 1993.
 
Last edited:
gabe said:
RIP, it's dead. This is the end of the department stores.
Click to expand...
SIMONS is still a department store and it will do just fine. They put a lot of research and thought into future potential.
I'm pretty sure they know what they are doing.
As I mentioned earlier, for high end, maybe Printemps will come to Toronto and snatch up the Sack's space. Then again, Nordstrom couldn't survive (in Canada) so who knows?
Hopefully the Holt Renfrew & Harry Rosen stores are still doing okay for the high end rich people.
 
RGB_11 said:
SIMONS is still a department store and it will do just fine. They put a lot of research and thought into future potential.
I'm pretty sure they know what they are doing.
As I mentioned earlier, for high end, maybe Printemps will come to Toronto and snatch up the Sack's space. Then again, Nordstrom couldn't survive (in Canada) so who knows?
Hopefully the Holt Renfrew & Harry Rosen stores are still doing okay for the high end rich people.
Click to expand...

Department stores across the world are dying, not just in Canada. Simons has enough stores spread out to survive for now. I highly doubt we will see a major expansion of Simons stores.

i don't think we will ever see a Printemps store in Toronto or anywhere else in Canada, It's just not their market. Nordstrom tried and failed. Holt Renfrew has the high end market. Harry Rosen isn't a department store, it's a mens clothing store.
 
Northern Light said:
It could be.......but based on my college going niece..........not so much in recent years. (on trend)



I'm not sure that I ever thought department stores gave you the best price on these, at least in the post category-killer age.

What I think they did well was package things, in their larger stores.

'The Bay' Queen, early on (right after rebranding from Simpson's) still had furniture galleries. That is they did whole rooms, say a bedroom, and you saw the furniture, done with 3 walls, in a given colour, full linens/dressings, side table lights, area rug etc.

Likewise a dining room would be the table and chairs, but also the overhead light, the tableware, and table cloth and napkins, the dish-displaying china cabinet or bar etc.

I think they did a great job on that.........at one point.......and that would be the strong suit, likely focused on higher-end products and maybe one house brand.

***

I don't see why I would trust Leon's or Home Depot on Fridges/Stoves more than 'The Bay'.....they would be manufactured by the same people. Again, I think its more about the shopping environment, the level of service, etc.



I agree this was an issue, and I think it should have been addressed by splitting the banner into 'Hudson's Bay Company' for flagship stores and 'The Bay' for smaller suburban offerings.

I also think there was a market for a well run version of Zellers........but that is water under the bridge.
Click to expand...
☝️This.

If Hudson's Bay had learned from Ikea, they could have had an interesting furniture & interior goods floor that also showcased their famous blankets. If they had learned from any random mall/department store in Japan, they could have made their top floor into a restaurant floor (with views when possible) to attract people to go through and maybe have something catch their eye on the way.

The 2nd floor at the Queen location actually did well for a while - it was written up as having one of the world's largest selection of shoes, it benefitted from being the floor connected to the Eaton Centre, and it attracted "younger, trendier" international brands before many gave up & moved to the Eaton Centre or left Canada altogether (i.e. Mango, Top Shop).

And yes, just like Ikea & Uniqlo, they could have had smaller satellite versions that focused on the core items that made sense in those areas. I doubt their website was sophisticated enough to perform the sorts of data analysis/tracking that would have helped them with that though - another miss. 😥
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top