Bring on the nostalgia: Zellers celebrates grand re-opening in Calgary
Dozens of Calgarians lined up in excitement Thursday morning at Sunridge Mall to be among the first to experience the grand re-opening of Zellers.
The new store, located within the top floor of the Hudson’s Bay, is one of 25 new Zellers shops popping up across Canada.
In honour of the event, customers were given the chance to win prizes while being entertained by a DJ playing nostalgic songs.
It’s a moment that many Calgarians like Jean Weiss have been waiting for since the last Zellers closed back in 2013.
“We need more store like this in the city the way the economy is and today by the look of this lineup, I think they’ll get the message,” she said.
Others shoppers like Trish Plant agree that the price point of a store like Zellers is favourable to many consumers looking to save a little extra cash.
“Zellers used to have a really great price on everything and a great selection, I used to buy my kids clothes here all the time because of it,” said Plant.
“Now mostly with inflation it’s these really great deals that are important and it’s something from the past that makes it fun."
Zellers staff at Calgary's Sunridge Mall, Thursday March 23, 2023
FOOD TRUCK FAVOURITES
The Calgary Zellers location at Hudson's Bay in Sunridge Mall featured food from Zellers Diner on Wheels on March 23, 2023. Speaking of old favourites, shoppers also had the opportunity to choose from a variety of classic food items at the Zellers Food Truck outside Sunridge Mall’s entrance open from noon to 5:30 p.m.
Clarence Redden was the very first one in line and couldn’t wait to relive an old experience.
“It’s the nostalgia," he said. "Me and my daughter and my family used to go to the restaurant at Zellers every Sunday, we’d meet the same people and the waitresses knew us by name."
“It was a time to remember all those times back in the 80s and today I’ll be ordering one of everything on the menu.”
The five menu items are the big ‘Z’ burger, hot chicken sandwich, grilled cheese, chicken fingers and fries with gravy.
The Calgary Zellers location at Hudson's Bay in Sunridge Mall featured food from Zellers Diner on Wheels on March 23, 2023. The chain’s Zeddy mascot is also expected to make a return soon.
Additional Zellers store openings will be phased in over time and the retailer says it isn’t ruling out the potential for stand-alone locations, according to Hudson’s Bay Co. spokeswoman Tiffany Bourré.
She adds that private label products are exclusive to Zellers within Canada and there is no crossover between Hudson’s Bay and Zellers stores.
"IT’S GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE": MARKETING EXPERT
Despite the nostalgic feel and experience for Zellers shoppers, some retail experts suggest that the re-brand may not prove succesful in the long-term.
David Finch, marketing professor at Mount Royal University’s Bissett School of Business, says the retail landscape has changed dramatically since Zellers closed its doors nearly a decade ago.
"It’s going to be a challenge given the dominance of Walmart and Amazon and the heavy shift towards e-commerce," Finch said.
"So Hudson’s Bay is trying essentially to leverage an existing asset which is the Zellers brand to drive incremental traffic and revenue."
Finch adds that the past Zellers slogan of "where the lowest price is the law" also no longer applies.
"The global purchasing power of Amazon, and Walmart too, now live by the strategy of the lowest ‘cost’ is the law, not the lowest price," he said.
"This is where Zellers is going to be challenged, they just won't be able to have the purchasing power, the influence to be able to lower their costs enough to be able to compete effectively on price as a single dimension."
The COVID-19 pandemic has also been noted as a major turning point that fast-tracked e-commerce sales, with Finch pointing to roughly 85 per cent of Canadians who purchased items last year from Amazon and 35 per cent who bought from Walmart.
It means the nostalgia of a brick and mortar store could wear off faster.
"So there's going to be a very specific group of people of a certain age and socio-economic capacity that the Zellers brand appeals to, but the challenge is, those are likely the same people that also see Walmart as a nostalgic brand because they entered Canada in the early 1990s,” Finch said.
"That group will also be highly sensitive to price. This is where Zellers, just frankly, can't compete."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.