Retail Graveyard of Canada
Here's a non-comprehensive list of retailers that used to operate in Canada. Some of these retailers may still operate in other countries, revived in name only by other companies, or as online only retailers.
Last updated March 31st, 2021.
Name | Years in operation | Fate | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Kmart Canada | 1929-1998 (brand still active in the US) | Financial troubles with parent. | Defunct. Stores sold to HBC and converted into their brands, mostly Zellers |
Justice | 1987 (As Limited Too)-2020 | Bankruptcy of Parent company, Ascena. Brand to be resurrected by Bluestar Alliance. | Defunct |
Le Chateau | -2020 | filed for creditor's protection due to COVID related decline | Defunct |
Payless Shoesource | 1958-2018 (North America) | Bankruptcy. North American stores closed. International stores remain open. | Still active in some countries |
National Sports | 1968-2021 | Canadian Tire closed the chain. | Brand defunct |
Pier 1 | 1962-2020 | Bankruptcy due to the 2020 COVID 19 pandemic. | Defunct. Brand still active |
Sears Canada | 1953 (as Simpsons-Sears) -2018 | Bankruptcy. American chain still exists for the time being. | Brand still Active in some countries |
Target Canada | 2013-2015 | Infamous failure of Canadian expansion. Stores closed by 2015 | Division Defunct. Still active in the US |
Woolco | 1962-1994 (in Canada) | Stores closed down due to underperformance. US stores closed in 1983. Parent company defunct. | Defunct. Most stores sold to Walmart in 1994 with some being sold to Zellers |
Zellers | 1931-2013 (chain) 2020 (remaining stores) | Target acquired most of their good stores, so HBC decided to close the rest of the chain. 2 remained in operation until 2020. | Revived as a experimental store-within-a-store in Hudson Bay |