Employees at Zellers in Aberdeen Mall, Kamloops.

Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Aberdeen Mall

A steady turnout of shoppers arrived to check out the new Zellers at Aberdeen mall in Kamloops for its opening day on Monday.

The big space in the upper floor of Hudson’s Bay Company was bright with Zellers signature red and white colour design and bustling with shoppers. Employees in red shirts were greeting customers and handing out stickers, while a DJ played classic rock tunes. 

The store brought back memories for some shoppers who gave mixed reviews of its comeback after closing a decade ago.

“I remember it as a child and I know my family is hyped about it,” Kamloops resident Madison Dorian said. “I think it’s great and it’s nice to have a new store to expand what we have in Kamloops. The prices are good like the ones we had at Target and everything you could need is here.”

Kamloops resident Joanne Novak thought differently. She wasn’t there to shop, but wanted to see how the new Zellers compared to the one she grew up with which was located on the city's North Shore at the time.

“I’ve been walking through and it doesn’t have the same feeling,” she said. “There isn’t a restaurant at the entrance and some items like toilet paper are not here but maybe they’ll branch out. It’s interesting.”

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Shopper Jasmine Clarke is a mother of two and was browsing the toy section. She’s happy to have a place to buy arts supplies and birthday and Christmas presents for her kids. She remembers shopping at Zellers in high school.

“It’s exciting to have this here after losing the Toys R Us,” she said. “There has been modernization but the same kind of items are here at the same reasonable prices. They have everything to create affordable trendy home décor.”

Kids clothing section at Zellers in Aberdeen Mall, Kamloops.

Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Aberdeen Mall

The store is packed with everything from home décor to furniture, to toys, pet supplies and clothing under the signature brand of products called Anko.

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Hudson's Bay Company bought the Zellers brand in 1978, operating as its discount division, and at its height in the 90s there were 350 locations. Competitors like Walmart entered the market and most Zellers stores were closed by 2013.

"Opening in communities across the country, the brick-and-mortar locations will complement the first-ever Zellers.ca e-commerce site, ultimately bringing Zellers to nearly every community in Canada," reads a Hudson's Bay press release. The new store is one of 25 Zellers in the process of opening in Hudson's Bay locations across the country. The other B.C. locations are in Vancouver, Surrey and Abbotsford. 

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