Over the next five years the Zellers in Simcoe will likely be phased out.
Most of the big retail chain stores were recently bought out by Target, however Simcoe was one of 86 stores that wasn’t included in that transaction.
Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Degroote School of Business at McMaster University Marvin Ryder says it’s only a matter of time before the remaining stores will be bought out.
He adds the stores could remain open for awhile as a lot of them are tied down with leases but they will be changing by 2015.
Ryder says these days it’s a very difficult thing to compete broadly and it makes more sense to be a specialty store.
Sad to hear this, Zellers has better quality merchandise, clothing etc.. but was bound to happen after Wal-mart came to town.
Sad but I have often wondered why Zellers no longer sends flyers out to people in Port Dover, I look for sales no flyer no shop
Long before Walmart I didn’t like shopping at Zellers. You always had to wait in a line-up to make your purchase, even when the store was empty. Having cashiers ready was just about the lowest priority in the place. Popular sizes of clothing were regularly out of stock and most of the staff were too busy rearranging things to help you. I remember going up for a special Saturday morning deal on a pillow, I got there when the doors opened and they were already sold out. I found out that they only had five available for an advertised deal.
I write in the past tense, because I stopped shopping there two years ago.
I forgot to mention, that there shoe department is terrible and the electronics department doesn’t keep up with the times. You are likely to spend too much on just about anything in that department.
It is sad that a store I grew up with (I grew up in a town that had a Zellers), was run into the ground by poor management. The head office didn’t adapt to the changing marketplace and now they are paying for it..
“Sad to hear this, Zellers has better quality merchandise, clothing etc.. but was bound to happen after Wal-mart came to town.”
If Zellers was really all that much better than Walmart, as the above quote claims, why did it fail? Evidently, people preferred to shop elsewhere. It is simple as that.
I hope another employer fills the space and the jobs that are lost are replaced.
It failed because a American giant who buys almost everything from China drove the market down, killed local small business, and undercut Canadian compaines. China mart is a unforgiving beast that America produced and it has found its way here.
Zellers building and property location are prime for any number of replacement occupants. Can’t wait to see who takes their place. This is a good opportunity for retail development in Simcoe area.
It would be great to see a Future Shop or Best Buy replace Zellers. A quality electronics/entertainment store is badly needed in this area.
I would like to see a woman’s clothing store geared to the plus size, but more of an upscale store where you have a nice choice of classic clothing, not fad clothing that only a pre-teens or the anorexic look good in. I’m personally sick of seeing racks and racks of the tiny clothes. I’m not huge, but I’m not skinny mini either. Penningtons, or Addition Elle would be nice. I now go to Hamilton to shop for most of my clothes and accessories. Wal Mart does not carry enough choice of the classic upscale clothing I like to wear in the plus sizes. I think a plus size person can look great if the clothing is a better quality and fit. I’m pretty sure there aren’t any plus size clothing boutiques in the downtown area, in my opinion, just silly fad boutiques that will probably end up eventually going out of business. Budd’s doesn’t carry enough choice of the larger sizes and I think they only go up to size 18, but I will say what they do sell are good quality.
It is fun going into Budd’s. I feel like I am stepping back into a store from my childhood. I grew up in the 1960′s and a lot of stores were like that. Very simple and fluorescently lit. Now there is a case of a store that never seems to change, but somehow it prevails.
I agree with Bo. I’d love to see a Future Shop here! Then I wouldn’t have to go out of town to shop everytime I needed quality electronics!
Audio Avenue is my choice. Better products, better prices and way better service.
It’s the same store plus it’s owned by the same company. Plus look at both flyers you will see that they are both the same deals