Stores
Last updated November 09, 2008

Target stores circa 1980

It was common knowledge that much of the Towers look was "inspired" by a major retailer in the United States - Target.

The red and white colour scheme is a good example. Even the overhead signing - nothing fancy, just a piece of wood, painted red with large white lettering - was the same.

Merchandising of department counters and checkouts matched closely Target's approach. Target's control of where and how merchandise would be placed was through the use of Planograms.  If you worked for Towers you KNEW what a planogram was!

Towers/Bonimart Store Locations
[Ed note: If you can help complete this list, please email me.]
 

Ontario
  Store Name Store Number Location Year Opened
  Aldershot - 124 Plains Road
Burlington
-
Click for current Google Earth view of store siteClick for current Google Earth view of store siteClick for current Google Earth view of store site Barrie - 450 Bayfield Street
Barrie
1980's
  Belleville - 540 Dundas St. West
Belleville
-
  Baseline - Baseline Rd/Woodroffe Ave.
Ottawa
-
  Brantford - Brantford
 
-
Click for current Google Earth view of store site Brampton - Queen St. West
Brampton
-
Click for current Google Earth view of store site Collingwood - 55 Mountain Road
Collingwood
-
  Cyrville - 1205 Cyrville Road
Ottawa
-
Click for current Google Earth view of store site Dixie 21 Dixie and Dundas
Mississauga
-
Click for current Google Earth view of store site Dufferin & Dupont 47 Galleria Mall, Dufferin & Dupont
Toronto
1972
  Finch & Warden - Bridlewood Mall,
Toronto
1975
Click for current Google Earth view of store site High Park - Dundas St. West,
Toronto
-
Click for current Google Earth view of store site Jane and Finch 38 Jane Finch Mall
Toronto
-
  Kitchener - Stanley Park Mall
70 Bridgeport Street
Kitchener
-
  Kitchener 57 Strasburg Road
Kitchener
-
Click for current Google Earth view of store site Kanata - Hazeldean Mall,
Kanata
1979
Click for current Google Earth view of store site Malton 62 Westwood Mall,
Malton
-
  London - Wellington Rd.,
London
-
  Niagara Falls - Dorchester & Morrison,
Niagara Falls
-
  North Bay - Algonquin Ave,
North Bay
-
Click for current Google Earth view of store site Oakville - Trafalgar Rd. & Leighland,
Oakville
-
  Owen Sound - 911 10th St W,
Owen Sound
-
Click for current Google Earth view of store site Peterborough - 950 Lansdowne St. W.,
Peterborough
late 60's
Click for current Google Earth view of store site Rexdale - Islington & 401,
Toronto
-
Click for current Google Earth view of store site Riverdale - Carlaw Ave.,
Toronto
-
Click for current Google Earth view of store site Scarborough - Lawrence Ave. E.,
Toronto
-
  Stratford - 1067 Ontario Street,
Stratford
-
  Sudbury - 100 Elm Street, City Centre Mall,
Sudbury
1971
  St. Catherines - Carlton and Bunting Streets,
St. Catherines

-

Click for current Google Earth view of store site West Side 34 Eglinton Ave. West
Toronto

-

  Waterloo 27 70 Bridgeport Road East
Waterloo

-

  Welland - East Main
Welland

-

         
Quebec
  Place Desormeaux

-

Montreal

1971

  Greenfield Park - Montreal -
  Chateaugay - Montreal -
  Laval - Laval -
  Viau (?) - Montreal -
  Quebec City - Quebec City -
         
New Brunswick
         
         
Nova Scotia
  Bedford -

Bedford Place Mall,
Bedford

~1978
  Cole Harbour -

Cole Hardbour

-
  New Minas - - -
         
Prince Edward Island
  Charlottetown -

Charlottetown

-
 


Going. Going. Gone. How much for a store?
 

Chain Date $Millions/Store Store Size (sq.ft.)
Simpsons 1979 14.0 150,000
Future Shop 2001 7.0 25,000
Towers/Bonimart 1990 3.6 67,000
Miracle Food Mart 1990 3.4 25,000
Woolco 1994 2.9 120,000
Dominion 1984 1.5 25,000
Zellers 1980 1.2 65,000
K-Mart 1997 1.2 85,000
BiWay 2001 0.4 5,000


