Top Ten Stores That Canadians Want (Back)
We, in Canada, are experiencing a bit of a downturn in the retail industry. Just days prior to the creation of this list, Canada lost Future Shop. And, within the next few days, Target will be completely gone. There are various other smaller stores that have recently departed from Canada that make matters even worse. Anyways, the point is that Canada wants and deserves the same great selection of stores and products that the U.S. has and bringing (and in some cases bringing back) these stores to Canada would be hugely beneficial.Yes, I know we were all more or less satisfied with the idea that Target was replacing Zellers as the No. 2 box store in Canada. Well, guess what? That didn't work out very well. In fact, it was a massive step backward. Target Canada, as any Canadian shopper will tell you, was a complete failure. The prices were higher than those of both its current competitor, Walmart, and its predecessor, Zellers. The selection and stocking were a joke.
I was able to go to the grand opening of the Target in Welland, Ontario, only to discover a mess of a store and a bunch of unimpressed employees - one even admitted to it being worse than Zellers. But I digress. Zellers, unlike Target, had cheap prices (competitive with Walmart) and could properly stock its store shelves. Their issues, compared to Target's, looked like a scuff on the floor. Honestly, Zellers was better, and we all know it. Who knows? A Zellers resurrection could actually work right now.
Kmart used to be quite common in Canada until The Hudson Bay Company bought up their 112 locations in 1998 and converted most of them into Zellers. It's a real shame since Kmart (unlike the newly dead Target Canada) was the last true competitor to Walmart Canada. To this day, Walmart still reigns supreme.
We need something other than Walmart. Please bring us something.
I loved Kmart's fashions and prices here in Cambridge and Kitchener, Ontario. I miss it.
It's been gone for a week and one day, and already you can hear Canadians calling out for its return. Best Buy first started opening stores in Canada back in 2001 and decided to buy up their primary competitor in the process. Seeing as they just got up and decided to close every single store out of nowhere - without even telling their own workers, who drove into work on March 28th only to find out then that they had lost their jobs - it wouldn't be a surprise to hear that they had been planning this from day one.
Now, while half of the 131 stores are being converted into Best Buy locations, the other half are staying closed. And that hurts my town. Big time.
Sears Canada is not doing well, let's just say that. They may soon find themselves added to the ever-increasing Canadian business graveyard. But who do we want as a replacement? The first store that comes to mind for anyone here in Canada is probably Macy's. This American high-end juggernaut would no doubt be welcomed with open arms, especially at a time when the only news surrounding businesses in Canada is about closures. Now that Hudson's Bay has started bringing Saks Fifth Avenue to Canada, it might be the time for Macy's to make a move.
This primarily Californian grocery chain has been discussed for a while now in Canada. Apparently, people really want it to cross the border. I'll be honest. I know almost nothing about this whole ordeal, but the people have spoken. We want Trader Joe's.
Just this past January 2015, Sony closed all 14 of its stores across Canada. I certainly wasn't happy to hear the news, and I'm sure very few people were.
What? You don't get Sony there anymore? That's just unbelievable, especially with Sony being the enormous market king that it is.
Canadian shoppers probably recognize the stores Bluenotes (formerly Thrifty's) and Tip Top Tailors. Well, BiWay used to be their sibling. It was a discount apparel and general store that was quite abundant before 2001. I liked it growing up, so I don't really see why it closed.
