Listen to this article
Estimated 4 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Discount retailer Zellers has officially opened a new store in Toronto, marking the return of a nostalgic brand to Ontario.
A crowd burst through the doors at the North York location, 80 Orfus Rd., near Yorkdale Shopping Centre, at its opening on Thursday morning.
Zellers is staging a comeback in Canada. That comeback started with a new store in Edmonton’s Londonderry Mall last fall and will continue with a new store in Windsor’s Tecumseh Mall in July.
Joey Benitah, chief operating officer of Zellers, said the company is hoping to expand across the country after making some changes.
“We are so excited to bring the iconic Zellers back to Ontario. This is a huge milestone and the truth is we are just getting started,” Benitah told a crowd before the store’s ribbon cutting.
“We have very big plans and we can’t wait for each and every one of them to come to life,” he said
The Benitah family, which now owns the brand, bought the rights to the nearly 100-year-old Zellers name last year after its former owner, Hudson’s Bay, went under. The family is also behind apparel stores Fairweather and International Clothiers as well as home goods retailer Wyrth.
‘Focus is value from top to bottom,’ says owner
In an interview later Thursday, Benitah said Zellers has a rich history in the Canadian retail market and the family saw an opportunity when the brand become available for sale.
In the almost 100 years since Zellers was founded, the discount department store has died and been revived several times.
Benitah said reviving the brand has involved reintroducing it in a modern, smaller department store format that he believes will work across the country.
“The focus is value from top to bottom, smaller format and really maximizing every inch of our of our space,” he said.
On Thursday, the store was stocked with apparel, home decor, luggage, seasonal items and toys.
The opening featured a 25-foot inflatable Zeddy Bear, appearances by the Zeddy mascot and a Zellers Diner on Wheels food truck.
Prices could be ‘a little bit more affordable’: customer
Customers told CBC Toronto on Thursday they were thrilled to shop at Zellers again.
Marie Boudrias, a customer, described the new store as gorgeous and the prices as fantastic.
“My daughter is 45. When she was a baby, I used to buy at Zellers. And now my granddaughter is two, we will come back to buy clothes for her. Isn’t that something else — how the circle turns around? I’m so happy that Zellers is open again,” said Boudrias.
“No more Walmart for me. Zellers all the way.”
Alicia Cinnamon, another customer, said she was impressed with the new store and she wanted to check it out because of childhood memories. Zellers used to be a staple in the city when she was growing up, she said.
“It looks good. I think the prices could be a little bit more affordable, but we’ll see how it goes for now. They have some sales going on,” Cinnamon said.
“The layout looks nice. It’s beautiful. It’s clean. It’s presentable,” she said.
‘It’s going to be tough,’ retail analyst says
Retail analyst Bruce Winder said Thursday that nostalgia won’t be enough to keep the lights on. Nostalgia will get people in the door for the first visit but the store will need to deliver value, he said.
Winder said competition is needed in the discount retail sector in Canada.
“It’s going to be tough. This is an uphill battle. If they can offer great value as an alternative to Walmart, or someone like Giant Tiger, then consumers may check them out because of the name. If they check them out, they may like what they see,” Winder said.