Hudson's Bay store in Toronto remains open after landlord fails to evict it from mall

The original version of this story said the store had been evicted. This has now been corrected following a court injunction involving The Bay and Centerpoint landlord Morguard.

A Hudson's Bay in Toronto greeted shoppers this weekend with a notice saying their lease had been terminated since the company stopped paying rent.

Located at Yonge and Steeles in Centerpoint Mall, the location was closed on Sunday, just ahead of new lockdown restrictions coming into effect on Nov. 23.

It reopened Monday after winning a court injunction against Centerpoint's landlord Morguard. The lease termination sign has since been removed, and The Bay at Centrepoint is now operating for curbside pickup. 

"Hudson’s Bay is grateful that the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has recognized the extraordinary challenges of the global pandemic and how the burden can be shared fairly and lawfully," said HBC spokesperson Tiffany Bourré in a statement to blogTO.

"When Morguard tried to evict us, without regard for the impact on our employees, vendors and other retailers, we had no choice but to defend ourselves. We accept the Court’s Order and will continue to ask for a fair sharing of the burden of the pandemic."

I stopped in at @hudsonsbay at Centerpoint Mall in north Toronto. A sign on the door posted yesterday that they have been locked out by Moreguard for non-payment of rent. I expect this is not the first.

— Jay Kowal (@jaycola) November 22, 2020

Hudson's Bay locations have been closing across the country, with the court system getting involved to order the payment of rent. The court has been asked to order evictions and terminate leases for some Quebec locations of HBC that owed millions in unpaid rent.

Meanwhile, the downtown Toronto location has also gotten itself into some hot water by staying open on Nov. 23, despite lockdown orders for businesses deemed non-essential to close.

The store remained open as a grocer due to the presence of boutique gourmet market Pusateri's within the Bay at that location. It's since closed following backlash from the public and health officials.

The Bay won't be able to have their usual unveiling ceremony this year, but at least you can still cheer yourself up with the traditional Hudson's Bay holiday window displays downtown.