Hudson's Bay opens 3 'Home' concept stores in Winnipeg

Hudson's Bay is trying something newin Winnipeg with three home decor and appliance stores featuring designer and exclusive brands.

The Hudson's Bay Home stores are located in former Home Outfitters locations on St. James Street near Polo Park, on Kenaston Boulevard and at the Crossroads Station Shopping Centre on Regent Avenue.

"Winnipeg is a very strong market for HBC. These are already successful stores, and the city is a proven market with three diverse locations," a company spokesperson said in an email to CBC News on Friday.

Hudson's Bay says the new stores carry brands such as Le Creuset, Kate Spade, Smeg, Vitamix, Lacoste and Ralph Lauren, as well as brands that it says are exclusive to Hudson's Bay, such as Martha Stewart and Hotel Collection.

It's important for retail brands to stay relevant, says Kyle Romaniuk, executive vice-president of corporate initiatives with The CHR Group in Winnipeg.

Romaniuk added that it makes sense for Hudson's Bay to open the new stores in Winnipeg.

"There's a lot of equity and legacy in the Hudson's Bay brand here and taking that and leveraging it to a refresh or a rebrand of the Home Outfitters brand enables them to create a stronger relevance withsomething that feels up-to-date and current," he said.