Canadian Exclusive

Hudson's Bay Co. (Hbc, Toronto) has partnered with Federated Merchandising Group (FMG), to develop a brand exclusively for Canada's mass market. As part of its strategy to introduce exclusive brands throughout its family of stores, the retailer will make Tres You, a stylish, value-priced line of women's wear-to-work clothing, available exclusively at its Zellers stores across Canada this fall.

“Tres You is perfectly timed to meet the demand by Canadian women for stylish clothes at great prices,” says George Heller, president and ceo, Hudson's Bay Co. “We worked in partnership with Federated Merchandising Group to create this trend-right line specifically for Zellers.”

The Tres You collection will be updated eight times a year with colors and designs flowing from one delivery to the next, encouraging customers to mix and match with the styles already in their closet.

“At Zellers, we're constantly looking for new, exclusive brands for our customers, and Tres You represents the best combination of style, quality and price in Canada,” says Thomas Haig, president and coo, Zellers.

Hudson's Bay Co. carries nine exclusive brands and labels from FMG, including I.N.C. International Concepts, Style &Co., Charter Club, Alfani, Tools of the Trade, The Cellar, JM Collection, Greendog and First Impressions.

Tres You represents the first joint effort by the two companies in developing a collection exclusively for the Canadian market. Initiated by Hbc president and ceo George Heller, Hbc and FMG have worked together to build a collection of apparel that targets Zellers core customer — women between the ages of 35 and 54.

“Our partnership with Hudson's Bay Co. has reached an important new level,” says Linda Rowse, divisional vp, FMG. “Together with Zellers, we've created a brand that's perfect for their customer segment and exclusive to the company. We're confident Tres You will offer Canadians the style, comfort and affordability they want.”

Hudson's Bay Co., is Canada's largest department store retailer and oldest corporation. The company includes more than 500 stores led by the Bay, Zellers and Home Outfitters chains.

Federated, with corporate offices in Cincinnati and New York, operates more than 460 stores under the names of Macy's, Bloomingdale's, The Bon Marche, Burdines, Goldsmith's, Lazarus and Rich's.