The Winnipeg store. Hudson's Bay Company Price List No. 39, Fall 1901, cover.

Hudson's Bay Company
by Catherine C. Cole

The Hudson's Bay Company had a network of "saleshops" throughout Western Canada when it published its first mail-order catalogue in 1896. In 1913, the catalogue was discontinued because it could not compete with Eaton's and Simpson's. However, the Hudson's Bay Company continued to provide a "personal shopper" service, published individual store catalogues in the 1920s, and introduced the northern stores catalogue office in the 1930s.

From Fur Trade to Retail Stores | The First Catalogue | The Winnipeg Store | The Last Catalogue | Shopping by Mail | Conclusion | Further Reading

From Fur Trade to Retail Stores

HBC's eleven stores. Hudson's Bay Company (Calgary) Mail Service Bulletin, November 1922, cover.

Sketch of the Winnipeg store, 1889.

The Hudson's Bay Company is the oldest retailer in Canada, having received its charter in 1670. Much has been written about the colourful history of the company's fur trade, but considerably less attention has been paid to its retail operations.

Early fur trade posts evolved into retail stores in developing urban centres. The Hudson's Bay Company had 26 saleshops throughout the Northwest when it introduced its first mail-order catalogue in 1896. Most of these were fur trade posts that now sold goods to settlers, but they were the beginnings of retail stores nonetheless. The six largest original stores were in Winnipeg (1881), Calgary (1884), Vancouver (1887), Edmonton (1892), Victoria (1921), and Saskatoon (1922).

The First Catalogue

The first 72-page catalogue was a price list for goods available either by mail or through company stores, including fabric, ready-made clothing, household textiles, millinery, floor coverings, footwear, hardware, groceries, drugs, tobacco, and alcohol. The few illustrations were line drawings. By 1901, the catalogue had grown to 201 pages and included many more illustrations.

Hudson's Bay Company Catalogue, 1896, p. 10.	Hudson's Bay Company Catalogue, 1896, p. 45.	Hudson's Bay Company, Price List No. 39, Fall 1901, p. 17.
Hudson's Bay Company, Price List No. 39, Fall 1901, p. 130.	Hudson's Bay Company, Price List No. 39, Fall 1901, p. 177.	Hudson's Bay Company, Price List No. 39, Fall 1901, p. 198.

Hudson's Bay Company Price List No. 39, Fall 1901, back cover.

The mail-order operation was handled through the Winnipeg store, with goods coming from the shelves of the store. The saleshop accounts were organized by department (e.g., ladies' wear, footwear, hardware). The Hudson's Bay Company catalogue noted that it was "five days quicker than any other mail-order house of equal standing" and promoted its stores as well as catalogue shopping.

The Winnipeg Store

When Eaton's opened its grand store in Winnipeg in 1905, Commissioner C. C. Chipman tried to convince the Governor to expand the Hudson's Bay Company store to compete with Eaton's. However, the retail operation was considered a sideline within the fur trade division. In 1911, H. E. Burbidge, son of the owner of the great Harrods department store in London, visited the saleshops and made recommendations. Burbidge served as Stores Commissioner in Winnipeg for a number of years, during which time the Hudson's Bay Company separated the fur trade, retail stores, and land sales division.

Hudson's Bay Company Spring/Summer Catalogue, No. 45, 1904, cover.	Hudson's Bay Company Spring/Summer Catalogue, No. 45, 1904, p. 1.	Hudson's Bay Company Spring/Summer Catalogue, No. 45, 1904, p. 4.
Hudson's Bay Company Autumn/Winter Catalogue, No. 58, 1910-11, cover.	Hudson's Bay Company Autumn/Winter Catalogue, No. 58, 1910-11, p. 118.	Hudson's Bay Company Autumn/Winter Catalogue, No. 58, 1910-11, p. 217.

Page 2 >>