[TossYourJacket]

I remember back when I lived in Kingston the largest Canadian Tire there did (maybe still does idk) have a food section. That said, it was all frozen or boxed foods, not any produce or anything fresh. But it was very weird to go to Canadian Tire and see freezers full of chicken nuggets.

Anyway on the topic of HBC, I expect that HBC just becomes a brand of mugs and blankets sold in CT stores, maybe some HBC Stripes patio furniture (HBC did make stripes-branded patio furniture in the past after all). Maybe some outdoor goods with stripes on them at SportChek. I doubt we're going to see the return of the brand collaborations like HBC Stripes LeCruset cookware anymore.

 

[Amare]

For those who still have hope that Bay brick and mortar stores will be making any sort of a come back, here's a good read which explains why it wont (as I have been alluding to):

‘An end to Hudson’s Bay as we know it:’ Canadian Tire purchase marks end of iconic department store, experts say

There’s little hope that any of Hudson’s Bay’s brick and mortar stores will remain, retail experts say.

www.thestar.com

 

[Admiral Beez]

So, what happens now to the Queen and Yonge building? Maybe combine it with Old City Hall into some tourist or university function?

 

[Northern Light]

So, what happens now to the Queen and Yonge building? Maybe combine it with Old City Hall into some tourist or university function?

Its owned by Cadillac Fairview.

Its marketed as part of the Toronto Eaton Centre.

That will likely remain true.

In what form........TBD.

Its its not a signature retailer occupying the entire space, I don't see a 9-storey (1 below, 8 above) becoming 'mall'.

Its not an easily divisible space as it was built to serve the needs of one retailer.

Upper floor office space is a logical consideration, but not appropriate for basement or levels one or two above.

 

[Northern Light]

For those who still have hope that Bay brick and mortar stores will be making any sort of a come back, here's a good read which explains why it wont (as I have been alluding to):

‘An end to Hudson’s Bay as we know it:’ Canadian Tire purchase marks end of iconic department store, experts say

There’s little hope that any of Hudson’s Bay’s brick and mortar stores will remain, retail experts say.

www.thestar.com

There is no question that you will not see 'The Bay' revived as an 80-store chain.

Even before recent woes, HBC had long desired to exit many low performing locations that never would made sense to be upgraded to Hudson's Bays (brief) best standards.

Whether there is a case for a limited scope, operating 3-5 stores as stand-alones is a different question. One that I suspect turns on how much the various owners want to put in to any fix-up and whether they think they have
a better rent-generating opportunity.

The current retail environment is tough, but a high-performing mall like Yorkdale might be able to reformat the current 'Bay' into better yielding, lower risk space.

Queen will be considerably more challenging........and I'm told that building needs quite a bit of work, other than the obvious escalator repairs etc.

 

[Admiral Beez]

There is no question that you will not see 'The Bay' revived as an 80-store chain.

Even before recent woes, HBC had long desired to exit many low performing locations that never would made sense to be upgraded to Hudson's Bays (brief) best standards.

Whether there is a case for a limited scope, operating 3-5 stores as stand-alones is a different question. One that I suspect turns on how much the various owners want to put in to any fix-up and whether they think they have
a better rent-generating opportunity.

The current retail environment is tough, but a high-performing mall like Yorkdale might be able to reformat the current 'Bay' into better yielding, lower risk space.

Queen will be considerably more challenging........and I'm told that building needs quite a bit of work, other than the obvious escalator repairs etc.

With the Toronto condo market on the decline reducing the profitability of a facadism, if only temporarily, perhaps the Queen building will be left vacant into the 2030s?

 

[Northern Light]

There was a woman sitting on the bus yesterday holding a Bay mug (with stripes) and a Canadian Tire shopping bag. I thought of capturing a clandestine photo to post here, but decided that it would be wrong.

You know......you could always 'ask' to take the pic..... LOL

You never used to be so shy..............

I'm assuming you had to do something to get the attention of your wife. LOL

 

[lenaitch]

There was a woman sitting on the bus yesterday holding a Bay mug (with stripes) and a Canadian Tire shopping bag. I thought of capturing a clandestine photo to post here, but decided that it would be wrong.

We have a set of HBC mugs and the wife joked tonight we should put them on Marketplace. We also have a blanket. Her mother had a striped coat but it seems have been lost in mists of time.

 

[nightstreak]

I wasn't aware that was a relatively common thing. I was under the impression from admittedly not widespread of scientific observation that our mall-anchored Walmart was comparatively uncommon.

