A&P Canada (Grocery Store)
A subsidiary of the American company. Was acquired by Metro in 2005, but Metro operated the stores as A&Ps until 2009, when they were all rebranded as Metro locations.
Canadian Airlines
Acquired by Air Canada in 2000.
Dominion (Grocery Store)
Was acquired a few different times over the years, but ultimately ended up owned by Metro, and all remaining Dominion-branded stores were rebranded as Metro in 2008.
Eaton's (Department Store)
Major Canadian department store, at one time the largest retailer in Canada. Went bankrupt in 1999. Remaining assets were sold to Sears Canada, who tried to operate it as a brand, but abandoned that by 2002. The Toronto Eaton Centre still retains the name, even though its anchor tenant from days gone by is long gone. This was originally going to be my third entry, in light of the historical significance.
Famous Players (Movie Theatre chain)
Acquired by Cineplex Entertainment in 2005, although Cineplex still operates a division under the name.
Future Shop (Electronics retailer)
Acquired by American chain Best Buy in 2001. Best Buy operated them as an independent chain until 2015, when the brand was dissolved, and all locations were converted to Best Buys or closed.
HMV Canada (Entertainment retailer)
Originally a subsidiary of the UK company, was acquired by a capital management firm in 2011, and ceased operations in 2017.
KMart Canada (Department Store)
Subsidiary of the US store, was sold to Zellers in 1998.
Nortel Networks (Communications and Data Networking manufacturer)
Ceased operations in 2013. Was the largest bankruptcy case in Canadian history.
Sam the Record Man (Entertainment retailer)
At one time, Canada's largest seller of prerecorded music. Went into bankruptcy in 2001, but continued to operate until 2007 before finally shutting down. (One former franchisee operates their independent store under the Sam's name.)
Sears Canada (Department Store)
Filed for creditor protection in 2017, closed all stores and ceased operations by 2018.
Simpsons (Department Store)
Acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1978. HBC operated it under the Simpsons name until 1991, when all remaining stores were closed or converted to The Bay locations.
Towers (Department Store)
Acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1990. In 1991, all remaining stores were closed or rebranded as Zellers.
Woolco (Department Store)
A subsidiary of the US company, it continued operating when the US parent ceased operations in 1983. Most locations acquired by Walmart Canada in 1994, with the locations not bought by Walmart being sold to Zellers.
Zellers (Department Store)
Acquired by Hudson's Bay Company in 1978, which continued to operate it under the Zellers name. Sold a number of outlets to Target in 2011, with remaining Zellers locations closed by HBC in 2013. The name was still used on three HBC liquidation centres, but those were rebranded in 2020. In 2023, HBC is trying to cash in on nostalgia by opening Zellers-branded mini "stores within a store" in some of their Bay locations, but it is not the same, and reportedly not going that well either.