Other defunct Canadian retailers

  • Andrew's
  • The Arcade - St. John's, Nfld.-based discount variety store chain (1938-1995).
  • Ayre and Sons - Newfoundland-based department store chain. Once operated as many as 80 stores coast-to-coast (1859-1991).
  • Bargain Harold's - A 135 location Discount store chain based in Ontario with locations in Ontario, Manitoba and the Maritimes went Bankrupt in 1992.
  • Biway - Discount store based in Ontario, defunct 2001.
  • The Bon Marché - Independent discount variety store in St. John's, Nfld. (1919-1971).
  • Bowring - St. John's, Nfld. department store. Also national home decor store chain.
  • Bretton's - High end department store 1985-1996.
  • Consumers Distributing - Catalogue store 1957-1996.
  • Corvette
  • Creaghan's - New Brunswick department store chain.
  • Creed's - founded 1916, defunct 1991, high-end family-owned retailer.
  • Dupuis Frères - Quebec-based chain, symbol of French-Canadian commerce and pride.
  • Eaton's - Went Bankrupt in 1999, and acquired by Sears Canada. Defunct in 2002.
  • Freimans - Longtime Ottawa retailer, acquired by The Bay in 1972.
  • Fortin - In downtown Trois-Rivières, Quebec; bought by Dupuis Frères.
  • Greenberg - Merged with SAAN.
  • Horizon - Discount department store operated by Eaton's, 1967-1978.
  • Kmart Canada - Discount department store, usually in the suburbs, created by S.S. Kresge - sold Canadian stores to Hudson's Bay Company in 1997.
  • S.S. Kresge - Smaller, downtown locations.
  • Laroque's Department Store - 169-177 Rideau Street, Ottawa, Ontario. Catering to the Francophone community of
  • Lowertown - Closed circa 1970-1971 - Now The Mercury Court Building housing offices and shops.
  • Lasalle - Discount department store.
  • Letendre - On Saint Catherine Street East, Montreal; bought by CDS, then Eaton. The store closed after Eaton's expansion in the west. The building remains at the corner of Montcalm (NE).
  • The London, New York and Paris - St. John's, Nfld. department store chain (1916-1991).
  • Marks and Spencer - Closed Canadian stores in 1999.
  • Metropolitan Stores Ltd. - Sister chain of SAAN, stores later converted to the SAAN name.
  • Miracle Mart - Discount department store operated by Steinberg's, defunct 1996. Some stores acquired by Dominion Stores.
  • Morgan's - Merged with Hudson's Bay Company.
  • Murphy-Gamble - Ottawa store, acquired by Simpson's.
  • Ogilvy's (Charles Ogilvy Limited) - Ottawa-area chain, merged with Robinson's in 1980s, defunct 1990s.
  • La Compagnie Paquet - 6 stores in Quebec City area. Closed June 1981. Some stores acquired by The Bay.
  • Peoples - (1914-1995) discount store closed in the same time as its parent company Wise Stores.
  • Plazamart - On St-Hubert Street in Montreal.
  • Pryce Jones - Calgary branch of United Kingdom mail-order company, operated 1911 to 1916.
  • Pollack - In Quebec City area and Trois-Rivières - bankrupted in 1978.
  • The Right House - Higher-end department stores, last store closed in the 90's.
  • Robinson's - Southern Ontario chain, merged with Charles Ogilvy Limited in 1980s, acquired by Hudson's Bay Company in 1990s.
  • Royal Stores - Newfoundland department store chain (1895-1977).
  • Sayvette - Discount department store, defunct 1970s.
  • Sentry - Ontario chain of retail department stores. Chain closed in mid-1980s.
  • Shop-Rite - Catalogue store operated by Hudson's Bay Company in 1970s-1992.
  • Simpson's - Acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company.
  • Simpsons-Sears Limited - Renamed Sears Canada Inc.
  • Spencer's - Western Canada, bought by Eaton's.
  • Le Syndicat de Québec - Acquired by La Compagnie Paquet in 1974.
  • Target - Newfoundland discount variety store chain (1981-1995) - never related to American company.
  • Towers Department Stores / BoniMart - Sold out to Zellers in 1990.
  • Walker Department Store - Galt, Ontario.
  • Wise Stores - Similar to Hart Stores.
  • Wood Brothers - Halifax department store chain.
  • Woodward's - Western Canada, defunct 1993. most stores converted to Zellers and The Bay.
  • Woodwynn - Junior department store owned by Woodward's, defunct 1993.
  • Woolco - Discount department store, usually in the suburbs, acquired by Wal-Mart in 1994.
  • Woolworth - Closed Canadian stores in 1994, though some became Woolco (such as the Whitehorse outlet).
  • Young Canada - Toys and children's clothes; around since at least the early 1960s.

Miracle Mart - Discount department store operated by Steinberg's, defunct 1996. Some stores acquired by Dominion Stores.

aton's - Went Bankrupt in 1999, and acquired by Sears Canada. Defunct in 2002.

Woolco - Discount department store, usually in the suburbs, acquired by Wal-Mart in 1994.

Woolworth - Closed Canadian stores in 1994, though some became Woolco (such as the Whitehorse outlet).

Biway - Discount store based in Ontario, defunct 2001.

Simpson's - Acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company.

 
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