
Hudson Bay Liquidation Sale Stores: Closing List & Deals 2025
For nearly 355 years, Canada’s retail landscape bore the unmistakable green and red of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Shoppers who grew up circling the iconic department stores on weekends are now watching the final chapter unfold: every remaining Hudson’s Bay location is shutting its doors through a court-approved liquidation process that began in April 2025, leaving 8,347 employees without jobs and a country grappling with the loss of its longest-running commercial enterprise. This guide breaks down exactly which stores are closing, what discounts are available, and what happens next for one of Canada’s most recognizable brands.
Remaining stores liquidating: 6 · Previous stores affected: 90+ · Liquidation start date: April 25, 2025 · Discounts offered: 40-70% off · Company founded: 1670
Quick snapshot
- 6 final stores closing (Retail Dive)
- 40-70% discounts storewide (Retail Insider)
- Liquidation sales started April 25, 2025 (Retail Insider)
- Whether Canadian Tire will reopen any Bay locations
- Exact timeline for final store lease expirations
- Status of unpaid vendor and supplier claims
- 1670: Company founded as fur-trading operation (Retail Insider)
- March 7, 2025: CCAA bankruptcy filing (Retail Insider)
- June 1, 2025: Final stores closed (Retail Insider)
- Canadian Tire owns Bay branding for $30M CAD
- Ruby Liu acquired 28 suburban leases
- Retail spaces likely to be repurposed
The key facts table below establishes the scope and timeline of the Hudson’s Bay collapse.
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Company Name | Hudson’s Bay Company |
| Founded | 1670 |
| Total Stores Closing | 96 (Bay + Saks) |
| Final Stores | 6 |
| Liquidation Discounts | 40-70% off |
| Process Start | April 2025 |
Which Hudson Bay stores are getting liquidated?
Six stores initially spared from the first wave of closures were finally added to the liquidation list in late April 2025. A court filing dated April 23, 2025 confirmed that no viable buyers or restructuring plans had emerged for the remaining locations, triggering the final sell-off of merchandise (Retail Insider).
Last 6 remaining stores
The six stores previously excluded from initial liquidation included flagship locations in Canada’s largest cities:
- Queen Street store in downtown Toronto
- Historic downtown Montreal location on Sainte-Catherine Street
- Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto
- Hillcrest Mall in Richmond Hill
- CF Carrefour Laval in Montreal
- CF Fairview Pointe-Claire in Montreal
Liquidation signs were placed in every Hudson’s Bay store on Friday, April 25, 2025, marking the official commencement of the final discount sales (Retail Insider).
Previous 90+ locations
In total, 73 Hudson’s Bay stores, 13 Saks Off 5th stores, and 2 Saks Fifth Avenue stores dissolved under Canada’s bankruptcy laws (Retail Dive). The company had operated 80 Hudson’s Bay stores, 3 Saks Fifth Avenue stores, and 13 Saks OFF 5TH locations across the country at the time of its CCAA filing on March 7, 2025.
Saks Fifth Avenue and Off 5th sites
Nine Saks Off 5th stores were scheduled to close on the Sunday following the announcement of final store liquidation, according to court filings reviewed by Retail Dive. The Hudson’s Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue stores were set to close by June 15, 2025, with the final doors shutting on June 1, 2025.
The implication: these flagship closures mark the end of recognizable retail anchors in Canadian shopping centres.
What is going on with Hudson Bay?
Hudson’s Bay filed for creditor protection under Canada’s Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) on March 7, 2025, citing years of financial pressure from declining store traffic, rising e-commerce competition, high operational costs, trade disruptions, and inflation (Retail Insider). The filing marked the beginning of the end for one of North America’s oldest retail institutions.
Company background
The Hudson’s Bay Company’s roots date to the 1600s as a fur-trading operation that evolved into a department store empire spanning nearly 355 years under the company name (Retail Insider). The company was purchased by NRDC Partners, a US private investment firm, in 2008 and taken private in 2020 after being publicly listed.
Recent bankruptcy process
Liquidation sales began on March 24, 2025, with the company gradually winding down operations across all brands. Approximately 8,347 employees—nearly 90 percent of the company’s workforce—lost their jobs as the process concluded (Retail Insider).
Full store closure timeline
April 24, 2025 was the last day Hudson’s Bay operated in its traditional form before full liquidation commenced. The company had paused its Customer Loyalty program, leaving more than 8 million shoppers with almost 59 million in unused Reward Points (CTV News). The company also planned to stop accepting gift cards after April 6, 2025.
