'Nice little nod to nostalgia': Edmontonians line up to shop Zellers grand reopening
Dozens of people lined up outside the Hudson's Bay store at Kingsway Mall in Edmonton on Thursday to be amongst the first to shop at the new Zellers location.
The discount department brand reopened a small location within the store in Edmonton, as well as at Hudson's Bay stores in Calgary and Ontario.
- Here are the locations of the first 12 new Zellers stores
- Zellers opens a dozen stores in Canada amid wave of nostalgia and price sensitivity
- Zellers opening inside Hudson’s Bay stores in Ontario, Alberta this week
The 9,000 square foot Kingsway location will carry a selection of lifestyle items, homewares, and clothing.
A spokesperson for Kingsway Mall said the Zellers footprint inside the Hudson's Bay store has potential to grow if it resonates with customers.
"With the 9,000 square feet they’ve started out with here, it's a great way to gauge customer response, a great way to kind of flex on what they're putting out on the shelves and how much, and who knows if response is good then that 9,000 square feet could grow and grow,” said Bo Tarasenko of Kingsway Mall.
"I think what people will find with the Zellers section at the Bay is a different variety of products at much more accessible prices, with a nice little nod to nostalgia as well."
The lineup outside the Zellers location at Kingsway Mall in Edmonton.
Robert June said he's happy to see the legacy brand return.
"I’m really surprised. It makes me feel good. I hope this keeps up because we can’t lose Zellers again."
"I hope other stores will come back like Sears. I know it’s a pipe dream, but no one thought Zellers would come back."
He said he's looking forward to a new shopping experience.
"I want to check out their shirts, and their shoes. I can’t find a decent pair of shoes, so I’m hoping Zellers goes with better quality shoes."
Shoppers at Zellers in Kingsway Mall in Edmonton on March 23, 2023.
Bonnie Anderson said she's impressed by what she's seen of the new Zellers so far.
"I think it’s good. It's competition for the other stores, and it looks quite nice in here, like very upscale."
"It looks like the stuff is really nice quality."
The grand opening event included a DJ, prizes, and the Zellers Food Truck, which offered a selection of old favourites outside Kingsway's Entrance 8.
The food truck was so popular, a Zellers official said it would return to the Kingsway Mall parking lot on Friday.
The Zellers Food Truck at Kingsway Mall in Edmonton on March 23, 2023. (Evan Klippenstein/CTV News Edmonton)
'A WAY TO ATTRACT INTEREST'
One retail expert says in a competitive landscape, bringing back an iconic brand is a great way to attract foot traffic to Hudson's Bay.
"It's always nice to see a well recognized brand like Zellers reenter the marketplace. There’s a lot of nostalgia built around the Zellers brand, and we’re not surprised that it’s getting a great response," John Graham of the Retail Council of Canada told CTV News Edmonton.
"There’s no certainty that any particular retailer will be a success, but bringing an iconic brand back is certainly a way to attract interest."
Graham said while some American brands like Nordstrom are departing from the Canadian retail landscape, customers appreciate a taste of home.
"There’s very few Canadiana brands that are still available to be brought back and remain relevant. There’s a certain demographic that remembers Zellers very fondly."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Marek Tkach.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Britney Spears settles long-running legal dispute with estranged father, finally bringing ultimate end to conservatorship
Britney Spears has reached a settlement with her estranged father more than two years after the court-ordered termination of a conservatorship that had given him control of her life, their attorneys said.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.