21 new Zellers pop-up shops to open inside Hudson’s Bay stores in 5 provinces

globalnews.ca:

Over the next few weeks, a whole host of Zellers pop-ups are expected to appear inside Hudson’s Bay stores in five provinces by Aug. 11.

HBC says the 21 new pop-ups will be much smaller than the last batch of retail locations and will serve as test spots for potential permanent Zellers locations.

“Pop-ups are a key ingredient in our expansion strategy, allowing us to explore and test in new markets, gather valuable customer insights, and fine-tune our offering before establishing larger format store locations,” said HBC president Sophia Hwang-Judiesch.

The pop-ups will appear at malls in B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Quebec with one also being added in Saskatchewan.

The Zellers department store opened its first location back in 1931 and was eventually purchased by HBC in 1978, becoming the discount division for the retailer.

But just over a decade ago, HBC sold most of its storefronts to Target, as the American retail giant launched what would become a very short-lived foray into the Canadian market.

In March, HBC reintroduced the brand by placing a number of stores inside its Hudson’s Bay locations.

Those stores were about 8,000 to 10,000 sq. ft. for the most part while the new pop-ups will be about 1,000 to 2,800 sq ft.

A spokesperson for the company did not say whether there were any plans to open any standalone Zellers stores.

HBC also announced that there will be a permanent, full-sized location opening inside the Hudson’s Bay in Bramalea City Centre in September.

That move was previously reported when HBC announced last week that it would be closing its store inside the Burlington City Centre in Burlington, Ont.

The Zellers pops up are scheduled to be open by Aug. 11 in the following locations:

British Columbia

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