Robinson's

Not to be confused with the American chain which later became Macy's 
Robinson's (or G.W. Robinson) was a Canadian department store chain that operated over 170 locations across Ontario and Western Canada. After years of declining sales and a bankruptcy, the chain eventually was dissolved into Hudson's Bay in 1996. 
==History==
Robinson's was founded in 1875. The first Robinson's location opened in London, Ontario. The store quickly became very popular in the London area, and the chain started opening more locations in Southern Ontario soon after. https://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/business/robinsonlittle.shtml
In 1899, a new 6 story store was built in downtown Hamilton, Ontario. In 1920, an expansion was done to the store and escalators were added, which were the first set of escalators in the city. https://downtownhamilton.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Robinsons-Dept-Store.pdf
By the early 1900s, Robinson's had moved their headquarters to Winnipeg, Manitoba where they opened a new multi-level store. Soon after, several other stores were opened throughout Western Canada, becoming a popular chain across several parts of the country. 
In the 1950s, with the boom of new suburban development and shopping malls, many department store chains started opening stores in these suburban malls, including Robinson's. 
In 1974, Robinson's made a new store concept called "Robinson's Warehouse Store".https://www.facebook.com/VintageHamilton/posts/robinsons-department-store-fruitland-warehouse-store-at-590-south-service-road-i/1810303188987966/ This store was located in an industrial park and had a much different experience to a standard store.
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Robinson's chain began to decline and close stores. In March 1985, Robinson's filed for bankruptcy and closed over 30 stores. However, the chain restructured and left bankruptcy soon after. Around the same time, Robinson's merged with Ogilvy, which was a similar bankrupt department store chain in Northern Ontario. The new company was named Robinson-Ogilvy Ltd.
In 1986, Comark Services Inc. Acquired Robinson-Ogilvy Ltd. They attempted to turn around the struggling chain, but eventually failed.https://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/205/301/ic/cdc/hamilton_tour/robinson.htm
By the early 1990s, Robinson's and Ogilvy began to close even more locations. By 1992, Hudson's Bay acquired the chain, and most locations were rebranded to the HBC name in the next few years. The remaining assets of the chain were dissolved in 1996, marking the end of the Robinsons and Ogilvy names. 
Category:Retailers
Category:Department stores
Category:Retailers that filed for bankruptcy
Category:Defunct Department Stores
Category:Defunct
Category:Defunct Mall Retailers
Category:Canada
Category:North America
Category:HBC owned-companies