Final day for Winnipeg Bay stores: June 1

June 1 will mark the final shopping day at Hudson’s Bay stores in Winnipeg.

Countdown posters have joined discount signs papering Bay exteriors. The incoming deadline was confirmed by the company’s vice-president of corporate communications, Tiffany Bourré.

“It’s too bad,” said Doug Gordon, visiting the CF Polo Park location Friday in search of grey socks. Saturday is his 74th birthday; the Bay has existed as long as he’s been alive.

And much longer — it was established in 1670. The company filed for creditor protection in March and is shuttering its 80 Bay stores and 17 Saks-linked locations in Canada.

Earlier this month, Canadian Tire announced it’d buy the Hudson’s Bay’s stripes, logos and other intellectual property for $30 million. The deal is subject to court approval.

Following the June 1 deadline, Bay workers will have two weeks to “clean up” shop, including removing the shelves and unsold items, noted retail consultant David Ian Gray.

“This is no longer run by the (Hudson’s Bay) Company,” Gray, with DIG360 Consulting, wrote in an email. “It’s about the bankruptcy receiver in service of those who will be paid out by the liquidation.”

Alvarez & Marsal are overseeing the file.

Janice Reid joined the Friday shoppers hunting for deals. Items were advertised with 70 to 80 per cent discounts.

“It was a one-stop shop. I’ll miss that in Winnipeg,” said Reid, 77. “I was accustomed to shopping in Eaton’s and the Bay for many years.”

Eaton’s closed in 1999. Sears followed suit in Winnipeg seven years ago. Once the Bay exits, Winnipeg will be void of department stores, Reid noted.

“Online is great, but it’s … not like coming to a department store when it was in full bloom,” she said.

Friday nights once meant shopping at the Bay for a dress before going dancing, Reid recalled. But on Friday — albeit an afternoon — she was simply trying to find good prices before the goods are gone.

Winnipeg has two Bay locations: CF Polo Park and St. Vital Centre. The Polo Park shop has been plagued by closures due to heat, ventilation and air conditioning issues in sweltering heat.

Last week, Gray noted the HVAC system won’t be fixed during the Bay’s final days. The problems are symptomatic of the company’s owed payments to contractors, he said.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com