Canadian Tire Hudson’s Bay: Acquisition, Plans, Stripes

There’s something about those colourful stripes that stops you in an aisle. For generations, the Hudson’s Bay Company emblem—the red, yellow, green and white bars—has been shorthand for a certain kind of Canadianness.

Acquisition announcement date: May 15, 2025 ·
First Stripes collection launch: May 1, 2026 ·
Product line items: 32 pieces ·
Hudson’s Bay founded: 1670 ·
Canadian Tire founded: 1922

Six facts capture the key data points that define this acquisition and the brand revival that followed.

Did Canadian Tire buy Hudson’s Bay?

What exactly did Canadian Tire purchase?

On May 15, 2025, Canadian Tire announced it had entered a definitive agreement to become the home of Hudson’s Bay Company brand assets (Canadian Tire Corporation press release). The transaction included the HBC Stripes, company names, logos, designs, coat of arms, and brand trademarks. Canadian Tire said the acquisition price for HBC’s intellectual property portfolio was $30 million. The company did not acquire Hudson’s Bay’s operating business, liabilities, or physical store leases, though it separately bid for a handful of lease locations.

Why did Hudson’s Bay sell its brand assets?

Hudson’s Bay department stores faced severe financial strain and filed for creditor protection in early 2025. All physical stores closed by mid-2025 (Retail Insider). The liquidation left the company with valuable intellectual property but no retail platform. Selling the brand assets to Canadian Tire allowed the HBC marks to survive in a way that a fire sale to a foreign licenser might not have achieved.

The implication: while the Bay’s physical doors are gone, the cultural heft of its marks proved valuable enough for a national competitor to invest $30 million.

What is Canadian Tire going to do with the Bay?

Plans for the Hudson’s Bay Stripes collection

Canadian Tire moved quickly to commercialize the brand. On April 9, 2026, it announced the first Hudson’s Bay Stripes collection, which launched on May 1, 2026 (Retail Insider). The collection was described as the first full assortment developed internally since the intellectual property was acquired. It spans outdoor furniture, beach essentials, games, and entertaining, and is available at Canadian Tire stores across Canada and online.

For a look at another major Canadian retailer, see our guide to London Drugs Grande Prairie: Store Hours, Services & Ownership.

Revival of iconic products

The collection prominently features striped blankets, tote bags, mugs, mittens, and outdoor accessories. Select products are also available through Mark’s locations and online at marks.com for the first time (Retail Insider). Canadian Tire has said that a portion of proceeds from blanket sales is donated to a Canadian charity, though the specific recipient and amount are not yet disclosed in official materials.

Why this matters: by extending the brand to Mark’s – a more workwear‑oriented chain – Canadian Tire is broadening the audience beyond those who would have shopped The Bay.

Will Canadian Tire sell Hudson’s Bay blankets?

Availability and pricing

Yes, Canadian Tire is selling Hudson’s Bay striped blankets as part of the collection. Exact pricing has not been confirmed in official sources, but typical retail for similar quality blankets at Canadian Tire falls in the $30–$50 range. The blankets are now available at Canadian Tire stores nationwide and online at canadiantire.ca.

How the new blankets compare to originals

The classic Hudson’s Bay point blanket was made in England from wool. The new versions are produced at a different scale and price point – more accessible for everyday use. While purists may miss the heirloom quality, the brand’s visual DNA remains intact: the same four‑colour stripes and the HBC coat of arms appear on the new products.

The implication: the iconic stripes are now accessible to a wider market, but at a lower price point and different quality tier.

Why is Hudson’s Bay closing?

Financial struggles and restructuring

Hudson’s Bay (The Bay) filed for creditor protection in early 2025 after years of declining mall traffic, shifting consumer habits, and heavy debt. The company began liquidation sales and closed all physical stores by mid‑2025 (Retail Insider). The closure marked the end of a retail chain that had been operating continuously for 355 years.

Timeline of closure

• Early 2025: Creditor protection filing and liquidation announcements.
• June 1, 2025: All Hudson’s Bay department stores closed (Retail Insider).
• Summer 2025: Court approval for sale of brand assets to Canadian Tire.

The catch: the same closure that saddened loyal customers also freed the brand for a new chapter under a company with a different retail model.

Is Hudson’s Bay still Canadian owned?

Ownership of the brand vs. the company

Before its closure, Hudson’s Bay Company was owned by a U.S. private equity firm. After liquidation, the brand assets – the coat of arms, Stripes, and associated marks – were purchased by Canadian Tire, a Canadian company founded in 1922 and headquartered in Toronto. So while the department store is gone, the brand’s home is now firmly Canadian again.

Canadian Tire’s role as steward

Canadian Tire has publicly stated its intention to steward the HBC coat of arms and Stripes as a Canadian icon. In its press release, the company said it plans to “steward the HBC coat of arms and Stripes” and treat the purchase as a responsibility that involves preserving the heritage of marks dating back to 1670 (Canadian Tire Corporation press release).

The trade-off: Canadian ownership comes with a more mainstream, mass‑market distribution – a far cry from The Bay’s downtown department stores, but a realistic way to keep the stripes alive in millions of homes.

For Canadian Tire, the Hudson’s Bay brand is more than a nostalgic play – it’s a bet that Canadians still want those stripes, just in a different format. The company is now selling striped blankets alongside car tires, but the cultural resonance is real. For shoppers who grew up with the Bay, the chance to buy a piece of that history for $30–$50 is an easy yes. For the company, the choice is clear: keep the stripes relevant, or risk letting a 350-year-old icon fade into memory.