This page is the main page for this topic. For other related pages & articles, see:
|
Hart Stores Inc is a Canadian discount department store chain found in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. They formerly operated in Newfoundland and Labrador.
History
In 1960, the first Hart store was opened by Harry Hart in Rosemère, QC. The original headquarters for Hart Stores Inc was in Anjou, QC, a suburb of Montreal. Hart is geared towards lower to middle class people. They sell a mixture of name-brand and off-brand products.
This first location was quite successful for Mr. Hart, so he opened more locations, quickly spreading outside of Quebec and into New Brunswick and Ontario.
Around the 1980s or 1990s, a new store concept was made called Bargain Giant. These stores were similar to Hart Stores, albeit smaller then a regular Hart store. Also in this time, Hart had expanded to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland & Labrador.
In 2000, Hartco (Hart Stores parent company) became public on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
In early 2006, the Hart headquarters were moved to Laval, QC.
In 2008, SAAN filed for bankruptcy and liquidated all of their stores. Hart took the opportunity and bought a few SAAN stores to convert them to Hart.
Throughout the 2000s, Hart began to decline. Their stores usually looked dark and old, and people would rather shop at competitors that were larger and had better deals. Their difficulties caught up to them in 2011.
2011 Bankruptcy
By 2011, there were 92 Hart and Bargain Giant stores in Canada, but with their continuing struggles in the market, they filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Because of the bankruptcy, Hart closed all of their Bargain Giant stores and completely left the Newfoundland & Labrador and Nova Scotia markets. In total, they closed 32/92 of their stores. In Newfoundland, 10 of the former Hart and Bargain Giant stores were converted to Rossy locations. Rossy is one of the main competitors of Hart due to their similar store concepts and store size.
A 1980s era Hart Store
Post Bankruptcy
Hartco eventually made it out of bankruptcy. In 2015, Paul Nassar bought Hart Stores Inc from Hartco, making the chain a private company or the first time in 15 years.
Paul began to make some changes. He changed the logo and store design for the first time since the 1990s, and implemented other changes within the company to make them more profitable. This change worked, they quickly became profitable again and began opening new stores.
Around 2019, Hart re-entered the Nova Scotian market with a location in Amherst, NS. A few years later, another location was opened in Port Hawkesbury, NS which was a place they previously had a location in until their bankruptcy.
In 2023, Hart expanded into the Prince Edward Island market with a location in Charlottetown, which is the capital of Prince Edward Island.
With new ownership, Hart continues to do well, and has made a full recovery from its bankruptcy. They now operate 128 stores throughout eastern Canada.
Store Concepts
Hart
A standard Hart location. Stores range from 22,000–54,000 sq ft. They sell clothing, furniture, housewares, sports equipment, some food and groceries, toys, and other similar products. Stores are usually found in shopping malls or plazas, but are sometimes built as standalone stores.
Hart Home/Maison en Gros Hart
Hart Home locations differ from standard locations. They primarily sell furniture, including outdoor and patio furniture, desks and chairs, mattresses, bedding, and more. Stores are smaller then a normal Hart store. They are usually found in shopping plazas and power centres.
Bargain Giant (Former)
Bargain Giant stores were similar to Hart locations, however, they were smaller. They were usually found in enclosed shopping malls, usually in smaller and rural areas. Bargain Giant was discontinued in 2011 when the company filed for bankruptcy protection.
See Also
Rossy - One of their competitors