Beloved retail brand Zellers is coming back to Ontario, and unlike the pop-ups that generated hype back in 2023, these new brick-and-mortar locations are the real deal.
Zellers announced the next steps in its national comeback on Wednesday morning, revealing a pair of store openings planned in Toronto and Windsor, which will revive a dedicated retail presence for the brand in Ontario for the first time in several years.
The two new stores will be located at 80 Orfus Rd. in Toronto and Tecumseh Mall in Windsor, Ont.
The 25,000-square-foot standalone Toronto location now under construction is set to open its doors on Thursday, June 18, with the Windsor location — also well under construction — to follow on a yet-to-be-announced date in July.
Zellers all but vanished from the Canadian retail landscape in 2013, with its remaining holdout stores finally shuttering in 2020. But despite its years of absence, Zellers returned with much hype in 2023, when dozens of temporary pop-ups opened in Hudson’s Bay locations around the country.
The Ontario revival follows the brand’s first brick-and-mortar revival at Edmonton’s Londonderry Mall in Edmonton last October.
“Following the incredible response we saw in Edmonton, we’re excited to bring Zellers back to Ontario in a meaningful way,” said Joey Benitah, chief operating officer of Zellers.
Zellers stated in a press release that, for every new location, the brand would introduce “a series of nostalgic in-store moments and surprises designed to celebrate the brand’s legacy.”
Among the nostalgic offerings, beloved Zellers mascot, Zeddy, is making a return this summer.
While it’s an exciting revival for aging Millennials like me, the brand makes it clear that “Zellers 3.0” will be a different shopping experience from the one in your foggy, nostalgic memories of yesteryear.
Zellers is going for a much smaller format than the massive retail footprints they once occupied, with stores spanning approximately 20,000 to 50,000 sq. ft. and offering a more streamlined, curated experience than the retail brand from your memories.
Europro’s Windsor Properties, owners of Tecumseh Mall, are excited to have Zellers back in the fold, with General Manager Katarina Taylor calling it a “great new chapter for both our property and the greater Windsor community.”
“Our shoppers have always remembered the brand fondly, so this reopening is a genuinely meaningful moment for everyone involved,” said Taylor.
And Zellers says this is just the start, sharing that it is in active discussions with landlords across Canada to secure future locations for the revived brand.
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