After more than 50 years, Hudson’s Bay in Burnaby is closing its doors

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“Shop Wednesday at the new Bay Lougheed for these specials!” a black-and-white ad declared in the Sept. 23, 1969 edition of The Vancouver Sun.

Jewelry samples were priced at 99 cents each, while side-zip men’s Chelsea boots, “crafted of soft, flexible leather” were advertised on special for just $19.99.

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The full-page ad undoubtedly served to lure its fair share of customers eager to set foot in the shiny new Hudson’s Bay store at Lougheed Town Centre. The opening marked the company’s first retail outpost to be located in a shopping centre.

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Fifty-four years later, the once-celebrated store will permanently close in December.

Tiffany Bourré, vice-president of communication, PR and heritage for the Toronto-headquartered retailer, shared in an email statement the decision to close the Lougheed location was made after “careful consideration,” citing the company’s desire to find “opportunities to optimize its real estate portfolio” as a primary goal.

“Hudson’s Bay will continue to serve the community with a seamless omni-channel experience at its three surrounding stores — Metrotown in Burnaby, Guildford, and Coquitlam — (and) through thebay.com.”

The Lougheed closure comes two years after the retailer’s location in Coquitlam was shuttered suddenly in November 2020. The closure was reportedly due to a failure to stay current on its rent to the location landlord, Pensionfund Realty Limited.

Bourré says the company is committed to “treating every associate with respect and fairness” throughout the closure process. Transfer opportunities will be explored “where feasible,” she added.

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Built to the tune of $15 million, Lougheed Mall opened in 1969 with 70 stores. “All storefronts facing the mall were designed in keeping with the gaslight, late 19th century theme incorporated in the mall,” boasted a special advertising feature that ran on opening day accompanied by an aerial photograph of the sprawling mall.

Located on the south side of the expansive retail-residential development off Austin Road, Hudson’s Bay was listed among the shopping centre’s three “major stores in the centre,” alongside Woolco and Safeway.

Rebranded as Lougheed Town Centre in 2002 as part of the Millennium Line Translink project, in 2018, the shopping centre transitioned yet again to become the much grander The City of Lougheed.

The Hudson’s Bay department store was present through it all.

But with the store’s windows now plastered with posters advertising merchandise sell-off discounts and store closure announcements, it’s clear the store’s story will soon come to an end.

Aharris@postmedia.com

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