any was acknowledged and responded to. This total time period of 200 years assisted in the discovery of Canada. In 1821, the two competitors merged under the name of Hudson’s Bay.In the twentieth century, HBC began to concentrate on retailing which is it’s primary activity today. Between 1913 and 1968, HBC made downtown department stores in the major cities of western Canada. As time rolled along, the Bay moved into eastern Canada and the suburbs of major Canadian cities.Between 1959 and 1987, the Hudson’s Bay Company and their primary investments in the oil and gas industries. The names of the organizations were Hudson’s Bay Oil & Gas, Siebens and Roxy Petroleum.In 1978, HBC obtained Zellars, Simpsons in 1979. Between the years of 1986 and 1991, Simpsons was merged into the Bay. In 1990 and 1991, Zellers acquired Towers and therefore, Rowers merged into Zellers. In 1998, Zellers acquired Kmart Canada.Today, the Bay and Zellers are the major operating divisions of Hudson’s Bay Company. It allows this corporation to cover the Canadian retail market across all price zones coast to coast. It is responsible for an estimated 37% of Canadian department store sales and almost 8% of all retail sales, accept for food and automobiles. (HBC Annual Report 1996, pg #45 – The above information is from one resource.)The company aims to advance its human and material resources and take advantage of its merchandising experience to forecast and satisfy the needs of customers for the goods and services. The HBC looks for these goods at fair prices, which in turn can earn a satisfactory return for it’s shareholders.When you look at the historic 328 years of the Hudson’s Bay Company, you see the significance of change and the ability to adapt to the external environment as the great success of this Candian company. This is very evident when you view the 1998 fiscal year as a transition year full o...
