Zellers was a Canadian discount department retail chain that operated stores throughout Canada for 82 years. Founded in 1931 in London, Ontario, and later based in Brampton, Ontario, the company was purchased by the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) in 1978. Zellers ceased operation in 2013 and its stores were closed. Following a stint re-using the brand name for a handful of HBC liquidation centers, a decade later in 2023, it was announced that the brand was relaunching within select Hudson’s Bay stores, in an effort to revive the trademark name. In June 1978, Zellers presented a bid to acquire 100 percent ownership of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC). HBC management, recognizing Zellers profitability and the potential to enter a new retail segment, decided to purchase Zellers instead. Zellers and Fields, operating in very different retail segments from HBC, were kept intact and established as separate divisions of the company. HBC acquired full ownership of Zellers and Fields in 1981 and Marshall Wells in 1982. By 1985, HBC had sold Marshall Wells for $20 million because it was not relevant to its department store business.