A bright future for Hudson's Bay Company?
What I would do with the venerable 354 year old retailer that once owned Canada
Hudson’s Bay Company once controlled much of Canada. Literally. In 1670, they were granted a Royal charter by King Charles II giving them exclusive rights to trade and managed the lands draining into Hudson’s Bay. Rupert’s Land included much of modern-day Ontario, Quebec, Labrador and western Canada. Even a small chunk of the USA was theirs.
In 2025, the company was granted protection from its creditors and is currently petitioning a judge for permission to sell its 96 remaining stores (including a number of Sak’s Fifth Avenue and Saks Off Fifth stores) liquidate its remaining assets and lay of 9,000 employees.
It’s a sad way to end 354 years of history. It doesn’t have to end this way.
I’m not a retail magnate, but I have some ideas about what could be done with HBC. I imagine you may too. Let’s share our ideas in the hope someone with means may be inspired to keep this iconic Canadian brand alive.
At a time when Canada’s nearest friend and ally – the United States – has declared (economic) war on us, seeking our annexation into their blancmange, violent and indiscriminate fold, Canadians should find a solution for the HBC. There is much about the venerable old institution worth saving. Most of all, its identity.
For that, I would return to its roots and rebuild HBC on the pillars that made it strongest: uniquely Canadian, outdoorsy, connected to the land, proud.
My HBC would focus entirely on Canadian-made products and those Canadians can use to reconnect with our nature and our heritage. I’d make it a boutique experience, with some small retail stores in shopping malls and heritage buildings across the country reminiscent of HBC trading post from its early days: the log cabin, roaring fire, bundled fur type esthetic.
I’d make it the ultimate neighbourhood store not by building these boutiques in every Canadian neighbourhood, but by putting them inside every Canadian home. A robust online shopping experience could draw from Canadian expertise like that behind global giant Shopify and lean into the ability of modern logistics to deliver products quickly and affordably from coast-to-coast-to-coast. I’d make HBC a global brand for those who love Canada, camping and outdoor sports.
HBC would sell traditional point blankets alongside First Nations and Canadian art, outdoor clothing and gear, winter sporting equipment, hockey and lacrosse gear, camping stuff, fishing and hunting equipment, books and products about Canadian history and lore. It would offer Canadian fashions and food stuffs. It would sell Canadian furs, gold, gems and diamonds.
I’d look to partner with Purolator and other courier services, Canadian airlines, newspapers and small-medium businesses for delivery. I’d reach out to Canada Goose for a brand partnership. Their retail stores are few, far between and out of reach of most Canadians.
HBC should not be all things for all people. It should be the go-to source for products of Canada for Canadians – and those who love us.
Canada is having a moment. We’re in crisis. So is HBC. But, out of every crisis comes opportunity. Canadians are rediscovering their own national identity and we’re damned proud of who and what we are – and are not. The world is seeing Canada in a new light, no longer just the shadow of the USA.
People will buy high quality Canadian brands and products at multiple price points. HBC should be the premier source of them.
If it’s Canadian, it’s at HBC.
How to accomplish this? Definitely not my area of expertise. The current owners have stripped much of the real estate value from the business and the existing stores are too big – many are three floors in major shopping malls. But if you could acquire the brand and rights to iconic HBC products like its point blankets and stripes motif, you could build something valuable from that.
What would you do with HBC?
Regrettably, I’ve had to ban a user for the very first time. There is no place here (or anywhere, frankly) for racist vitriol. It is not patriotic. In fact. It is the opposite of everything Canada and free democracies stand for.
We need a truly Canadian store. We have great Canadian clothing designers and products. A smaller retail footprint is necessary. You can't and shouldn't be all things for everyone. But more so, I certainly hope someone buys HBC off the Americans because they've drove it to the ground.