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The new owners of Zellers will soon expand the relaunched brand to Ontario but are first making a few tweaks.
A new discount storefront is set to open near Toronto’s Yorkdale Mall on June 18th, and another at Windsor’s Tecumseh Mall in July.
Like the Edmonton location that marked the brand’s relaunch last year, the stores will be stocked with apparel, home goods, luggage and seasonal items.
Most Zellers stores in Canada closed more than 10 years ago. Now, after a successful re-launch in Edmonton, the company has announced that Zellers 3.0 is expanding across the country.
The Ontario stores will also introduce snack foods and toys, a category the owners initially wanted to leave out of Zellers because they felt it would be too hard to compete with Walmart and Amazon.
Zellers chief operating officer Joey Benitah says he changed his mind because a small selection of toys he trialed at the Edmonton location wound up being some of the store’s best sellers.
The Benitah family, which owns the brand now, bought the rights to the almost 100-year-old Zellers name last year after its former owner, Hudson’s Bay, went under.
The family is also behind apparel stores Fairweather and International Clothiers as well as home goods retailer Wyrth.
In the almost 100 years since Zellers was founded, the discount department store has died and been revived several times.
Its current owners are less than a year into their relaunch but say they have national expansion plans.
The nostalgic department store Zellers is making its Canadian return at Londonderry Mall in Edmonton. CBC’s Tristan Mottershead went to visit Zellers for his very first time.
Location in Windsor area marks a return
In the Windsor area, Zellers will be located at Tecumseh Mall — which had a Zellers until it closed in 2013.
Customers who can remember it say they’re looking forward to seeing it come back.
“I was 13 years old when they closed, and it’s gonna be really nostalgic and I’m really excited to see Tecumseh Mall coming back and getting a big store like that,” said Tyler Gelines.
Gelines says his mother previously worked at that location, and vaguely remembers the restaurant within the store.
Zellers will be one of several retail stores near Tecumseh Road and Lauzon Road, with franchises such as Giant Tiger, Walmart, and a future Costco location in the area.
13 years since the Zellers location at Tecumseh Mall closed, the revamped retailer is coming back with a new store. Set to open in July 2026, it’s part of Zellers 3.0 returning to Ontario markets.
Ryan Donally, the president and CEO of the Windsor-Essex Chamber of Commerce, says Zellers’ decision to move back to Windsor is a good sign for the surrounding area.
“You could argue that rising tide lifts all ships, so having additional foot traffic for any of the one stores would potentially lead to more and better service offerings for customers heading over there,” he said.
“Customers want to have preference and choice, and having more choice drives competition,” he said, “so that sharpens everybody’s pencils and makes sure that the best possible options are being delivered to the Windsor-Essex residents.”
In an email, a spokesperson for Tecumseh Mall said they they’re excited to see the retailer return this summer.
“Zellers holds a special place in the hearts of so many of our customers and in the memories of so many people in the greater Windsor area,” said Katarina Taylor, the property’s general manager. “The return to the property just seems like a natural fit.”
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