When I first heard that Zellers was making a comeback I had a few nice memories come to mind. When my son was a baby, we would go to the Zellers at Cloverdale Mall to pick up essentials and sometimes meet Nana at the restaurant. I liked shopping there because I could get in and out fast, unlike bigger stores like Walmart that would seem way too exhausting.
The first time my son ever ate solid food was in that Zellers. We were strolling through the aisles when he started to get fussy. He was so hungry I busted open a package of baby mum mums, placed a few in the tray of his stroller and he ended up eating the whole tube. When Zellers closed and was replaced by Target, we visited a few times but their inventory issues meant I usually came out without the things I needed.
Now after being closed since 2013, Zellers has reopened 25 stores across Ontario and Alberta within Hudson’s Bay, and relaunched its e-commerce platform. The Toronto location of Zellers 2.0 has opened in the Bay at Scarborough Town Centre. The space that housed the Zellers I used to visit in Etobicoke is now a Covid vaccine clinic.
Shoppers lined up in the rain outside of Scarborough Town Centre for the grand opening. A DJ played music and the Zellers “Diner on Wheels” food truck opened with a menu featuring classics like hot chicken sandwiches, fries and gravy and the Big “Z” Burger. While Zeddy and his cute cropped t-shirt did not make an appearance on opening day, the chain’s mascot is expected to return.
Photo: Zellers Official/Instagram
The new Zellers closely resembles the old Zellers stores in terms of the aesthetics, with the red and the white branding and the old school Zellers logo. Both the stores and the zellers.ca website offer a wide range of products, including housewares, toys, fashion apparel, and a limited selection of furniture.
Zellers has also introduced a new in-house brand called ANKO, along with products from various popular name brands. One of the unique features of Zellers’ pricing strategy is its “rounded retail” approach. All prices are rounded to the nearest dollar, with no additional cents added. Examples of the famous Zellers “everyday low prices” include this ANKO dinnerware, with pieces starting at $2:
Today, Zellers is opening four locations in British Columbia: in downtown Vancouver, in Abbotsford at 7 Oaks Shopping Centre, Aberdeen Mall in Kamloops and Guildford Town Centre in Surrey. Locations currently open in Alberta include the Kingsway Garden Mall in Edmonton, Medicine Hat Mall in Medicine Hat and Sunridge Mall in Calgary.
Zellers locations in Ontario include:
– Erin Mills, Mississauga
– Burlington Centre, Burlington
– White Oaks Mall, London
– Pen Centre Shopping Plaza, St. Catharines
– Cambridge Centre, Cambridge
– Rideau Center, Ottawa
– St. Laurent Center, Ottawa
– Cataraqui Town Centre , Kingston
And, Scarborough Town Centre in Toronto. 300 Borough Drive, Scarborough, ON.
