The history of Towers Department Stores in Ontario

For those who grew up in Ontario throughout the 1960s and 1980s, there's a good chance you have at least some memories associated with Towers, whether it was picking out school supplies with your parents, shopping for toys, or stopping for some French fries at the cafeteria. 

Towers, which operated as Bonimart in Quebec, was a Canadian discount department store that offered a mix of shopping and services, from clothing to pharmacy departments and casual dining, all under one roof. The chain was owned at one point by the now-defunct grocery retailer and distributor, Oshawa Group.

Launched as the Canadian division of U.S.-based Towers Marts International, the chain's first Canadian store opened in November 1960 in Scarborough at Lawrence Avenue East and Midland Avenue.

Over the next two years, the brand's presence grew dramatically, as it established multiple discount plaza units in Ontario, each at a staggering 100,000 square feet. 

Photo: Towers Department Stores Facebook page.

In June 1961, The New York Times reported that Towers Marts Inc. and its Canadian subsidiary had completed a $25 million transaction acquiring 11 shopping centres, including seven in Ontario. 

In 1962, a new store opened up at Bloor and Dundas, and featured a promotional event where the first 1,000 customers were sold silver dollars for 80 cents each. The massive department stores operated on a concessionaire mode, where individual merchants ran separate departments, and some locations were even conjoined with a Food City or IGA grocery store. 

Photo: Towers Department Stores Facebook page.

Even with its early growth, Towers, like many other department chains, faced significant financial challenges. Just two years after debuting in Canada, shares of Towers Marts and Properties Ltd. fell dramatically from $9 to $1 per share, and, as expected, the company entered receivership in March 1963. 

Towers ad. Photo: Towers Department Stores Facebook page.

However, a group formed by the chain's concessionaires (Allied Towers Merchants Ltd.) purchased the 13 Canadian stores following the bankruptcy. Between 1965 and 1967, grocer Oshawa Wholesale (which later became Oshawa Group) gradually acquired Towers and converted its Rite-Way discount stores to the Towers brand. 

Eventually, as leases expired, the concessionaire model for which the Towers chain was known was phased out, and many stores were paired with supermarkets. By the mid-1970s, the chain had just returned to profitability and continued to expand across the GTA. 

At its peak, Towers operated stores in neighbourhoods throughout the city, including at Dufferin and Dupont, Carlaw and Gerrard, Jane and Finch, High Park, Kipling, and The Queensway, as well as other Ontario cities like Waterloo and Kitchener. As it became a household name, the chain even made appearances in the Canadian television series, Degrassi Junior High. 

However, as the 1990s approached, Towers' popularity had faded, and at the beginning of the decade, the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) purchased the 51-store chain following a tense bidding contest with Woolworths. 

The acquisition firmly marked the beginning of the end for the Towers brand, and by April 1991, over 40 stores were rebranded under HBC's Zellers banner, while the rest of the locations hosted closeout sales. 

Although Towers doesn't exist anymore, just ask around, and you're bound to find at least a few people who have fond memories of chomping on French fries or corn dogs while their parents browsed the massive department stores.