'The hype has been real': Zellers officially opens in Winnipeg

The day has finally arrived for Winnipeggers who have been waiting to see the return of Zellers.

The brand officially returned to the city Tuesday as it opened within The Bay at St. Vital Centre.

Zellers fans were lined up about 80 people deep Tuesday morning waiting for the 10 a.m. opening at St. Vital Centre.

"I think it's very exciting. All my children were brought up with all (Zellers) clothes and I went there almost every day when my kids were little and to the restaurants," said Joan Ducheminsky, who was one of the customers standing in line. "It was the most exciting time in my life."

People lined up outside The Bay at St. Vital Centre as they waited for Zellers to open up on the second floor. (April 4, 2023. Source: Joseph Bernacki/CTV News)

Roxanne Lowen, the marketing manager at St. Vital Centre, said bringing Zellers to the second floor of The Bay is a positive update for the store and the mall as a whole.

"The hype has been real. It's true," said Lowen. "From the centre standpoint, it is our number one question that we've been asked since the announcement it would be coming here. So we have (had) people in the community calling every day."

An inside look of the new Zellers within The Bay at St. Vital Centre. The store opened Tuesday April 4, 2023. (Source: Joseph Bernacki/CTV News)

Lowen said Zellers will find a variety of products, with the exception of grocery items, similar to what the store carried years ago.

Hudson's Bay is in the process of rolling out Zellers store-within-a-store locations across the country, with a goal of having 25 locations throughout Canada.