Shopping Discussion

Which retailer in Canada will go bankrupt next?

  • Last Updated:
  • Mar 1st, 2024 8:01 pm

Poll: Which canadian retailer will go bankrupt next?

  • Total votes: 964. You have voted on this poll.
Aldo
 
86
9%
Le Chateau
 
341
35%
Lowe's
 
44
5%
The Source
 
192
20%
Canada Computers
 
59
6%
Home Hardware
 
41
4%
The Brick
 
67
7%
Léon's
 
39
4%
Winners
 
20
2%
Staples
 
75
8%
Deal Addict
User avatar
Dec 3, 2017
3176 posts
3130 upvotes
Toronto
HBC is next.

I hope these malls know what they're doing. Yes HBC should have paid their freaking rent but closing down the stores is going to hurt them. Who will replace them?
Sr. Member
Aug 4, 2006
793 posts
377 upvotes
GTA - Gwilly
submalst wrote: They want to break all their leases, through eviction, as a way of closing down their stores.

This wont be like drawn out Sears- this will be
quicker and messy.
You gotta love the mindset of the new owners ( Investment firm) of HBC. $ talks. More working Canadians out on the street.
Member
Oct 8, 2020
297 posts
444 upvotes
Ottawa
Speaking of The Bay, their flagship store across from The Eaton Centre in downtown Toronto remains open despite that city being locked down https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/hudson-s-bay ... -1.5201276.

The Bay says they can remain open as they sell food in certain parts of their store and have a small grocery store in their basement. The provincial government says no they can't and say only department stores with a full grocery component like Walmart and Costco can remain open. Not to get too technical, but some Walmarts don't have a full-grocery component and only sell non-perishable food. Then again those same stores also have a pharmacy. l wonder if HBC will try and fight this in court too if the government tries to shut them down.
Deal Addict
May 31, 2008
1550 posts
1208 upvotes
Toronto
SenatorsFan wrote: The Bay says they can remain open as they sell food in certain parts of their store and have a small grocery store in their basement. The provincial government says no they can't and say only department stores with a full grocery component like Walmart and Costco can remain open. Not to get too technical, but some Walmarts don't have a full-grocery component and only sell non-perishable food. Then again those same stores also have a pharmacy. l wonder if HBC will try and fight this in court too if the government tries to shut them down.
"In a statement to CP24, a spokesperson for Health Minister Christine Elliott offered further clarification late Monday, noting that The Bay should not be allowing customers inside."

I mean Winners also sales some food products- I guess they should open up as well..
Member
Oct 8, 2020
297 posts
444 upvotes
Ottawa
submalst wrote: "In a statement to CP24, a spokesperson for Health Minister Christine Elliott offered further clarification late Monday, noting that The Bay should not be allowing customers inside."

I mean Winners also sales some food products- I guess they should open up as well..
The reason why I posted the link to that article is that it shows that HBC is clearly trying to mitigate their damages by attempting to stay open. I don't know offhand how much the fines are remaining open against public health advice but I wonder if HBC will see if staying open while being fined is cheaper than being closed altogether. If HBC wins this argument, things could messy really fast. Like you just said all sorts of stores the a couple food products could argue that they too can remain open and stores that don't sell food will start selling chocolate bars so they can also stay open. Then the lockdown orders become redundant.

I'm all for people trying to survive (especially small businesses) but HBC playing stupid doesn't make me want to shop there. How bad does one need to go out to HBC today to buy a $250 sweater? Surely you can order it online!
Last edited by SenatorsFan on Nov 24th, 2020 11:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
Deal Expert
Dec 5, 2006
16792 posts
12575 upvotes
Markham
SenatorsFan wrote: The reason why I posted the link to that article is that it shows that HBC is clearly trying to mitigate their damages by attempting to stay home. I don't know offhand how much the fines are remaining open against public health advice but I wonder if HBC will see if staying open while being fined is cheaper than being closed altogether. If HBC wins this argument, things could messy really fast. Like you just said all sorts of stores the a couple food products could argue that they too can remain open and stores that don't sell food will start selling chocolate bars so they can also stay open. Then the lockdown orders become redundant.

I'm all for people trying to survive (especially small businesses) but HBC playing stupid doesn't make me want to shop there. How bad does one need to go out to HBC today to buy a $250 sweater? Surely you can order it online!
Even if they open, will they have customers?

Their customers are high risk seniors

If they are allowed open, I guess every mall will develop 10 square feet area to sell bananas. Grocery! Stay open!
Member
Oct 8, 2020
297 posts
444 upvotes
Ottawa
smartie wrote: Even if they open, will they have customers?
That's the million dollar question: if they stay open will customers actually go against public health advice and visit? I'm sure some of them will side with HBC and say "If it's safe for me to shop at Costco then it's safe for me to shop at Hudson's Bay."

