Zellers Inc. was a major Canadian chain discount department retailer based in Brampton, Ontario. It was founded in 1931, and was acquired by Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in 1978.
A series of acquisitions and expansions allowed Zellers to reach its peak in the 1990s, with 350 stores across the country at one point. However, fierce competition by Walmart Canada and an inability to adjust to the increasing volatile retailing industry resulted in Zellers significantly losing ground in the 2000s and the subsequent acquisition of most of its stores by Target Canada in 2011. The history of Zellers, as a discount store, came to an end on March 31, 2013, when its remaining stores closed.
Two Zellers stores in Ontario continue to use the name of the defunct chain. These stores are liquidations centres for Hudson's Bay and Home Outfitters.
The company was founded in 1931 by Walter P. Zeller as "stores for thrifty Canadians". The chain began with the purchase of the fourteen Canadian locations of American retailer Schulte-United, all of which were in Southern Ontario. Almost immediately, Zellers initiated an aggressive expansion strategy. Within 25 years, Zellers operated 60 stores and employed 3,000 people. In 1952, in a move to expand into Atlantic Canada, it acquired the Federal Stores chain of variety stores, adding more than 12 new Zellers locations.
I got a call from you, and I’m all right.
I just wanna go outside and ride my bike.
If I’m not at your house in twenty seconds flat,
there’s something wrong.
You know there’s something wrong.
Forgive me if my tenses aren’t right.
I’m fighting time instead of watching it go by.
The walk to our bus stop got longer every day.
You’re late for school.
I’ll never get to you.
I’ll never get to you.
We rode home, and we took the long way back.
What is a bad day for you my friend?
Yeah.
We rode home and we took the long way back.
We were killing time, and no one seemed to mind.
Didn’t take much to get me out of bed.
In the morning when I woke up I’d be in
my basement listening to High/Low every day before the sun.
And I’m good with everyone.
And I’m good with everyone.
We rode home, and we took the long way back.
What is a bad day for you my friend?
Yeah.
We rode home and we took the long way back.
We were killing time,
and no one seemed to mind.
No one seemed to mind
that we were killing…
We would always say
we’d never end up this way.
Sorry I can’t remember now.
We used to come this way a lot.
Yeah, more often than not.
Sorry I can’t remember now.
Sorry I…
We rode home, and we took the long way back.
What is a bad day for you my friend?
Yeah.
We rode home, and we took the long way back.
We were killing time,
and no one seemed to mind.