If you grew up in Canada, there’s a good chance the name Zellers brings back a few memories.
Maybe it was wandering through the toy aisle as a kid. Maybe it was picking up a few household items with your parents. Or maybe it was stopping for one of the retailer’s famously affordable restaurant meals before heading home.
Now, the nearly century-old Canadian brand is taking another step in its comeback story.
Zellers has announced two new Ontario locations as part of its ongoing relaunch. A store near Toronto’s Yorkdale Mall is scheduled to open on June 18, while another will open at Windsor’s Tecumseh Mall in July.
The move comes after the company’s Edmonton location reopened last year and exceeded expectations.
The new stores will carry many of the categories Canadians remember from the original Zellers locations, including clothing, home goods, luggage, and seasonal merchandise. But the company is also making a few changes.
One of the biggest surprises is the addition of toys and snack foods.
According to company officials, toys weren’t originally part of the plan because they believed it would be difficult to compete with retail giants like Walmart and Amazon. However, after testing a small toy section in Edmonton, those products quickly became some of the store’s strongest sellers.
That success helped change their minds.
The current version of Zellers is owned by the Benitah family, who acquired the rights to the brand after Hudson’s Bay collapsed last year. The family also operates retailers including Fairweather, International Clothiers, and Wyrth.
For many Canadians, though, the biggest appeal isn’t necessarily what Zellers is selling. It’s the memories.
The Windsor location is particularly interesting because it returns to Tecumseh Mall, where a Zellers store operated until 2013. For some local residents, the reopening feels like a piece of their childhood returning.
That’s really what makes this story so fascinating.
In an era dominated by online shopping, one of Canada’s most recognizable retail brands is finding success by reconnecting with something many retailers can’t manufacture: nostalgia.
Whether Zellers can once again become a major player in Canadian retail remains to be seen.
One thing is already clear. Canadians haven’t forgotten it.
