Zellers is making a comeback in southern Ontario but a retail expert says that the discount store chain can’t rely on nostalgia alone if it plans to stick around. The discount retailer announced it is opening a new store in Cambridge, Ont., this Thursday. The new 25,000-square-foot location will be located at the Cambridge Centre at 355 Hespeler Rd. Zellers will also be adding two more locations in the Greater Toronto Area next year: one at Shoppers World Brampton, located at 499 Main St. S., and one at Malvern Town Centre, 31 Tapscott Rd. These department stores will also sprawl 25,000 square feet. It is unclear when exactly these locations will open. While there is no opening date yet set for a branch at Tecumseh Mall in Windsor, Ont., the discounted retailer said it is “progressing well” and anticipates providing a date soon. “There’s a reason why Zellers originally sort of went out of business and sold itself, but it seems that the new ownership has a bit of a different vision for Zellers,” retail expert Bruce Winder told CTV News, adding that the Canadian department store is offering “value” prices. “Depending on how customers react, they could form sort of a nice little value niche, you know, below folks like Walmart.” Zellers opened a branch at 80 Orfus Rd. over the summer, which was the first location to open in the GTA since the last store closed in 2020. Most stores closed in 2013. On top of Thursday’s store opening in Cambridge, the retailer said the Zeddy Bear is making a comeback to its shelves. The mascot will be available for purchase in two formats: a small key chain and plush bear toy. As for whether nostalgia could serve as a factor to drum up business, Winder says that will only take it so far. “Nostalgia is great for marketing and it’s great for people to try something once, but you can’t run a business purely on nostalgia in this market,” he said. In a news release, Joey Benitah, Chief Operating Officer of Zellers, said that the retailer has “been incredibly encouraged by the response” to its return. He said that Zellers is “continuing to listen to our customers, introduce new offerings and bring Zellers to more communities.”
