WINNIPEG — The Hudson’s Bay Company will be closing its ‘landmark’ Downtown Winnipeg location in February 2021.
According to a statement from a spokesperson for HBC, this decision comes amid shifting consumer behaviours and changes to how and where people shop.
The statement noted that Winnipeg is still an important market for the Hudson’s Bay, and Winnipeg customers can still shop at stores at Polo Park and St. Vital, as well as online.
The spokesperson added the company is working with the city and partners to find a new use for the 94-year-old “landmark” building.
All eligible store employees will receive employment separation packages, and the store will explore transfer opportunities where possible.
The Hudson’s Bay in Downtown Winnipeg opened in 1926. You can watch some archival footage from the Archives of Manitoba, showing the opening day.
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The closure of the store may not come as a surprise to many in the city. In recent years, the more than 600,000 square foot building has faced some financial difficulties.
The basement of the building was converted into a Zellers store in 2010. That lasted three years until the store closed in March 2013.
The iconic Paddlewheel Restaurant on the sixth floor of the building closed down in January 2013.
Many departments in the store had been closed or consolidated, with three floors in the building being permanently closed.
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A recent appraisal found the iconic building to be worth $0, and would actually cost millions to sell the building, according to a November 2019 appraisal report from Cushman & Wakefield ULC.
This is a developing story. More details to come.
