Bargains, nostalgia the pull for shoppers as Hudson’s Bay begins liquidation sales By: Malak Abas Posted: 5:04 PM CDT Monday, Mar. 24, 2025

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Darlene Dowhy shed a few tears while she waited for the Bay to open its doors at Polo Park Monday morning.

“It’s history, right?” she told the Free Press. “You used to go with your mom, your dad, to the Bay downtown… those memories. I’m very emotional.”

It marked the beginning of the end for the venerable department-store chain in Winnipeg and most of the rest of Canada, as all but six of Hudson’s Bay’s 96 locations — including at Polo Park and St. Vital Centre — began liquidation sales Monday.

“The anchor’s gone… That was the draw — you came to (the mall) for the department stores, and then you did the other stuff.”–Teri Dovey

The sales are expected to continue until June 15 and the stores are to be vacated by June 30.

The 355-year-old company, which — for the time being — plans to keep three Toronto and three Montreal stores operating, filed for creditor protection, citing financial difficulties earlier this month.

Bargain hunters moved quickly inside the Polo Park store. Deals ranged from about 30 to 60 per cent off. By mid-morning, shelves of shoes had been cleaned out and boxes of plates and knives had been opened and picked through.

In the makeup and fragrance aisles, staff warned approaching shoppers that those products would not be discounted, and they quickly moved on.

Anyone hoping to snag a Hudson’s Bay-branded blanket was out of luck — a store clerk said any item with the iconic stripes was quickly bought up almost immediately after the company announced the closures.

For Jaswant Mangat, who came with his family to peruse clothes, Monday was a scouting trip to plan for items to buy at greater discounts in coming days.

“(Prices) are high,” he said. “We’re (coming) tomorrow for more lower prices.”

His family has been shopping at the Bay for more than three decades.

“To be honest, we are so sad, our family… our big concern is, what will we do in the future?” he said. “Online shopping, we do not like much. We like to see things first to buy.”

That sentiment was echoed by others.

Teri Dovey, who described herself as an avid shopper there in hopes of buying gifts for the upcoming wedding season, said she worried what the closure means for in-person shopping in the city.

“The anchor’s gone,” she said. “I think that was the draw — you came to (the mall) for the department stores, and then you did the other stuff.”

Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Loren Remillard said the Bay’s difficulties go beyond the rise in online shopping; the era of the one-stop shop of yesteryear has passed, and shoppers are now looking for retailers focusing on specialized services and niche product offerings.

A shopper with running shoes, a board game and candles on their to-buy list may have taken to Hudson’s Bay for all three products in the past, but might now be more likely now to stop at Canadian Footwear, Across the Board and Coal and Canary in search of a local, personalized experience, he said.

“Many small retailers are adapting to really lean into the niches that they can offer, that online will never be able to offer. That’s how they’re adapting, that’s how they’re surviving, that’s how they’re flourishing,” he said.

“Harder for a large department store to make that that change, where smaller companies can be a little bit more nimble in that regard.”

Hudson’s Bay has paused its loyalty program, leaving about 8.2 million Canadians with about $58.5 million in unused points. It also plans to stop accepting gift cards after April 6.

All sales at liquidating stores will be final.

— With files from the Canadian Press

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca