Hudson’s Bay stores closed due to ‘strain’ of heat wave on A/C systems

Article content

Several Hudson’s Bay stores across Metro Vancouver were closed on Tuesday due to issues with air conditioning systems.

“The current heat wave has caused strain on HVAC systems in certain Hudson’s Bay locations,” said company spokesperson Tiffany Bourre. “We are working to address as quickly as possible. The comfort and well-being of customers and associates remains our top priority.”

Article content

Bourre was not able to provide a list of impacted stores, nor a timeline for when the HVAC issue might be resolved. She said in an email that “as the situation is fluid, signage will be posted at individual store level.”

At the downtown Vancouver store, an employee answering the phone said “I’m not sure” when asked if the location might reopen tomorrow.

In West Vancouver and Coquitlam, mall managers at Park Royal and Coquitlam Centre confirmed that HBC stores were closed Tuesday due to HVAC issues.

Pre-recorded messages at Surrey and Richmond said those locations were also closed. Calls to the stores in Nanaimo, Victoria and Burnaby went unanswered.

HBC’s Langley store was one of the few that was open on Tuesday, according to a staff member who answered the phone.

Stores in Alberta and Manitoba have also been closed in recent days.

The HVAC issues appear to be confined to the HBC stores themselves. For example, even though the HBC store is closed at Sevenoaks Shopping Centre in Abbotsford, other retailers at the mall remain open.

An HBC spokesperson said that HBC continues to envision the future of Vancouver’s iconic Hudson’s Bay store at Georgia and Seymour: “We are committed to exploring the redevelopment of The Bay building.”

More to come …

— With files from Stephanie Ip and Douglas Quan

Share this article in your social network