Heat-related temporary closures haunt Hudson’s Bay at Polo Park

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This article was published 15/05/2025 (197 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Temporary closures at the Hudson’s Bay store at CF Polo Park are punctuating its final weeks in business.

The store anchoring the north end of the mall had closed Sunday and Tuesday as temperatures soared outside. On Wednesday, floor fans dotted the shop; the site was noticeably warmer than the mall’s common areas.

The Bay later closed for the day for “HVAC maintenance,” a sign posted at an entrance read.

Hudson’s Bay Co. did not respond to questions by print deadline.

“They’re not going to alter anything,” said David Ian Gray, a retail adviser and consultant with DIG360 Consulting.

The Winnipeg location had also shuttered for spells last summer during a heat wave. If the Bay’s heat, ventilation and air conditioning system wasn’t fixed then, it certainly won’t be now, Gray said.

The long-running retail chain is currently liquidating items and shuttering its 80 Bay stores and 17 Saks-linked locations in Canada. It filed for creditor protection in March. Since then, 17 bidders have made offers for the entire business or portions of it, such as its intellectual property and Stripes brand.

The Bay is expected to close all locations by June 30 at the latest. Whatever goods not sold will be shipped to third parties for “cents on the dollar,” Gray said.

The HVAC issues are symptomatic of the Bay’s owed payments to contractors, Gray stated. “It’s a … very sad end for what is a true icon associated with the history of Canada, good and bad.”

According to court filings, the Bay owes some $950 million to its nearly 2,000 creditors.

Post-Bay property uses will vary by location. Grocery stores, gyms and pickleball courts could take over; some landlords may divide the large footprints into smaller shops, Gray said.

A YMCA-YWCA is slated to move into the former downtown Bay in Victoria.

“Maybe in the smaller … communities that space isn’t going to be quickly refilled,” Gray said. “That’s not good for the adjacent tenants.”

Winnipeg is home to two Hudson’s Bay stores: CF Polo Park and St. Vital Centre.

Remy Fernando scouted deals at the Polo Park locale Wednesday morning, pre-temporary closure. She noticed the warmer indoor climate.

“But outside is also warm,” she said. “I’m still OK.”

Winnipeg’s temperature neared 20 C on Wednesday and hit 35.9 C Tuesday, feeling like 37 C with the humidex, Environment Canada data show. The mercury reached 31 C, including the humidex, on Sunday.

— with files from The Canadian Press

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com