Ottawa shoppers find deals, nostalgia at Zellers grand opening
Excitement and nostalgia brought shoppers to the grand opening of Zellers in Ottawa's Rideau Centre mall on Thursday morning.
The store is one of a dozen in Ontario and Alberta that opened on Thursday, a relaunch of the popular discount store that aims to capitalize on growing demand for affordable goods.
Steve Trudel was first in line to check out the new Ottawa store.
"It's a very nice store, I think they're going to get a lot of buzz and it looks like the stuff has got a lot of quality," Trudel said. "It's a very bright, clean store."
"I just wanted to see what all the buzz was about, see if it was going to be the same, different, what kind of products they were going to have."
The 10,000 square foot stores will be located within Hudson's Bay department stores and feature an assortment of private-label products, including clothing, toys and home and living items.
Harley Siemens, visiting from Manitoba, wasn't the first person in line for the grand opening, but he was the first person to buy something: three wooden toys for his kids.
"I was shocked when you let me know that I was the first person to buy something," he said. "I think that's kind of cool, a little piece of history come back…I think it's great to have a store open like this again."
One woman said the store brought back memories of shopping in her childhood.
"I love it, there's so many options," Cheyanne Millham said. "I used to come to Zellers as a kid a lot so coming back in my 20s and seeing everything is very nostalgic. … I'm definitely going to spend hours in here
The Zellers food truck was scheduled to serve up classics like the hot chicken sandwich, but there was a problem with the truck so it wasn't available.
The company has also launched a new Zellers e-commerce website, with all items online and in-store featuring so-called rounded pricing, so for example $5 rather than $4.99 or $5.49.
The relaunch of Zellers comes a decade after the discount department store closed most locations.
The company plans to open 25 stores in total.
- with files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
As storms moves across Texas, 1 child dies after being swept away in floodwaters
A child in Texas died Sunday after being swept away in floodwaters as storms swept across the state.