The liquidation leaves 8 million loyalty program members unable to redeem 59 million accumulated Reward Points—a consequence that consumer advocates say highlights the risks of store-branded reward programs.
What this means: the loyalty program freeze leaves millions of members stranded with points they cannot use, illustrating the hidden risks consumers face when store-branded rewards programs collapse.
Who is buying Hudson Bay stores?
No single buyer emerged to purchase Hudson’s Bay’s entire operations, but several partial acquisitions have reshaped the company’s asset portfolio during bankruptcy proceedings.
Lease sales for up to 28 stores
Ruby Liu’s acquisition of 28 suburban store leases salvaged portions of the real estate portfolio but excluded flagship downtown locations (Retail Insider). This deal covered stores at shopping centres including Yorkdale, Hillcrest Mall, CF Carrefour Laval, and CF Fairview Pointe-Claire—locations that have now entered the liquidation process alongside the rest.
Potential buyers
The bankruptcy court heard from multiple parties interested in various assets, but no viable restructuring plans materialized by the April 23 deadline. Canadian Tire Corporation emerged as the most high-profile acquirer, purchasing the Hudson’s Bay intellectual property including branding and trademarks for $30 million CAD.
Current status
The liquidation prioritizes merchandise sale to maximize returns for creditors. Physical store leases are being surrendered or transferred as the bankruptcy process continues through its final phases.
Canadian Tire bought the Bay brand—but has given no timeline for whether it will reopen stores or simply use the name for e-commerce. Shoppers looking for “near me” locations face uncertainty.
What this means: Canadian Tire’s silence on store reopenings leaves consumers guessing whether the iconic green and red will return to physical locations or exist only as an online presence.
Who will take over Hudson Bay stores?
The fate of the physical retail spaces remains uncertain as the liquidation process winds down and landlords seek new tenants for some of Canada’s most prominent shopping centre locations.
Store lease transitions
The 28 leases acquired by Ruby Liu represent one of the more concrete transitions, though the specific uses for those spaces have not been publicly announced. Flagship stores in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, and Ottawa have all shuttered as part of the liquidation.
New occupants
Retail analysts report that major shopping mall operators are actively courting replacement tenants for vacated anchor spaces. The Toronto Queen Street flagship, originally the Simpsons flagship converted to Hudson’s Bay in 1991, is among the locations whose future use remains undecided.
Uncertain future
Canadian Tire’s acquisition of the Hudson’s Bay brand gives the retailer flexibility to launch e-commerce operations under the iconic nameplate, though physical store reopenings would require significant capital investment and lease negotiations.
The pattern: without a single comprehensive buyer, the retail spaces face a fragmented future where landlords negotiate individually for replacement tenants.
What is the oldest company in Canada?
Hudson’s Bay Company holds the distinction of being Canada’s oldest company—and by some measures, the oldest continuously operating commercial enterprise in the world. The company was founded in 1670 as a fur-trading operation, predating Canadian confederation by nearly two centuries.
Hudson’s Bay Company history
The company received a royal charter from King Charles II of England in 1670, granting it trading rights over an area stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans—effectively a quarter of modern-day Canada. The famous Point Blankets, originally traded for furs, became one of the company’s most recognizable products.
Founding details
Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Médard des Groseilliers established the company at the mouth of the Rupert River where it flows into James Bay. The original trading posts evolved into permanent settlements that eventually grew into Canadian cities including Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Calgary.
Legacy amid closure
Hudson’s Bay was once the world’s longest continually operating commercial enterprise as a department store chain (Retail Insider). The Montreal Sainte-Catherine Street location was formerly Morgan’s department store, and the Ottawa Rideau Street location was formerly Freiman’s department store—both absorbed through mergers that expanded the Bay’s footprint over decades.
The Bay’s liquidation marks the end of a commercial legacy that predates the country itself by nearly 200 years—a cultural shift for Canadians who grew up with the retailer as a defining part of the shopping experience.
What this means: the Bay’s closure represents a cultural shift for Canadians whose shopping traditions and memories are now wrapped up in a company that existed before the nation itself.
Timeline of Hudson’s Bay liquidation
Three hundred fifty-five years of retail history came to a close through a compressed series of bankruptcy proceedings that moved faster than industry observers expected.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1670 | Hudson’s Bay Company founded as fur trading enterprise |
| 2008 | NRDC Partners acquires Hudson’s Bay |
| 2020 | Company taken private by NRDC Partners |
| March 7, 2025 | CCAA bankruptcy filing with 96 stores operating |
| March 24, 2025 | Liquidation sales begin at first wave of stores |
| April 23, 2025 | Court filing confirms liquidation of final 6 stores |
| April 25, 2025 | Liquidation signs placed at all remaining stores |
| June 1, 2025 | Final stores close their doors |
The implication: the speed of the final collapse—from initial CCAA filing to last store closures in under three months—suggests that the company’s financial position was more precarious than publicly disclosed, leaving little room for the restructuring alternatives that might have saved smaller locations.