Is your local Walmart Dufferin Mall? I can think of a few more but that one is an obvious one, a mall anchored by weekend grocery shopping. Not only do they exist, this trend is growing. One can argue that Eataly coming to Eaton Centre is the anchor replacing Nordstrom, not Simons. Eataly drives traffic. See Manulife Centre.

While they could surprise me........ I neither think they want into grocery, nor do I think they should.

Its a very low margin business.

The Westons seem to be making billions. Strategic markups and synergies between their other properties like Shoppers fed by the grocery lead-ins are where being in that market pays off. Shop your groceries at Zellers while you get your tires rotated at Canadian Tire and receive Triangle Rewards at both which you redeem for a Hudson's Bay blanket and end up buying a few more high margin items.

Look, I'm not disillusioned into thinking that Canadian Tire will revive Hudson's Bay, I certainly don't think they'll save any of the stores as they're currently being operated. I do believe however that Hudson's Bay provides them with a path for growth in markets where they've hit a dead end. CTC has shown interest over the years in expanding their markets but has failed repeatedly, not for lack of trying but because of brand limitation. "Canadian Tire" as a brand name has hit a ceiling because as discussed earlier you won't buy your food or your clothes in a place that smells like rubber or whose name is linked to it in your mind.

The craziest scenario in a year or two is not as unlikely as it may sound today: that CTC adopts Hudson's Bay as their primary growth brand and Canadian Tire is scaled down to the niche markets it serves best. Canadian Tire Isn't particularly well run but unlike HBC, it wasn't deliberately run into the ground by private equity. The Hudson's Bay brand still has value and quite a bit of potential in these patriotic Buy Canada times.

 

[junctionist]

Canadian Tire seems well run as a retailer of household products. They manage to compete with the likes of Walmart on price, while blanketing the country with convenient locations. The brand is iconic as well. It’s my go-to store for a lot of household products.

It’s usually hard for any company to expand out of its core business, though. You’re competing with others who have more experience selling a kind of item than you (e.g. clothes or groceries), who know have a better pulse on what sells and how to maximize sales and income, who have cemented relationships with top suppliers, who got the best leases, etc.

And when things don’t start off well, the inevitable thought among management and/or shareholders is to pull the plug on the experiment and refocus on the core business. Successful companies often have a hard time replicating their success in another area of business. For every successful expansion into a new line of business, there are plenty more that faltered.

 

[RGB_11]

Look, I'm not disillusioned into thinking that Canadian Tire will revive Hudson's Bay, I certainly don't think they'll save any of the stores as they're currently being operated. I do believe however that Hudson's Bay provides them with a path for growth in markets where they've hit a dead end. CTC has shown interest over the years in expanding their markets but has failed repeatedly, not for lack of trying but because of brand limitation. "Canadian Tire" as a brand name has hit a ceiling because as discussed earlier you won't buy your food or your clothes in a place that smells like rubber or whose name is linked to it in your mind.

Before the 30 million dollar investment, Marks at Dufferin mall is already about to become a massive huge store. They are keeping the current Mark's open all while taking over the former Globo shoe store next door, expanding to become a much larger store.
Long story short, It sounds like Canadian Tire already had desire to create larger Marks stores as is, so why not take a former Bay store space and jam pack as much as possible into one space?
A large Mark's, plus Canadian Tire, Sportcheck, Party City, and so on...possibly even launching a new Pet store to compete with Pet Valu stores (since they already have a reasonably sized pet section in some or all Canadian tire stores already)
Heck, they could still have a Zellers/Bay store inside a Canadian Tire/Mark's...er...something like that...

 

[lenaitch]

Is your local Walmart Dufferin Mall?

North Bay.

 

[Admiral Beez]

If I was CTC I’d move Hudson’s Bay to an online only platform, essentially returning it to its mail order catalogue days.

 

[Richard White]

If I was CTC I’d move Hudson’s Bay to an online only platform, essentially returning it to its mail order catalogue days.

Mmm I'm not sure how that well that would work.

There is still a segment of the population who prefers to see what they are buying before doing so.

Personally I find with clothing that different brands have different ideas of sizing.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

If I was CTC I’d move Hudson’s Bay to an online only platform, essentially returning it to its mail order catalogue days.

Both Eaton's and Simpson-Sears had "mail-order catalogues". Could have gone on-line, if they had stayed around.