Zellers is returning next year, so prepare to unlock those childhood memories

Get ready to unlock those childhood memories — Zellers is set to make its return next year, a decade after the iconic Canadian department store closed a majority of its locations.

Along with the debut of a new e-commerce website, Hudson’s Bay Co. (HBC) will expand the discount retailer’s brick-and-mortar presence within Hudson’s Bay department stores, the company announced in a news release. 

This is expected to happen across Canada in early 2023.

HBC says that the Zellers revival will offer “a digital-first shopping journey that taps into the nostalgia of the brand.”

In fact, the Zellers website is live with a short message to Canadians.

Hudson’s Bay Co.

It’ll be an exciting nostalgia kick for people across the country, who are already sounding off on social media about what they want to see with its return.

“I will vote for anyone who brings back Zellers Restaurants,” tweeted one person.

A Zellers parody account is already proposing the return of the retail chain’s mascot, Zeddy.

Founded by Walter Zeller in 1931, Zellers was acquired by Hudson’s Bay in 1978. At its peak in the ’90s, there were more than 300 stores across Canada.

In January of 2011, the Bay announced that it would sell the leases for 189 Zellers stores to Target. The majority of the stores that weren’t sold were scheduled to close by March 30, 2013.

The last remaining Zellers stores, one in Etobicoke and the other in Ottawa, shut down for good in early 2020.

“Zellers is a brand deeply rooted in the Canadian experience. Spanning generations, people hold distinct connections to Zellers through shared experiences with family and friends, and we look forward to building on that in the future,” said Zellers’ chief business officer Adam Powell in a statement.

Ontario got a glimpse of a Zellers revival last year when Hudson’s Bay opened a pop-up of the department store inside of its Burlington Centre location.

This return comes as shoppers opt for discount retailers amid climbing inflation.

Daily Hive has reached out to Hudson’s Bay Co. 

With files from Urbanized Editor Zoe Demarco.