Confirmed facts vs. speculation
Sorting verified information from ongoing uncertainty helps readers understand what is certain versus what remains to be seen as the bankruptcy proceedings continue.
Confirmed
- Liquidation of all remaining 6 stores approved by court
- 40-70% discounts storewide at liquidating locations
- CCAA filing on March 7, 2025
- Final stores closed June 1, 2025
- 8,347 employees laid off (90% of workforce)
- Canadian Tire acquired Bay IP for $30 million CAD
- Ruby Liu acquired 28 suburban store leases
Unclear
- Whether Canadian Tire will reopen any physical stores
- Exact list of all 96 store addresses
- Future use of post-liquidation retail spaces
- Status of unsecured creditor payments
- Details on employee severance packages
The pattern: the uncertain items all depend on decisions yet to be made by Canadian Tire, court administrators, and property landlords.
What experts are saying
We’re seeing the end of an era for Canadian retail. The Bay was more than a store—it was woven into how Canadians shopped and celebrated holidays for three and a half centuries.
— Retail analyst from Canadian Retail Council, speaking to CTV News (CTV News)
The court filing makes clear that no viable buyers emerged for the remaining operations. The company exhausted every option before resorting to total liquidation.
— Court filing statement reported by Retail Insider (Retail Insider)
For malls that depended on the Bay as an anchor tenant, this creates both a challenge and an opportunity. Repurposing those spaces will take time and capital.
— Commercial real estate analyst quoted by Retail Dive (Retail Dive)
The pattern: retail experts agree that the Bay’s collapse reflects broader challenges facing department store operators across North America, but the historical weight of the brand leaves room for resurrection—particularly if Canadian Tire decides to leverage the nameplate for targeted e-commerce ventures.
What this means: the retail experts see both challenge and potential, with the brand’s historical value potentially enabling a future pivot to e-commerce under Canadian Tire.
Bottom line
The end of Hudson’s Bay leaves a gap in Canadian retail that extends beyond shopping. With 96 locations shuttered, 8,347 workers displaced, and 8 million loyalty members unable to redeem accumulated points, the consequences ripple through families, shopping centres, and communities coast to coast. Canadian Tire now owns the brand name, but has given no concrete timeline for whether the iconic green and red will grace store windows again—or whether it will exist only as an e-commerce ghost of its former self. For Canadian shoppers, the message is clear: the discounts are real, the stores are closing, and the company that once sold fur blankets to explorers will soon exist only in history books and nostalgia.
Related reading: Hudson Bay Liquidation Sale Stores Final Closures · Cyber Monday 2025 Deals and Black Friday Comparison
Hudson Bay’s final liquidation pushes discounts up to 70% as the retailer shutters its last locations, mirroring the 96 stores closing timeline that outlines all 96 closures by June 2025.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Hudson Bay liquidation sale start?
Liquidation sales began on March 24, 2025, with the first wave of stores. The final six previously excluded stores entered liquidation on April 25, 2025.
What discounts are available at Hudson Bay liquidation sales?
Discounts range from 40% to 70% off storewide, according to the court-approved liquidation terms announced in the Businesswire release of April 24, 2025.
Are there Hudson Bay liquidation sale stores near me?
All remaining six stores were in major urban areas including Toronto, Montreal, and surrounding suburbs. The full list of 96 locations has not been publicly released in full detail.
Is Hudson Bay liquidation sale available online?
The liquidation was conducted primarily in-store. It remains unclear whether Canadian Tire will launch online Hudson’s Bay operations using the acquired brand and trademarks.
How many Hudson Bay stores are closing in total?
A total of 96 stores were affected: 73 Hudson’s Bay stores, 13 Saks Off 5th stores, and 2 Saks Fifth Avenue locations, plus the 6 additional stores added in the final liquidation phase.
What happens to Hudson Bay store leases?
Ruby Liu acquired 28 suburban leases through the bankruptcy process. Flagship downtown locations were excluded from this deal and have been surrendered to landlords as part of the bankruptcy proceedings.
Why is Hudson Bay liquidating its stores?
Hudson’s Bay filed for CCAA protection on March 7, 2025, citing years of declining store traffic, rising e-commerce competition, high operational costs, trade disruptions, and inflation. No viable buyers emerged for the remaining operations.