Jump to content

Towers Department Stores

From Alfawiki
Towers
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryRetail (discount department store)
PredecessorTowers Marts (New York-based)
Founded1960-11-15
Defunct1991
FateAcquired by Hudson's Bay Company and integrated into Zellers
Headquarters
Scarborough, Ontario
,
Canada
Area served
Canada (including Quebec as Bonimart)
OwnerOshawa Group (until acquisition by Hudson's Bay Company)

Towers, known as Bonimart within Quebec, was a Canadian discount department store network owned by the now-defunct grocery retailer and distributor, the Oshawa Group.

History

Originating as a chain based in New York, Towers Marts launched its first Canadian outlet on November 15, 1960, in Scarborough, Ontario. By March 1962, concession operators of Towers had established Allied Towers Merchants Ltd. Following the bankruptcy of Towers Marts in 1963, Allied Towers Merchants Ltd. took over ownership of the 13 Canadian stores and subsequently assumed complete control.

In the province of Quebec, the brand operated under the name Towers during the 1960s but was renamed Bonimart in April 1971 to emphasize the French identity of its Oshawa Group subsidiaries.

Each department within Towers functioned as a licensed concession. Certain stores featured additional amenities such as dining establishments, photographic laboratories, and pharmacies. Numerous locations were co-located with either an IGA or Food City grocery outlet.

In October 1990, the 51 stores under Towers/Bonimart were acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company, which intended to integrate them into its Zellers division. One store was converted to The Bay, while four others were either sold off or shuttered. This takeover encountered resistance from the New York-based F. W. Woolworth Company, owner of Canadian Woolco outlets.

By April 1991, 47 former Towers/Bonimart locations had been rebranded as Zellers stores. The remaining outlets conducted clearance sales under their original names, with some continuing until autumn 1991. The current ownership status of the Towers brand name remains uncertain; however, the Bonimart trademark is held by Sobeys, which succeeded the Oshawa Group.

Slogans

  • "At Towers everything connects - the last day of one sale is the first of the next."
  • "Extra Special For Your Family--Towers."
  • "You made us part of your family at Towers."
  • "Towers. Your family's extra special store."
  • "At Towers, we've got the right idea!"

Mascot

The mascot representing Towers was an animated squirrel called Sparky. During the transition to Zellers ownership, print advertisements featured Sparky alongside Zellers’ bear mascot, Zeddy.

Ontario: outside Greater Toronto Area

  • Barrie (450 Bayfield Street; relocated to Bayfield Mall; closed 1990/1991)
  • Belleville
  • Bracebridge (505 Muskoka Rd #118W)
  • Brantford
  • Burlington (Plains Rd W)
  • Hamilton (640 Queenston Rd)
  • Collingwood (Mountain View Mall)
  • Kitchener (700 Strasburg Road at Block Line Road, Forest Glen Shopping Centre)
  • London (4465 Wellington Road)
  • Niagara Falls (6777 Morrison St)
  • North Bay (Hwy 11 north at McKeown)
  • Oakville (Towers store 41) Trafalgar Rd., near Trafalgar Rd. & Leighland Ave.
  • Ottawa (Hazeldean Mall; Shoppers City West; Cyrville Rd store #42)
  • Owen Sound
  • Peterborough (950 Lansdowne St W)
  • St. Catharines (366 Bunting Rd at Carlton St)
  • Stratford (site of Festival Marketplace Mall - 1067 Ontario Street)
  • Sudbury (40 Elm St, City Centre Mall)
  • Waterloo (70 Bridgeport E. at Erb Street, Towers Plaza; converted to Zellers in 1991 and later Walmart)
  • Welland (1000 East Main Street; currently Canadian Tire Financial Services Limited)
  • Woodstock (present-day Goodlife location)

Greater Toronto Area

  • Brampton (Towers location 46) originally at 400 Queen St. W.; subsequently relocated to Kingsport Plaza near Main St. N. and Williams Parkway
  • Bridlewood Mall (Towers location 59) situated at 2900 Warden Ave., Scarborough (intersection of Warden Ave. and Finch Ave. E.)
  • Dixie Plaza (Towers location 26) located at 3100 Dixie Rd., Mississauga (Dixie Rd. and Dundas St. E.)
  • High Park (Towers location 22) at 2290 Dundas St. W., Toronto (corner of Dundas St. W. and Bloor St. W.)
  • Jane & Finch Mall (Towers location 38), positioned at 3929 Jane St., North York (Jane St. and Finch Ave. W.)
  • Kipling & The Queensway (Towers location 53) found at 1255 The Queensway, Etobicoke (Kipling Ave. and The Queensway)
  • Midland Lawrence Plaza (Towers location 21) at 2650 Lawrence Ave. E., Scarborough (Lawrence Ave. E. and Midland Ave.)
  • Rexdale Mall (Towers location 43) located at 2267 Islington Ave., Etobicoke (Islington Ave. and Rexdale Blvd.)
  • Riverdale Plaza (Towers location 30) at 449 Carlaw Ave., Toronto (Carlaw Ave. and Gerrard St. E.)
  • The Galleria Mall (Towers location 47) positioned at 1245 Dupont St., Toronto (Dufferin St. and Dupont St.)
  • Westside Mall (Towers location 34) situated at 2400 Eglinton Ave. W., York (Eglinton Ave. W. and Keele St.)
  • Westwood Mall (Towers location 60) found at 7205 Goreway Dr., Mississauga, in the Malton neighborhood

Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia

  • Charlottetown (Charlottetown Mall) Initially paired with an IGA supermarket, later transformed into Zellers, then Target in 2013; following Target's exit, the area was divided among various retailers
  • Summerside (Waterfront Mall) Converted into Zellers alongside an IGA grocery store
  • Bedford (Bedford Place Mall) Ownership transferred to The Bay due to the proximity of a Zellers outlet in Sunnyside Mall; The Bay ceased operations in January 1996, after which the store reverted to Zellers that summer; converted to Target in 2013, subsequently subdivided into Fit For Less and Giant Tiger outlets
  • Dartmouth - Cole Harbour (Colby Village Plaza) Opened in 1986, transitioned to Zellers in 1991, then became Walmart in 2012 after Target sold 39 Zellers leases to Walmart Canada
  • New Minas (Gardens Mall) Converted to Zellers in 1991 alongside an IGA supermarket; with the larger Zellers at nearby County Fair Mall and IGA’s closure following Sobeys’ acquisition of Oshawa Group, Gardens Mall closed and was redeveloped into an open-air shopping center anchored by Walmart in the early 2000s
  • Bridgewater (Bridgewater Mall)

New Brunswick

  • Saint John

Quebec

  • Châteauguay (St-Jean Baptiste Blvd.)
  • Greenfield Park (Taschereau Blvd.)
  • Laval (Centre 2000 Mall)
  • Laval (Centre Duvernay Shopping Centre)
  • Longueuil (Place Désormeaux Mall)
  • Montreal (Décarie Square Mall)
  • Sorel (Promenades de Sorel Mall)
  • Ste-Foy (Place Laurier Mall)
  • St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (Place Saint-Jean Shopping Centre)
  • Saint-Léonard (7600 Viau Blvd.)

See also

External links

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Towers_Department_Stores&oldid=87691"