I think on 1 hand some of their employees may need to work (despite certain income supports still available) but for the employees that don't want to work than I think it puts undue pressure on them to come into work despite the lockdown. I'm sure lawyers would have a field day if an employee refused to come into work if their store was illegally open and faced consequences. I thought HBC had turned to the courts to save money, not lose it.
Deal Addict
May 31, 2008
1550 posts
1208 upvotes
Toronto
SenatorsFan wrote:
I'm all for people trying to survive (especially small businesses) but HBC playing stupid doesn't make me want to shop there. How bad does one need to go out to HBC today to buy a $250 sweater? Surely you can order it online!
Agreed.
Its just a bad move on their part- bad press as well. The government wont be sympathetic though they are probably aware of the HBC's rent issues..
Member
Oct 8, 2020
297 posts
444 upvotes
Ottawa
submalst wrote: The government wont be sympathetic though they are probably aware of the HBC's rent issues..
But the government has to play fair or at least should play fair. Then again what constitutes 'fair' is subjective. This is hypothetical but how would the government be able to say with a straight face that HBC should stay open against lockdown orders but a small business in which the owners work 14 hours a day, 6 days a week can't? You could argue that HBC falling would have detrimental effect due to their size but I would counter that with saying that small businesses as a whole are Canada's largest employer. The government may allow HBC to have their ear but whether anything comes out of that remains to be seen. If the government would somehow allow HBC to remain open then there goes the lockdown!
Last edited by SenatorsFan on Nov 23rd, 2020 10:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Oct 5, 2008
18182 posts
14186 upvotes
Toronto
If the Bay is calling itself a grocery store, which i believe is in the basement of the queen street store, the rest of the store should be closed

At the very least
Member
User avatar
Sep 20, 2017
372 posts
184 upvotes
Markham
Is there a possibility for two or more finalist ?
Deal Expert
Dec 5, 2006
16792 posts
12575 upvotes
Markham
Swerny wrote: If the Bay is calling itself a grocery store, which i believe is in the basement of the queen street store, the rest of the store should be closed

At the very least
I don't think that's how it works

Like Walmart, their whole store opens, not just grocery area
Deal Expert
User avatar
Oct 5, 2008
18182 posts
14186 upvotes
Toronto
smartie wrote: I don't think that's how it works

Like Walmart, their whole store opens, not just grocery area
that's what they tried to pull today.

But the Bay isn't even a grocery store if the only option for food is Pusateri's, which was closed.
Member
Oct 8, 2020
297 posts
444 upvotes
Ottawa
Swerny wrote: If the Bay is calling itself a grocery store, which i believe is in the basement of the queen street store, the rest of the store should be closed

At the very least
Swerny wrote: that's what they tried to pull today.

But the Bay isn't even a grocery store if the only option for food is Pusateri's, which was closed.
It's my understanding that the grocery store in the basement is renting space from them. While HBC hasn't come out and said it, I think their position would be "We're not going to unlock our doors so our tenant can do business and not us." Plus I'm sure the logistics of it wouldn't be easy either.

Walmart and Costco are at an advantage because you can buy products from them in store (like furniture, toys and clothing) because they have a full-grocery complement. I know in Manitoba, they've ordered stores like Walmart to not sell non-essential items. I can't imagine the arguments customers are having with cashiers as to what constitutes essential and non-essential.
Deal Expert
Dec 5, 2006
16792 posts
12575 upvotes
Markham
SenatorsFan wrote: It's my understanding that the grocery store in the basement is renting space from them. While HBC hasn't come out and said it, I think their position would be "We're not going to unlock our doors so our tenant can do business and not us." Plus I'm sure the logistics of it wouldn't be easy either.

Walmart and Costco are at an advantage because you can buy products from them in store (like furniture, toys and clothing) because they have a full-grocery complement. I know in Manitoba, they've ordered stores like Walmart to not sell non-essential items. I can't imagine the arguments customers are having with cashiers as to what constitutes essential and non-essential.
I think Nintendo Switch is essential in this environment
Member
Oct 8, 2020
297 posts
444 upvotes
Ottawa
https://www.cp24.com/news/the-bay-to-cl ... -1.5201242

Well that didn't take long. HBC says while they closed all their stores in the regions locked down, they kept their flagship store open based on their interpretation of the lockdown directions.

This article raises a good point https://www.orilliamatters.com/national ... en-2902631. Why is that Walmart and Costco are allowed to sell books because they also sell groceries but a small independent bookstore can't allow customers inside their stores even at bare minimum capacity? Over the summer I went to a shoe store that could probably accommodate at least 20-30 customers but were only allowing 4 customers in at a time. Don't know why something similar can't be an option now in the locked down regions.
Deal Addict
Mar 26, 2005
3208 posts
4255 upvotes
St Clements, MB
smartie wrote: I think Nintendo Switch is essential in this environment
In Manitoba a Nintendo Switch is non-essential, but a good quarter of what Hudson's Bay sells is essential.

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