Zellers is returning to Canada. Here's where the GTA locations will be

From 2019: Lights out for last two Zellers stores The last two Zellers locations, one in Ottawa and one in Toronto, are slated for closure in the coming months.

Nearly a decade after it closed its doors nationwide, Zellers is set to return to Canada.

The retailer announced Wednesday the planned Canada locations of 25 "store experiences” within Hudson's Bay stores.

According to the company, the physical locations will be accompanied by the first-ever Zellers e-commerce site.

In the Greater Toronto Area, there are three planned locations – one in Erin Mills Shopping Centre in Mississauga, one in Scarborough Town Centre and one in Burlington Mall.

The full list of Ontario locations is as follows:

The company says all locations across Canada will open simultaneously.

The stores are expected to be between 8,000 to 10,000 square feet, depending on location.

WHY DID ZELLERS CLOSE?

In early 2011, U.S. department store chain Target acquired the leaseholds for 189 store locations throughout Canada for $1.825 billion from the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC).

The majority (125) of locations operating at the time were converted into Target retailers. This left the HBC with 64 remaining Zellers locations.

In 2012, HBC said it decided that keeping the retailer alive was not financially viable.

Zellers closed the doors of its last Canadian location in 2013.

The locations converted into Targets were also quick to fold – in 2015, the U.S retailer withdrew from Canada.