A Historic Toronto Hudson's Bay Is Closing Its Doors After Nearly 50 Years In Business

Shopping in the Bloor Street area seems to be changing quite drastically these days, especially after the popular Zara location closed down. Now, Toronto's historic Hudson's Bay location on Bloor Street East is also closing its doors this spring after nearly 50 years in service.

The Hudson's Bay store on 44 Bloor St. E. opened in 1974 and is closing on May 31, 2022.

A spokesperson from Hudson's Bay told Narcity, "Given the unique proximity to the Hudson's Bay Queen Street flagship location in Toronto, Hudson's Bay has made the decision to close its Bloor Street store on May 31, 2022."

"HBC continually looks at opportunities to optimize its real estate portfolio," they added.

Hudson's Bay on Queen Street is a larger and more active location, especially with their yearly Christmas displays, and so the company has decided to focus their effort there.

"The flagship store is located just 2.5 kilometres (4 subway stops) from Bloor on Queen Street, and we will continue to serve the community with a seamless omnichannel experience at that location and through TheBay.com," the spokesperson stated.

According to CTV News, the closure of the Bloor Street location comes after a legal battle between Hudson's Bay Company and the Ontario government.

Reportedly, when the government enforced laws to close down stores due to the pandemic last year, Hudson's Bay refused to pay rent.

Later a judge ruled that the company should pay 90% of the rent and continue full payments in November 2021.

Earlier this month, Zara on Bloor Street also decided to close its doors after nearly 20 years of business. Zara fans will also have to head to the Eaton Centre location to shop at their nearest store.