Acquisitions

Date	Event
1670	Hbc founded The Granting of the Royal Charter by King Charles II in 1670, by E.A. Cox, 1920 First page of the Hbc Charter HBCA 1987/363-C-25/1
1779	North West Company (NWC) founded North West Company coat of arms, 1783-1821 Unknown Artist/Library and Archives Canada/ C-008711
1780	Job Brothers founded
1821	NWC merges with Hbc
1845	Henry Morgan and Co. founded in Montreal Original partnership agreement between Morgan and Smith, January 14, 1845
1867	The John Murphy Company founded in Montreal
1871	I.G. Baker has a store in Fort McLeod, Alberta
1872	Robert Simpson Co. founded in Toronto Early Simpsons store Toronto, at Richmond and Yonge, ca. 1908
1877	Smallman & Ingram founded in London, Ontario
1888	R.H. Williams opens its large department store downtown Regina
1891	I. G. Baker's Canadian operations acquired by Hbc
1892	Woodward Stores Limited founded in Vancouver Woodward's 1892 store Woodward's downtown Vancouver store, ca. 1940s
1899	George Webster Robinson opens a retail store under his name in Hamilton in premises previously owned by the bankrupt F.W. Watkins Company Ltd.
1903	Revillon Frères of Paris begins competing with Hbc in Northern Quebec
1904	The John Murphy Company is acquired by Simpsons, and continues its activities under the John Murphy name
1907	Hbc establishes its Wholesale operations Hbc tea and coffee plant, Vancouver, 1945 HBCA 1987/363-W-105/21 Hbc Jamaica rum bottle, n.d. HBCA 1987/363-W-111/21
1909	Hbc organizes itself in three Divisions: Retail, Fur Trade, and Land
1912	J.F. Cairns Ltd. in existence from at least this year forward
1918	The Archibald J. Freiman Department Store opens in Ottawa
1918	Lamson and Hubbard Corporation of Boston starts competing with Hbc
1922	Hbc acquires Cairns and expands in Saskatchewan Hbc Saskatoon store, n.d. HBCA 1987-363-S-305
1922	Creation of S.S. Kresge Limited, the Canadian subsidiary of American retailer S.S. Kresge
1924	Hbc acquires Lamson Hubbard's Canadian business
1926	Hbc acquires a 51% interest in Revillon Frères
1928	Hbc acquires a majority interest in Job Bros.
1929	Montreal's John Murphy store closed and renovated to re-open as Montreal's first Simpson's store Simpsons, Montreal n.d.
1930	Hbc owns partial shares in C.M. Lampson of Montreal and Maclure and Mckinnon Fox Farms of P.E.I.
1931	Zellers is founded Zellers store front, ca. 1942 Walter P. Zeller, n.d.
1937	Hbc acquires remaining interest in Revillon Frères and winds up the company, integrating its assets and business with its own
1954	Hbc winds up its Land Department; the Annual Report ceases to comment on the remaining inventory except in the Financial Statement.
1944	Simpsons acquires Smallman and Ingram of London, Ontario
1946	Simpsons acquires R.H. Williams of Regina, Saskatchewan
1946	Joseph Segal founds Fields, a small family clothing store in Vancouver that becomes the foundation of the Fields chain
1952	Zellers acquires New Brunswick based Federal 5-10-15¢ to $1.00 Stores Ltd
1952	American retailer W.T. Grant Company becomes large shareholder of Zellers. It will eventually own up to 51% of the company before selling off its controlling share.
1952	Simpsons-Sears partnership created
1954	G.W. Robinson is bought by Owen and Owen Ltd. of Liverpool England, the store's British agent and purchaser
1960	Hbc acquires Morgan's, converts its Ontario stores to the Hudson's Bay but keeps the Quebec stores operating under the Morgan's name Morgan's visual identity, ca. 1960 Morgan's store, Ste-Catherine St., Montreal, 1960
1961	G.W. Robinson merges with Finch Brothers Ltd. of Hamilton, acquiring its King St. W. location where it opened a budget store
1964	Hbc introduces "The Bay" banner, converting its retail stores to the new brand except for those former Morgan's stores in Quebec Bay visual identity, 1964 La Baie visual identity, 1964 The Bay visual identity, 1964 The Bay delivery service, 1965
1967	Creation of Towers Department Stores Towers sign from store, ca. 1980s
1972	Hbc becomes shareholder of Hamilton retailer G.W. Robinson
1972	Hbc acquires the Shop-Rite catalogue stores Cover of 1974 Shop-Rite catalogue Cover of 1976 Shop-Rite catalogue
1972	Hbc acquires Ottawa retailer A.J. Freiman, Limited Freimans visual identity, 1972 Freiman's store, downtown Ottawa, 1964
1972	Hbc folds the remaining Morgan's stores into the Bay brand
	Cover of Zellers Forum, September 1974
1976	W.T. Grant sells its controlling interest of Zellers
1976	Fields Stores Limited acquires controlling interest in Zellers Cover of Zellers Forum, Fall 1976
1976	Zellers successfully reverses the Fields takeover, becoming the owner of Fields, and Fields subsidiary Marshall Wells Limited, a hardware store.
1978	Hbc acquires Zellers and maintains it as a wholly owned subsidiary. Zellers visual identity, ca. 1975 Zellers store, St. John's, Newfoundland, n.d.
1978	Hbc acquires Simpsons and maintains it as a subsidiary Detail from cover of 1964 Simpsons Annual Report Sketches of Simpsons buildings, 1952 Simpsons Queen St store, Toronto. Bay and Richmond corner, ca. 1951 Queen St. Toronto Simpsons store with the Simpson Tower, 1978
1980	G.W. Robinson's 9 stores sold to Joseph Segal and John Levy of Vancouver
1981	Hbc sells its shares in the G.W. Robinson Company to the majority shareholder
1982	Hbc closes its unprofitable Shop-Rite Catalogue store chain
1983	Zellers launches Just Kids, a children's clothing chain Just Kids store, ca. 1983
1985	Marshall Wells sold
1987	Hbc sells its fur trade operations - the Northern Stores Division - to a group of investors and 415 employees; three years later the company assumes the North West Company name
1987	Hbc sells its Wholesale Division
1988	Just Kids closed Just Kids visual identity. Store concept introduced 1983
1989	Simpsons stores in Montreal folded into the Bay brand
1990	Zellers purchases Towers.
1991	All remaining Simpson's stores folded into the Bay brand
1993	Hbc acquires Woodward's and converts most of its stores to Bay or Zellers stores Giant W on top of Woodward's store, Vancouver, 1927
1998	Zellers acquires Kmart Canada and converts its stores to Zellers stores Kmart visual identity, 1990s
1999	Hbc launches new Home Outfitters store chain Home Outfitters visual identity, 1999 Home Outfitters store, ca. 2000
2000	Hbc launches hbc.com
2004	Hbc launches Designer Depot Designer Depot
2005	Hbc selected Premier National Partner of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The partnership makes Hbc Official Supplier of uniforms to the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic teams through 2012.
2006	Hbc is acquired by American businessman Jerry Zucker, who takes it private, thus ending almost 336 years as a publicly-traded company.
2008	Hbc sells Designer Depot Hbc is sold to NRDC Equity Partners which owns American retailers Lord & Taylor and Fortunoff.